Big celebration happening over at Tate's comic book store and, really, you'd have to be some sort of super hero yourself to take advantage of all the weekend has to offer. Renaissance man Pharrell Williams will be flexing his might; Matthew Sabatella will channel Captain America; and there are multiple chances to watch the superest hero of all, Family Man, save the day. That would be you. Or him.

N.E.R.D. Fest
The biggest show of the weekend (Sorry, Boss) is the Future Classic Festival with N.E.R.D., left, as the headliner on Saturday at Soho Studios at the Wynwood Convention Center (2136 NW 1st Ave., Miami). Along with N.E.R.D., the Pharrell Williams-Chad Hugo moonlighting project, the fashion/art/video/skateboard event includes performances by a who's-who list of local favorites, including Awesome New Republic, Spam All-Stars, Locos Por Juana, Afrobeta, Suenalo, Artofficial, Mayday, the Hongs, Elastic Bond, Keen One, Jorge Moreno, Ray Milian, Tom Laroc and more. Tickets for the 16-and-older event are a reasonable $25, $70 for the VIP treatment. Get them at futureclassicfestival.com and at select area record stores, from Radio-Active Records in Fort Lauderdale (www.myspace.com/radio_active_records) to Sweat Records in Miami (www.sweatrecordsmiami.com). The festival runs from 4 p.m. to 2 a.m. More info: 305-416-9330.

Serious comics
At the annual comic book industry confab know as Comic-Con in San Diego several weeks ago, among the awards handed down was the Eisner Award for best comic book store. And who among us was surprised that it went to South Florida's own Tate's Comics in Lauderhill? Owners Tate and Amanda Ottati will celebrate (and unveil their Eisner) at a party on Saturday at the shop (4566 N. University Drive), which will include refreshments and a mini sale of 25 percent off all back-issue comics and 10 percent off everything else. The party is from 2 to 9 p.m. Info: 954-748-0181, tatescomics.com.

Tunes for what ails you
A great night of live music can blow away life's BS like a hot coffee colonic. It doesn't get anymore refreshing than Sunday night's bill at the Culture Room in Fort Lauderdale: the Reverend Horton Heat, Truckstop Coffee and Johnny and the Fleshrockets. Info: 954-564-1074; cultureroom.net.

He sings America
South Florida folk troubadour Matthew Sabatella is a champion of the core American values found in the music heard on "the paths of the pioneers, sailors, immigrants, '49ers, farmers, slaves, abolitionists, soldiers, mountaineers, cowboys, railroaders and activists." He'll pay tribute to the United States in a 9-11 concert with his Rambling String Band at the Sunrise Civic Center Theatre. The show is Friday from 7 to 10 p.m. Info: 954-747-4646, matthewsabatella.com.

It's Raines, they pour
Ashley Raines is another singer whose sound evokes the nation seen from a slow-moving boxcar. The Midwest-raised multi-instrumentalist uncrates his high-lonesome poetry Thursday night at the Transit Lounge (729 SW 1 Ave., Miami). And as if you needed the encouragement, free shots from 9 to 11 p.m. Info: 305-377-4628, transitlounge.us.

Can you dig it?
On Saturday and Sunday the national championships of the Dig the Beach volleyball series will fill the sand off Ocean Drive on Miami Beach with the lean and the taut and the tan. So, of course, you are wondering, where is the after party? Well, there are two: Finnegan's Way (1344 Ocean Drive, www.finnegansway.com) hosts the Corona Extra Players Party on Saturday from 8 to 10 p.m., then the ballers head to Liv nightclub in the Fontainebleau (4441 Collins, www.livnightclub.com) for a throwdown featuring DJ Faarsheed. More info: digthebeach.com.

Rumble & Hum
Cinema Paradiso in downtown Fort Lauderdale this weekend has two documentaries of interest to music fans. Soul Power looks at the three-day music festival that coincided with the famous Rumble in the Jungle heavyweight match between Muhammad Ali and George Foreman in Zaire in 1974. The concerts paired African musicians with such popular American performers as James Brown, Bill Withers and B.B. King, and offers a glimpse back to a time when the musical crossover between the two nations was emerging. Screenings are at 5 p.m. Saturday and 4 and 6 p.m. Sunday.

The CP will also offer the ultimate documentary for rock guitar devotees: It Might Get Loud, an exploration of the instrument from three of its more distinctive voices: Led Zeppelin's Jimmy Page, U2's the Edge and Jack White of the White Stripes. Screenings are 7 and 8:45 p.m. Saturday.

Tickets for Soul Power and It Might Get Loud are $9, $7 for seniors and students, $5 for members. Cinema Paradiso is at 503 SE Sixth St., Fort Lauderdale. Info: 954-525-3456,  www.FLIFF.com.

You can get it if you really want
This weekend's shows are your last opportunity to catch the powerful musical The Harder They Come at Miami's Arsht Center, and for the rest of the run a limited number of tickets are 50 percent off. The show, based on the seminal 1972 film starring reggae singer Jimmy Cliff, is performed 8 p.m. Thursday-Sunday, 2 p.m. Saturday-Sunday. Premium $95 seating is now $47.50, with the remaining $50 seats now $25, while they last, at arshtcenter.org. More info: 305-949-6722, 866-949-6722.

Norton after dark
The Norton Museum of Art in West Palm Beach does the community reach-out thing with Thursday Nights at the Norton, this week featuring a range of family-oriented events, music from Ruling Mercury, a screening of the 1927 Buster Keaton romp College and a tour of the new exhibit of George Segal sculpture. The museum is at 1451 S. Olive Ave. Info: 561-832-5196, http://www.norton.org.

Hey, kids, free snowcones!
A stroll on South Beach's Lincoln Road with the kids has always been one of my favorite ways to enjoy a September Sunday afternoon. Get a head start at the Bass Museum's free Family Fun Day (themed: "Words, Birds and Picture Frames"). On Sunday from 2 to 4 p.m., artist David Lisznia, creator of Tiny Stories, will lead the hands-on creative activities. The event also includes free popcorn and snowcones for the kids, and free coffee for you. Info: 305-673-7530, bassmuseum.org