What’s Good: March 20-26, 2025
Our weekly guide to what’s going on around Buffalo and in the world of pop culture.
We’ve expanded our sports listings and given them their own space: check out The Sports Page for records, recent scores, and upcoming games from the UB Bulls and every Buffalo pro and semi-pro team.
Thursday, 3/20
Cheryl Strayed (Kleinhans Music Hall, 3 Symphony Circle, doors 7pm/8pm, $16.50-$106.50)
Just Buffalo Literary Center presents an evening with the author of Wild, a memoir of her lifechanging 1100-mile solo hike.
Kenzie Cait (Rec Room, 79 W Chippewa St, doors 7pm/8pm, $27, 16+)
Nashville-based pop singer. w/berryblue
REBODY (Hallwalls, 341 Delaware Ave, 6pm)
The opening reception of H Boone’s exhibition (on through 4/11), whose 3d-printed art is focused on gender non-conforming body horror. Opening reception with talk by the artist at 7pm.
Pure Bliss (Area 54, 3234 Main St, 6pm doors/6:30, $10 suggested)
Hardcore show. w/G.O.A., Dared2Live, Slam Dunk
Joe Pug (9th Ward, 341 Delaware Ave, 7pm, $25adv/$30)
This Chicago singer-songwriter has toured with Steve Earle, Levon Helm, Sturgill Simpson, and more, and hosts the podcast Working Songwriter.
Masters Clinic: Joe Beard (Nietzsche’s, 248 Allen St, 6-9pm, $20adv/$25day of/$15 student)
Blues guitarist Beard kicks off Nietzsche’s new series, where artists perform and talk about their work and career.
Anime Night (Town Ballroom, 681 S Main St, doors 6pm, $33, 18+)
Local vendors, cosplay exhibition, and “anime cover band” The Party Hidden In the Sound.
Vinyl Night (Nietzsche’s, 248 Allen St, 9pm-mid, FREE)
DJ Odie Fury & DJ Donut spin vinyl all night.
Fever (The Caz, 2221 Seneca St, doors 6pm/7:30pm, $15-$20)
Tribute to Peggy Lee from cabaret singer Vanessa Vacanti.
Chest Fever (Iron Works, 49 Illinois St, doors 7pm/8pm, $20adv/$25)
Tribute to The Band, w/Mrs. Henry, a jam band who are not a The Band tribute, despite the name.
Tyler Westcott (Duende, 85 Silo City Row, 6-8pm)
Crespobeats (Electric City, 433 Pearl St, 6pm, FREE)
The WBFO DJ spins in the club every Thursday from 7-9 and then live to air from 9-11.
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 enjoy the show!
Poetry Open Mic & Game Night (Twentysixallen, 26 Allen St, 6pm)
Co-hosted by Sara Ali and Meg Specksgoor
The Residence (Netflix)
Uzo Aduba (Orange Is the New Black) stars in this Shondaland-produced mystery as a D.C. cop who has to solve a murder mystery inside the White House, with the help of Chief Usher Giancarlo Esposito. With Jason Lee, Ken Marino, Randall Park, Bronson Pinchot, Isaiah Whitlock Jr., Isiah Whitlock Jr., and former U.S. Senator Al Franken.
Friday, 3/21
Resonant Language (Iron Works, 49 Illinois St, doors 7pm/8pm, $30adv/$40)
Innovative bass music artist. w/Humandala, Backleft, Noah Fense, Fe’netiks b2b Blaze Mundo. Live visuals by Glass Crane & Betty Sweaters.
OOP (Nietzsche’s, 248 Allen St, 9pm-mid, $10adv/$15)
Only Odd Performances returns, with high-speed drag, a midnight stunt motherboard, and beats from cyberspace. Performances by Alley Gorey, Cella Rhee, Looky Lou, Xo’Lei Moon, and music by DJ Little Italy.
Buffalo Jazz Composers Workshop (Pausa Art House, 19 Wadsworth St, doors 6:30/7pm, $15-$20)
Local institution that creates and performs new compositions and innovative arrangements.
The Image in its Absence (Squeaky Wheel, 2945 Main St, 6-8pm, FREE)
Opening for group exhibition featuring work Azza El-Hassan, Carolina Ebeid, Crystal Z Campbell, and Noor Abuarafeh, involving archives that have been displaced or destroyed. Exhibition continues through 5/30, Tu/Th/Fr noon-5pm, Wed noon-7pm.
Shaky Stage (Nietzsche’s, 248 Allen St, 6-8:30pm, FREE)
Americana/roots rock.
Dead Letter Office (Sportsmens Tavern, 326 Amherst St, 8pm, $17.50adv/$20)
REM tribute band’s 10th anniversary show.
