What’s Good – June 29-July 5, 2023
Our weekly guide to what’s going on around Buffalo and in the world of pop culture.
Thursday, 6/29
Laura Jane Grace w/Sunday Reign (Fountain Plaza, 20 Fountain Plaza, 5-8pm, FREE)
Against Me! frontwoman and solo artist Grace’s songs are both personal and political, and her appearance is one of the highlights of Fountain Plaza’s free summertime concert series.
Measure For Measure (Delaware Park, 199 Lincoln Parkway, 7:15, FREE)
Shakespeare in Delaware Park presents what might be the Bard’s darkest comedy, in which, “some rise by sin, and some by virtue fall.” Nightly (apart from Mondays) until 7/16. Seated not provided, guests are encouraged to bring a chair or blanket. Picnics welcome!
Zoomagination (Buffalo Zoo, 300 Parkside Ave, 6:30-10:30pm, $18.95/$15.95 members)
The Festival of Lanterns and Lights is back for another year. The zoo lights up after dark with elaborate lantern displays, plus performances every hour, food, and a beer garden. Every Wed/Thu/Fri/Sun all summer.
Central Park & Parkside by Bike (Resurgence Brewing Company, 84 Parkside Ave, 6-7:30pm, $7)
This bike tour passes through two of Buffalo’s most beautiful neighborhoods, passing by the Darwin Martin House, the Belt Line Railroad, and Delaware Park. Helmets and advance reservations required.
Umphrey’s McGee (Town Ballroom, 681 Main St, 7pm, $40)
This Indiana jam band rolls through town on their latest tour.
Joey Gonzalez Collective (PAUSA Art House, 19 Wadsworth St, 7-9:30pm, $15)
Producer, arranger, and conga player Gonzalez fronts a 7-piece ensemble with Lisa Santiago on vocals.
Snow Cricket w/Phil Stephen, Spiria, Adelaide (Stamps, 98 Main St, Tonawanda, 7pm, $10)
A night of singer-songwriters at Stamps.
DeeAnn DiMeo (Thin Man Brewery, 166 Chandler St, 6-8:30pm, FREE)
Former country singer DeMeo has gone pop, and brings her act to the Jazz at Chandlerville weekly concert series.
South City (Solé, 3580 Lake Shore Rd, 5:30-8:30pm, FREE)
This five piece plays acoustic/electric rock ‘n roll.
The Witcher (Netflix)
Based on the bestselling book series, this monster-hunter drama releases the first five episodes of its eight-episode third season.
Friday, 6/30
Nickel City ComicCon (Buffalo Niagara Convention Center, 153 Franklin St, Fri 3-8pm/Sat 10am-5pm/Sun 10am-4pm, $25)
Upstate New York’s biggest pop culture and comic book convention includes fan panels, photo opportunities, and glimpses behind the scenes in the worlds of TV, movies, and comic books.
Buffalo Tango Orkestra (Wilkeson Pointe, 225 Fuhrmann Blvd, 7-9pm, FREE)
The Orkestra moves beyond traditional Argentine tango to create its own eclectic style. They perform as part of the Sounds of Buffalo Summer Music Concert Series.
Quit Yourself w/Sonny Baker, Roger Bryan and the Orphans (Nietzche’s, 248 Allen St, 10pm, $12)
Local emo band Quit Yourself headlines a night of music.
Live Band Karaoke (Rec Room, 79 W Chippewa St, 10pm)
Sing top 40 pop hits in front of a live band.
4th of July Carnival (The Great Pumpkin Farm, 11199 Main St, Clarence, Fri/Sat/Sun noon-9pm, $10/$25 for rides wristband)
A good old-fashioned carnival, with rides, games, food vendors, face painting, and live music all weekend. Fireworks display on 7/2 at 9:30.
Allentown Victorian Architecture Tour (Hotel Lenox, 140 North St, 1-2:30pm, $15/$5 students)
This walking tour features some of Allentown’s best Victorian architecture, along Irving Place and Park St. Reservations required.
Silent Disco (Iron Works, 49 Illinois St, 9pm-1am, $10)
Everyone wears headphones for this dance party that has three channels of music — electronica, hip-hop/R&B, and classic top 40.
