From the B-52′s farewell tour to ‘Mean Girls’ the musical, check out what’s going on Sept. 25 through Oct. 1

There are two big goodbyes among the top arts events in Connecticut this week. The sassy, fabulous, ultra-hip B-52′s are on their farewell tour. So is the esteemed classical ensemble The Emerson String Quartet, which has been around just as long as the B-52s. Some acts just carry on like Testament, who’ve been headbanging since the early ‘80s. Perhaps if you play death metal you don’t get to die.

Now Death metal is plenty mean, but probably not as mean as The Plastics, the girl gang from “Mean Girls.” The movie-turned-musical finally comes to The Bushnell this week after several COVID delays. Less mean girls can be found at The Kate, when Runa plays Sept. 25, at Playhouse on Park for the Billie Holiday bio-musical “Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar & Grill” and Infinity Hall Hartford, with Donna the Buffalo. It should be noted that Donna the Buffalo doesn’t actually feature anyone named Donna (or a buffalo) in the band, but one of its core members is Tara Nevins, a great fiddler who also is great on an assortment of other instruments.

Roots music is well represented by Runa and Donna the Buffalo, but college is in session so you know that plenty of indie bands are on tour. Yo La Tengo and Japanese Breakfast both play College Street Music Hall in New Haven on Sept. 28, while just a few miles away at the Space Ballroom in Hamden there’s a double bill of Scarypoolparty and Covey. Choose wisely, but take solace in the fact that none of those bands are on their farewell tours.

Runa

Katharine Hepburn Cultural Arts Center, 300 Main St., Old Saybrook

The “Celtic-American roots” ensemble Runa has been around for a decade, blending Irish and Scottish folk styles with jazz, bluegrass, flamenco, blues, vocal harmonies and a little step dancing. Runa, featuring vocalist Shannon Lambert-Ryan, plays Sunday at 7 p.m. at the Katharine Hepburn Cultural Arts Center, $34. katharinehepburntheater.org.

Testament

Webster Theater, 31 Webster St., Hartford

Thrash metal exemplars Testament, formed in 1983, continue to pummel your ears. They are at the Webster Theater on Sept. 26 at 6 p.m. with Exodus and Death Angel. $30. webstertheater.com.

‘Mean Girls’

The Bushnell, 166 Capitol Ave., Hartford

Talk about a slow burn. The national tour of “Mean Girls” was originally meant to play The Bushnell in June of 2021. The pandemic had something to say about that, and the hip, witty high school musical — which Tina Fey adapted from her 2004 movie, along with composer Jeff Richmond and lyricist Nell Benjamin — is finally here. Sept. 27-Oct. 2. Performances are Tuesday through Thursday at 7:30 p.m., Friday at 8 p.m., Saturday at 2 and 8 p.m. and Sunday at 1 and 6:30 p.m. $42-$145. bushnell.org/shows-concerts/mean-girls.

Japanese Breakfast and Yo La Tengo

College Street Music Hall, 238 College St., New Haven

One of the great touring band team-ups of this fall is the contemporary alt-pop band Japanese Breakfast, who hit the Adult Alternative Airplay charts last year with the songs “Be Sweet” and “Slide Tackle,” and veteran New York indie trio Yo La Tengo, active since 1984, with New Haven native Georgia Hubley on drums. Sept. 28 at College Street Music Hall. $39.50-$49.50. collegestreetmusichall.com.

Donna the Buffalo

Infinity Hall, 32 Front St., Hartford

Donna the Buffalo is a staple at summer rock festivals, but in the fall you can find them headlining clubs and theaters. The eclectic jam band from New York state was formed in 1989 and has recorded 11 albums. The band will perform at Hartford’s Infinity Hall on Sept. 28 at 8 p.m. with the Gary Douglas Band. $28-$38. infinityhall.com.

Scarypoolparty

Space Ballroom, 295 Treadwell St., Hamden

Singer/songwriter Scarypoolparty was a 17th season “American Idol” runner-up, and he hasn’t stopped running since. Last year alone, he released an EP (”Los Angeles”) and a double album (”The Act of Forgiveness”). He’s also been touring incessantly. On Sept. 28 at 8 p.m. Scarypoolparty appears at the Space Ballroom in Hamden. The opening act is another contemporary indie singer/songwriter, British musician/growler Tom Freeman, aka Covey. $20-$24. spaceballroom.com.

‘Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar & Grill’

Playhouse at Park, 244 Park Road, West Hartford

Danielle Herbert stars as the legendary jazz vocalist Billie Holiday in Lanie Robertson’s intimate bio-musical set in a small club late in Holiday’s career. Sept. 28 through Oct. 16. Performances are Wednesday at 7:30 p.m., Thursday at 2 and 7:30 p.m., Friday at 8 p.m., Saturday at 2 and 8 p.m. and Sunday at 2 p.m. $25-$55; $25-$52.50 for students, seniors and military. playhouseonpark.org.

The B-52′s

Foxwoods Resort Casino, 350 Trolley Line Blvd., Mashantucket

The party is over. The B-52′s, who’ve been doing “all 16 dances” (as the lyric in “Dance This Mess Around” goes) since the late 1970s, are riding off into the sunset, presumably toward that fabled Love Shack in the woods. Sept. 29 at 7:30 p.m. at the Premier Theater at Foxwoods Resort Casino. $75-$125. foxwoods.com.

The Emerson String Quartet

Jorgensen Center, 2132 Hillside Road, Storrs

The Emerson String Quartet makes one last stop in Connecticut. They’ve been touring since 1976 but have decided to split up so they can focus on teaching and solo projects. The final line-up is Eugene Drucker and Philip Setzer alternating on violin solos, Lawrence Dutton on viola and Paul Watkins on cello, playing works by Mendelssohn, Brahms and Dvorak. The “Emerson” name was decided in honor of the poet Ralph Waldo Emerson. Sept. 30 at 8 p.m. at the University of Connecticut’s Jorgensen Center in Storrs. $38, $36 UConn employees, free for UConn students and youth. jorgensen.uconn.edu.

Greg Gutfeld

Foxwoods, 350 Trolley Line Blvd., Mashantucket

Longtime Fox News commentator Greg Gutfeld is on a comedy stand-up tour, so if you like him talking about himself more than you like him talking to other people on his late-night talk show, here’s your chance. Oct. 1 at 8 p.m. at the Premier Theater at Foxwoods Resort Casino. $44.50-$74.50. foxwoods.com.

Christopher Arnott can be reached at carnott@courant.com.