From yacht rock to jello wrestling, we got you covered

SAT 7.31

so sue me

IamSueCostello

This show “isn’t simply a Mike Birbiglia-style monologue about Sue Costello’s life or a series of quick impressions, but an actual touching and funny solo play about her life in which she is playing herself at different periods in her life. On stage, she converses in her solo act with real-life characters we cant see but whose presence is as real and riveting as hers. The Boston Herald called the show powerful, thanks to Costello’s frank charisma and her ability to mingle humor with tragedy, and the Quincy Patriot Ledger proclaimed that Costello rivets the audience with a comics gift for delivery and wit and an actress skill with emotion. Her one-person show is the best combination of genuine poignance and rollicking humor since the pioneering stage work of Lily Tomlin and early Whoopi Goldberg.”

[Hallspace, 950 Dorchester Ave., Boston. 7pm/$25. brownpapertickets.com]

SUN 8.1

market basket

The Somerville Flea

Join us as we kick off our tenth year in Davis Square. The best local vintage purveyors and artisans are back!! Come on out and support them after a year-long hiatus. Shop local!

[Sundays 10-4 August through mid-October. thesomervilleflea.com]

THU 8.5

dad religion

Yacht Rock Revue

“The music you listen to at the dentist’s office while getting your teeth cleaned. We are single-handedly responsible for the reunion of 6 out of 7 members of the band Starbuck. The Yacht Rock Revue is the Greatest Show on Surf and the finest tribute to ‘70s light rock to ever perform anywhere. Ever. The unashamed torchbearers of lite-rock will be performing on August 5th at Leader Bank Pavilion and  at Indian Ranch in Webster on August 21. Far beyond your average cover band, YRR are a touring phenomenon fulfilling the nation’s need for soft smooth jams, covering the hits of the 70s and 80s along with original songs. Last year they worked with producer Ben Allen (Gnarls Barkley, Animal Collective, Neon Indian) to release their first album of all-original music.”

[Leader Bank Pavilion, 290 Northern Ave, Boston. $25/8pm. yachtrockrevue.com]

THU 8.5

survival story

Shugri Said Salh with Harvard Bookstore

From Shugri Said Salh’s captivating and utterly original debut memoir, The Last Nomad: Coming of Age in the Somali Desert, which chronicles Salh’s “remarkable journey from her idyllic childhood with a nomadic grandmother in Somalia to her escape from her country’s brutal civil war to her unfamiliar new homes in Canada and then California” in “an unforgettable story of hope, survival, and the shifting definitions of home”: “I am the last nomad. My ancestors traveled the East African desert in search of grazing land for their livestock, and the most precious resource of all—water. When they exhausted the land and the clouds disappeared from the horizon, their accumulated ancestral knowledge told them where to move next to find greener pastures. I am the last person in my direct line to have once lived like that.”

[Virtual via Harvard Bookstore With fellow Somali author Abdi Nor Iftin. 7pm/free. harvard.com/event/virtual_event_shugri_said_salh]

FRI 8.6

bloomin‘ system

The Sunflower Series

The Sunflower Series is an annual performance series created by Boston musician, artivist and poet Genie Santiago that is aimed at creating a safe space for artists allowing them to experience intimate bonds with their audience using performance and storytelling. Sunflower is collaborating with Creatives of Color Boston for this summer show. Creatives of Color’s work is centered around celebrating artists of color in the Greater Boston area and providing intersectional safe spaces for them. This Sunflower Series event would celebrate the beauty of summer, nature, and reviving the Boston live music scene we all miss and love so much and  will kick off with feature performances from Billy Dean Thomas, Genie Santiago, Shellz, Naomi Westwater, and Amanda Shea. There will also be food and bar open throughout the event.

[ONCE Somerville at Boynton Yards, Somerville. 6pm/$20 adv/$25 dos. oncesomerville.com]

FRI 8.6

jiggle it

Drag Jello Wrestling

“Join as we unleash the BEASTS and pit drag queens and kings against one another in a vat of jello!

