What’s Good: July 31-August 6, 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, 7/31
It’s a House Party (Iron Works, 49 Illinois St, 7:30pm doors/8pm, $20adv/$30)
Acts include Don Diesle, Shadow, The Godmother, Jonny Schnite, and host Darnell Davis.
Esham/The Convalescence (Rec Room, 79 W Chippewa St, 6pm doors/7pm, $27, 16+)
w/Morgue Terror, Owtla Jessejames, okillz
Robert Lester Folsom (9th Ward, 341 Delaware Ave, 7pm doors/8pm, $32adv/$40)
Folsom started out as a psychedelic singer-songwriter in the early 70s, and he’s still going. w/Babehoven
Scott Miller (The Cave, 71 Military Rd, 7pm, $23)
Singer-songwriter No Depression described as, “a cross between John Prine and Loudon Wainwright III.”
Comedy at the Caz (The Caz, 2221 Seneca St, 6:30pm doors/8pm, $15)
Lineup includes Allie Brady, Rick Matthews, and Shaun Murphy.
Last Reign (Nietzsche’s, 248 Allen St, 8pm)
w/Aversed, the new fury
Elena Izquieredo & the Stu Weissman Trio (Pausa Art House, 19 Wadsworth St, 7pm, $16-$19)
Sam Marabella (Duende, 85 Silo City Row, 6-8pm)
The Improv Mixer (Buffalo Improv House, 255 Great Arrow Ave #207, 7pm, $5 suggested)
Newcomers and experienced performers are all welcome to participate in improv sketch comedy or just watch.
Cagematch!!! (Buffalo Improv House, 255 Great Arrow Ave #207, 9pm, $6.54)
Two improv comedy teams compete for your votes! The winner returns next week.
Friday, 8/1
BIF25: Bluegrass, Boobies, and Beer (Milkie’s, 522 Elmwood Ave, 8:30pm doors/9pm, $10)
Celebrate both Infrigement Festival and International Beer Day. Acts include acoustic trio Danny and the Planet, Celtic string band Bristol Wharf, space rockers Galactic Waste, and burlesque troupe The Foxy Thrills
Swan Lake (UB Center For the Arts, 7pm, $39-$45)
The Greater Niagara Ballet Company performs Tchaikovsky’s classic.
Ian Fidance (Helium, 30 Mississippi St, 7/9:15pm, $30-$42)
This both thoughtful and silly NYC comic has appeared on Gilly and Keeves, The Last OG, and hosts the podcast Bein’ Ian with Jordan.
Hyperview (Rec Room, 79 W Chippewa St, 6pm doors/7pm, $21, 16+)
w/Cobraz, Oscar’s Cash, Silverproof
Duet (Buffalo Improv House, 255 Great Arrow Ave #207, 8pm, $17adv/$22)
An improvised musical from the duo of Todd Benzin and Annie Moor.
Star People: The Legacy of Jazz (Pausa Art House, 19 Wadsworth St, 8pm, $18-$24)
The Mood Swingers (Duende, 85 Silo City Row, 6-8pm)
On the Might of Princes (Duende, 85 Silo City Row, 8pm, $15 suggested)
Long Island scream queens. w/Overgrowth, Uniform Operator, Gatto Black.
Band Named Sue (Nietzsche’s, 248 Allen St, 6pm)
Cash and other classic country
Hartwell Hospice House Band (Nietzsche’s, 248 Allen St, 10pm)
The Music of Sade (The Cave, 71 Military Rd, 8pm, $10adv/$15)
Tribute by Blaise Mercedes & Saranade.
Improv Collider (Buffalo Improv House, 255 Great Arrow Ave #207, 7pm, $10adv/$12/$6.54 student)
An hour of long form improv comedy.
The New Friday Mixer (Buffalo Improv House, 255 Great Arrow Ave #207, 9:30pm, PWYC)
Newcomers and experienced performers are all welcome to participate in improv sketch comedy or just watch.
Rechouse (Rec Room, 79 W Chippewa St, 11pm, $10)
Honey Group presents a night of house music.
Live Band Karaoke (Rec Room, 79 W Chippewa St, 10pm, $8)
Marc Maron: Panicked (HBO)
The acerbic comic’s latest special.
New Movies This Week
She Rides Shotgun (Transit Center, Walden Galleria)
After being released from prison, Taron Egerton has to go on the run with his estranged young daughter, in this crime thriller.
The Naked Gun (in wide release)
Liam Neeson brings his deadpan to bear on the reboot of the classic cop comedy.
The Bad Guys 2 (in wide release)
The loveable villains (Sam Rockwell, Marc Maron, Craig Robinson, Awkwafina) try and turn over a new leaf in this animated sequel.
Chal Mera Putt 4 (Elmwood Center)
A group of immigrant friends try and get by in London. In Punjabi with subtitles.
Kingdom (Elmwood Center)
Vijay Deverakonda stars in writer-director Gowtam Tinnanuri’s latest spy thriller. In Telugu with subtitles.
Son of Sardaar 2 (Elmwood Center)
A man fakes a war hero to help a couple get their parents approval for marriage in this comedy. In Punjabi with subtitles.
Saturday 8/2
Rhyme For Remission 2 (Rec Room, 79 W Chippewa St, 6pm doors/6:30pm, $23.40, 16+)
Annual cancer benefit, with performances by Therealdeez, Lion Records, Brian Gonsr, Amanda Marie, Thatdood, Chrisgenecist, Brunnohtk. All proceeds donated to Roswell Park.
BIF25: International Hangover Day (Milkie’s, 522 Elmwood Ave, 8:30pm doors/9pm)
Celebrate the day after International Beer Day. Acts include Goodbye Metro, Blue Sky Joker, Glorian, Idiots of Idealism.
