Your Weekend: Comic Brings His 'Messiah Complex' to Sands

English comedian/actor/TV host/author Russell Brand brings an unusual perspective and sense of humor when his “Messiah Complex” tour makes a stop at the Sands Bethlehem Event Center on Saturday night.

The irrepressible Brand might be best known for his appearances in movies “Forgetting Sarah Marshall” and “Get Him to the Greek,” in which he played out-of-control rock star Aldous Snow. He also was the voice of Dr. Nefario in the “Despicable Me” movies.

The former husband of mega pop star Katy Perry has been known to invite controversy, for example calling former President George W. Bush a “retarded cowboy fella” and urging everyone to vote for Barack Obama while hosting the 2008 MTV Video Music Awards.

Thus the show Brand brings to the Sands on Saturday night may not suit everyone’s sense of humor.

As described on the Sands Website: “‘Messiah Complex’ will be a dissection of various social and religious figures and the reality of their lives through comparisons of each other.

“Messiah Complex is a mental disorder where you think you might be the messiah. Did Jesus have it? What about Che Guevara, Gandhi, Malcolm X and Hitler? All these men have shaped our lives and influenced the way we think.

“This show looks at the importance of heroes in this age of atheistic disposability.”

The show starts at 8 p.m. Tickets range from $45 to $89.50.

Here’s what else is going on in and near Bethlehem this weekend:

• Halloween Haunt opens Friday at Dorney Park, 4000 Dorney Park Road, South Whitehall, with mazes, scary creatures and thrill rides. (Not for anyone under 13, according to the park website.) Park hours are 6 p.m. to midnight, Friday; 11 a.m. to midnight, Saturday.  Tickets begin at $30.99.

• A cello rock powerhouse featuring three cellists and a drummer, Cello Fury’s original music combines the emotive and symphonic sounds of the cello with driving rock beats to create a cinematic, progressive rock sound. They perform on the free stage at the Levitt Pavilion SteelStacks at 7 p.m. Friday. The Brothers Comatose, a raucous string quintet, comes to the Levitt at 7 p.m. Saturday.

• If you love the music of The Who, you may want to check out the ArtsQuest Artists Fund Benefit Concert at 7 p.m. in the Fowler Blast Furnace Room in the ArtsQuest Center at SteelStacks. The show will feature several locally popular musicians—including Dina Hall and The Large Flowerheads—playing Maximum R&B. Tickets are $32 and helps to support performing opportunities for area musicians, as well as ArtsQuest’s 750 free concerts for the community throughout the year.

• Singer-songwriter Michael Jerling comes to Godfrey Daniels at 8 p.m. Friday. Often praised as a "songwriter's songwriter" who composes in styles influenced by the wealth of American music, he has been characterized as an artist who performs his "extraordinary songs with the uncommon ability to deliver them to an audience with power and grace.” Admission is $16.50.

• The Queen Extravaganza, the “official” Queen tribute band, performs at the Sands Bethlehem Event Center at 8 p.m. Friday. Tickets are from $25 to $69.50.

• “It’s Not Me, It’s You,” is an improvised comedy show about your ex performed every couple of weeks at the Banko Theatre in the ArtsQuest Center at SteelStacks by local improvisational comedy troupe Mandudebro. Each show is completely improvised, has never been seen before and will never be seen again. The show begins at 11 p.m. Friday. Tickets are $5.

• The Moravian Book Shop, 428 Main St., celebrates Pennsylvania Dutch Day on Saturday starting at 10 a.m. Authors of the famous Walp’s Cookbook will visit and share stories. There will also be book signings, crafts and demonstrations.

• Celebrate the grape harvest with the eight wineries of the Lehigh Valley Wine Trail on Saturday and Sunday. The eight wineries will welcome wine lovers for tastings, vineyard and winery tours, food and wine pairings, and live entertainment. Event hours are Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday from noon to 5 p.m. Harvest Weekend is a free event, however each winery sets its own wine tasting fee policy. Refer to each winery’s web site for details. For more information on the Lehigh Valley Wine Trail, visit www.LehighValleyWineTrail.com.

• Bethlehem's own Billy Bauer Band—whose sound is likened to the Dave Matthews Band or Counting Crows—plays on its home turf at the Musikfest Cafe at 8 p.m. Saturday. Tickets are $12, $10 and $8.

• Master Chicago blues harpist Steve Guyger joins the Lehigh Valley’s own reigning blues band champions—Midnight Shift—for a one-of-a-kind show at Godfrey Daniels at 8 p.m. Saturday. Guyger has toured with the late Jimmy Rogers, among others, and has played with many of the great Chicago bluesmen and contemporary players, yet he remains one of the best kept secrets in blues. Mike Mettalia and Midnight Shift competed for the second time in 2012 at The International Blues Challenge and was a semi finalist in 2006. They have opened up for Rod Piazza, Gary US Bonds, Rick Estrin, Guitar Shorty, Joe Louis Walker, Little Ed, Asleep at the Wheel, Robert Gordon, and Shemekia Copeland. Admission is $23.50 at the door.

• Aaron Neville is New Orleans music royalty. On Saturday night at 8, he brings his distinctive voice to the Zoellner Arts Center for its opening show of the 2013-14 season. He will be performing songs from "My True Story," his doo-wop inspired album, adding a few new spins on classics such as "Tears on My Pillow," "Work With Me, Annie," "Money Honey," "Under the Boardwalk," and "This Magic Moment" as well as his greatest hits. Tickets are $65, $55 and $45.