What’s Good: December 12-18, 2024
Our weekly guide to what’s going on around Buffalo and in the world of sports and pop culture.
Please note, we’re taking a break for the holidays. Listings (and other content on the site) will return in the new year.
Thursday, 12/12
Media Study Live! (Hallwalls, 341 Delaware Ave, 6pm, FREE)
Interactive Art from the UB Dept. of Media Study. Includings reception with free food & drink, and live, interactive mixed-media work by current students and faculty.
Tom Green (Helium, 30 Mississippi St, 7:30pm, $39)
The unpredictable provocateur of The Tom Green Show and Freddy Got Fingered performs stand-up.
Harlem Hayfield (Nietzsche’s, 248 Allen St, 6-8:30pm, FREE)
Spreading the gospel of rustbelt soul.
Cold Shot Trio Album Release (Nietzsche’s, 248 Allen St, 9-mid, FREE)
Blues-rock band celebrates their latest album.
Thundersmack (Iron Works, 49 Illinois St, 7pm, $20adv/$25, 18+)
Energetic NYC duo. w/DJ Scafetta
Lunch Bunch (Sportsmens Tavern, 326 Amherst St, noon, FREE)
WNY Blues Society (Sportsmens Tavern, 326 Amherst St, 7pm, $10)
Doug Yeomans (Duende, 85 Silo City Row, 6-8pm)
Improv Mixer (Buffalo Improv House, 255 Great Arrow Ave #207, 7:30pm, $5 suggested)
Join in some low-stakes improv comedy, or just sit back and watch!
Poetry Open Mic & Game Night (Twentysixallen, 26 Allen St, 6pm)
Co-hosted by Sara Ali and Meg Specksgoor
Blue Grass All Stars (Sportsmens Tavern, 326 Amherst St, noon, FREE)
Friday, 12/13
Tom Green (Helium, 30 Mississippi St, 7/9:15pm, $39)
The unpredictable provocateur of The Tom Green Show and Freddy Got Fingered performs stand-up.
JoAnn’s Classical Christmas (Kleinhans Music Hall, 3 Symphony Circle, 10:30am, $16.50-$75.50)
Conductor JoAnn Falletta presents a program of holiday favorites.
Castles & Creatures (Buffalo Improv House, 255 Great Arrow Ave #207, 7pm, $18/$12 students)
An improv comedy show inspired by (but not affiliated with) everyone’s favorite role-playing game.
Confessions! (Buffalo Improv House, 255 Great Arrow Ave #207, 8:30pm, $18/$12 students)
An improv comedy show based around the audience’s anonymous secrets.
Blissmas (Rec Room, 79 W Chippewa St, 7pm, SOLD OUT)
End w/Greg Puciato, Soul Blind, Fatal Visions
Neville Francis Band (Nietzsche’s, 248 Allen St, 6-8:30pm, FREE)
Reggae happy hour.
Jupiter Trolley (Nietzsche’s, 248 Allen St, 9-mid, $10)
Local psychedelic outfit. w/Pam Swarts, Divisoin Rivals
DJ Pauly D (Electric City, 433 Pearl St, 7pm, $42-$155)
Former Jersey Shore personality turned DJ.
Adam Rafferty (The Cave, 71 Military Rd, 7pm, $23)
w/Jamie Holka
Flashback (Sportsmens Tavern, 326 Amherst St, 5pm, $10)
Tommy Z Band (Sportsmens Tavern, 326 Amherst St, 9pm, $10)
Skiffle Minstrels (Duende, 85 Silo City Row, 6-8pm)
Big Eyed Phish (Iron Works, 49 Illinois St, 7pm, $20adv/$25, 18+)
Somehow a tribute band not to Phish, but to Dave Matthews. w/Barnaked Ladies tribute act Hello City
Drive You Crazy (Town Ballroom, 681 S Main St, 8pm, $21)
Jonas Brothers/5SOS/One Direction dance party.
Live Band Karaoke (Rec Room, 79 W Chippewa St, 10pm, $8)
Belt out your favorites in front of a live band.
New Movies This Week
Queer (Amherst Theatre, 3500 Main St.)
