If you’re wondering how my day is going, I googled “Is Mercury in retrograde?” (It’s not, I’m just having not-so-great luck. Shout-out busted WiFi! Shout-out all the misfortune!) But the main thing is that we’re all here now, gettin’ ready to take on some major weekend vibes! There’s plenty happening the next few days INCLUDING a sneak preview of The Nightingale, a Burning Man costume bazaar, a Girls Aloud dance party at Club Cumming (OUR GIF THEME BECAUSE NADINE COYLE AMIRITE) and more!
BUT FIRST, here’s what you might’ve missed this week if you were too busy feeling morally conflicted about getting joy out of hearing Marianne Williamson say the words DARK PSYCHIC FORCE:
- Here’s why August is gonna be REAL REAL GOOD ft. Dark Crystal vibes, a new Jia Tolentino book, records from Marika Hackman, Taylor Swift, Shura, Sleater-Kinney and MORE!
- I got to hang out with Angie McMahon for an hour on Monday and she’s p. much the nicest! (And most talented!)
- Tennis players are the best dog moms, you guys.
- We tagged along with a chef on an H Mart expedition and it was the greatest! (H MART 4EVA!)
- We also went behind the scenes with a costume designer at Cirque Du Soleil! Dreams coming true!
- Also, Zak Bagans of Ghost Adventures bought a murder house and we wish he hadn’t.
Thursday August 1
- Starting with tunes, my top pick for tonight is a FREE Blood Orange and Kelsey Lu performance at Lincoln Center’s Damrosch Park!
- But if you’re down to trek out to Forest Hills Stadium (and have some cash to spare), you can also catch The Chemical Brothers and Charlotte De Witte for $49.50+!
- (We’ve also got Ben Folds and Violent Femmes at Pier 17 for $60+!)
- If literature is more your jam, head to Books Are Magic for a chat w/ Lyz Lenz and Jia Tolentino re: God Land! Free and open to the public.
- For comedy vibes, ya gotta get to Union Hall for the late seating of Couples Therapy w/ Naomi Ekperigin, Andy Beckerman, Dulcé Sloan, Josh Gondelman and more! Tickets are $10 a pop.
- You can also head to Caveat for 1. Reductress’ Haha…Wow! ($10-$12), and/or 2. America’s Next Top Cult ($12-$15)!
- Meanwhile, you can hop on the waitlist for Julio Torres in conversation w/ Fred Armisen re: My Favorite Shapes at 92Y!
- More into movies? If you’re not sick of Harry Potter madness yet, Syndicated is running $7 screenings of HP and the Deathly Hallows Parts 1 + 2 tonight!
- But I’d ALSO highly recommend scoping a sneak preview of The Nightingale at IFC Center ft. bonus Q+A w/ director Jennifer Kent (who also directed The Babadook) and star Baykali Ganambarr! Tickets are $16.
- Not queer enough for ya? Get to House of Yes for Glitter Unicorn Sparkle Spectacular: Yas Gawds! Tickets are $15+.
- (Or if you’re too broke, just head over there for a new round of Dirty Thursday, which is free!)
Friday August 2
- Starting again with t-t-t-t-tunes, we’ve got Gabby’s World, Bellows and more playing Alphaville for just $12!
- Meanwhile, Salt Cathedral will be posting up at Elsewhere for $10-$12…
- …plus RJD2 will be at Industry City for $22+!
- But maybe you want to live out the ASPCA commercials IRL, in which case hit up Forest Hills Stadium for a $23+ Sarah Mclachlan show!
- Too poor? Catch The Resistance Revival Chorus at Hudson River Park’s Pier 45 for free!
- PLUS Nosaj Thing (DJ set), Kimbra and Bells Atlas will be playing Prospect Park Bandshell for free!
- More into ha ha ha times? Michael Ian Black is at the Bell House for $20!
- Slash if you wanna get some good old fashioned LGBTQ+ vibes, head to Caveat for Queer Therapy Live, aka a night of queerness, mental health, and comedy! Lineup features Sydnee Washington, Fat Carrie Bradshaw, Alex Song and Daniel Lempert, and tickets are $12-$15.
