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Riverdance 

It's been a long run—10,000 performances seen live by more than 22 million people in more than 350 venues throughout 40 countries, with approximately 15 billion feet-tappings—but Riverdance is finally coming to an end. It seems like just yesterday that those endless infomercials played on basic cable, offering viewers a chance to experience the classic Irish magic, or something. And it became an empire, in the sense that lead guy Michael Flatley went on to do Lord of the Dance, and then there was Celtic Woman, and lo, Irish music/ dancing was a stadium-filling subset of Muzak and cheesy entertainment. For those who prefer their Irish to involve alcohol and/ or harrowing tales of lower-class existence, there is an endless opportunity to snark, though one must admit there's some high energy in that tappin'.

Five shows shall bring this all to an end. But who will go next? John Tesh? Yanni? Wait, he's actually at Progress Energy Center next week, never mind. What about that David Young guy who played two flutes at once and claimed to have inspired "The Puffy Shirt" episode of Seinfeld? Man, that guy was awesome. Wait, the press release says Riverdance will continue to tour the world internationally. That's not much of a "farewell," is it? Well, catch its last U.S. tour starting Friday at 7:30 p.m., with additional shows at 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday. Tickets run $21–$76. —Zack Smith