The Must List: Ben Gibbard’s Anti-DAPL Benefit, Music Heals at KEXP, Emerald City Comicon

Must Score Tix
Ben Gibbard, Sherman Alexie and Naomi Wachira: Benefit for Standing Rock
(3/2, 8 p.m.) Ben Gibbard, of indie rockers Death Cab for Cutie and The Postal Service, organized this concert, as he wrote on the Facebook event page, “because I was appalled by Donald Trump’s executive order to reinstate construction on the Dakota Access Pipeline. I believe water is more precious than oil and thoroughly support the right of the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe to defend both their land and sovereign treaty rights.” With beloved hometown author Sherman Alexie and soulful folk singer Naomi Wachira, the trio will offer their voices in solidarity. All proceeds benefit the Water Protector Legal Collective, an entity that provides on the spot legal assistance to resistors and protesters at the site. Tickets may be sold out, showboxpresents.org

Must Unite
Music Heals Family Dance Party
(3/2, 6-8 p.m.) In another expression of the unifying power of music, KEXP presents this day of songs “dedicated to the power of music to lift our spirits and heal our souls in the face of cancer.” In partnership with the Seattle Cancer Care Alliance Proton Therapy Center, via a 12-hour block of special programming, the station will “share a message of positivity and perseverance with both the local community and listeners worldwide, highlighting the stories shared with us by members of our community and working in the songs that helped them through the healing process.” DJ Cheryl Waters, herself a cancer survivor, will join fellow DJs John Richards and Atticus for a culminating all-ages dance party in the station’s gathering space. Free, kexp.org 

Must Geek
Emerald City Comicon
(3/2-5, times vary) This 15th annual gathering of all things comic, cartoon and comedy will again proliferate with standard issue Chewbacca and Spock costumes, but a diverse lineup of entertainment and celebrity guests like Alice Cooper, Evangeline Lilly, Gates McFadden, Jeremy Renner, Stan Lee and many others promises to balance out the buzz among the stars. Panels, speakers, signings and of course, the merch, make this one action-packed weekend at the Convention Center. Prices vary, emeraldcitycomiccon.com

Must Grapple
Why War: The Causes of Conflict at The Flying Heritage Collection
(Opens 3/4, times vary) The main focus of the Flying Heritage Collection is military aviation artifacts from the United States, Germany, Japan, Soviet Union and Britain—planes built in the ‘30s and ’40s that engaged in aerial combat during World War II. Paul G. Allen acquired the collection, restored it and Why War: The Causes of Conflict is a new interactive exhibit that analyzes the roots and causes of major wars and military conflicts. Though a combination of media-rich technology and old-school history, visitors can examine this difficult topic through interactive 98-inch touch screens, infographics, full-scale detailed replicas and extraordinary historical objects. Prices vary, flyingheritage.com

Must Band Together
Tribes
(3/3-26, times vary) In Nina Raine’s play, winner of two of England’s most illustrious honors, the Laurence Olivier Award and the Evening Standard Theatre Award, Billy, born deaf into a hearing family, meets a young woman on the brink of deafness. Prices vary, acttheatre.org