At some point during the summer, you might have heard a song at a barbecue, at a wedding, or out of a car stereo that sounded like an old favorite, some slab of funk that you just couldn’t place. Was it by Zapp? Or maybe Midnight Star? More than likely, it was Bruno Mars, a singer-songwriter who, for the last few years, has made megahits out of pure Soul Train nostalgia. There’s nothing new about the music that Mars makes, but that’s beside the point: If you need a song to get a barbecue, a wedding, or an arena concert going, there’s a new king of pop who can deliver it. Read more>>> Bruno Mars performs with Dua Lipa at 8 p.m. at Capital One Arena, 601 F St. NW. $310. (202) 628-3200. capitalonearena.monumentalsportsnetwork.com. (Chris Kelly)

EAT THIS

Attention sour beer fanatics: The third annual Make It Funky Wild Beer Festival is Saturday at Denizens Brewing Co. Attendees can sample more than 100 wild and sour brews from 35 craft breweries, cideries, and kombucha producers. The festival runs from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. and $60 tickets include unlimited sample pours. It will take place indoors and outdoors in the beer garden and there will be live music from Soul Stew. Participating breweries include Lost Rhino, Caboose, Bluejacket, Old Ox, Strangeways, and Right Proper. Denizens Brewing Co., 1115 East West Highway, Silver Spring. (301) 557-9818. denizensbrewingco.com. (Laura Hayes)

OH AND ALSO

Friday: Alt-rock group Atlas Road Crew performs at U Street Music Hall. 6:30 p.m. at 1115 U St. NW. $20.

Friday: Wild Cub plays an early show at DC9. 7 p.m. at 1940 9th St. NW. $15–$18.

Saturday: The Festival of South African Dance offers two black forms of movement born under oppression. The Gumboots troupe will be stomping and strutting through gumboot dance, a late-19th century style originally created by rainboot-wearing miners who pounded their feet in distinctive patterns in the darkness to communicate when the mine company banned them from talking. Real Actions Pantsula Dance engage in pantsula, a 1950s street dance style that has evolved to include hip-hop moves. Read more>>>The performance begins at 8 p.m. at George Mason University’s Center for the Arts, 4373 Mason Pond Drive, Fairfax. $30–$50. (703) 993-2787. cfa.gmu.edu.(Steve Kiviat)

Saturday: Zola Jesus brings her searing goth pop jams to U Street Music Hall. 7 p.m. at 1115 U St. NW. $20. 

Saturday: Widowers’ Houses opens at Washington Stage Guild. 8 p.m. at 900 Massachusetts Ave. NW. $30–$60.

Sunday: A healthy local music scene needs collaboration. Few things are more encouraging than watching talented musicians work together to explore musical avenues outside of their own projects. Mock Identity’s quartet of DC DIY and avant garde artists brings together Adriana-Lucia Cotes (Antonia), Jeff Barsky (Insect Factory), Josh Hoffman (Supersonic Piss) and ambient artist Nate Scheible. Their invigorating first release,4 Songs, melds anxious noise, urgent rhythms, and Cotes’ expressive and versatile voice. Read more>>> Mock Identity performs with TK Echo and Faunas at 7:30 p.m. at Black Cat, 1811 14th St. NW. $10. (202) 667-4490. blackcatdc.com. (Justin Weber)

Sunday: Australian psychedelic rock band The Church takes the stage at 9:30 Club, along with The Helio Sequence. 7 p.m. at 815 V St. NW. $35.

Sunday: Rorschach Theatre closes its production of Neil Gaiman’sNeverwhere at Atlas Performing Arts Center. 3 p.m. at 1333 H St. NE. $20–$45.

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