Luca Guadagnino (Call Me By Your Name) directs this adaptation of William S. Burroughs’ novella, about an American in Mexico City (Daniel Craig) who becomes infaturated with a younger man (Drew Starkey).
Nickel Boys (not currently screening in Buffalo, will end up on Amazon Prime)
Two young men become friends in an absuive Jim Crow-era reform school, in RaMell Ross’ film, based on Colson Whitehead’s acclaimed novel.
The Lord of the Rings: The War o fthe Rohirrim (in wide release)
Another chapter of Middle Earth history gets a big-screen retelling, this time as an animated feature, with the voices of Miranda Otto and the late Christopher Lee returning from Peter Jackson’s live-action films.
Kraven the Hunter (in wide release)
Sony’s series of Spider-Man-adjacent movies without Spiderman comes to a merciful end, with Aaron Taylor-Johnson in the thankless lead role.’
Carry-On (Netflix)
Taron Egerton’s TSA agent is blackmailed by Jason Bateman into letting a dangerous package onto a Christmas Day flight in this thriller.
Pushpa 2: The Rule (Elmwood Center, Transit Center, Walden Galleria)
Pushpa and Bhanwar Singh continue their rivalry in the conclustion of this two-part action drama. In Hindi or Telugu with subtitles. Check listings.
Saturday 12/14
The Sadies (Iron Works, 49 Illinois St, 7pm, $15adv/$20, 18+)
The peerless Canadian country-rock group have soldiered on after the death of frontman Dallas Good and are still a can’t-miss show. Opener TBA.
Tom Green (Helium, 30 Mississippi St, 7/9:30pm, $39)
The unpredictable provocateur of The Tom Green Show and Freddy Got Fingered performs stand-up.
The Dreamer (Drama Theater, UB Center For the Arts, 3:30/5:15pm, $27)
Sherri Martin Dance presents this performance, in which a girl reading in the woods falls asleep and dreams of the forces of nature.
JoAnn’s Classical Christmas (Kleinhans Music Hall, 3 Symphony Circle, 7:30pm, $16.50-$75.50)
Conductor JoAnn Falletta presents a program of holiday favorites.
UB Women’s Basketball vs Stony Brook (Alumni Arena, 2pm, $12)
The team is undefeated after 8 games, and hope to make it 9 against a rival SUNY.
UB Wrestling @ Kent State Duals (Kent, OH)
The Bulls take on Gardner-Webb, and hosts Kent State.
Buffalo Sabres @ Washington Capitals
The blue and gold were flirting with .500, but have sunk to 11-14-4, and spend all week on the road.
Christmas Rocks Concert (Asbury Hall, 341 Delaware Ave, 7pm, $30-60)
Musicians of Buffalo host a concert combining rock and Christmas classics, performed by a 13-piece band. VIP tickets include afterparty at 9th Ward.
You Should Smile More (Buffalo Improv House, 255 Great Arrow Ave #207, 7pm, $12 suggested)
An all-female and gender nonconforming improv show.
Passed Out (Nietzsche’s, 248 Allen St, 7-mid, $15adv/$20)
A night of Bright Eyes covers. w/Tuesday Night performing Phoebe Bridgers songs, and West Ferry performing songs by Decaparecidos and the Mystic Valley Band.
Isabel Ong (Duende, 85 Silo City Row, 1-2pm)
The violinist performs as part of Duende’s Minuets & Mimosas series.
KMW Trio (Duende, 85 Silo City Row, 3-5pm)
Funk, jazz, rock, and blues.
Henry’s Summer Kitchen (Duende, 85 Silo City Row, 6-8pm)
Craig Smith (The Cave, 71 Military Rd, 8pm, $10)
w/The Vores
Argyle St Band (Sportsmens Tavern, 326 Amherst St, 3pm, $10)
Grosh (Sportsmens Tavern, 326 Amherst St, 8pm)
Celtic Sessions (Nietzsche’s, 248 Allen St, 4-7pm, FREE)
A Charlie Brown Christmas (AppleTV)
Celebrate the true spirit of the holiday with Charles Schulz’ timeless animated classic.