B.Flo Girls (Buffalo AKG Art Museum, 1285 Elmwood Ave, 6-7:30pm, FREE)
Music and dance performances throughout the evening, as Albright-Knox continues to celebrate its re-opening throughout the summer.
Bad Lands (Solé, 3580 Lake Shore Rd, 5:30-8:30pm, FREE)
We don’t have any information about this band, apart from it not being Black Sabbath side project Badlands.
New Movies This Week
Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny (in wide release)
James Mangold steps in for Spielberg, as 80-year-old Harrison Ford cracks the whip one last time. Raiders of the Lost Ark might be the perfect action movie; this one seems destined to be an afterthought to the series.
Nimona (Netflix)
Chloë Grace Moretz and Riz Ahmed lead the voice cast of this animated adaptation of the beloved graphic novel, about a young girl who insists on being a knight’s sidekick. The animation, story, and voicework are all getting rave reviews.
Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken (in wide release)
DreamWorks Animation’s latest feels like Luca Lite, as a teenage girl turns into a sea creature when she touches salt water, and has to keep her secret, fight evil mermaids, and navigate high school.
Saturday 7/1
Kevin Hart (Fallsview Casino Resort, 6380 Fallsview Blvd, Niagara Falls, 9pm, $142)
We don’t usually list casino gigs, but the casino doesn’t usually get America’s biggest stand-up, here on his “Reality Check” tour.
Joint Venture (Rooted Lounge, 69 Allen St, 1pm, $50)
Buffalo’s first cannabis-themed bike ride runs 15 miles though the city, and proceeds support both Slow Roll and passage of the Marijuana Regulation and Taxation Act, and includes refreshments, brunch, and a post-ride afterparty.
Rafael Zaldivar (PAUSA Art House, 19 Wadsworth St, 7pm, $20)
Cuban pianist and Juno nominee Zaldivar leads a Latin jazz trio.
Buffalo Philharmonic (Academy Park, 851 Center St, Lewiston, 7pm, FREE)
The BPO perform a free outdoor concert in Lewiston..
Platinum Moon w/Canetis (Iron Works, 49 Illinois St, 8-11pm, $15)
Platinum Moon are an NYC-based band whose two albums have over a million streams online. They’re supported by local alt-rock group Canetis.
Banjo Juice (Jack Rabbit, 1010 Elmwood Ave, 1-4pm, FREE)
Banjo Juice is comprised of members of several local jazz groups, and performs at Jack Rabbit’s jazz brunch every Saturday afternoon.
Canalside Beer Garden Silent Disco (Canalside, 44 Prime St, 6-10pm, $10)
Everyone wears headphones for this dance party that has three channels of music — electronica, hip-hop/R&B, and classic top 40
Sunday 7/2
Metric (The Rapids Theater, 1711 Main St, Niagara Falls, 7pm, $40)
This Canadian alt-rock group (and Subject Radio favorites) are definitely worth the trip up to the Falls.
black midi w/Etran de L’Aïr (Asbury Hall, 341 Delaware Ave, 8pm, $25)
black midi have recently been called “the best new rock band in Britain.” Etrain de L’Aïr are a family band who grew up in the shadow of the Agadez Grand Mosque in Niger.
Monday 7/3
Let Freedom Ride (Tow Path Park, Hertel Ave, 6-10pm, FREE)
Slow Roll celebrates Independence Day the only way they know how; with a 10-mile community bike ride, with a volunteer squad to keep riders safe, and an afterparty with food, drink, and music.
Delaware Ave Mansions Walking Tour (Theodore Roosevelt Inaugural Site, 641 Delaware Ave, 10-11:30am, $10/$7 students)
In an era when Buffalo was one of the wealthiest cities in the country, the city’s elite built their grandiose Gilded Age homes on a stretch of Delaware Ave. Take a 2.2-mile walking tour to see some of the Queen City’s most impressive architectural treasures.
Tuesday 7/4
Food Truck Tuesdays (Larkin Square, 745 Seneca St, 5-8pm)
Dozens of food trucks from Buffalo and Rochester ply their wares, along with live music.
Wednesday 7/5
Geno McManus (Jazzboline, 5010 Main St, Amherst, 5-7pm)
Guitarist McManus has played in a number of bands through the years, including Chapter X, Gooseflesh, Jackdaw, Animal Planet, and the Smoking Jackets.
