Archive for the ‘What to Do Tonight’ Category

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WEDNESDAY: CIRQUE, BLUE MEN, AND DANCING TO DEPECHE MODE

Victor's picks for Wednesday

Posted by Victor Fiorillo on 12/22/2010 at 9:38AM | 1 Comment

Oh noes! The sing-a-long Sound of Music at the Bryn Mawr Film Institute is totally sold out. I knew I should have bought my tickets in advance. (No, I am not being sarcastic… I actually thought it sounded like tons o’ fun.) Also sold out is the Anthony Green show at World Cafe Live. Who knew? Is there anything that’s not sold out? There’s some Wilhelmina Modeling party at XIX. I think it’s invite-only, but something tells me you can crash if you look right. Say hi to the models for me. Cirque du Soleil just opened a run at the Liacouras Center last night, and I heard from someone who went and who walked out of the last Cirque installment there that it is much much better this time around. Speaking of spectacles, it’s opening night for the Blue Man Group at the Merriam. Tickets are scarce but available, so get yours immediately if you want in. But if you feel like dancing, I’d have to go with the ACD WSH no-cover 80s dance party at the Barbary. Enjoy!

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MONDAY: PERHAPS A GOOD NIGHT TO WRAP ALL THOSE PRESENTS

Victor's picks for Monday

Posted by Victor Fiorillo on 12/20/2010 at 9:52AM | 1 Comment

If you’re hungover from various Christmas parties and Eagles celebrations, don’t worry about it. Crispin Glover’s appearance at iHouse is sold out, and other than that, there’s nothing particularly monumental going on this evening. But if you just have to get out of the house, here are a few notable ideas: local hippie world music ensemble Leana Song visits Silk City (they sound like this); the Troc screens Gremlins (if only they were showing Goonies); at Tritone, it’s the normal Monday 7 p.m. Slo & Shakey show, but tonight marks band member Gordon Rice’s final appearance with the group as he’s leaving town – so go have a “special” and bid him adieu; and, finally… er… nope, that’s it. Catch you tomorrow when there will hopefully be a bit more to talk about.

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THURSDAY: LIZ PHAIR, GHOSTLAND OBSERVATORY, ALEJANDRO ESCOVEDO, AND USHER

Victor's picks for tonight

Posted by Victor Fiorillo on 12/16/2010 at 1:58PM | 2 Comments

A good night in Philadelphia for live music: 1990s indie girl Liz Phair (pictured) – now decidedly a woman at 43 – plays the TLA and will likely be rapping, as she does on “Bollywood” (hear it here)  from her new album, Funstyle; the two guys that make up super duper Austin electro-funk duo Ghostland Observatory bring their laser show and bowel-rupturing bass synth sounds to the Troc; speaking of Texas, but drastically more unplugged, is Alejandro Escovedo at World Cafe Live; and Usher, who has released not one but two albums this year, does his thing at the Wells Fargo Center… And for something completely different, Cabaret Red Light does a bawdy burlesque version of The Nutcracker at the Painted Bride. Enjoy!

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MONDAY: DAVID SEDARIS SHORTS, A STORYSLAM, TRIPPY MOVIES, AND PHIL KLINE’S UNSILENT NIGHT

Victor's picks for Monday

Posted by Victor Fiorillo on 12/13/2010 at 11:11AM | 1 Comment

What was that about rainy days and Mondays? If you, like me, need a little cheering up today, look no further than 1812′s one-night-only performance of David Sedaris holiday shorts at Plays & Players ($25). Also amusing will be the First Person StorySlam at World Cafe Live. The theme this time around is “anniversaries”. In keeping with the whole cheering-up idea, let’s stick with funny stories about the time your ex-lover shot you in the foot for forgetting your anniversary. Nothing sad or sentimental, please. No “it’s the anniversary of the day that my one true love was run over by a semi” stories. That would be a real downer… Elsewhere, the Troc is showing Inception if you can’t find a way into the Tron sneak preview in Cherry Hill. And, speaking of trippy, grab a boom box and head to the Ethical Society, where you can join in the procession for Phil Kline’s electronic masterpiece, Unsilent Night. Go here to listen to the artist explaining his mad project. Okay, now who has a Prozac?

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WEDNESDAY: ONE HASIDIC RAPPER, ONE BRITISH FOLKSTER, ONE KING CRIMSON DRUMMER, AND MORE EXCUSES WHY YOU CAN’T TAKE YOUR NIECE TO SEE JUSTIN BIEBER

Victor's picks for tonight

Posted by Victor Fiorillo on 12/8/2010 at 9:42AM | 1 Comment

Hopefully, you’re not toting some tween to see Justin Bieber and those wretched “Hey, Soul Sister” people-that-have-invaded-your-brain at the sold out Q102 Jingle Ball tonight in Camden. If you are, God help you. If not, some other concert options to consider: join all the Jewish hipsters at the TLA, where they’ll be celebrating the Holidays in true Jewish hipster style with Hasidic reggae rapper Matisyahu ($42); but if you think all those hipster guys need shaves and haircuts, consider the unforgivably unkempt Chad Stokes (click here to see what I mean) of State Radio semi-fame, who plays World Cafe Live ($20-$25); and local lovely Meg Baird joins the recently-recovered-from-lung-cancer British folkster Bert Jansch at Johnny Brenda’s (a steal at $15). And if you have a prog rock fan on your shopping list, know that Yes/King Crimson drummer Bill Bruford doing a little talk and then signing copies of his new autobiography at the KOP Borders starting at 7 p.m.

