35 Things to Do This Weekend

Nite Jewel plays Johnny Brenda’s on Friday. (Leo Garcia)

FRIDAY , JULY 28

Nite Jewel @ Johnny Brenda’s
Supporting her new record Real High (and its corresponding b-sides collection, Real Low), L.A. artist Nite Jewel, aka Ramona Gonzalez, is touring for the first time in five years. Inspired by Janet Jackson and other titans of pop/R&B, Nite Jewel woulda crushed it on q102 in 1989. Works today, too.

In the Steps of Trisha Brown @ Lightbox Film Center
A behind-the-scenes movie about choreographer Trisha Brown staging her classic work Glacial Decoy in Paris.

Guys and Dolls @ Bucks County Playhouse
Theater critic David Fox had this to say: “Any opportunity to see Guys and Dolls—near the top of the top among American musicals—is a treat, and I especially looked forward to it at Bucks County Playhouse. It’s an ideally intimate venue, as well as one rich in history and atmosphere. The cast has many terrific performers (BCP does very well with casting in general). Most of all, the director is Hunter Foster, Artistic Associate here, who two summers ago led an exceptionally intriguing version of Stephen Sondheim’s Company.” Read the entire review here. Runs through Aug. 12.

The Mighty Mighty Bosstones @ Union Transfer
The veteran ska/rock band is celebrating the 20th anniversary of Let’s Face It, the record with “The Impression That I Get” on it.

This is Hardcore @ Electric Factory
The annual punk festival continues through Sunday. Acts include Pulling Teeth, Bracewar, Eaten Alive, Buried Alive, Disembodied, Out of Body and more.

Morricone Youth Mad Max @ PhilaMOCA
The longstanding NYC band provides a live score to George Miller’s 1979 ruined world adventure movie Mad Max.

Remy Ma @ TLA
Remy Ma’s still got it. The NYC rapper won BET’s award for Best Female Hip-Hop Artist in 2005 and then won it again in 2017. In between, she spent seven years in prison for shooting a friend. Former friend, probably.

Brian Collins @ Ardmore Music
A show by the Georgia country music artist, benefiting the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation.

Black Pearl and ‘Danco @ Dell Music Center
A music and dance collaboration between The Black Pearl Chamber Orchestra (conducted by Jeri Lynne Johnson) and the dance troupe Philadanco.

XPoNential Music Fest: Day 1 @ Camden Waterfront
Wilco, Conor Oberst and Hop Along @ BB&T Pavilion. Brownout, Offa Rex (Decemberists + Olivia Chaney), Arkells, Angel Olsen, Hurry, Pinegrove and Swift Technique @ Wiggins Park.

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets @ the Mann
The Philadelphia Orchestra performs live while you watch Harry, Weezy and Hermy run around having little witch adventures.

Bad Bad Hats @ Milkboy Philly
Catchy, guitar-forward indie rock from Minneapolis. Their debut record, Psychic Readers, came out in 2015, hence this “woman laughing with salad” video. This one’s even better:

Jeff Caudill @ Kung Fu Necktie
A solo show by the frontman of fondly remembered pop-punk band GameFace.

Wicked @ Academy Of Music
Broadway Philadelphia presents the other beloved musical set in Oz. Through Aug. 27.

Talkmasters @ Good Good Comedy Theatre
Kate Banford’s multimedia comedy show celebrates its second anniversary. Featuring comedy by Cassandra Dee, Brendan Manklang Kingston, REPELICAN (aka Jonathonian EhrenKranz) and Bradley Kristian Wrenn. Music by Daniel Lewis Cupps.

SATURDAY, JULY 29

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sN1ppuSx1vE

Funeral Parade of Roses @ Lightbox Film Center
Two screenings, 7 and 10 p.m., of the restored 1969 film by Toshio Matsumoto that Kubrick called an influence. Quoth the event description: “one of the most subversive and intoxicating films of the late 1960s; a headlong dive into a dazzling, unseen Tokyo night-world of drag queen bars and fabulous divas, fueled by booze, drugs, fuzz guitars, performance art and black mascara.”

