Opening Convocation, the first all-College event of the academic year, will be held Monday in Johnson Chapel. President Anthony Marx will welcome the new students and old students alike. Choral and instrumental music will be showcased and honorary degrees will be conferred. (Mon., Sept. 5 at 7:30 p.m., Johnson Chapel. No admission charge.)

Enjoy a concert and check out a local hotspot at the Pearl Street Night Club in Northampton where Phantom Planet, The Sahara Hotnights and The Like will be performing next Wednesday evening. The concert will juxtapose the edgy sounds of the up and coming all-male rock stars that compose the Phantom Planet and the punky feel of the Swedish all-female rock temptresses that make up The Sahara Hotnights. For new students, this will definitely be a way to explore the beautiful surrounding area while catching a great show. (Wed., Sept. 8 at 8:30 p.m., Pearl Street Night Club, Northampton. Tickets $12.50 in advance or $15 at the door.)

Enjoy a night of music right at the College when the Doshisha University Glee Club travels from Kyoto, Japan to perform. They will sing myriad works including sacred music, traditional and modern Japanese songs and spirituals. The Glee Club is famous in Japan and one of the country's oldest musical groups. Join the Glee Club in a musical journey on their fifth tour of the United States! (Thurs., Sept. 9 at 8 p.m., Buckley Recital Hall. No admission charge.)

Don't miss Soulive at Pearl Street this Thursday night. A funky organ jazz trio, Soulive has opened for big-time bands like Dave Matthews Band and even The Rolling Stones. (Thurs., Sept. 9 at 8:30 p.m., Pearl Street Night Club, Northampton. Tickets $14 in advance or $17 at the door.)

Remember the hype and the controversy that surrounded "The Passion of the Christ" when it was released last year? Remember how everybody was talking about it? Well if you didn't catch it the first time around, "The Passion of the Christ" is coming out on DVD in time for you to catch it before the school load gets too heavy. Directed by Hollywood's golden boy Mel Gibson, "The Passion of the Christ" depicts the last 12 hours of the life of Jesus Christ. Stunning cinematography and gut-wrenching scenes of violence has made this movie one of the most talked about films of the year. Spoken entirely in Aramaic and Latin, with English subtitles, this film attempts to mesh historical fact and biblical tales. In doing so, Gibson has promoted a nation-wide debate on historical accuracy and an immediate interest in Jesus Christ and his life and death. Reviews have run the gamut from hailing Gibson as an awe-inspiring genius to scorning him as a religious zealot. Either way, this film has proved to be a must-see and is well on its way to becoming a cinematic classic.