Chapel Hill
Wang Tong
UNC-Chapel Hill–Hou Hsiao-hsien may be the reigning god of Taiwanese cinema, but he’s the head of a brilliant generation that includes Wang Tong, who will be the guest of UNC this week as the featured artist in the campus’ New Taiwanese Film Festival. Today, Wang will introduce his 1987 film Straw Man at 7 p.m.; the reception begins at 5 p.m. On Saturday, the second film in his trilogy about post-WWII life in Taiwan, 1989’s Banana Paradise, will be shown at 1 p.m., with a panel discussion to follow, both in the Pleasants Family Assembly Room of Wilson Library. Call 962-4099 for more information. –David Fellerath
Raleigh
Tinsley Ellis
Raleigh Music Hall– Look up “road warrior” in the Big Dictionary of Music, and you’ll find a picture of Atlanta’s Tinsley Ellis. You’ll also find him listed under “blues guitar hero, hard rocking,” with mentions in entries from “Alligator Records” and “Tom Dowd” to “The Allman Brothers” and “Widespread Panic.” Doors open at 9 p.m., as Ellis makes the RMH one of a few hundred venues he’ll hit this year. –Rick Cornell
Widespread Panic
Alltel Pavilion–When the head Dead guy died, there was Panic. The jamming didn’t stop. When the head Panic guy died, the jamming continued, too. Panic hasn’t been flying the freak flag as long as the Dead, but since their inception in ’83, Panic followers keep the Dead vibe alive. They play today and tomorrow at 7 p.m. Tickets are $33.50-38.50. –Grant Britt