Sunday 12/15
Jingle Bell Jam (Kleinhans Music Hall, 3 Symphony Circle, noon/4pm, $7)
A kid-friendly program of holiday favorites, with appearance by guest conductor Santa Claus.
Buffalo Bills @ Detroit Lions
The Bills face a challenge after last week’s surprise loss to the Rams, as they take on the team with the best record in football for the second time in three weeks.
Buffalo Sabres @ Toronto Maple Leafs
Calimar White (Helium, 30 Mississippi St, 7pm, $31)
This comic had a viral hit with the song “Never Do Shit At Work,” and actually started a company to confront workplace managers with real employee complaints.
Music To Silent Film (Duende, 85 Silo City Row, 2:30-3:30pm)
Wooden Cities performs over a compliation of silent-era holiday films.
Eliott Scozzaro Trio (Duende, 85 Silo City Row, 4-6pm)
Disciple of the Garden (Iron Works, 49 Illinois St, 7pm, $15adv/$20, 18+)
Tribute to Chris Cornell of Soundgarden.
All-Star Project (Sportsmens Tavern, 326 Amherst St, 4pm, $10)
Anne Philippone (Nietzsche’s, 248 Allen St, 6-8pm, FREE)
Barrelhouse blues and boogie piano.
Jazz Cache (Nietzsche’s, 248 Allen St, 8:30pm-mid, FREE)
Live music from a rotating cast of Buffalo jazz musicians.
Monday 12/16
Baudo Big Band Christmas (Sportsmens Tavern, 326 Amherst St, 7pm)
Leigh Stoner (Nietzsche’s, 248 Allen St, 6pm, FREE)
Songwriter Showcase (Nietzsche’s, 248 Allen St, 8pm-mid, FREE)
Singer-songwriters from 8-9, and then an open mic for the rest of the evening.
The Great British Baking Show: Holidays Season 7 (Netflix)
We could all use some holiday comfort food, and the Brits are always happy to deliver.
Tuesday 12/17
Samara Joy (Mainstage Theater, UB Center For the Arts, 7:30pm, $44-$79)
A Joyful Holiday with the three-time Grammy winner.
Buffalo Sabres @ Montreal Canadiens
Baudo Big Band Christmas (Sportsmens Tavern, 326 Amherst St, noon, FREE)
Twang Gang (Sportsmens Tavern, 326 Amherst St, 6pm, $10)
Steam Donkeys (Nietzsche’s, 248 Allen St, 6-8:30pm, FREE)
Long-serving “cosmic Americana” group.
Rust Belt Comedy Showcase (Nietzsche’s, 248 Allen St, 9-10pm, FREE)
A rotating cast of local stand-ups.
The Stripteasers (Nietzsche’s, 248 Allen St, 10pm-mid, $4)
Weekly burlesque show.
Open Mic (Cucina @ Hotel Richardson, 444 Forest Ave, 6-8pm)
This weekly open mic features music, poetry, and comedy. Register at jkonze@douglasdev.com.
Karaoke (Milkie’s, 522 Elmwood Ave, 8pm)
Wednesday 12/18
Hamell on Trial (9th Ward, 341 Delaware Ave, 7pm, $15)
This veteran of NYC’s 90s anti-folk scene is still crisscrossing the American underground. Not to be missed. w/Velvet Bethany
Project X-Mas (Iron Works, 49 Illinois St, 6pm, $10adv/$15, 18+)
Live music from Akloh, Skyway, Little Liar, Mother Nature’s Son, and Letters to Elise, plus a raffle, toy drive, and ugly sweaters.
The Dirty Show (Helium, 30 Mississippi St, 7pm, $20)
An as-yet-unannounced lineup of comics work blue.
Brian Wheat (Nietzsche’s, 248 Allen St, 7-9pm, FREE)
Local Americana singer-songwriter.
Baudo Jazz Quintet (Sportsmens Tavern, 326 Amherst St, noon, FREE)
Dillon Whitford Band (Sportsmens Tavern, 326 Amherst St, 6pm, $10)
Comedy Open Mic (Milkie’s, 522 Elmwood Ave, sign up 7pm, show 9:30pm)
