Your free time is precious, so how to spend it? Here are five ideas for Birmingham, Feb. 21-28, 2020.

Jason Kempin/Getty Images for A+E Networks

CONCERTS

Catch up with Sturgill Simpson. His fiery set at Sloss Fest 2017 fused country roots with guitar-hero pyrotechnics, and well, we absolutely loved it. Now Simpson's back in Birmingham to showcase an album, 2019's "Sound & Fury," that takes the concept even further, plugging into blues, psych, synth and more. He's playing tonight at the Legacy Arena at the BJCC; Tyler Childers opens at 7:30 p.m. Two words: Be there.

Sturgill Simpson, Feb. 21 at 7:30 p.m., Legacy Arena at BJCC, 2100 Richard Arrington Jr. Blvd., $48.50-$88.50 via Ticketmaster.

Don't Edit

Image by ErikaWittlieb from Pixabay

SPECIAL EVENTS

Throw beads. Catch beads. Engage in Mardi Gras revelry. Mom's Basement, a nightspot in Avondale, has organized a parade on Fat Tuesday that includes music, marchers and more. The procession kicks off at 6:30 p.m. at Avondale Park, travels down Fourth Avenue South and finishes at Mom's, 4411 Third Ave. South. Trombonist Chad Fisher will lead the parade; participants include Cahaba Brewery, Ghost Train Brewing, Magic City Disco, Tragic City Rollers and Bare Hands Gallery.

Mom's Mardi Gras Parade, Feb. 25 at 6:30 p.m., starts at Avondale Park, 4101 Fifth Ave. South, travels down Fourth Avenue South and ends at Mom's Basement, 4411 Third Ave. South, 205-774-6667.

Don't Edit

Photo courtesy of Penguin Random House

BOOKS

Open the door to Thank You Books. If you haven't visited the shop in Crestwood, it's definitely time to start. Author Kimmery Martin will be there at 5 p.m. on Saturday, signing copies of "The Antidote for Everything." (She'll read from the book and chat with folks who attend, as well.) Martin's novel focuses on a urologist, Georgia Brown, who steps in to support a doctor pal when he's fired for providing care to transgender patients. This author knows her subject matter; she's a former ER doctor who says she based the storyline on real-life events.

Kimmery Martin, signing copies of "The Antidote for Everything," Feb. 22 at 5 p.m., Thank You Books, 5502B Crestwood Blvd., 205-202-3021.

Don't Edit

Courtesy photo

BENEFITS

Polish your crown for the Queen's Ball. You'll want to look fabulous at the Feb. 28 event, which celebrates the bonds between mothers and sons. The agenda, 7 p.m.-9 p.m at The Club, includes dancing, a dessert bar, a karate demo, face painting, a photo booth, an exotic animal show and more. The dress code is simple: "Anything that makes you feel beautiful and anything you can convince your son to wear." Mother-son tickets are $125. Proceeds benefit King's Home, a nonprofit organization that provides programs and services for at-risk women and children.

Queen's Ball, Feb. 28, 7 p.m.-9 p.m., The Club, 1 Robert Smith Drive, $125 mother-son ticket, $25 additional son, $60 additional adult.

Don't Edit

Courtesy photo

CONCERTS

Curl up for the Kitten Coma Tour. Rachel McIntyre Smith, a singer-songwriter from Chattanooga, is playing several shows at cat cafes this year, raising money for animal rescue. Happily for us, one of her stops is Gatos and Beans in Avondale. Catch McIntyre's set at 2 p.m. on Saturday, as she performs surrounded by purring, sleeping, stretching and leaping fur balls. Admission is $10. Space is limited; reservations are suggested.

Rachel McIntyre Smith, Feb. 22 at 2 p.m., Gatos and Beans, 4348 Third Court South, $10, 205-202-6683.

Related content: Alabama's first cat cafe, Gatos and Beans, aims to make animal lovers purr

Don't Edit

Don't Edit

Image via Pixabay

More on entertainment in Alabama:

100 must-see concerts coming to Alabama in 2020

17 comedy shows to put on your laugh list in Alabama

Rock the South 2020: Lineup includes Luke Combs, Eric Church, Brothers Osborne

Slop Fest, Dirty Girl Deluxe Wash on tap for Big One on the Blvd at Talladega

There’s new life at Bessemer’s historic Lincoln Theatre