Chalkfest (Riverworks, 359 Ganson St, noon-4pm, FREE)
Two-day open-to-all chalk art festival. Sign up at buffaloriverworks.com
Swan Lake (UB Center For the Arts, 7pm, $39-$45)
The Greater Niagara Ballet Company performs Tchaikovsky’s classic.
Hank Bilal (The Caz, 2221 Seneca St, 6pm doors/7:30pm, $25)
Grammy-nominated jazz trombonist.
Chris Munch (Helium, 30 Mississippi St, 4pm, $33-$43)
Adam Bush joins Munch on the “Bleshings” tour.
Ian Fidance (Helium, 30 Mississippi St, 7/9:30pm, $30-$42)
This both thoughtful and silly NYC comic has appeared on Gilly and Keeves, The Last OG, and hosts the podcast Bein’ Ian with Jordan.
22 Minute Improv Musicals (Buffalo Improv House, 255 Great Arrow Ave #207, 6pm, $12
Just what it sounds like. Presented by BIH’s musical improv class.
Various Factors (Buffalo Improv House, 255 Great Arrow Ave #207, 7pm, $22adv/$27/$14 student)
A fully improvised Broadway-style musical comedy. Live piano karaoke afterwards.
Les Dudek (Sportsmens Tavern, 326 Amherst St, 8pm, $25)
Veteran guitarist who co-wrote “Sister Honey” with Stevie Nicks, and “Sacrifice” and “Blue Eyes” for the Steve Miller band.
Cheryl Ferris & The Kensingtons (Pausa Art House, 19 Wadsworth St, 7pm, SOLD OUT)
Performing pop tunes of the ’60s and ’70s.
The Divi Romē Band (Duende, 85 Silo City Row, 6-8pm)
Wet Dreamland (Nietzsche’s, 248 Allen St, 8pm)
Infringement Festival show
Caligula Blushed (9th Ward, 341 Delaware Ave, 7pm doors/8pm, $12adv/$15, 18+)
Smiths tribute.
Celtic Sessions (Nietzsche’s, 248 Allen St, 4-7pm, FREE)
Traditional Irish music.
Black Rock Arts (Black Rock Arts, 43 Hamilton St, 11am-3pm, FREE)
The new artist-run gallery is open to the public every Saturday.
Sunday 8/3
BIF25 Closing Ceremonies (Milkie’s, 522 Elmwood Ave, 8:30pm doors/9pm)
BASCO’s 5th Annual BanglaFest (Electric City, 433 Pearl St, 3-8pm, $10)
Community gathering, vendors, and cultural exhange. Performance by Nagar Baul.
Chalkfest (Riverworks, 359 Ganson St, noon-4pm, FREE)
Two-day open-to-all chalk art festival. Sign up at buffaloriverworks.com
Ian Fidance (Helium, 30 Mississippi St, 7pm, $30-$42)
This both thoughtful and silly NYC comic has appeared on Gilly and Keeves, The Last OG, and hosts the podcast Bein’ Ian with Jordan.
Redd Volkaert (Sportsmens Tavern, 326 Amherst St, 4pm, $10)
w/The Twang Gang
Elliot Scozzaro Trio (Duende, 85 Silo City Row, 4-6pm)
The Garage Doors (The Cave, 71 Military Rd, 2pm doors/3pm, $12.40)
The Doors tribute.
Europa (The Caz, 2221 Seneca St, 4:30pm doors/6pm, $25-$30)
Carlos Santana tribute.
Ann Philippone (Nietzsche’s, 248 Allen St, 6-8, FREE)
Barrelhouse piano.
Jazz Cache (Nietzsche’s, 248 Allen St, 8:30pm-mid, FREE)
A rotating cast of Buffalo’s best jazz musicians.
Karaoke Night (Twentysixallen, 26 Allen St, 6pm)
Monday 8/4
Ultrabomb (Sportsmens Tavern, 326 Amherst St, 5pm doors/7pm, $10)
w/Boss’ Daughter
The Complete Unknowns (Nietzsche’s, 248 Allen St, 6-8pm)
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.
King of the Hill (Hulu)
The beloved 1997-2009 cartoon returns, and sees Hank and Peggy returning from a sojourn in Saudi Arabia and reconnecting with a now-adult Bobby and their old friends in Arlen.
Tuesday 8/5
Shelly Belly (Helium, 30 Mississippi St, 7:30pm, $33-$44)
This South Carolina comic has gone national, and has appeared on season 3 of Netflix’s The Circle.
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)
Hard Knocks: The Buffalo Bills (9pm, HBO)
Get into the locker room and see this season’s impending Super Bowl champs at work.
Wednesday 8/6
Dropkick Murphys & Bad Religion (Terminal B, 850 Fuhrmann Blvd, 7pm, $62-$119)
Two legendary punk bands on the Summer of Discontent Tour. w/The Maineliners
Good Monster (The Caz, 2221 Seneca St, 6pm doors/7:30pm, $10)
Local spotlight. w/Orange Zest, Amateur Hockey Club
Tom Robert (Duende, 85 Silo City Row, 6-8pm)
Mikee Strongmen (Nietzsche’s, 248 Allen St, 6pm)
Folkfaces Bluegrass Night (Nietzsche’s, 248 Allen St, 9pm)
Karaoke Night (Twentysixallen, 26 Allen St, 6pm)
Comedy Open Mic (Milkie’s, 522 Elmwood Ave, sign up 7pm, show 9:30pm)
Wednesday (Netflix)
The first half of Season 2 of the hit Addams Family reboot.
Sunday 8/17
Josh Johnson (UB Center For the Arts, 4pm/7pm, $43-$55)
We’re giving you some advance notice to get tickets early for the laconic, sharply-observant comic and Daily Show contributor, before both shows sell out.
