What’s Good 3/23-3/29
Our weekly guide to what’s going on around Buffalo and in the world of pop culture.
Thursday, 3/23
Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band (KeyBank Center, 1 Seymour Knox Plaza, 7:30pm, $119-425)
At 73, Bruce still puts on an hours-long, high-energy show that is not to be missed.
Buffalo State Spring Choral Concert (Rockwell Hall, 1300 Elmwood Ave, 7:30pm, $FREE)
A little more subdued than Mr. Sprinsteen, but also considerably cheaper.
WNY Refugee Film Festival (wnyrff.org, 7pm, FREE)
This year’s festival includes free virtual screenings of six award-winning films chronicling the refugee experience. Visit the festival’s web site for more information.
Hawthorne Heights w/Armor For Sleep (Town Ballroom, 681 Main St, 6:30pm, $28)
Long-running post-hardcore band Hawthorne Heights come through town on their Pitch Black Forever tour.
Friday, 3/24
Beetlejuice (Shea’s Performing Arts Center, 646 Main St, Th/Fr 7:30pm, Sat 2pm/8pm, Sun 1pm/6:30pm, $55-125)
Only a few tickets remain for this stage musical based on Tim Burton’s 1988 film about a puckish demon who helps a recently-dead couple haunt the yuppies who bought their old house.
That Comedy Show (9th Ward, 341 Delaware Ave, 7pm, $10)
Babeville hosts some of the area’s best comics, in a two and a half hour lineup of stand-up.
Samuel J. Comroe (Helium Comedy Club, 30 MIssissippi St, 7:30pm, $26.85)
Comroe has appeared on Conan, America’s Got Talent: The Champions, and his comedy special, “Normal Behavior,” and his comedy deals in part with him dealing with Tourette’s syndrome.
Aqua Pickles (500 Pearl, 500 Pearl St, 6pm, $5)
Buffalo and Rochester’s jazz fusion scenes unite, as Rochester’s The Pickle Mafia teams up with Aqueous’ Mike Gantzer for a night of genre-hopping improv.
The Empire Strikes Back in Concert (Kleinhans Music Hall, 3 Symphony Circle, 7:30pm, $22)See the best movie in the Star Wars series on the big screen, as a full orchestra plays John Williams’ iconic soundtrack.
New Movies This Week
John Wick: Chapter 4 (in wide release)
The fourth entry in the series looks to offer more of the same, but when the same is Keanu Reeves kicking ass and wearing the hell out of a suit, we can’t get enough.
A Good Person (in wide release)
Reviews are mixed on writer/director Zack Braff’s latest drama, in which Florence Pugh has to deal with the aftermath of a fatal car accident in which she accidentally kills her sibling’s fiancee, and ends up bonding with grieving would-be father-in-law Morgan Freeman.
Saturday 3/25
Blake Shelton (KeyBank Center, 1 Seymour Knox Plaza, 7pm, $50+)
Country superstar Blake Shelton stops by on his Back To the Honky Tonk Tour, joined by CM Female Vocalist of the Year Carly Pearce, and up-and-comer Jackson Dean.
Tap Into Maple (Buffalo Niagara Heritage Village, 3755 Tonawanda Creek Rd, Amherst, 1-7pm, $12)
From 1-4, the Heritage Village offers guided tours of their Maple History Trail, demonstrations on how maple syrup was made in various eras, tree tapping, and maple syrup and sugar tastings. Then at 4, a lineup of food vendors offer some non-maple dinner options (and a few free samples!)
On the Cinder (Mohawk Place, 47 E. Mohawk St, 7pm, $10)
Local punk band On the Cinder celebrates their 10th anniversary, with guests Starjuice and Do It With Malice.
Sunday 3/26
eXTC (Mohawk Place, 47 E. Mohawk St, 8pm, $25)”
Former XTC drummer Terry Chambers is playing his old band’s hits with a new group (and the original band’s approval).
Succession (9pm, HBO)
Everyone’s favorite backstabbing family is back, as the acclaimed drama returns for its final season. Watch for weekly episode reviews on Subject.
Yellowjackets (9pm, Showtime)
This terrific thriller about the teenage survivors of a plane crash and the adults they’ve grown up to be returns for a second season.
Monday 3/27
Jon Mueller (Fitz Books & Waffles, 431 Elliott St, 7pm, $20)This avant-garde percussionist is performing music from his 2022 release, The Future Is Unlimited, Always.
Tuesday 3/28
David Sanford Big Band (UB Center For the Arts, 7:30pm, $20)
While “Big Band” is in the name, don’t be fooled; this group covers jazz styles ranging from traditional big band to Latin to avant garde.
Wednesday 3/29
Clem Snide (9th Ward, 341 Delaware Ave, 8pm, $17)
Alt-country outfit Clem Snide seemed headed for obscurity after breaking up in 2007. But they regrouped and found a new generation of fans, as their songs were featured on Californication, The Good Wife, and Love. They’re now touring behind critically acclaimed new album Forever Just Beyond.
The Big Door Prize (Apple TV+)
Chris O’Dowd stars in this intriguing high-concept series in which a small town is upended by a mysterious machine that tells people their true potential. Look for episode reviews here on Subject.
