Baltimore Speaker Series: David Brooks

stevenson.edu, $265-$395. Meyerhoff Symphony Hall, Baltimore.

Stevenson University's Baltimore Speaker Series is really taking advantage of America's love affair with all things political by bringing in a few defunct politicians, a former first lady, an aging actress, and a PBS regular to the Meyerhoff to talk about themselves for a few hours. First up is former president of Pakistan Pervez Musharraf, fresh off the War on Terror. Joining him in the 2009-2010 series will be Laura Bush (Nov. 17), former Secretary of Labor Robert Reich (Jan. 12), hunger-strike dropout Mia Farrow (Feb. 16), and News Hour with Jim Lehrer personality David Brooks (March 16), along with a few other talk-circuit staples. (Becky Hunter)

Megadeth, Testament, Exodus

Rams Head Live, Baltimore.

OK, it's another band reunited for some extra bucks way past its prime, but why should you even care? It's Megadeth, the band that made '80s' ears bleed, that beat Metallica at being Metallica: godlike riffs, speed, drugs, godlike fame, tragedy, and an actually good '00s comeback record. Anyway, for a hot 10 or so years, thrash-metal was mainstream, and here's why. Tonight, Megadeth performs its much-revered "opus" Rust in Peace. Pay your respects. Also: Testament. (Michael Byrne)

The Only Good Corporation is an Undead Corporation

$5-$10 sliding scale. The Black Cherry Puppet Theater, Baltimore.

Black Cherry's description of this show is short on specifics and heavy on maybes. There may be nudity in Rebecca Nagle's piece. The coffee shop that Annex and Bedlam's work is set in may be a Federal Hill coffee shop. We do know that the title performance by RPM Puppet Conspiracy will look at whether the human rights attributed to corporations means they can get the flu or chicken pox or a zombie virus. Don't most of them already have that last one? (Anna Ditkoff)

Mobtown Modern: High Art

$10, Contemporary Museum members and students $5. Metro Gallery, Baltimore.

Back in October, the Mobtown Modern concert series presented a program of contemporary music that emphasized the low end of the musical spectrum (think Scelsi's Maknongan played on baritone sax). Tonight, flautists Katayoon Hodjati and Marcia Kamper and clarinetist Jennifer Everhart scrape the other end of the tonal range with a recital of high-pitched pieces by Philip Glass, Brian Ferneyhough, Kaija Saariaho, and Pierre Boulez. Get your ears up on their tippy-toes for this. (Lee Gardner)

Circus Maximus

$25-$60. Music Center at Strathmore, Bethesda.

The Baltimore Symphony Orchestra conducted by Marin Alsop perform David T. Little's Screamer, Prokofiev's Peter and the Wolf, and John Corigliano's Symphony No. 3 "Circus Maximus."

500 Clown Macbeth

$14-$23. Creative Alliance at the Patterson, Baltimore.

Macbeth isn't a particularly funny play, with the exception of the drunk scene in the middle that always feels like a bit of a what-the-fuck? It's pretty much as start-to-finish tragic as you can get. Well, that's not going to stop a group of clowns from Chicago from trying to make it a laugh riot. 500 Clowns promises inflating kilts, Jello splatters, and zero words--in iambic pentameter or otherwise. The show sold out at the Creative Alliance in 2002, so get your tickets in advance. (Anna Ditkoff)

Baltimore Greenworks Ecoball

$75, students $40. Frederick Douglass - Isaac Myers Maritime Park Museum, Baltimore.

This isn't some kind of hippie celebration of eco-friendliness and green living--instead, Baltimore Greenworks classes things up for its Ecoball (pictured). Students from the Baltimore International College compete in a Top Chef-style competition, judged by a panel of local foodie celebs. Funk band the Mooks will keep the place hopping, and of course, locally produced beer and wine will be flowing all evening. Don't forget to dress for a green-friendly party--recycling is in. (Erin Sullivan)

Circus Maximus

$25-$60. Meyerhoff Symphony Hall, Baltimore.

The Baltimore Symphony Orchestra conducted by Marin Alsop perform David T. Little's Screamer, Prokofiev's Peter and the Wolf, and John Corigliano's Symphony No. 3 "Circus Maximus."

The Armchairs

Golden West Café, Baltimore.

Haiti Benefit with Caleb Stine and the Brakemen and Fearsome Creatures

$20 donation. Metro Gallery, Baltimore.

Baltimore's Fearsome Creatures (pictured) ooze charm for miles and miles. Now a three-piece of drums, acoustic guitar, and the honey-sweet vocals of a luminous Allyson Little, the music takes its cues from the quirkier side of pop music, folk-folk, and post-scat vocal jazz, leaving a simple formula that's positively infectious. Fingers crossed for a record in the near future. They open tonight for Caleb Stine, Baltimore's ever-rising folk/country star, in a benefit for the Haitian-based grassroots aid organization Heads Together. (Michael Byrne)

Grandmother Project

missiontix.com, $20, seniors $15, students $10. Theatre Project, Baltimore.

Join celebrated choreographer Vincent Thomas as VT Dance work to change the connotation of "selling your grandmother." Winner of the 2009 Baker Artist People's Choice Award and 2009 Baltimore magazine's Best Choreographer award, Thomas presents Grandmother Project, an original piece that delves into the essence, presence, and similarities between grandmothers worldwide. Grandmother Project is a compilation of spoken text, movement, music, video, and projected images woven together through an extensive creative process involving numerous "table talks," interviews, and creative explorations with young and old. The end result is a heartfelt and engaging reflection on the memories of loved ones. (Emma Brodie)

500 Clown Macbeth

$14-$23. Creative Alliance at the Patterson, Baltimore.

Macbeth isn't a particularly funny play, with the exception of the drunk scene in the middle that always feels like a bit of a what-the-fuck? It's pretty much as start-to-finish tragic as you can get. Well, that's not going to stop a group of clowns from Chicago from trying to make it a laugh riot. 500 Clowns promises inflating kilts, Jello splatters, and zero words--in iambic pentameter or otherwise. The show sold out at the Creative Alliance in 2002, so get your tickets in advance. (Anna Ditkoff)