Three of the best stages in Tucson are teaming up this weekend to celebrate the life of Prince.

On Friday, the Loft Cinema will be screening Purple Rain as a sing-a-long and Club Congress will be hosting a Prince-themed dance party. Then on Saturday, there's a big ol' Prince Party at the Rialto Theatre.

Here are the details, as penned by Rialto boss Curtis McCrary:

The respective staffs of The Rialto Theatre/Tucson, Arizona, Hotel Congress and Club Congress, and The Loft Cinema, along with Tucson bon vivant Kitty Katt McKinley, were, like most every sentient music fan, deeply saddened at the unexpected passing of Prince, an artist who has left an indelible mark on music and popular culture for over four decades. After shaking off the shock and tears, the three organizations joined forces on a combination of events intended to pay our respects to Prince, his life, legacy and unparalleled greatness.

To that end, we are announcing I Would Die 4 U: 2cson’s Tribute 2 Prince Rogers Nelson.

Things will kick off at The Loft Cinema on Friday, April 29th, with a 7 p.m. sing-along to Prince’s classic cinematic debut Purple Rain, widely regarded as one the best rock films ever made. Regular Loft Cinema admission prices and policies apply.

Later that same night, at 9 pm, Hotel and Club Congress will transform itself into a southwestern Paisley Park, Prince’s famed residence and studio in Minneapolis, for a wild, unrestrained and funky dance party hosted by DJ Herm. Dance your sadness away until the wee hours, or just dance and cry like we all plan to do. If you come dressed like His Royal Badness (and make a real effort), you will be admitted for free.

Google marked Earth Day with some truly stunning illustrations. As beautiful as those doodles are, celebrating our planet is better done offline and outside.

Go to a farmers market, take a hike, grab a sketch book and illustrate the Earth on your own. Find a way to say thanks to the planet for keeping us alive all these years.

In case you missed it, local basement bar Tough Luck Club—which is secreted below Reilly Craft Pizza and Drink—has recently earned a spot in Playboy Magazine's online "Bars We Love" section.

“We’re thrilled that our bar program just keeps getting better and better,” said co-owner Tyler Fenton in a press release. “We’re excited about Playboy recognizing the hard work of our team!”

Though the Tough Luck Club is known around town for its unique cocktails, it is a lot more than just a bar to the employees and regulars. 

“We want to be a place for anybody,” co-bar manager Stephen Ott told Playboy. “If you want to have a carefully made $14 cocktail or have a conversation about the spirits behind the bar, we will be happy to do that for you. Or if you want to come in and take some shots and drink beer with your buddies, that’s cool too. We’re a venue for both of those things. We like it that way.”

Reilly Pizza is open for lunch and dinner, and the Tough Luck Club is open from 5 p.m. to 12 p.m. on weeknights and Friday/ Saturday from 5 p.m. to 2 a.m.

We're in the final stretch, fair fanatics: The Pima County Fair is in town through this Sunday, April 24. Enter here to win tickets to the event!

Revolutionary Grounds continues their "Ideas for Change" series tomorrow night with a discussion on whether or not marriage is racist.
 

UA professor V. Spike Peterson, who is "critical of most things conventional," according to the event's Facebook page, will debunk why an institution as seemingly sweet as marriage is actually pretty sour. Peterson will also talk about the various problems marriage perpetuates, including the transmission of property and citizenship and inequality in general. The discussion is affiliated with the UA's Department of Gender and Women's Studies, International Studies, Institute for LGBT Studies and Center for Latin American Studies. 

Show up with an open mind at 5:30 p.m. tomorrow, April 20, at Revolutionary Grounds (6060 N. 4th Ave.) if you're interested in hearing about marriage from an angle we as a society don't usually talk about.
 

Fans of fried food, petting zoos and carnival rides, pay attention: You've got one week/weekend of county fair possibilities ahead of you.

The fair is in town through this Sunday, April 24 and we're giving away tickets good for any day. Find event details here and enter to win tickets below:

Even over the phone, I can tell acclaimed comics Ian Harris and Ty Barnett have been pretty good pals for a while. The two jokesters will unite at the Rialto this Saturday, April 16, for their "Divided Comedy" stand-up show, which explores their opposing and according opinions on hot-button topics such as politics, race, religion and parenting through comedy.  Harris and Barnett jokingly back-and-forth while they give me the down-low on their personal-professional friendship and their stand-up show they promise will "unite a divided nation through laughter." This interview has been lightly edited and condensed. 
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How did you guys meet? 

Ty Barnett: We met about 17 years ago when Ian was performing in Seattle and he said, "Hey, if you ever come to L.A., call me up and let's do something." Most people are full of shit when they say that. He was not full of shit. He let me come and stay on his couch with his then-girlfriend who's now his wife. He was my first friend in Los Angeles. 
Ian Harris: Yeah, we met when we were working together in Seattle and we haven't worked together since. That's why we made this tour. 

Any other reasons you decided to take this tour?