Analog Kids (Asbury Hall, 341 Delaware Ave, 7pm, $20-$30)
Rush tribute band.
The Seven Wonders (Electric City, 433 Pearl St, 6pm, $32-$50)
Fleetwood Mac tribute.
The Strictly Hip (Kleinhans Music Hall, 3 Symphony Circle, doors 7pm/8pm, $30)
Tragically Hip cover band’s 30th anniversary concert.
Scarlet Begonias (The Caz, 2221 Seneca St, doors 6pm/8pm, $15)
Grateful Dead tribute.
Joe Rozler’s Rockin’ Little Trio (Duende, 85 Silo City Row, 6-8pm)
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
The Alto Knights (in wide release)
Robert De Niro plays dual rules as 1950s mob bosses Vito Genovese and Frank Costello, in this based-on-a-true-story mob drama from the master (screenwriter Nicholas Pileggi, who also wrote Goodfellas, Casino, City Hall, and American Gangster.)
Ash (in wide release)
An astronaut awakes with amnesia, and the crew of her space station murdered, in this sci-fi horror thriller.
Snow White (in wide release)
Disney continues to cannibalize their library with this live-action remake of their first animated feature, which surely nobody asked for.
The Assessment (Walden Galleria)
In a dystopian future, Elizabeth Olsen and Himesh Patel have to submit to a weeklong test from an “assessor” (Alicia Vikander) before they can be allowed to have a child.
Bob Trevino Likes It (in wide release)
Roer
Magazine Dreams (Elmwood Center, Market Arcade 8, Walden Galleria)
An up-and-coming bodybuilder dreams of success and faces the perils of celebrity.
Locked (Elmwood Center, Transit Center, Walden Galleria)
A carjacker (Bill Skarsgård) is trapped in a car built by a sociopath (Sir Anthony Hopkins) hoping to teach him a lesson.
Pintu Ki Pappi (Elmwood Center, 2001 Elmwood Ave.)
A man realizes his kisses make women get married… but not to him! In Hindi with subtitles.
Saturday 3/22
Mary J. Blige (Keybank Center, 1 Seymour Knox Plaza, doors 6pm/7pm, $74-$444)
The legendary R&B singer’s For My Fans Tour. w/Ne-Yo, Mario
Dave Attell (Asbury Hall, 341 Delaware Ave, 4:30pm, $42)
The stand-up’s standup (who’s appeared in everything from Pootie Tang to Bob’s Burgers, to his own Comedy Central show Insomniac) is back in town. Four other shows this weekend sold out.
ICCA Central Semifinal (Mainstage Theater, UB Center For the Arts, 7pm, $38/$30 student)
Collegiate a cappella competition.
Refused (Electric City, 433 Pearl St, 7pm, $27-$82)
Swedish postpunk veterans. w/Quicksand, Dion Lunadon.
Queen City Roller Derby (RiverWorks, 359 Gansom St, doors 4/5pm start, $18-$22.50/students $14)
Buffalo all-star teams the Lake Effect Furies (ranked #11 in the region) and Subzero Sirens in a doubleheader against the visiting Penn Jersey Roller Derby
You Should Smile More (Buffalo Improv House, 255 Great Arrow Ave #207, 7pm, $10 suggested)
Improv sketch comedy featuring female and nonbinary performers.
Given Half a Chance (Buffalo Improv House, 255 Great Arrow Ave #207, 7:30pm, $12)
Local actors try their best to stick to the script, while sharing a stage with comedians who improvise their parts.
Yam Yam (Iron Works, 49 Illinois St, doors 7pm/8pm, $18adv/$20, 18+)
Instrumental jam band inspired by ’70s soul, New Orleans jazz, and vintage funk.
Losers Club (Rec Room, 79 W Chippewa St, doors 6pm/6:30pm, $20.55, 16+)
Denver pop-punk group. w/Call Me Disaster, The Weather Might Say Otherwise, Amateur Hockey Club
Comedy at the Caz (The Caz, 2221 Seneca St, doors 6pm/7:30pm, $20-$25)
Featuring comics James Camacho, Allie Brady, and Louie Gee.
Racehearse (Nietzsche’s, 248 Allen St, 8pm-mid, $10)
A five-band lineups spans psychedelic, grunge, and folk. w/Cardboard Homestead, Thunder Station Dirtbag Coalition, The Heathens, Rat Hazard
Dirtwire (Town Ballroom, 681 S Main St, doors 6pm, $33, 16+)
Experimental “swamptronica”. w/ Honeycomb
Kulpability (Pausa Art House, 19 Wadsworth St, doors 6:30/7pm, $16-$19)
Bassist Jack Kulp’s solo project.
Paul Cauthen Black: CANCELLED (Asbury Hall, 341 Delaware Ave, 7pm, CANCELLED)
Cauthen cancelled his tour to take a mental health break; Babeville has refunded credit card purchases; come to the box office in person to refund a cash ticket purchase.
