What’s Good – February 8-14, 2024
Our weekly guide to what’s going on around Buffalo and in the world of pop culture.
Thursday, 2/8
Placeholder: First-Year MFA Exhibition (UB Center for the Arts, 2nd floor, through 2/29, FREE)
See work from nine UB MFA students in the CFA Gallery, on display through the end of the month.
Jim Gaffigan (Shea’s Buffalo, 650 Main St, Thu/Fri 7pm, Fri 9:30pm, Sat 5/8pm, $38-160)
Family-friendly comic Gaffigan plays five shows on his Barely Alive tour.
Reefer Madness (Shea’s Smith Theater, 650 Main St, 6:30pm, Thu-Sat 7:30pm/Sun 3pm, $45, through 2/11)
A musical based on the overwrought 1930s cautionary film about the dangers of the devil’s lettuce.
Josh Wolf (Helium, 30 Mississippi St, Thu 8pm, Fri/Sat 7/9:30pm, $25)
Naked and Afraid host Wolf has also written for Chelsea Lately, hosted Shark After Dark during Discovery Channel’s Shark Week, and co-hosts the Prinze & the Wolf podcast with Freddie Prinze Jr.
Stress Dolls (9th Ward, 341 Delaware Ave, 7pm, $10adv/$12)
Stress Dolls is Buffalo-based songwriter Chalsea O’Donnell, who returned home a few years ago after a stint in Nashville. With Ontario’s high-energy Kasador & local garage trio T.T.T.T.
Kidd Kyle & the Big Deal (Duende, 85 Silo City Row, 6pm)
High energy jazz for all ages.
Badfish (Town Ballroom, 681 S. Main St, 7pm, $25, 16+/12+ w/parent)
Sublime tribute band. With The Quasi Kings, Damn Skippy.
Galentines Boozy Bingo (Rec Room, 79 W. Chippewa St, 7:30pm)
Karaoke Night (Milkie’s, 522 Elmwood Ave, 9pm)
Tokyo Vice (Max)
Michael Mann took a break from making hardboiled crime movies to produce this hardboiled crime series, in which gaijin Ansel Elgort becomes an investigative journalist in Tokyo, and delves into the underworld with the help of detective Ken Watanabe.
Friday, 2/9
Cécile McLorin Salvant (Lippes Concert Hall at Slee Hall, 7:30pm, $20/FREE to UB students)
Salvant is a singer, composer, and visual artist, whose styles range from blues and jazz to baroque and folkloric music.
Disney In Concert (Kleinhans Music Hall, 3 Symphony Circle, 10:30am-noon, $12)
The Philharmonic performs classic Disney songs over animated sequences on the big screen. Followed by Kleinhans’ annual Sweetheart Dance.
Valentine’s Day Love Cabaret (9th Ward, 341 Delaware Ave, 7:30pm, $45/$80 couples)
The lineup includes Melinda Capeles, Julio Montalvo Valentin, Jennifer Muñoz, Sonia Arzola-Galarza, Erica Pagan, Aileen Gonzalez Marti, Arnaldo Pagan, Cesar Emmanuel Galaza, Son Borikua, and surprise guests.
Slow Animals (Iron Works, 49 Illinois St, 7pm, $10adv/$15)
Slow Animals features members of five different Buffalo bands, who are getting together to cover The Strokes’ Is This It and Arctic Monkeys’ Whatever People Say I Am, That’s What I’m Not in their entirety. Opening act Time to Pretend will cover The Killers’ Hot Fuss.
The Skiffle Minstrels (Duende, 85 Silo City Row, 6pm)
Western Swing dance band, who perform at Silo City the second Friday of every month.
Skyway (Mohawk Place, 47 E. Mohawk St, 7pm, $10)
with Mimic, Heart for Sale, Reggie Childs
Dirt Monkey (Town Ballroom, 681 S. Main St, 8pm, $24.50, 18+)
with KLL SMTH, Austeria.
Stoplight Silent Disco (500 Pearl, 500 Pearl St, 8pm-midnight, $12.50)
Dance to your own beat with headphones, and red, yellow, and green glowstick necklaces to indicate your relationship status.
The Piano Men (Shea’s 710, 710 Main St, 7:30pm, $46-67)
A tribute to both Billy Joel and Elton John.
Galentines Night (Rec Room, 79 W. Chippewa St, 6pm, $25)
A prix fixe meal including a cocktail, appetizer, entree, and dessert, plus a performance by the Dueling Pianos Band.
Live Band Karaoke (Rec Room, 79 W Chippewa St, 10pm, $8)
Sing your favorite Top 40 songs in front of a live band.
New Movies This Week
Lisa Frankenstein (in wide release)
Late-2000s It screenwriter Diablo Cody’s take on Frankenstein involves a goth girl who resurrects a Victorian-era corpse to be the man of her dreams.