TB: If you look at our poster, Ian looks like a skinhead, it's true, but he's the furthest thing from that. Our viewpoints are different in some things, but they're similar in some things, too. The thing is, we've been able to maintain this friendship personally and professionally for 17 years. If we can do this, let's show these other people you can have different views about life and different perspectives and everything. It doesn't have to be one thing or the other. 
IH: We've gone back to the '60s in so many ways—telling people they can't be somewhere for who they are, judging people sitting at a counter for their genetics. We do some heavy topics and lighter topics [in the show], but I love to talk about religion and people's beliefs, [and] obviously there's a lot of racial tension going on in America right now. 

Recently, comedians have kind of avoided college towns like Tucson because they say University students tend to be pretty PC. What do you guys think about that, and will it affect your show? 

IH: I like college towns, college cities because the people we get aren't usually the students, they're the professors, so it doesn't [affect the show]. It used to be that college was the place where you weren't PC—it was the place to go and expose yourself to things not in your small town. Nowadays, it's not that, but you still have [students] who are open-minded.
TB: Neither one of us will say things [in the show] that people will look at as offensive. We're not coming at it from a standpoint of "You're wrong in what you believe, you're stupid in what you believe." It's more "Here's an idea of how you can look at this." People shouldn't feel worried about being offended, you know—we know how to tailor to our audiences this material. We've been in the business for 17 years. 
IH: I'm always telling friends and family who come and see me [perform], "Watch out, I'm going to offend you!" And I've had people people come up because they didn't agree with something I said, [but] I've also had people come up to me and say, "I didn't find that remotely offensive. It was cool." 
TB: That's part of comedy, and that's part of saying something worth saying. 

Could you summarize the show in a few words or a phrase? 

TB: The perfect mix of two opposite sides of the spectrum coming together for a hilarious night looking at all the stuff you're scared to think about. 
IH: Also, the very unique part about our show is we literally come together on stage and do an audience Q&A. If you've always wanted to ask a black guy a question, if you've always wanted to ask an atheist a question—here's your chance ... Sometimes we'll ask the question in a serious way, and sometimes we're going to ask it in a funny way. 

Anything else you'd like to say about the show? 

TB: You're going to laugh. And if you don't like to laugh, you're dead inside. I'm sorry.
IH: We know there's a ton of stuff going on this weekend in Tucson, and we get that. But (A), if you like comedy, this is one of the best shows you're going to see and (B) nothing like this has ever come through Tucson, to my knowledge.
TB: And if you don't come to the show, the terrorists win. Don't let them win. 

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"Divided Comedy's" doors open at 7 p.m. and the show starts at 8. The Rialto is currently offering two-for-one admission on Ticketfly for $10 per person, or $20 per person those who don't want to buy two tickets. Get yours here. For more event information, check out the Rialto's website. 

What goes together better than cheap records and hot dogs? Nothing, apparently. 

Fill your weird record-hot-dog fix at Tucson Hop Shop and 4th Ave. Deli's spring record swap meet (more like swap meat, am I right, ladies?) this Sunday, April 15. 

All jokes aside, the event's Facebook page promises attendees thousands of various, stupidly low-priced records to pair with 4th Ave. Deli's dogs and, of course, Hop Shop's diverse beer selection. DJ Buttafly will spin and Oskar Blues Brewery will showcase some of their taps, too. Don't worry about finding a babysitter—the event is all ages, and there will be games and crafts to entertain your kids (or you).

The fun starts at 2 p.m. and runs until 6. Get more information here. 

It's April 12, which means Sexual Assault Awareness Month is almost half way over. There are still plenty of opportunities, though, for you to celebrate the month throughout the Tucson community. 

Here's one. To commemorate Sexual Assault Awareness Month, raise awareness and advocate for survivors of sexual assault, the UA's Students Promoting Empowerment and Consent and the Women's Resource Center will put on their one of their largest annual activism endeavors, Take Back the Night, this evening.
The event kicks off with a survivor solidarity march at 5:30 p.m. in the Women's Plaza of Honor and continues after the march with guest speakers, special performances and a "speak out" where survivors will anonymously and publicly share their sexual assault experiences. 

SPEAC and the WRC invite anyone and everyone to march, speak and generally "reclaim the night." Check out Take Back the Night's Facebook page for more TBTN-specific info, and check out the interactive map below for information regarding the rest of SPEAC's Sexual Assault Awareness Month affairs. 

Celebrate 4/20 the right way—rockin' and rollin' to the rough country tunes of the late Merle Haggard. 

Haggard, who pioneered the signature bluegrass, California-country Bakersfield sound, passed away last Wednesday, April 6, due to pnuemonia-related complications at 79 years old, according to CNN. To say a final goodbye on Tucson's behalf, local musician Hank Topless and his band will play a "foot-stompin', hootenanny" of a tribute to Merle at Club Congress.


Admission is free, but donations are encouraged. Doors open at 7:30 p.m. Find more concert information here. Maybe leave the bud at home and just share a Budweiser or two with a couple pals.