Keith Urban
The handsome country star/former ”American Idol” judge is performing at Riverbend tonight with openers Brett Eldredge and Maren Morris, and amazingly there are still tickets left. Expect to hear music from his new album, “Ripcord,” which Urban released in May.
7:30 p.m. Thursday. Riverbend Music Center, 6295 Kellogg Ave. $25-$59.75. www.riverbend.org
Bad Ass Beer Fest
Bad Tom Smith Brewing will host its Bad Ass Beer Fest at the French House in French Park Friday and Saturday. The festival will feature beers from Blank Slate, Braxton, Ei8ht Ball, Mt. Carmel, MadTree, Rhinegeist and Urban Artifact in addition to five offerings from Bad Tom Smith itself. There will be music, too: Halfway to Hazard will perform, along with a variety of bands including The Cliftones, Go Go Buffalo and Zebras In Public.
4-11 p.m. Friday and Saturday. French House, 3012 Section Road. Pre-sale tickets: $20; VIP: $50; Halfway to Hazard VIP: $75. www.badassbeerfest2016.com
Pokemon Go Pub Crawl
Hundreds of "Pokemon Go" players are expected to swarm through Over-the-Rhine and Downtown this Saturday for a pub crawl inspired by the uber-popular smartphone game. Bars along the route include 16-bit Bar+Arcade, MOTR Pub, The Famous Neon’s Unplugged, Taft’s Ale House, Arnold’s Bar & Grill and gaming parlor the Rook OTR, and each bar will offer pub call drink specials.
5 p.m.-midnight Saturday. Starts at 16-Bit Bar+Arcade, 1331 Walnut St. For more information about the pub crawl, visit its event page on Facebook.
Guided By Voices
Although leader Bob Pollard is technically from Dayton, Cincinnati always has kind of considered his band Guided By Voices to be something of a hometown treasure. With more than 80 releases under his belt (Pollard is the only constant member since 1983), Pollard has rebooted the band once again with a new lineup that includes guitarist Nick Mitchell and Bobby Bare Jr., along with longtime GBV drummer Kevin March.
7 p.m. Friday. Fountain Square, Fifth and Vine streets, Downtown. Free admission. myfountainsquare.com
Crazy Cardboard Regatta
The idea is so simple, yet so fun. The annual Crazy Cardboard Regatta is back at Voice of America MetroPark, with teams building colorful cardboard boats to race in around the lake. You can build your own boat and compete or simply watch -- it’s cool either way. There also will be music by steel drum band the SunBurners, kite flying and more activities, too.
11 a.m.-3 p.m. Saturday. Voice of America MetroPark, 7850 Voice of America Park Drive, West Chester. Free event admission. www.yourmetroparks.net
Blues, Brews & BBQ
Pyramid Hill will hosts its first Blues, Brews & BBQ festival on Saturday. Sample ‘cue from Walt's Barbeque, Sweets & Meats, Eli's, Neal’s and Pit to Plate and dessert by Marty's Waffles; Cavalier Distributing will provide the beer while the Cincy Blues Society will provide the music. Ben Levin with The Heaters, Johnny Fink and the Intrusion, the SoulFixers and the Tempted Souls Band will perform.
1-10 p.m. Saturday. Pyramid Hill Sculpture Park, 1763 Hamilton Cleves Road. Admission: $25 in advance (includes 10 beer tasting tickets); $30 at the gate; designated driver tickets are $8. pyramidhill.org
Toasted Tour
Enjoy some out-of-town craft beer this Saturday when New York-based Blue Point Brewing Co. brings its East Coast-tinged national Toasted Tour to Over-the-Rhine. Beyond the beer, there also will be a chef demonstration, oysters and live music. Proceeds from the event will benefit the Butts Family Foundation, a local nonprofit dedicated to cancer awareness education and helping low-income families.
2-7 p.m. Saturday. 317 E. 12th St. $5 general admission. $25 VIP. www.bluepointtoastedtour.com/cincinnati/
Schutzenfest
The original German festival returns this weekend with traditional food, entertainment and, of course, beer. The festival also includes the shooting of a hand-carved eagle; the festival's name translated means “Marksman’s Festival.”
6 p.m-midnight Friday; 4 p.m.-midnight Saturday; and 1-9 p.m. Sunday. Kolping Center, 10235 Mill Road, Cincinnati. Free admission. www.schuetzenfestcincy.com
WWE NXT
WWE NXT is headed to BB&T Arena on Friday. Expect to see wrestlers such as Finn Balor, Samoa Joe, Shinsuke Nakamura and others compete.
7:30 p.m. Friday. BB&T Arena, Northern Kentucky University, 500 Louie B. Nunn Drive, Highland Heights. Tickets: $22, $42, $77. www.thebbtarena.com
