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Trust Us: The Goonies, The Go-Go’s, funk, poetry and more stuff to do this week

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Catch The Goonies at the Boulevard Pool Monday night.
Jon Estrada
    • The Go-Go's at Mandalay Beach

      Remember those opening credits to Fast Times at Ridgemont High—the montage of mall hijinks, denim-clad butts and a bare-chested Jeff Spicoli, all to the infectious score of “We Got the Beat”? Or that one episode of The Office, when Michael Scott tried to assure Jim Halpert that he could keep a secret by singing lines from “Our Lips Are Sealed”? Or the clips of a golfing and fishing President George W. Bush hilariously cued to the ebullient harmonies of “Vacation” in the Michael Moore documentary Fahrenheit 9/11?

      The Go-Go’s—who, along with Joan Jett and The Runaways and The Slits, shattered the glass ceiling of the male-dominated rock and punk scenes—were the soundtrack to not only the youth of the 1980s, but the movies and TV shows of that era and beyond. If it’s hard to imagine the LA quartet finally hanging it up after what’s being billed as its Farewell Tour, it’s partly because of the way its New Wave bop has permeated pop culture.

      For the Go-Go’s local swan song at Mandalay Bay, they’ll bring modern-day surf rockers Best Coast, whose swoon-worthy, summertime jangle is a great fit for both the hotel-casino’s beachside venue and the headliner they proudly tout as an influence. August 26, 9 p.m. With Kaya Stewart. $36. –Mike Prevatt

    • Poets of National Stature with Patricia Smith at the Clark County Library

      The poet and author, whose accolades include a Guggenheim Fellowship, reads from her work and conducts a workshop as part of Clark County Poet Laureate Bruce Isaacson’s Poets of National Stature series. She’ll also hold a 7 p.m. reading at the Nevada State College Auditorium. August 27, 2 p.m. Free. –Rosalie Spear

    • Reopening of the Hispanic Museum of Nevada

      SeaQuest Aquarium construction has displaced some Boulevard Mall tenants. Luckily, Phase 1 of the new, larger Hispanic Museum of Nevada opens Saturday, with an interactive children’s area and an exhibit for the blind. August 27, 5 p.m. Free; donations go toward a membership. –Mike Prevatt

    • Keepin' the Funk Alive at Orleans Arena

      Kool & the Gang’s Keepin’ the Funk Alive summer tour swings through the Orleans Arena, where a lot of R&B, funk and soul concerts end up in Las Vegas but don’t really get their share of the spotlight. If a band that’s been playing and recording for 45 years doesn’t excite you—or if funk space cadet Bootsy Collins and his Rubber Band, Prince associates Morris Day & The Time and classic hype man Doug E. Fresh aren’t enough—consider the many hip-hop favorites that sample from Kool & the Gang, including “Summertime” by DJ Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince, “Breathe and Stop” by Q-Tip, “Picture Me Rollin’” by 2 Pac, “Don’t Sweat the Technique” by Eric B. and Rakim, “Method Man” by Wu-Tang Clan, “Let Me Clear My Throat” by DJ Kool and “Fear of a Black Planet” by Public Enemy. August 27, 7:30 p.m. $49-$129. –Brock Radke

    • The Goonies at Boulevard Pool

      Chunk. Sloth. One-Eyed Willy. Mouth. Brand. The Fratellis. If those words don’t conjure up vivid images—or if you can’t instantly bring Cyndi Lauper’s “The Goonies ‘R’ Good Enough” up on your brain radio—it’s probably time to revisit this ’80s coming-of-age classic. August 29, 7:30 p.m. $5, the Cosmopolitan. –Spencer Patterson

    • Kevin T. McEneaney on Hunter S. Thompson at the Writer's Block

      Revisit one of the most genius—and tumultuous—literary minds as dissected by author McEneaney in Hunter S. Thompson: Fear, Loathing, and the Birth of Gonzo, a biographic novel that examines the journalist/writer within a larger social and historical context. McEneaney will read from and sign his book—mescaline not required. August 30, 7 p.m. Free. –Rosalie Spear

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