Editor’s Note: Welcome to V3 Weekend, Vanyaland‘s guide to help you sort out your weekend entertainment with curated selections and recommendations across our three pillars of Music, Comedy, and Film/TV. It’s what you should know about, where you need to be, and where you’ll be going, with us riding shotgun along the way.
Music: THICK at The Middle East
Five years ago we hyped THICK’s then-new 5 Years Behind EP, and this weekend feels like an appropriate time to revisit it. No, not because we’re five years behind, mind you, but because the New York duo is back in town to play The Middle East in Cambridge on Saturday (May 17). Last year, Nikki Sisti and Kate Black dropped a punk ripper called “Mother” via their longtime home of Epitaph, and since we’re basing this blurb around the calendar, we’re required to point out that the show arrives one week after Mother’s Day. But hey, THICK’s “Mother” (don’t try Googling those two words together) goes deeper than a shoutout to the moms. “‘Mother’ is a shoutout to all the caretakers in relationships who are sick and tired of falling into that role,” THICK declare. “It’s an easy trap to fall into, you start a relationship with love and care, then start to carry the burden of your partner’s wounds, becoming the parental figure, and wanting to heal them more than they want to heal themselves. Put simply: I’m not your fucking mother, I’m your motherfucking lover.”
THICK + SLAUGHTERHOUSE + TALK CHALK :: Saturday, May 17 at The Middle East, 472 Massachusetts Ave. in Cambridge, MA :: 8 p.m., 18-plus, $24.13 :: Advance tickets
Comedy: Eugene Mirman at Crystal Ballroom
Let’s pass it over to Mic’d Up for some homegrown acton: “Although the comedic genius of Eugene Mirman was forged in the trenches of his native Boston comedy scene many moons ago, he’s never used home field advantage when it comes to recording any of his handful of specials and albums — until now. With a doubleheader planned for tonight (May 16) at Somerville’s Crystal Ballroom, Mirman makes his way back to Davis Square to record his next special in front of a hometown (and almost fully sold out) crowd across two shows, capturing his first special in 10 years since the release of Vegan on His Way to the Complain Store on Netflix in 2015. Since then, the Lexington transplant has also released a nine-volume stand-up album, I’m Sorry (You’re Welcome) in 2015, while also continuing his critically-acclaimed role as Gene Belcher on Bob’s Burgers, amongst a number of guest appearances on a smattering of TV shows. …The sheer brilliance of Mirman’s stand-up has been long missed, so to see him on the path to bringing a new batch of eclectic and top-tier comedy to the masses in the form of a special is only reason why this night will be just that, so check it out if you can – and to have bragging rights that you were there.”
EUGENE MIRMAN SPECIAL TAPING :: Friday, May 16 at Crystal Ballroom, 55 Davis Square in Somerville, MA : 6:30 and 9 p.m., all ages, $37.75 :: Advance tickets
Film/TV: George Clinton at House of Blues
Usually in this third V3 Weekend block, as noted by a pink link in the header link above, we hype an indie or classic film playing around the Boston area. But today we’re taking a different approach, and raising a glass to one of our absolute favorite movie lines in cinema history, delivered by an icon who comes to town on Sunday (May 18): George Clinton. The quote is from House Party, the 1990 comedy film starring Kid ‘n Play, and delivered by Clinton with such casual confidence we literally repeat it, probably weekly, and maybe more often than that, a damn 35 years later: “Yeah, I did it, I might cry two tears in a bucket. Fuck it. Let’s take it to the stage.” Got a problem? “Two tears in a bucket. Fuck it.” Life got ya down? “Two tears in a bucket. Fuck it.” People driving you crazy? “Two tears in a bucket. Fuck it.” Whatever life throws at you — bills, responsibilities, rising American fascism — there’s always only one thing to say: “Two tears in a bucket. Fuck it.” Clinton’s Parliament Funkadelic plays House of Blues on Sunday (May 18). Take it to the stage, Stab.
PARLIAMENT FUNKADELIC FEAT. GEORGE CLINTON :: Sunday, May 18 at the House of Blues, 15 Lansdowne St. in Boston, MA :: 7 p.m., all ages, $39.50 to $69.50 :: Event info :: Advance tickets