Suncoast (Hulu)
Nico Parker (The Last of Us), Laura Linney, and Woody Harrelson star in this coming-of-age drama that got above-average reviews when it premiered at Sundance.
Upgraded (Amazon)
Camila Mendes and Archie Renaux meet cute in this romcom. Also starring Marisa Tomei, Lena Olin, and Anthony Head.
Teri Baaton Mein Aisa Uljha Jiya (Transit Center, Walden Galleria)
Shahid Kapoor meets the girl of his dreams (Kriti Sanon), only to realize she’s an android, in this sci-fi rom-com from first-time directors Amit Joshi and Ardhana Sah. In Hindi with subtitles.
The Chosen: Season 4 Eps 1-3 (in wide )
This Christian drama about the ministry of Jesus is debuting its fourth season in theaters.
Dune (Elmwood Center, Transit Center, Walden Galleria)
Denis Villenueve’s 2021 sci-fi epic is back on the big screen in anticipation of the sequel.
Saturday 2/10
Queen City Roller Derby (Riverworks, 359 Ganson St, 7pm, $18 (kids under 12 $6, front row $22.50)
Watch the Saucies take on the Alley Kats in the second matchup of the season.
Ian Liedka Jazz Quartet (PAUSA Art House, 19 Wadwsorth St, 6:30pm, $10/$13)
Modern jazz pianist Liedka has been playing in Buffalo and NYC for 20 years
A Hundred Drums (Mohawk Place, 47 E. Mohawk St, 8:30pm, $19.50)
with Canvas, Ancestyr, bilä
Buffalo’s Sexiest V-Day Party (Rec Room, 79 W. Chippewa St, 6pm, $20adv/$25)
Drag performers including Tara Bishop, Bleu Darlin, Lexx, Marzipan, Neleh Slay, Jojo Zahoe, and host Willa DeWhisp, and dancers Hans Bors, Christian Parker, Sonny Rocket, and Suga Tush. Themed outfits encouraged but not necessary.
Wordism (Princessa’s Studio & Gallery, 12781 Hertel Ave, 6:30pm, $5)
An erotica-themed open mic spoken word.
Troy del Way Trio (Duende, 85 Silo City Row, 1-2pm)
This violin/cello/piano trio perform as part of Silo City’s Mimosas & Minuets brunch series.
18 Wheels & a Crowbar (Duende, 85 Silo City Row, 6:45pm)
Classic country music from Western New York.
The Hip Experience (Iron Works, 49 Illinois St, 8pm, $20)
Tragically Hip cover band.
Celtic Sessions (Nietzsche’s, 248 Allen St, 4:40pm, FREE)
Sunday 2/11
Susan Peters Jazz Band (Duende, 85 Silo City Row, 4-6pm)
Counterprogram against the Superbowl pregame with Silo City’s Sunday Jazz Series.
Big Game Watch Party (Rec Room, 79 W. Chippewa St, 6pm)
It’s weird that people aren’t allowed to call the Superbowl the Superbowl, right? Well, we did it. Do your worst, Roger Goodell.
Tuesday 2/13
Funny Girl (Shea’s Buffalo, 650 Main St, Tue-Fri 7:30pm, Sat 2/8pm, Sun 1/6:30pm, $53-92, through 2/18)
A revival of the classic musical comedy, featuring “Don’t Rain On My Parade,” “I’m the Greatest Star,” and “People.”
The Steam Donkeys (Nietzsche’s, 248 Allen St, 6-8:30pm)
Rustbelt Comedy Showcase (Nietzsche’s, 248 Allen St, 9pm, FREE)
Open Mic Night (Milkie’s, 522 Elmwood Ave, 6-9pm)
Dragula Viewing Party & Drag Show (Milkie’s, 522 Elmwood Ave, 9pm; $10)
Wednesday 2/14
Ran D’Shine (Helium, 30 Mississippi St, 8pm, $25)
D’Shine is a comic and magician, who’s performed on Masters of Illusion, Penn & Teller: Fool Us, and B.E.T.’s Man on the Street.
PAUSA Wines & Pairings (PAUSA Art House, 19 Wadwsorth St, 6pm, $150)
A 5-course Valentines’ meal by Chef Vanessa Dolce. Only 20 seats; reserve on PAUSA’ web site.
Comedy Open Mic (Milkie’s, 522 Elmwood Ave, 9pm)
New Movies Opening on Valentines Day
One Love (in wide release)
Bob Marley gets the biopic treatment, with Kingsley Ben-Adir as the reggae legend and Lashana Lynch as his wife Rita.
Madame Web (in wide release)
Sony Pictures is still trying to build a franchise around whichever minor Spider-Man characters they have the rights to. In this one, Dakota Johnson can see the future, and that’s somehow related to spiders? Still sounds better than Morbius.
Players (Netflix)
Trish Sie (every OK Go video) directs this romcom in which Gina Rodriguez has to decide whether Tom Ellis (Lucifer) is worth giving up a life of carefree hookups for.