BEST BETS Friday 9/15

SANTA ANA

8pm

Pop Music

The glory days of Southland punk will be revisited in a show headlined by Fear, one of the most popular and influential punk groups out of the original Southern California punk outburst. Fear also had one of the most awe-inspiring front men of all, songwriter and singer Lee Ving, who went on to a successful career as an actor in low-budget art-house films. He’s back at the helm and has written a slew of new songs for the group’s just-released album, “American Beer,” whose title is a nod to its predecessors, “More Beer” (1985) and “Have Another Beer With Fear” (1995). Also on the bill is veteran O.C. punk outfit D.I.

* Fear, Galaxy Concert Theatre, 3503 S. Harbor Blvd., Santa Ana. With D.I., El Centro, Large Negative. 8 p.m. $15 to $17. (714) 957-0600.

Fullerton

8pm

Theater

So you think you’ve got problems? Consider Cathy, protagonist of “Tales of the Lost Formicans.” Her husband has just run off with an 18-year-old he impregnated, her teenage son is as controllable as an unleashed pit bull, and Cathy has moved in with her parents, only to find that her father is far gone into Alzheimer’s disease. On top of that, unbeknown to her, she and the people around her are being observed by aliens compiling a case study of life on Earth--a quirky overlay that gives Constance Congdon’s 1989-vintage tale of woe a good deal of its offbeat humor.

* “Tales of the Lost Formicans,” Vanguard Theatre, 699A State College Blvd., Fullerton. Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m., Sundays at 5 p.m. Ends Oct. 7. $5 to $15. (714) 526-8007.

Newport Beach

6pm

Art

The Orange County Museum of Art will host the Wells Fargo Pacific Craft Show, featuring an exhibit and sale of functional artwork from more than 60 nationally known artists who made the art specifically for the event. The works are in mediums such as glass, metal, fiber, ceramic and wood. A lecture will feature artist Howard Ben Tre on Saturday at 10 a.m. Proceeds will support the museum’s exhibitions and educational programming. Refreshments and live music will be available.

* Wells Fargo Pacific Craft Show, Orange County Museum of Art, 850 San Clemente Drive, Newport Beach. Advance purchases, Friday, 6 to 10 p.m., $25. Public sales, Saturday and Sunday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., $5 members, $10 nonmembers; children under 16 admitted free. Ends Sunday. (949) 759-1122.