- For queer dance vibes, make it a C’mon Everybody night! A Night At The Baths: A Disco Party kicks off at 11pm, and tickets are just $5!
- Or if tattoos are your main point of interest, the BK Tattoo Expo kicks off today through Sunday! Tickets are $35+.
Saturday August 3
- For starters, maybe you wanna kick off your day in a cold, dark place, in which case get to Nitehawk Prospect Park for a brunch screening of West Side Story (running now through tomorrow)!
- You can also hit up House of Yes starting at 1pm for major Burning Man vibes since it’s their annual Playa Style Costume Bazaar! Free entry!
- In terms of LOLs, hit up Union Hall for a new round of Picture This! ($8) and/or Laugh World ($8-$10) w/ Matt Barats and Bardia Salimi ft. Dan Licata, Tommy McNamara and more!
- There’s also an amazing (FREE!) lineup happening at Lincoln Center’s Damrosch Park ft. Roy Wood Jr., Ronny Chieng, Julio Torres, Maeve Higgins and more!
- Or if tunes are more your jam, then most definitely get to The Lot Radio for a Shura album release party! FREE!
- You can also pop over to Brooklyn Steel for a $35+ Bad Religion show!
- But maybe you’re more in a Barbra Streisand mood, in which case hit up MSG for a $166+ show!
- Just wanna d-d-d-d-dance? Mall Grab will headline MoMA PS1’s latest Warm Up! Tickets are $18+.
- If you’re not into outdoor vibes, you can also head to the Bell House for a new round of Party Like It’s 1999! It’s Xtina-themed this time, and as always, it’s free!
- Plus it’s a new round of BEETLEBUM: Brooklyn Britpop Night over at Saint Vitus! Tickets are $5+.
- Or if that’s not queer enough for ya, then get to C’mon Everybody for a new round of Yes Homo: A Queer Daytime Party! (Also free, and starts at 4pm!)
- PLUS THE MOST IMPORTANT QUEER DANCE PARTY OF ALL IS HAPPENING AT CLUB CUMMING! That’s right, it’s a Girls Aloud (and other UK girl groups) tea dance starting at 3pm! NO COVER!
- But maybe you’re the gayest of all, and you have a real strong handle on ye olde astrological knowledge, in which case hit up VICE’s Leo party at Villain! Tickets range from free to $200.
Sunday August 4
- Let’s begin (yet again) with tunes! Corinne Bailey Rae is headlining a FREE show at Central Park!
- (Speaking of free shows, provided you don’t mind a trek out to Montauk, Thievery Corporation will play the Surf Lodge for $0!)
- Plus it’s Soul Summit Music Festival at Fort Greene Park! (Also free!)
- You can also catch Fashion Brigade (feat. s/g Frankie Cosmos, Shamir, Kid Hawk), Franz Charcoal and Shamir at C’mon Everybody for $10+ to benefit the National Network of Abortion Funds!
- Or if dancin’ is more your scene, get to Nowadays for hardcore, disco, house, UK garage, dubstep ‘n techno vibes! Tickets are $20. (Reduced entry here.)
- For queer dance vibes, hop on a boat w/ Hot Rabbit! Tickets are $40+.
- Too poor? Then hit up Our Wicked Lady for a new round o’ rooftop rug cutting w/ Jonathan Toubin!
- Or if it’s comedy you’re after, get to Union Hall for We Love You: A Fucking Positive Comedy Show ft. Amanda Giobbi, Ariel Gitlin, Hari Kondabolu, Alex Song and Erica Hernandez! Tickets are just $8.
- Just wanna be a film nerd? Lincoln Center is screening Zabriskie Point at 5:30pm! (Fun fact: in college I was made to watch Blowup for a class, and when we had to give feedback I said, “When it comes to Antonioni, I much prefer Zabriskie Point.” It remains to be the most pretentious statement I have ever made!)