Jo Kusy @ Boot & Saddle
Jo Kusy of The Whips and Far-Out Fangtooth released his seventh (!) solo release, No One Else, in June. It’s very lo-fi and kinda psychedelic — the sound of a man and his guitar, singing and strumming at the bottom of a well. Here’s my favorite track from the record:

This is Hardcore Afterparty @ Underground Arts
Featuring Kill Your Idols, Violent Society and Miracle Drug. This is also hardcore.

XPoNential Music Fest: Day 2 @ Camden Waterfront
Amos Lee featuring Preservation Hall Jazz Band, Spoon, Chicano Batman and The Suffers @ BB&T Pavilion. Charles Bradley & His Extraordinaires, Strand Of Oaks, The Dove & The Wolf, Xenia Rubinos, Foxygen, Preservation Hall Jazz Band, Dave Hause & The Mermaid, Rhiannon Giddens and Cliff Hillis @ Wiggins Park.

Dougie Poole @ PhilaMOCA
Sad, dreamy country music. Sometimes it’s hard to hear the country part, actually.

Alex Da Corte Book Launch @ Ulises
The artist celebrates the release of two books of his work, Slow Graffiti and 50 Wigs. The event features food, drink, video of the artist’s work and readings by Alissa Bennett and Sam McKinniss.

The Postmen @ Good Good Comedy Theatre
Sketch comedy by NYC comedians Carmen Christopher, Matt Barats and Anthony Oberbeck.

Diana Ross @ The Mann Center
Even if Motown goddess Diana Ross only plays her hits, there’s no way she’d be able to get to them all. Whether it was solo or with the Supremes, the Motown goddess piled up more beloved songs in the ’70s and ’80s than anybody else on the pop charts: “Where Did Our Love Go,” “Chain Reaction,” “You Can’t Hurry Love,” “Baby Love,” “Come See About Me,” “Stop! In the Name of Love,” “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough,” “I’m Coming Out,” etc.

Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers @ Wells Fargo Center
The Diana Ross of southern rock.

The O’Jays @ Dell Music Center
A show by the Ohio-born legends of TSOP and makers of timeless hits like “Back Stabbers,” “For the Love of Money” and “Love Train.”

Zine Fest @ Book Corner
Zinemakers will share and sell their work.

Radio Silence: Live Performance @ Independence Mall
Artist Michael Rakowitz presents this “hybrid documentary, variety show and radio play.” “Hear stories about Iraqi culture, daily life, music, and food from refugees, interwoven with animal performers and newly invented superheroes, along with the experiences of Iraq war veterans from Warrior Writers. Taste traditional Iraqi food from Amasi Restaurant, and listen to our ‘house band,’ playing traditional Iraqi music as well as arabized versions of American songs.”

SUNDAY, JULY 30

T-Rextasy @ PhilaMOCA
This “wacky feminist punk” band is fun and weird. No doubt they’ve got the chops to be a regular old serious rock band, but their off-speed sarcastic streak pushes them to another level.

Primus @ Festival Pier
Les Claypool and co. played Ozzfests and Lollapaloozas. They didn’t really fit in at either one, but they outlived them both.

Rick & Morty Season Premiere @ SouthHouse
You pretty much only get one chance to watch an episode before your fellow Rick & Morty fans make it insufferable via endless references, puerile art, misunderstood quotes. This event features drinks named after the main characters.

Power Animal @ Johnny Brenda’s
Serious lo-fi, electronic pop from Northeast Philly.

Love Me Some Comedy @ Punchline
Skeet Carter hosts an evening of comedy featuring Leonard Ouzts and Kelly Kellz.

East Passyunk Car Show and Street Festival @ East Passyunk Avenue
Family fun featuring classic cars, regular looking food trucks, crafts, live music, etc.

XPoNential Music Fest: Day 3@ Camden Waterfront
Drive-By Truckers, Davy Knowles, The Record Company, Dream Syndicate, Hurray For The Riff Raff, Joseph, David Bromberg Quintet, Adia Victoria, Sweet Spirit, Hardwork Movement and No Good Sister @ Wiggins Park.

Queen + Adam Lambert @ Wells Fargo Center
This could happen to you: