What’s Good – June 1-7, 2023
Our weekly guide to what’s going on around Buffalo and in the world of pop culture.
Thursday, 6/1
The Golden Girls Lost Episodes, Vol 3 (Alleyway Theater, One Curtain Up Alley, 7:30-9pm, $33.50)
This hit drag comedy returns with two new episodes spoofing the beloved ’80s sitcom.
Allentown Victorian Architecture Tour (Hotel Lenox, 140 North St, 1-2:30pm, $15/$7 students)
Buffalo is home to some beautiful Victorian homes, and this walking tour of Allentown views some of city’s best. See a variety of Victorian styles, including Italianate, Stick Style, Shingle Style, Queen Anne, and Second Empire, while also learning the history of one of Buffalo’s oldest neighborhoods. Reservations required.
Friday, 6/2
Sleaza Ball presents Anthems (Nietzsche’s, 248 Allen St, 10pm-2am, $10/$15 day of)
Sleaza Ball’s bi-monthly dance party and drag show goes all out for Pride, with DJ sets by Business Woman Special, Fools On the Hill, and Trinity Dive, and drag performances by Electra Lightz, Kbod, Mx. Ology, Ruby George, and The Most Softest Pillow.
Gay Pride Buffalo Drag Pageant (Club Marcella, 106 Michigan Ave, 5:30-9pm, $15)
This drag performance culminates with the crowning of Mr. & Miss Gay Pride Buffalo, as part of Club Marcella’s pride weekend kickoff.
Mental w/Damsel ‘N Disdress, DJ Lil Gabby (Underground Niteclub, 274 Delaware Ave, 11pm, FREE)
Buffalo’s stunting queen, Damsel ‘N Disdress, hosts this drag show where you can dance the night away until 4am.
Hello, Dolly! (Shea’s 710 Theater, 710 Main St, Fri/Sat 7:30pm/Sat 2pm, $42-56)
This classic musical about a turn-of-the-century matchmaker stars Buffalo native-turned-Broadway star Michele Ragusa, and soprano Ali Ewoldt, fresh from Broadway’s Phantom of the Opera.
First Friday Gallery Walk (Allentown, 5-9pm, FREE)
The first friday of every month from May to October, Allen St. between Delaware & Main closes to traffic for an outdoor art market with live music, and local businesses and galleries extend their hours to join in.
Annunciation Greek Fest (Annunciation Greek Orthodox Church, 146 W. Utica St, Fri/Sat 11am-mid, Sun noon-9pm, FREE)
Buffalo’s annual Greek festival returns after a pandemic hiatus, with a Greek market, music, and a wide selection of authentic Greek food.
Shelby Sigrist‘s 39th Birthday (Milkie’s, 522 Elmwood Ave, 9pm, $10)
Milkie’s throw a birthday bash for door person and regular fixture Shelby Sigrist, with a lineup that includes manaical folkie Mikee Strongmen, lo-fi lounge act Different Planets, Beatles-songs-but-depressing from The Magical Misery Tour, the quirky, fun Sasha McCoy and the Spoons, the all-bass-no-guitar Goodbye Metro, and stand-up comedy from Jesse Winterhalter, Chantelle Alello, and Caitlyn June.
RNSM (PAUSA Art House, 19 Wadsworth St, 7-9:30pm, $15)
This local sextet plays funk, jazz, pop, and R&B, all driven by Afro-Caribbean rhythms.
The Brass Machine (Jack Rabbit, 1010 Elmwood Ave, 10pm, $5)
This New Orleans-style brass band is ready to start the party!
Come Fly With Me (Rockwell Hall, Buff State, 1300 Elmwood Ave, Fri 6:30pm/Sun 1pm, $17)
Relevé Dance Company caps off their third year with a recital this weekend.
ComedySportz (Harlem Road Community Center, 4255 Harlem Rd, 7:30-9pm, $15/$12 students)
Watch two teams compete for laughs in a series of improv comedy games.
Little Richard: The King and Queen of Rock and Roll (9pm PBS)
PBS rolls out the perfect documentary for Pride Week; the story of the flamboyant bisexual musical pioneer who blew the lid off of straightlaced 1950s society by inventing rock and roll.
New Movies This Week
Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (in wide release)
The first Spider-Verse was a landmark of animation on top of being one of the best superhero movies ever made. Early word is that the sequel is every bit as good. If you only see one movie this summer, see this one, and if you only see two movies, see this one twice.
The Boogeyman (in wide release)
Horror director Rob Savage (Host, Dashcam) adapts Stephen King’s short story, in which teenage sisters mourning the death of their mother and shut out by their heartless father, fall prey to a monster that feeds on their suffering.
Saturday 6/3
Pride Night at Rec Room (79 W Chippewa, 7-10pm, $35, 18+)
Rec Room’s pride event includes free food from their “Signature Sampler Platter”, mocktails (in addition to the usual bar selection), and a drag show including Willa DeWhisp, Carina Gunn, and Jojo Zahoe.
Intersect Queer Art Festival & Vogue Event (26, 26 Allen St, 3-9pm, $40)
The event includes DJ sets by DJ Remmz (3-5) and Jay Aquarious (5-7), work by artists including Phigon, Careem, Curtis Lovell, and Jay Aquarious, and a Vogue show (7-9) with a 90s streetwear theme.
Bikini Bottom Pride Rave (Milkie’s, 522 Elmwood Ave, 8pm-mid, $12)
Debate rages as to whether Spongebob qualifies as a queer icon, but Milkie’s is leaning yes, as this undersea-themed night with house and hip hop beats by DJ Mimi V encourages aquatic-themed costumes.
The Stripteasers Annual Pride Party (Nietzsche’s, 248 Allen St, 9pm, $10
This burlesque show pulls out all the stops for Pride Week.
3rd Annual Pride Weekend Drag Extravaganza (Breezy Burrito Bar, 1000 Elmwood Ave, 11am/2pm, $40)
Vanna Dexu hosts this drag spectacle, including performances by Daphne W. York and Ms. Golden Delicious, a secret special guest, and a welcome shot and margarita included in the cover charge.
Pride Kick-Off Party (Hombre y Lobo, 149 Swan Street, 6-9pm, FREE)
Denver’s DJ DEKID spins as Hombre’s kicks off pride with the two greatest things in life, dancing and tacos.
Paint with Your Pup (Buffalo Barkery, 47 Allen St, 11am-4:30pm, $10)
Let your canine companion unlock their creative side, as Barkery provides a 6×6” heart-shaped canvas just for dogs. Proceeds benefit Fix A Bull WNY.
Children’s Pirate Aventure (Buffalo Boat Tours, 44 Prime St, Sat 11am/1pm, Sun 11:30am, Wed 11:30am, $29)
Parents and children will be regaled with pirate stories, a treasure hunt, music, and family fun, while cruising the seven seas on the Spirit of Buffalo. Yo ho hos are encouraged, bottles of rum are not.
Banjo Juice (Jack Rabbit, 1010 Elmwood Ave, 1-4pm, FREE)
Jack Rabbit’s jazz brunch returns, with local vintage jazz supergroup Banjo Juice.
Beethoven & Strauss (Kleinhans Music Hall, 3 Symphony Circle, Sat 7:30pm/Sun 2:30pm)
Pianist Norman Krieger returns to perform Beethoven’s Fourth Piano Concerto, and Strauss’ Le Bourgeois Gentilhomme..
The Music of The Smiths (The Cave, 71 Military Rd, 8pm, $15)
Local Smiths tribute The Ones You Can’t Have gives you the best of both worlds — you get to hear some of the most iconic music of the ’80s, without having to listen to Morissey demonize immigrants or try and shame you into going vegan!
Florida Geckos at Buffalo Brawlers Pro Corn Hole (RiverWorks, 359 Ganson St, 4pm, $10)
Of course there’s a professional cornhole league, and of course Buffalo’s biggest rivalry is with a team from Florida.
Sunday 6/4
Buffalo Pride Parade & Festival (Canalside, 44 Prime St, 11am-7pm, FREE)
Watch the parade go down Elmwood (from Forest to Allen) or join in as Buffalo celebrates our LGBTQ community. The parade runs until two, but the Pride Festival, with live music, family activities, and food and drink, runs until 7 (but really, all night, but really, all year long).
Pride Parade Afterparty (Club Marcella, 439 Pearl St, 6pm, FREE)
Keep the party going with free admission until 7, and then shows at 8, 11, and 1am featuring Naomi Aguiera, Alde Tremenda from America’s Got Talent, and Marcella’s regulars from Life’s A Drag.
Roxy’s 10th Annivesary Gay Pride Party (Bottoms Up, 69 W Chippewa St, 3-9pm, FREE)
Bottoms Up throws the “biggest lesbian party of the year” with drinks and 2 DJs.
Richy Mitch & the Coal Miners (9th Ward, 341 Delaware Ave, 8pm, $15)
This Montana-based folk-rock group are not real coal miners.
The Eric Andre Show (midnight, Adult Swim)
Andre returns for a sixth season of discomfort and absurdism.
Monday 6/5
What’s the News Ride (Challenger Community News, 1337 Jefferson Ave, 6:30pm, FREE)
This week’s group bike ride spotlights The Challenger community newspaper, celebrating 60 years of serving Buffalo’s African-American community. This 10-mile round trip returns to the Merriweather Library for a party with food, drink, and live music.
Salsa in the Park (Delaware Park Rose Garden, 199 Lincoln parkway, 6:30-9pm, $15)
Salsa in the Park celebrates its 10th season, with dancing to merengue, bahata, salsa, timba, cha cha, and kizomba, the first and third Monday of June, July, and August. No partner necessary, beginners welcome.
Tuesday 6/6
Fit For a King: Rookie Knights (Gypse Parlor, 376 Grant St, 8-10pm, FREE)
Hosted by Freddie Hercury, with a performance by Mx. Olody, Rookie Nights is a nonjudgemental space for new and newish drag kings to hone their persona. First Tuesday of every month.
Food Truck Tuesdays (Larkin Square, 745 Seneca St, 5-8pm, FREE)
Dozens of food trucks from as far away as Rochester assemble to ply their wares, alongside live music in the square. Continues every Tuesday all summer long.
Wednesday 6/7
Frank Lloyd Wright’s Fontana Boathouse Tour (Fontana Boathouse, 1 Rotary Row. 10-11:30am, $10/$5 students)
Take a tour of the only boathouse Wright designed. Intended for the University of Wisconsin in 1905, this masterpiece of Prairie Style was one of Wright’s favorite designs, but UW never actually built it. The plans were unused until the Boathouse was built in 2007 on the shore of the Black Rock Canal. The tour includes an in-depth look at the interior and exterior, alongside spectacular views of Lake Erie and the river. Reservations required.
It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia (10pm, FXX)
The gang returns for a remarkable 16th season.
