In the mood for some live entertainment this weekend? Here are my picks for the can’t-miss live performances in the Coachella Valley and surrounding communities Oct. 10-11.
More: Things to do in Palm Springs area this week include open studio tours, ‘Opera Exposed’
HOT PICK
Friday: Kool & the Gang at Fantasy Springs Resort Casino
Kool & the Gang will perform at Fantasy Springs Resort Casino in Indio, Calif., on October 10, 2025.
Funk: During the ’70s, Kool & the Gang wrote several songs that defined the genre of funk, such as “Jungle Boogie,” “Hollywood Swinging,” “Ladies Night,” and “Too Hot.” The band’s 1980 song “Celebration” has become a timeless and established party anthem, often played at weddings and other types of parties. After 30 years of eligibility, Kool & the Gang were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2024.
Kool & the Gang’s live shows are renowned for being energetic, which impressed Van Halen frontman David Lee Roth, who invited the band as the opening act on the band’s 2012 reunion tour.
See for yourself on Friday when Kool & the Gang performs at Fantasy Springs Resort Casino.
If you go: 8 p.m. Friday, Fantasy Springs Resort Casino, 84-245 Indio Springs Parkway, Indio. Tickets $72 to $113. fantasyspringsresort.com
BEST BETS
Friday: Dengue Fever at Pappy and Harriet’s, Cirque Mechanics at the McCallum Theatre, This Lonesome Paradise at Mojave Gold
Dengue Fever will perform at Pappy and Harriet’s in Pioneertown, Calif., on October 10, 2025.
Cambodian rock: In 1999, while Los Angeles musician Ethan Holtzman traveled through Cambodia, he discovered the country’s psychedelic rock music. Many of Cambodia’s popular artists during the ’60s had vanished or were killed during the Khmer Rouge regime, and their recordings were being discovered by an international audience. Holtzman and his brother, who knew the genre from working in a record store, formed Dengue Fever in 2001 and added vocalist Chhom Nimol, a prominent singer in Cambodia who immigrated to the United States and was singing in bars in the Cambodia Town area of Long Beach.
The band has released six albums and was the subject of the 2009 documentary film “Sleepwalking Through the Mekong.”
Dengue Fever will perform on Friday at Pappy and Harriet’s.
If you go: 9:30 p.m. Friday, Pappy and Harriet’s, 53-688 Pioneertown Road, Pioneertown. Tickets $42.74. pappyandharriets.com
Cirque Mechanics will perform “Tilt! A Circus Thrill Ride” at the McCallum Theatre in Palm Desert, Calif., on October 10, 2025.
Circus: Journey into the world of a theme park amid the shadow of a roller coaster and under the lights of a Ferris wheel with the circus troupe Cirque Mechanics in its production, “Tilt! A Circus Thrill Ride” on Friday at the McCallum Theatre. The family-friendly production features acrobatics, mechanical marvels and more.
If you go: 7 p.m. Friday, McCallum Theatre, 73-000 Fred Waring Drive. Tickets $15. mccallumtheatre.org
Mojave Gold, a restaurant and live music venue owned and operated by Cooper Gillespie and Greg Gordon, has opened in Yucca Valley, Calif., as seen on July 2, 2025.
Rock: This Lonesome Paradise was founded in Oregon but now calls the high desert home, and its brand of Ennio Morricone-inspired Spaghetti-Western music blended with gothic folk and psychedelic rock is fitting for an evening desert drive.
This Lonesome Paradise will perform on Friday at Mojave Gold.
If you go: 8:30 p.m. Friday, Mojave Gold, 56-193 Twentynine Palms Highway, Yucca Valley. Tickets $15. mojavegolddesert.com
Saturday: ‘RuPaul’s Drag Race: WERQ the World Tour 2025’
Cast members of “RuPaul’s Drag Race: WERQ the World Tour 2025” will perform at Agua Caliente Resort Casino Spa in Rancho Mirage, Calif., on October 11, 2025.
Drag: “You better work!” RuPaul’s Drag Race is heading out on tour. The “WERQ the World Tour” stop on Saturday at Agua Caliente Resort Casino Spa will feature performances by TV show cast members Jimbo as Joan Rivers, Morphine Love Dion as Shakira, Jaida Essence Hall as Beyoncé, Roxxxy Andrews as Mariah Carey, and Derrick Barry as Britney Spears. There will also be a red carpet hosted by Sasha Velour as Lady Gaga and Madonna.
If you go: 8 p.m. Saturday, Agua Caliente Resort Casino Spa, 32-250 Bob Hope Drive, Rancho Mirage. Tickets $59.50 to $150. aguacalientecasinos.com
Brian Blueskye covers arts and entertainment for the Desert Sun. He can be reached at [email protected].
This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: Things to do in Palm Springs area this week include Kool & the Gang
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