What’s Good – August 3-9, 2023

Our weekly guide to what’s going on around Buffalo and in the world of pop culture.

Thursday, 8/10

Romeo and Juliet (Shakespeare in Delaware Park, 199 Lincoln Pkwy, Tue-Sun 7:15pm, FREE)
The Bard’s tale of star-crossed lovers is performed nightly (apart from Mondays) in Delaware Park, through 8/20.

American Idiot (Ujima Theater Company, 429 Plymouth Ave, Thu/Fri/Sat 7:30-9:30pm, Sun 3-5pm, $25)
The post-9/11 Broadway musical based on the Green Day album of the same name (and their subsequent album, 21st Century Breakdown) 

The 183rd Erie County Fair (Hamburg Fairgrounds, 5820 South Park Ave, Hamburg)
Rides, games, corndogs, and funnel cake await, running through 8/20.

Fitz & the Tantrums (Hamburg Fairgrounds, 5820 South Park Ave, Hamburg, 7:30, $35)
Fitz took a sharp left turn from soul to bubblegum pop a few years ago, and they bring their upbeat live show to the Erie County Fair tonight.

Food Truck Thursdays (Northland Workforce Training Center, 683 Northland Ave, 5-7pm, FREE)
Every Thursday evening in August, a wide array of food trucks convene, alongside craft vendors, live music, bounce houses, and more family-friendly fun.

Steve Treviño (Helium Comedy Club, 30 Mississippi St, Thu 8pm, Fri/Sat 7:30/10pm, $29)
This South Texas comic has done specials for both Showtime and Netflix.

Root Cellar (AKG Art Museum, 1285 Elmwood Ave, 5:30-7:30pm, FREE)
This experimental guitar/bass/trumpet/cello/drums quintet performs at the Albright-Knox.

The Steel Woods w/Eric Viancourt (Iron Works, 49 Illinois St, 8-11pm, $20)
Southern rock band the Steel Woods lost their lead guitarist, who passed away in January, but the rest of the group have vowed to carry on, on the eve of the release of their third album, All of Your Stones.

JD McPherson w/Yohei (Sportsmens Park, 340 Amherst St, 5:30-9pm, $30)
McPherson is a critically-acclaimed folkie from Oklahoma; Yohei is a composer and producer from Tokyo, now based in L.A.

Kidd Kyle & the Big Deal (Thin Man Brewery, 166 Chandler St, 6-8:30pm, FREE)
Hear Kidd Kyle perform as part of the weekly Jazz at Chandlerville series.

Celina & Will Holton (Buffalo Central Terminal, 495 Paderewski Dr, 5-8pm, FREE)
A night of jazz and R&B, with food trucks and other vendors.

Flipside (Buffalo Irish Center, 245 Abbott Rd, 5-9:30pm, FREE)
Local cover band Flipside performs at Thursdays Under the Tent, with food and beer vendors. Bring your own lawn chairs.

Cookie Monster’s Bake Sale (MAX)
This kids’ baking competition has the best possible judge, a furry blue monster who’s been children’s television’s leading authority on baked goods since 1969.

Friday, 8/11

Flo Rida (Hamburg Fairgrounds, 5820 South Park Ave, Hamburg, 7:30, $35)
We can’t decide if he has the best or worst name in hip-hop, but since the club can’t handle him, he’s performing at the Erie County Fair.

Drumwork Fest Comedy Jam (Town Ballroom, 681 Main St, 6:30pm, $40, 18+)
Conway the Machine hosts this night of comedy, including K-Dubb from Wild’N Out, Marshall Brandon, and Erica Duchess from HaHa Mafia.

Generation (Silo City, 200 Silo Row, 7:30-9pm Fri/Sat/Sun,$25)
Conceptual theater company Torn Space puts on an immersive performance ritual against the backdrop of the waterfront’s towering grain elevators.

Silo City Walking Tours (Buffalo Boat Tours, 44 Prime St, Fri/Sat/Sun 11am-1pm, $38)
This two-hour tour includes a boat ride down the Buffalo river to Silo City, then a walk through the silos, to see their inner workings, and learn how Buffalo was the largest grain port in the world for 100 years. Please arrive 30 minutes early.

The Birds of Forest Lawn (Forest Lawn Cemetery, 1990 Main St, 8:30-10am, $15)
Naturalist Paul Fehringer leads a walk spotlighting the songbirds and birds of prey who frequent the cemetery grounds.

Forest Lawn Children’s Walking Tour (Forest Lawn Cemetery, 1990 Main St, 11am, $10)
Naturalist Paul Fehringer leads a walk geared towards elementary and middle school-age kids, teaching about the animals that can be found in the cemetery and the region.

Courses in the Conservatory (Buffalo Botanical Gardens, 2655 S. Park Ave, 5/6:30/8pm, $125)
Enjoy an upscale, four-course, locally-sourced farm-to-table meal, with live music from JazzBuffalo.

Pints in the Park (Cazenovia Park, Fri 4-9pm, Sat 12-9pm, FREE)
Resurgence Brewing Co. sponsors an evening in the park with beer and food vendors.

Revinylized: Buffalo ‘77 (9th Ward, 341 Delaware Ave, 8pm, $20)
Buffalo Music Club presents a live tribute to the Grateful Dead’s 1977 gig at the Aud.

Hot Club of Buffalo (Seneca One Tower, 5-8pm, FREE)
Hot Club is this week’s performer at Jazz On the Plaz!

