Best bets: Motorcycles, mixes and The Met
Motorcycle maniaGet revved up this weekend when the Bad Boys of Racing bring the Arenacross Championships to the Sears Centre Arena, 5333 Prairie Stone Parkway, Hoffman Estates. In addition to the racing motorcycles, there's Hot Rod 4X4 Mud Bog Drag Racing with pickup trucks and jeeps. $17-$32; kids ages 12 and under get in for $7. $10 parking. (800) 745-3000 or searscentre.com. 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday, Jan. 15 and 16Hybrid artWest Chicago artist Lois Easley mixes traditional painting methods with new digital technology in the exhibit "Leaps Longings" at Gallery 200, 200 Main St., West Chicago. Free. (630) 293-9550 or gallery200.org. Opening reception 6 to 9 p.m. Friday, Jan. 15Winter jazzChicago jazz artists are prominently featured in the first Winter Jazz Fest at College of DuPage's McAninch Arts Center, 425 Fawell Blvd., Glen Ellyn. Friday performances feature the Orbert Davis Quintet with Ari Brown and the Mambo Zombies, while Kurt Elling and a special "Kidjazz!" morning show are on Saturday. Ticket prices vary per concert. (630) 942-4000 or atthemac.org. 8 and 10 p.m. Friday, Jan. 15; 10 a.m. and 8 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 16Jokes via JonesComedian Dale Jones, a semifinalist famed for his facial contortions on NBC's "Last Comic Standing," performs at two Zanies locations: Pheasant Run Resort, 4051 E. Main St., St. Charles. $24. (630) 584-6342. Then at 1548 N. Wells St., Chicago. $23 (312) 337-4027. zanies.com. In St. Charles: 8 and 9:45 p.m. Friday, Jan. 15; 7:30 and 9:45 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 16; In Chicago: 8:30 p.m. Tuesday and Wednesday, Jan. 19 and 20; 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 21, 7, 9 and 11:15 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 23; 8:30 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 24Opera's bad girlLatvian mezzo-soprano Elina Garanca and French tenor Roberto Alagna co-star in director Richard Eyre's new production of Bizet's passionate opera "Carmen" in a live high-definition Metropolitan Opera simulcast screened in movie theaters around the world. See it locally Saturday in select theaters ranging from Crystal Lake to Lombard for $22, $20 for seniors and $18 for kids. Sung in French with English subtitles. Visit fathomevents.com for locations. Noon Saturday, Jan. 16Hot Hallelujahs"Too Hot to Handel: The Jazz-Gospel Messiah" returns to the Auditorium Theatre of Roosevelt University, 50 E. Congress Parkway, Chicago. $30-$65. (800) 982-2787 or auditoriumtheatre.org. 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 16; 3 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 17Music for MLKThe Chicago Sinfonietta presents "A Dream Unfolds" as part of its annual tribute to the late civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. See conductor Kazem Abdullah, contralto Gwendolyn Brown, Cirque Rivera Dance Theatre and other artists this weekend at these locations: Wentz Concert hall, 171 E. Chicago Ave., Naperville, $40-$50. (630) 637-7469; Dominican University, 7900 W. Division St., River Forest. $26-$40; Symphony Center, 220 S. Michigan Ave., Chicago. $26-$96. (312) 236-3681 or chicagosinfonietta.org. 8 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 16, in Naperville; 2:30 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 17, in River Forest; 7:30 p.m. Monday, Jan. 18, in ChicagoParty princessPrincess Tiana and Prince Naveen from "The Princess and the Frog" join the pantheon of skating cartoon characters in the new show Disney On Ice presents "Let's Celebrate!" This Disney ice spectacular plays two locations: the United Center, 1901 W. Madison St., Chicago; and then the Allstate Arena, 6920 N. Mannheim Road, Rosemont. Tickets range from $12 (on opening night) to $75 (front-row VIP seats). (800) 745-3000 or disneyonice.com. Chicago shows play between Wednesday, Jan. 20, to Saturday, Jan. 30; Rosemont shows vary from Tuesday, Feb. 2, to Sunday, Feb. 7Modern musicThe hip modern classical ensemble eighth blackbird plays new works by living composers like Mark-Anthony Turnage, Gordon Fitzell and Thomas Ades in the concert "Still Life With Avalanche" this Wednesday at Wentz Concert Hall, 171 E. Chicago Ave., Naperville. $30; $20 students/seniors. (630) 637-7469 or eighthblackbird.com. 8 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 20False600400The Bad Boys of Racing bring the Arenacross Championships to the Sears Centre Arena. False