Hosted by Kandi Dishe. Featuring performances by our wrestlers. Come get messy!” Featuring: Akira Oni, Blair Which, Coco LaFreak, Jakk Bloodstone, Mike Hawk, Veina Darling, Vivienne Vagemite, and many more. COVID update “Due to the recent uptick in the delta variant we have decided that for the safety of our cast, employees and audience we will be requiring proof of vaccination to be maskless at all shows starting August 6. If you would like to be maskless at shows we are asking that you show your vaccination card at the door to receive a stamp (a clear photo on your phone will also suffice). If you do not wish to show your vaccination card or are not vaccinated we will be requiring that you remain masked throughout the night. We will also have masks on hand for anyone who needs or wants one.”

[Jacques Cabaret, 79 Broadway, Boston. $20-$30 (ticket comes with a poncho). Shows at 7:30pm and 10pm. facebook.com]

FRI 8.6 – SUN 8.9

beach bash

International Sand Sculpting Festival

“In coordination with the City of Revere and the Department of Conservation and Recreation, the Revere Beach Partnership is excited to announce that we will be hosting a modified version of the Revere Beach International Sand Sculpting Festival on August 6th – August 8th. After having to cancel the famed event in 2020, due to COVID-19, we are excited to be getting “Back To The Beach”! This year’s event will be a celebration of the 125th Anniversary of Revere Beach, America’s first public beach! The event will feature beautiful sand sculptures designed by the best sculptors in America. In addition, there will be food trucks, food vendors, exhibitors, and much more. We are excited to welcome guests from across Massachusetts, New England, and the United States back to Revere Beach and the festival.

[Revere Beach. 10am-7pm. facebook.com]

FRI 8.13

child’s play

Boston Grown-Ups Museum: Game Night!

“Roll the dice and just add ice…Boston Grown-Up’s Museum is back! Feel like you have a Monopoly on board-dom, or are you having Trouble finding something fun to do? Let Boston Grown-Ups Museum give you a Clue! Crawl to the top of our three-story Climb, play fun games, and simply get out of the house to get a tasty drink with friends or make some new ones! Boston Children’s Museum is opening its doors again…without the children.”

[Boston Children’s Museum, 308 Congress St., Boston. 21+/6:30pm. bostonchildrensmuseum.org]

SAT 8.14

circus blasphemous

Boston Comedy Blowout

“Hey South Shore, did you miss laughter? Don’t miss Boston comedy legends come together for a stacked night of stand up comedy at South Shore Music Circus for the Boston Comedy Blowout. Featuring: Steve Sweeney, Christine Hurley, Tony V, Jimmy Dunn, Corey Rodrigues, Jimmy Cash. Combined, these experienced late night gut busters have been featured in movies like The Town and Me Myself & Irene, appeared on talk shows and podcasts like Letterman, Conan and The Joe Rogan Experience , and have killed with comedy in clubs and theaters all over the world. Make sure to catch these Boston comedy greats when they’re in your own backyard!”

[South Shore Music Circus, Cohasset. 6:30pm/$26-$42. themusiccircus.org]

ONGOING

walking westward

New West End Museum Tour

“This summer, The West End Museum is also offering walking tours of the historic Old West End, Boston’s lost neighborhood. These 90-minute walks will focus on the Italian, Jewish, and multi-ethnic communities displaced by urban renewal in 1961. In particular, the tours will look at three West End buildings that survived urban renewal but are likely to be lost to development in 2021-2022: West End House, Winchell School, and one of the last original brick tenements. Historian Jim Briand will explore the history of these buildings and what they tell us about education, immigrant assimilation, and day-to-day living in the tight confines of the old West End.”

[West End Museum, 150 Staniford Street, Boston. Aug. 7, Aug. 28, Sept. 12, at 1:00 pm. thewestendmuseum.org]