DATE: Friday, September 5, 1997             TAG: 9709040215

SECTION: DAILY BREAK             PAGE: E3   EDITION: FINAL 

                                            LENGTH:   52 lines

PREVIEW

SATURDAY

THE ROAR of jet planes will announce Saturday's Langley Air Force Base Community Appreciation Day as the U.S. Air Force flexes its formidable muscle. Overhead will be everything from a P-51 Mustangs and B-17 Flying Fortress to F-15 Eagles and even a few of our top-of-the-line F-117 Nighthawk Stealth Fighters. There'll also be an F-86 and MIG-15 dogfight (my money's on the F-86) and a front and center show by the Air Force's aerial demonstration squadron, The Thunderbirds. Joining in to show off some of their own hot hardware will be the Navy with its F-14 Tomcats and the Army with an Apache attack helicopter.

Details: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday at Langley Air Force Base, Hampton. Free. 764-2018.

- Roy Bahls

THERE'S A GOOD reason why reggae mainstays Steel Pulse always draw a nice crowd when they come through Norfolk, which, by the by, is regularly. Their albums ``Earth Crisis'' and ``Babylon the Bandit'' are classics. The hits don't stop there, though. Expect a full sampling from their catalog when David Hinds and the crew play the Boathouse this evening. Zion Wave opens the show.

Details: 9 tonight, the Boathouse, Norfolk. $15. Call 622-6395.

- Craig Shapiro

SHE MADE BIG WAVES in hip-hop circles as a writer and guest-rapper. But Portsmouth's Missy Elliott busted out with her debut, ``Supa Dupa Fly.'' The disc, which reached No. 2, features guest shots by Lil' Kim, Busta Rhymes, Aaliyah and Ginuwine. She goes solo Saturday at Willett Hall. Da Brat, Total, Usher (whose ``You Make Me Wanna . . . '' is riding the charts) and local up-and-comers Magoo and Timbaland (whose ``Up Jumps Da Boogie'' is doing even better) share the bill.

Details: 8 p.m. Saturday, Willett Hall, Portsmouth. $22 plus service charge; available at the box office (393-5460) or by calling 671-8100.

- Craig Shapiro

REMEMBER WHEN John Linnell and John Flansburgh, the sum total of They Might Be Giants, cranked out warped gems like ``Lincoln,'' ``Flood'' and ``Micellaneous T''? They still do, only these days with a little help from their bandmates, who came on board in the early '90s. Whatever the lineup, they'll do it their way Wednesday at the Boathouse. Lincoln - the band - opens.

Details: 8 p.m. Wednesday, the Boathouse, Norfolk. $9 plus service charge; order at 671-8100. Call 622-6395.

- Craig Shapiro ILLUSTRATION: Color photos

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