Billions (Paramount+)
Paul Giamatti and Damian Lewis’ high-finance drama was around before Succession, and it’s still here for a seventh and final season. Also available on Showtime starting Sunday. 

New Movies This Week
The Last Voyage of the Demeter (in wide release)
This horror film is adapted from a single chapter of Dracula, in which the crew of a merchant ship have to survive a dangerous ocean voyage with a vampire on board.

Jules (in wide release)
Ben Kingsley stars as a crotchety old man who befriends an alien when a UFO crashes into his backyard.

Red, White & Royal Blue (Amazon)
The President’s son (Alex Claremont-Diaz), and a British prince (Nicholas Galitzine) fall in love after being forced to make nice for the media’s sake. With Uma Thurman, Stephen Fry, and Sarah Shahi.

Bhola Shankar (Elmwood Center, Walden Galleria)
A former gangster brings his adopted sister to Kolkata for her education, but is also on a mission to destroy the crime syndicate who murdered her birth parents. In Telugu w/English subtitles.

Gadar 2 (Elmwood Center)
Sunny Deol travels to Pakistan to save his son, who’s been imprisoned and tortured by Pakistani soldiers during 1971’s “Crush India” campaign. Hindi w/English subtitles.

Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani (Elmwood Center)
Two young people try to rekindle their grandparents’ long-ago romance, and end up falling for each other, in a romantic comedy that was India’s 7th-highest grossing film of the year. Hindi w/English subtitles.

CatVideoFest (North Park Theater)
For anyone who hasn’t gotten their fill from Instagram, this 70-minute reel of cat videos is coming to theaters around the country to raise money for local animal shelters.

Saturday 8/12

Festival of India (Canalside, 44 Prime St, noon-9pm, FREE)
Celebrate India’s Independence Day with food, fashion, art, music, dance, and a celebration of Indian culture.  

Froth Fest (Island Park, 5565 Main St, Williamsville, noon-10pm, FREE)
This all-day beer festival features offerings from over 25 local breweries, including a ticketed beer tasting from 12:30-3:30 ($60), and live music from The Strictly Hip and Funk Mafia.

Arkells w/K. Flay (Outer Harbor, 225 Fuhrmann Blvd, 5pm, $28.50)
These six-time Juno Award winners for Group of the Year are rapidly becoming one of Canada’s biggest bands. See them as part of the Outer Harbor Concert Series.

TheRealDeez w/L-Biz, Tommy YG, La Familiar (Rec Room, 79 Chippewa St, 6pm, $21)
A night of local underground hip-hop.

Midnight Tyrannosaurus (Iron Works, 49 Illinois St, 8:30pm, $20)
This electronic music show is built around a T-Rex/Humanoid hybrid that can devour an entire crowd.

George Scott Big Band (The Darwin Martin House, 125 Jewett Pkwy, 5:30-7:30pm, FREE)
Hear big band jazz while admiring the grounds of Frank Lloyd Wright’s architectural treasure. The show is free, but space is limited, so advanced registration is required. The Statler Café will be open for food and drink before and after the show, but concertgoers can also bring their own food (and are encouraged to bring chairs and blankets).

Sunday 8/13

Buffalo Jazz Composers Workshop (AKG Art Museum, 1285 Elmwood Ave, 2pm, FREE)
The Composers Workshop is a collaboration between performers and composers from around Buffalo. For this show, they will also perform with poets and literary artists.

Monday 8/14

Needtobreathe (Hamburg Fairgrounds, 5820 South Park Ave, Hamburg, 7:30, $35)
Five of this band’s eight albums have reached #1 on the Christian Rock chart. See them at the Erie County Fair. 

FreeThem Ride (Buffalo History Museum, 6:30-10pm, FREE)
Slow Roll is a 10-mile round trip through various neighborhoods in Buffalo; this week’s route has not been announced as of press time, but we know the starting point, and the ride is always a good time.

Monday Night Jazz (Flying Bison Brewing Co, 6-8:30pm, $15)
The usual quartet of Alex McArthur, Bobby Jones, Paul LaDuca, and John Bacon is joined this week by saxophonist Nelson Rivera.

Tuesday 8/15

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.

Farrow (Bidwell Park, 78 Bidwell Pkwy, 7-10pm, FREE)
This local rock and soul group performs two sets for free as part of the Elmwood Village Concert Series.

Maddie Poppe (Iron Works, 49 Illinois St, 7pm, $28)
See 2018’s American Idol winner play a mix of pop and Americana.

Bailey Zimmerman w/Seaforth (Hamburg Fairgrounds, 5820 South Park Ave, Hamburg, 7:30, $35)
This country singer went from TikTok sensation to the Billboard charts with 2022 hit “Fall in Love.”

Arcy Drive (9th Ward, 341 Delaware Ave, 8pm, $16)
These Long Island rockers boast a “warm, nostalgic, and scratchy sound.”

Brick + Mortar (Rec Room, 79 W Chippewa, 6:30pm, $21)
This drum & bass duo play those two instruments live, alongside electronic beats and samples.

Wednesday 8/16

This Better Be Good (Helium Comedy Club, 30 Mississippi St, 8pm, $20)
A lineup of comedians — Ryan Fay, Tyrone Maclin, Liz Reaves, Kevin Thomas Jr, Kyle Turner, Clayton Williams, and host Chris Plumer perform their own material… but every audience member is allowed one interruption. But it better be good!

Handsome Jack (Larkin Square, 745 Seneca St, 5-8pm)
These 70s-style blues rockers perform as part of the Live at Larkin free concert series, which includes food and drink vendors.