A Chris Cornell concert, the first known theatrical seance and six other things to do this week

An evening with grunge god Chris Cornell
The Seattle musician built his name on a gritty, multi-octave baritone that defined the skyscraping sound of Soundgarden and Audioslave. Dating back to the late 1990s, Cornell’s solo work shows the same penchant for unorthodox chord progressions and deep, distressed melodies, as showcased on his latest, Higher Truth. Friday, October 9. $50.50–$80.50. Massey Hall, 178 Victoria St., masseyhall.com.

Risk! Live, the storytelling podcast’s stage adaptation
Every week, American comedian Kevin Allison—a writer and performer on the early-’90s sketch comedy show The State—invites comics and commoners onto his podcast, Risk!, to tell personal stories they never thought they would in public. The results are by turns embarrassing, bizarre, heartbreaking and hilarious. Here, Allison brings the podcast’s live edition to Toronto for the first time. Friday, October 9. $20. The Great Hall, 1087 Queen St. W., risk-show.com.

Do It For Ronnie, an all-star indie-rock benefit concert
Ronnie Morris, the bass player in local indie outfits Lioness and controller.controller, suffered a life-threatening stroke in May. Now, his musician friends are helping him get better the only way they know how: a benefit concert. Tokyo Police Club frontman and Morris’ one-time roommate Dave Monks shares headlining duties with FrETZ, an indie supergroup that consists of members of instrumental post-rock band Fresh Snow and fuzz punks METZ. Thursday, October 8. $25. Lee’s Palace, 529 Bloor St. W., ticketfly.com.

Séance, a seriously spooky play
In Luke Brown’s immersive production, illusionist Nicholas Wallace picks one of 50 audience members to be his medium—a vessel through which he’ll attempt to communicate with the dead. To the non-superstitious, it may sound hokey. That is, until Wallace masterfully builds a mood, locks the doors, turns out the lights and asks his audience to help summon the deceased. Even skeptics will feel their hearts pounding. To Sunday, October 11. $30–$35. Theatre Passe Muraille, 16 Ryerson Ave., theseance.ca.

A sneak peek at Cœur de Pirate’s long-awaited new album
Béatrice Martin hasn’t released an album of original work since 2011, but the Montrealer has hardly stayed quiet, recording a soundtrack of bilingual covers for a French-Canadian medical drama and scoring a fantastical video game. Here, she’ll share songs from her upcoming album, including her recent synth-driven single, “Carry On.” Wednesday, October 7. $27.50. Phoenix Concert Theatre, 410 Sherbourne St., ticketmaster.com.

A regal rendering of Toronto’s faces
The Dutch golden age meets Dundas West in the Stephen Appleby-Barr’s portraits, which blend a brooding, old-fashioned technique with surreal flourishes. In Sigillum, he paints his quirky friends (like the artist Chloe Wise, pictured here) in rich regalia and brocade doublets, set against an apocalyptic palette. To Saturday, October 10. FREE. Nicholas Metivier Gallery, 451 King St. W., metiviergallery.com.

A mix of old and new with Madonna
We’re long past the Queen of Pop’s golden age, but you can hardly accuse her of being out of touch. Her thoroughly modern new album, Rebel Heart, taps today’s top producers (Kanye West, Avicii and Diplo), features collaborations with Chance the Rapper and Nicki Minaj, and has yielded music video cameos from Beyoncé, Katy Perry and Miley Cyrus. Still not convinced? Check out track six: “Bitch I’m Madonna.” Monday, October 5 and Tuesday, October 6. $40–$355. Air Canada Centre, 40 Bay St., ticketmaster.com.

An Enemy of the People, an Ibsen remount in small-town Canada
In this modern adaptation of Henrik Ibsen’s 1882 play, Dr. Stockmann discovers his small Canadian town’s sewers are contaminated with industrial waste. As the doctor tries to spread the news—which, if made public, will put the entire economy at risk—he encounters press censorship and the dark underbelly of capitalist democracy. Wednesday, October 7 to November 1. $55–$60. Tarragon Theatre, 30 Bridgman Ave., tarragontheatre.com.