Things to do in Edmonton this week: September 6–12

This is a damp week — drizzle hangs over most of it, with Wednesday climbing to a mild 23°C before Thursday drops the temperature and keeps the clouds low. Plan accordingly: indoor venues win most nights, and the drizzle makes late-night street walks feel atmospheric rather than inviting. Two major live acts anchor the week, bookended by local sports and a comedy run that slots neatly into the gaps.

Tinariwen arrives at Pawn Shop Live on Tuesday at 8 p.m. for $35 and up. The Tuareg collective from southern Algeria and northern Mali pioneered desert blues — a guitar-driven fusion of traditional Saharan music and Western rock that builds hypnotic, meditative intensity over long instrumental passages. If you have heard their work, you know the pull; if you haven't, Tuesday is the night to fall in. The venue sits on Jasper Ave, compact and intimate enough that even a standing crowd feels close to the stage. Grab dinner beforehand at Sabor, a few blocks west — the seafood is precise and bright, and a full meal before an 8 p.m. start won't bog you down.

Lyle Lovett takes the stage at the Jube on Thursday at 7 p.m. The American country-songwriter and actor has been recording since 1980, moving between studio work, touring, and film roles; his catalogue runs 14 albums deep and includes the U.S. Top 10 single "Cowboy Man." Lovett's songs are deceptively crafted — spare lyrics, unexpected harmonic turns, a voice that sits slightly outside the mainstream country lane he occupies. Thursday will be cool and wet (10–16°C, drizzle), so the Jube's downtown position near the Ice District means you can move easily from dinner to the show. Woodwork, the cocktail bar a short walk south on 104 Street, makes a solid pre-show stop for something warm and hand-stirred.

The Elks host Calgary on Saturday at Commonwealth Stadium. The CFL matchup kicks off at 5 p.m., and while the forecast shows overcast skies and a chilly 6–12°C, the game itself pulls enough local passion that weather fades into background noise. This is the kind of civic event that defines an autumn Saturday in Edmonton.

On the comedy side, Jason Cheny runs five performances at Rick Bronson's — The Comic Strip from Thursday through Saturday, Sept. 10–12, which means if you want stand-up sandwiched between the live music and the football, the slot is there.

Beyond the marquee events, Sip Soda Co. opens on Whyte Avenue this Sunday with 50 free regular drinks for the first arrivals. The dirty soda chain, which built a foothold in Sherwood Park last year, is now planting its flag on the Ave — a small opening, but the kind of neighbourhood milestone that locals notice. St. Albert's WildRoots Bistro, opened last October by Tony and Chelsea Tipping, has also quietly become a brunch destination worth the short drive north; no reservations, 34 seats, and a menu that balances ambitious cooking with the reality of running a restaurant while parenting. Both feel like genuine additions to the city's eating scene rather than chain expansion noise.

With most nights pointing toward the indoors and the live-music calendar lean, Lyle Lovett at the Jube on Thursday emerges as the week's clear priority — a major artist, an intimate setting, and the kind of night that justifies a city evening out.