Thursday, Oct. 11 at 8 p.m.

Rocker Melissa Etheridge is used to being in the news for many reasons – high-profile relationships that have failed, fighting breast cancer, outspoken support for gay marriage. While fans can appreciate her personal controversies and successes, they ultimately love Etheridge for her music, songs both tough and tender and as stirring as they are electric. The Hard Rock Tulsa Hotel & Casino, 777 W. Cherokee St., Catoosa, presents Kansas-native Etheridge on tour for her 12^th album, Fourth Street Feeling, on stage at the Joint. Tickets are $55-$85, available at www.hardrockcasinotulsa.com

Saturday, Oct. 13 at 7:30 p.m.

Contrary to popular belief, there is nothing boring about the opera. You have either the sublimely tragic, as with Lucia di Lammermoor, Gaetano Donizetti’s story of a lovely girl driven to madness and murder by her own brother’s lies. Then you have the delightfully chaotic. Donizetti’s The Daughter of the Regiment will do just nicely when comedy is the order, and this tale of a carefree tomboy raised by soldiers who is told she must be a lady and marry an aristocrat is its essence. It’s also another perfect vehicle for Oklahoma’s own favorite daughter of the opera (as well as Sen. Tom Coburn’s), star soprano Sarah Coburn, as she flexes her vocal brilliance once again to follow her starring send-up in Tulsa Opera’s The Barber of Seville from last season. Three performances are scheduled – 7:30 p.m. Oct. 13 and 19 and 2:30 p.m. Oct. 21 – for the Tulsa Performing Arts Center’s Chapman Music Hall, Third Street and Cincinnati Avenue. Tickets are $54-$98, available at myticketoffice.com.

Sunday, Oct. 14 at 7 p.m.

It isn’t often that rockers of the caliber of Neil Young stop in Tulsa. Part rock-icon, part musical crusader, we love Young for his stint with Buffalo Springfield, for Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young and for his amazing solo career that gave us Heart of Gold, Old Man and Harvest Moon among others. But it was with the band Crazy Horse that Young produced licks-laden anthems like Cinnamon Girl and Down by the River from Everybody Knows This is Nowhere plus hits from Zuma and Tonight’s the Night. The chemistry is at work again with their new album Americana, as close to their classic sound as we’ve heard in decades. If the set list for Sunday’s show is anything like his January 1989 show at the Brady Theater (which included most of the songs mentioned already plus For the Turnstiles, Comes a Time and Sugar Mountain!) we should all consider ourselves very blessed indeed. Show will be at the Tulsa Convention Center, 100 Civic Center, Tulsa. Tickets are $46.50-$123, available on line at www.bokcenter.com.

Tuesday, Oct. 16 at 8 p.m.

Ten years ago, a young singer named Norah Jones had  entertainment circles buzzing over a breezy single called “Don’t Know Why” from her album Come Away with Me. The raven-tressed Jones subtly blended jazz, folk and pop to create a sound that sparkled with a timeless quality belying her years. The multi-instrumentalist also wrote songs, topping the zeal music writers expressed over the fact that she is the daughter of Indian sitar master Ravi Shankar. Jones consistently has reminded the public of her musical cred in the years since her debut with four more albums, including her latest, Little Broken Hearts. She has evolved her sound, altered her look and explored film as well as collaborations with Ray Charles, Danger Mouse and Daniele Luppi. Don’t let Ms. Jones Say Goodbye before you’ve heard her at the Brady Theater on Oct. 16. www.bradytheater.com

Few contemporary musicals have the longevity of Les Misérables, the 1985 Claude-Michel Schönberg-Alain Boublil musical adaptation of Victor Hugo’s novel of the same name set at the brink of the French Revolution. You could mention several Andrew Lloyd Weber titles or The Fantasticks, yet Les Misérables stands out for its epic storytelling in both dialogue and song. A special 25th anniversary production of the Broadway and West End hit travels to the Oklahoma City Civic Center Music Hall. The scene design, staging and orchestration have been reimagined for this celebratory production, which debuted in 2008 in Cardiff, U.K., but the spirit and songs (such as "On My Own," "I Dreamed a Dream" and "Master of the House") are as faithful to the story and its characters as ever. Celebrity Attractions presents the new incarnation of Les Misérables Oct. 9-14. www.celebrityattractions.com

Saturday, Oct. 6

The leaves are changing color, and artists will be on hand at Utica Square to chat about their artwork – including pottery, sculpture and painting – on display. Kids also can enjoy Art Alley at this free event open 10 a.m.-5 p.m. at Utica Square, 21^st Street and Utica Avenue, Tulsa. Go to www.uticasquare.com for more.

Sunday, Oct. 7 at 7:30pm
Inspired by music legends Dizzy Gillespie and Charlie Parker, dazzling Cuban jazz trumpeter Arturo Sandoval brings his Latin influenced and Grammy-winning sound to the Rose State College Performing Arts Theatre, 6420 S.E. 15th St., Midwest City, for one night. Tickets are $25, available by phone at 405-297-2264 and at www.myticketoffice.com.

Saturday, Oct. 6
Fry bread is the foundation of a good Indian taco, but wait until you see where competing cooks go from there, 10 a.m.- 4 p.m. Saturday, in downtown Pawhuska. Be a judge for $5 and you’ll help pick a winner and fill your stomach to boot. More is at www.pawhuskachamber.com.

Saturday, Oct. 6

What better way to get a little exercise than by running for your life? This original 5k run through Guthrie features zombies with a taste for runners standing between you and the finish line. Run for $49 or be a zombie for $15-$30. Race time is at 4:30 p.m. Saturday at the corner of U.S. 77 & West Grant Avenue, Guthrie. Check out www.zombiebolt.com for the details.

Ends this Sunday

Get a look at furniture so intriguing it could only go in an art exhibit before it’s gone. Antibodies: The Works of Fernando & Humberto Campana, 1989-2009 closes Sunday at the Philbrook Museum of Art, 2727 S. Rockford Road, Tulsa. Created by the Brazilian brothers of avant garde sculpture and furniture design, these pieces are so original they beg for a look and then another. General admission is $9. Go to philbrook.org for hours.