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TUESDAY: BREAK OUT THE LINCOLN LOGS

A new exhibit opens in Center City

Posted by Victor Fiorillo on 11/30/2010 at 10:30AM | 1 Comment

Tonight, an art opening (of sorts) for nostalgics. The Philadelphia Center for Architecture at 1218 Arch Street debuts its latest exhibit, Constructing Play, a retrospective of Lincoln Logs, Erector Sets, and all those other classic toys you probably remember using to build castles and robots or break those that your sibling made, plus a nod to more current products like Uberstix. It’s $20 admission to the opening (there’s beer, grub, music, Tastykakes) but free if you bring an unwrapped toy for their drive. Speaking of Lincoln, noted Civil War scholar Eric Foner talks Abe and slavery at the Library.

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TONIGHT: BOOZE, BEATLES, BOGGIA, AND BRAINS

Picks for Thursday

Posted by Erica Palan on 11/18/2010 at 10:13AM | No Comments

photo courtesy of Slought

Tonight, there will be lots of bubbly flowing at Phiz Fest 2010, where you can sample champagne and sparkling wine and enjoy tasty food pairings. Tickets will run you $59 each but proceeds benefit the Thomas Jefferson University Hospital Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, so at least your hangover will be justifiable.

In case you are one of the five people in the world who hadn’t already illegally downloaded the Beatles discography, rejoice! As of this week,  you can pay for them on iTunes. But first, pay your respects to John Lennon at WHYY’s screening of LENNONYC, which takes a look at the artist’s life in New York City. Fab Faux member Jim Boggia will perform before the screening.

For a lovely mingling of science and culture, head to the Slought for the opening of “The Wolf Man Paints,” a collection of artwork by Sigmund Freud‘s famous patient Sergius Pankejeff.

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TONIGHT: GARRISON KEILLOR, LEBANON, PA, THE JOY FORMIDABLE, AND THE E-A-G-L-E-S EAGLES!

Victor's picks for Monday

Posted by Victor Fiorillo on 11/15/2010 at 10:07AM | No Comments

I’m a devout NPR listener, but one show that I just cannot stand is A Prairie Home Companion. I don’t really know why. I haven’t even given it much of a chance. But the mere sound of Garrison Keillor‘s laid back Midwestern voice makes me cringe, not unlike that woman who experienced epileptic seizures every time Entertainment Tonight‘s Mary Hart opened her mouth. So I will be as far away as possible from the Kimmel Center this evening when Keillor takes the stage to bring his show to life. Great seats are available, topping out at $55. For tickets, go here… If you live in the Bucks County area, head to the County Theater in Doylestown where filmmaker Ben Hickernell will be on hand with his movie Lebanon, PA, which recently made a lot of noise on the festival circuit. The Cinematical blog called it “freaking gorgeous”… Johnny Brenda’s plays host to noisy Welsh pop trio The Joy Formidable, who have been getting lots of buzz and sound like this… and 150 miles to our south, the Eagles slaughter the Redskins. Kickoff is at 8:30 p.m. Enjoy!

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TONIGHT: THE SEARCH FOR PHILADELPHIA’S BEST STORYTELLER

Victor's Picks for Wednesday

Posted by Victor Fiorillo on 11/10/2010 at 12:18PM | 1 Comment

If you were planning on stopping by Whiskey Fest tonight but don’t have your tickets yet, I should tell you that you are out of luck, because it is hopelessly sold out. As in, all y’all who have been texting me looking for spare tickets, I am all out! Not-sold-out options include the First Person Arts Grand Slam storytelling competition (it’s funner than it sounds!) at the Painted Bride, Shearwater and Damien Jurado at Johnny Brenda’s, and Grammy nominee Shawn Mullins at World Cafe Live. Oh, and don’t forget about the Wilma’s production of Macbeth. It closes this weekend, so if you haven’t had the pleasure, I suggest you pick up tickets now.

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TONIGHT: OMAR SOULEYMAN, PRETTY LIGHTS, AND LAST MINUTE SEATS FOR HOT TICKET JERSEY BOYS

Victor's Picks for Wednesday

Posted by Victor Fiorillo on 11/3/2010 at 11:12AM | 1 Comment

If you’re looking for a party tonight, head on over to Johnny Brenda’s in Fishtown, because that’s where Omar Souleyman will be. Who is Omar Souleyman? Only the world’s biggest Syrian dance music star. They call it “Jihadi Techno”, and Bjork simply loves it, based on her glowing review on NPR’s All Things Considered. No this is not a joke. Tickets are $20. Opening is West Philly’s own Electric Simcha, which describes itself as “old school Hasidic punk rock”. I don’t know about you, but I’m game. Elsewhere, the highly electronic Pretty Lights tour stops at the Electric Factory and – hey you! pssst! – there are actually tickets available for the impossible-to-get-tickets-to Jersey Boys at the Forrest, so act now.

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