Tomchess Trio (Hallwalls, 341 Delaware Ave, 8pm, $20/$18 students)
North African-influenced instrumental jazz performer.
Bowie by Stoneflower (The Cave, 71 Military Rd, 8pm, $23)
David Bowie tribute.
Frac/Tured (Duende, 85 Silo City Row, 1-2pm)
La Marimba (Duende, 85 Silo City Row, 3-5pm)
Tough Old Bird (Duende, 85 Silo City Row, 6-8pm)
Half-Dead History of the Dead (Sportsmens Tavern, 326 Amherst St, 8pm, $15)
Celtic Sessions (Nietzsche’s, 248 Allen St, 4-7pm, FREE)
Sunday 3/23
Walter Trout (Asbury Hall, 341 Delaware Ave, doors 6pm/7pm, $38adv/$46)
Veteran of blues-rock outfits Canned Heat and John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers, as well as former sideman to John Lee Hooker and Big Mama Thornton.
Mechanisms Common to Disparate Phenomena: #59 (Hallwalls, 341 Delaware Ave, 1pm, FREE)
Joost Rekveld’s abstract animated sci-fi film, generated by early 1960s period equipment. Presented by UB Media Study.
Opposition (Amvets Post 13, 25 Review Place, 6pm doors, $10)
Hardcore show. w/Ethereal Tomb, Contraband
Justin Whitehead (Asbury Hall, 341 Delaware Ave, 7pm, $31)
This comic went from small-town Georgia to the center of Atlanta’s comedy scene.
K+Lab (Iron Works, 49 Illinois St, doors 7pm/8pm, $20adv/$25, 18+)
New Zealand funk DJ, w/MIIILK, J3lly
Nicotine Dolls (Electric City, 433 Pearl St, 7pm, $27-$82)
NYC alt-rock quartet. w/Wic Whitney
Murder Mystery Theatre (The Caz, 2221 Seneca St, doors 6pm/7:30pm, $84-$89)
A jazz-age whodunnit, with two-course meal included.
Shep Treasure (Nietzsche’s, 248 Allen St, 7pm-mid, $10)
w/Chaepter, Wylie Something
Jay/Sharptet (Duende, 85 Silo City Row, 6-8pm)
Experience Hendrix (Kleinhans Music Hall, 3 Symphony Circle, doors 7pm/8pm, $75.50-$131.50)
Jimi Hendrix tribute show.
Monday 3/24
Plant Water (Nietzsche’s, 248 Allen St, 6-8pm, 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.
Tuesday 3/25
Shucked (Shea’s, 650 Main St, 7:30pm, $53-$112)
Tony-winning musical comedy about a farming town whose corn mysteriously begins to die. Through 3/30.
USAF Heritage of America Concert Band (Mainstage Theater, UB Center For the Arts, 7pm, FREE)
The U.S. Air Force’s official concert band performs.
Crush! Crush! Crush! (Iron Works, 49 Illinois St, doors 9pm/9:30pm, FREE)
90s cover band.
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 3/26
El Signo Vacio (Hallwalls, 341 Delaware Ave, 7pm, $8/$5 students)
Kathryn Ramey’s feature-length documentary about the American occupation of Puerto Rico, spenning over a century of found footage.
Shucked (Shea’s, 650 Main St, 7:30pm, $53-$112)
Tony-winning musical comedy about a farming town whose corn mysteriously begins to die. Through 3/30.
Torture (Amvets Post 13, 25 Review Place, 6pm doors, $15)
Hardcore show. w/Selfish Act, Deep Disdain, Windoc, Corrosives
BAND Against Bullying (The Caz, 2221 Seneca St, doors 5:30pm/6pm, $12.50)
Featuring Critt’s Juke Joint, The Committed, and Underage.
The Oatka Trio (Nietzsche’s, 248 Allen St, 7-9pm, FREE)
The trio trades off between steel, standard, and dobro guitar, and ukulele.
Sarah De Vallière (Nietzsche’s, 248 Allen St, 9pm-mid, FREE)
Award-winning film and game composer, pianist, and songwriter.
Open Mic Night (Helium, 30 Mississippi St, 7pm, FREE (reservation required))
See over 20 local comics performing live.
Davey O (Duende, 85 Silo City Row, 6-8pm)
Comedy Open Mic (Milkie’s, 522 Elmwood Ave, sign up 7pm, show 9:30pm)
The Studio (AppleTV)
Seth Rogan tries to keep a failing movie studio afloat in the streaming era in this comedy. With Catherine O’Hara, Ike Barinholtz, Chase Sui Wonders, and Kathryn Hahn. Look for reviews here on Subject.
