Goldstar has tickets to performances over the last two weeks of November.  What happens when the frontman for legendary ’80s hair metal band Twisted Sister writes and stars in his own holiday musical? Find out this season at Dee Snider’s Rock & Roll Christmas Tale, a head-banging spin on the classic Christmas story that’s fun for the whole family. The play follows a heavy metal bar band Däisy Cütter, who are looking to make it big even though the ’80s are long over. In mythic rock tradition, the four guys sell their souls to the devil in exchange for success beyond their wildest dreams, but every time they try to seal the infernal pact, their metal anthems turn into warm-hearted carols, and soon the rockers are forced to realize their dreams of stardom are no match for the Christmas spirit. Snider, who also starred in a run of the Broadway hit Rock of Ages, authored and performs in this new stage work, which promises to be as warm-hearted and funny as it is rockin’.

Who knows what lurks in the dark planetarium? For one night only, terror takes over the Adler’s Grainger Sky Theater with The Curse of the Blood Moon. This Halloween fright show combines live theater, 360-degree visualizations and hair-raising drama. You’ll explore the autumnal night sky as a live guide recounts historic cosmic events — from planetary alignments, to meteor showers and comets — that unnerved ancient civilizations and resulted in fatal outcomes. In a unique blend of special effects, audio design and dramatic live theater, you’ll witness horror unfolding all around you in the oldest planetarium in the Western Hemisphere. If you survive the blood moon’s curse, you can continue the frightening fun with a Scream Photo Booth, Museum Flashlight Tour and a Slime Science demo.

Goldstar has $5 tickets for all 30 minute shows on Thursday, October 30 – there is a $2.50 service fee (but that’s still less than the regular $10 ticket price).

Navy Pier is always an exciting place, but for one weekend in October it’ll be the site of the Chicago Green Festival, the nation’s largest and most dynamic sustainability event.  You’ll have the chance to hear from leaders in living green — from food, fashion and health to energy, construction and design. There’s also an organic beer and wine garden featuring exclusive performances from local DJs, as well as classes, cooking demos, art installations, and a unique marketplace featuring the latest and greatest in sustainable products and services from more than 250 businesses. Bring the kids too, and they can learn a thing or two in special areas geared for youngsters. There’s so much to see and do that you might want to make an entire weekend of it — and a weekend pass is available for purchase.

The entertainment phenomenon known as the Blue Man Group is better than ever in this updated show featuring all-new material. You’ll find the famous blue bald guys interacting with “GiPads,” taking a humorous look at contemporary forms of communication, and performing a pulsating new finale set to an original music score. Audiences worldwide have experienced and loved this wildly imaginative, family friendly stage show that cleverly combines comedy, art and science with fabulous visual effects and Grammy-nominated music.  Discount tickets through Goldstar are available for performances through mid-November.

This Halloween, prepare to be scared out of your mind as you descend into a living nightmare at Basement of the Dead and Shattered 3D, two of Chicago’s top haunts in one location. In the 1960s, the boiler in the basement of Walker Laundry exploded, killing maintenance workers Al and Imus Kilya. Not long after, locals began to disappear. Now, you will journey into their haunted basement lair, navigating all kinds of horrors as you try to make it out alive. In Shattered 3D, you’ll enter the twisted circus of a demonic clown and his troupe of resurrected victims.  Creepy and horrible!  And get tickets for this Aurora horror for less with this Goldstar offering:  $12.50 for General Admission or $22.50 for VIP admission.

Check out the pages of Halloween events Goldstar is offering – PITA and DH are going to see Evil Dead the Musical this Sunday (the only musical DH would ever willingly attend!).  Lots more events around the country, so click and search in your city.

Experience all the wonder and beauty of Moscow Ballet’s famed Great Russian Nutcracker, a dazzling holiday tradition that features gorgeous Swarovski crystal-laden costumes, life-sized matrushka dolls, 10-foot-tall silk puppets and a show-stopping “Dove of Peace” formation in which two dancers become one bird with a 20-foot wingspan. Interwoven into this year’s production is a peek inside Masha’s magical toy cabinet plus a charming display of authentic Russian Christmas puppetry. This is your chance to see the award-winning principal dancers and corps de ballet perform Olympic-worthy leaps, lifts and pirouettes as they tell the heartwarming tale of Masha meeting her prince.

Tickets to the Sunday December 7th 3pm matinee at the Rosemont Theatre start at $30 on Goldstar (half off!).  Matinees are great because you don’t have to worry about driving there or back home in the dark…in the snow.  ugh

Discover Hidden Treasures at DuPage Expo Antique Market.  Forget boring weekend chores and errands. Instead, spend an enjoyable few hours at the Chicagoland area’s premiere antique market. Stroll the exhibit space at the DuPage Expo Center perusing thousands of antiques and collectibles, including furniture, jewelry, toys, art glass, pottery and more. The dealers themselves will be on hand for questions and negotiations, so you might just find your car loaded with treasures for the trip home. This monthly show has a 30-year history, with dealers coming from throughout the Midwest and even the East Coast. If you’re a fan of antiques and collectibles, don’t miss this heavily attended market filled with acre upon acre of great finds.

Calling All Zombies for Wheaton’s Haunted Halloween Flea Market.  Ghouls and ghosts will be creeping the streets for Wheaton’s Haunted Halloween Flea Market. This harrowing annual event features a zombie crawl and dance, professional makeup artists, live music from steampunk rockers Szilenze, hay rides, a costume contest and much more. There will be celebrity appearances from comic publisher Charles D. Moisant and Undead Johnny to Count Sam Gregula and horror author John Everson, as well as impersonators strolling the fairgrounds including Chewbacca and Hulk Hogan. Plus, the famous flea market will be open where you can browse for antiques, collectibles and other treasures.

Oktoberfest With a New Philharmonic Twist: Mozart, Polkas, Sing-Alongs & More. It’s Oktoberfest — in a concert hall! Enjoy the best of German music, from classical composers to crowd-pleasing polkas and beyond, with this wunderbar new Oktoberfest celebration at the McAninch Arts Center. Along with New Philharmonic’s incredible live performance of timeless music from German composers like Mozart, Bach, Stolz, Strauss and Brahms, you’ll experience lively polka music, sing-alongs, live accordion and more.