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: Jingle Bell HAWC at Koto Salem
Tonight is Krampusnacht across the land, but on this first Friday night in December, that horny little bastard with birch branches in-hand is going out — not to punish the bad, but to reward the good. And the jolly path leads up to Salem, where Jingle Bell HAWC sets up shop at Koto for a stacked benefit show for Healing Abuse, Working for Change, the non-profit domestic violence agency that provides services to victims residing in 23 cities and towns across Massachusetts’ North Shore. Like the various Rock For HAWC benefit shows over the years, tonight’s fundraiser features a solid slate of homegrown performers, all of whom show up for the community in times of need. Catch early acoustic sets from Gene Dante, Cape Crush, and Spirit Hotel, and then full live performances by Yes Nanny, The Downhauls, Skytigers, and One Fall (pictured). The night is hosted by Korri Flint of Gravewraith, there’s a healthy pile of raffles and prizes, and it’s just a fantastic way of getting into the holiday spirit while rocking out for a good cause.
JINGLE BELL HAWC :: Friday, December 5 at Koto Salem, 90 Washington St. in Salem, MA :: 7 p.m., 21-plus, $15 :: Event page
Film/TV: ‘You Got Gold — A Celebration of John Prine’ at The Regent
After selling out its premiere screening earlier this week, You Got Gold — A Celebration of John Prine is back at The Regent Theatre in Arlington for an encore showing this Saturday night. The massively influential country-folk songwriter and storyteller passed away in April 2020 during the Covid-19 pandemic, and this concert film from a recent star-studded tribute show is bringing his revered impact to the cinema circuit. Here’s the word: “Filmed at Nashville’s historic Ryman Auditorium in October 2022, the doc features exclusive interviews and performances by musical luminaries including Brandi Carlile, Kacey Musgraves, Tyler Childers, The War and Treaty, Lucinda Williams, Steve Earle, Bonnie Raitt, Dwight Yoakam, Jason Isbell, Kurt Vile, Lyle Lovett, Allison Russell & JT Nero, Valerie June, Nathaniel Rateliff, The Milk Carton Kids, Swamp Dogg, I’m With Her, and the Grateful Dead’s Bob Weir. The event brought together acclaimed artists, friends, and family to share behind-the-scenes stories and perform classic songs celebrating Prine’s life and music and honoring his enduring legacy.”
‘YOU GOT GOLD — A CELEBRATION OF JOHN PRINE’ :: Saturday, December 6 at The Regent Theatre, 7 Medford St. in Arlington, MA :: 8 p.m., $20 :: Event info :: Advance tickets
Film/TV: ‘Commando’ at The Coolidge Corner Theatre
Last week after a wonderful Thanksgiving dinner, my Aunt Esther walked into the dining room with Uncle Reuben and saw me as I was slowly getting up from the table. She asked, “Leave anything for us?” I looked her square in the eye, squinted ever so slightly, and replied: “Just bodies.” Soon after, The Power Station’s “We Fight for Love” started playing on our house system, and I went off to smoke a joint with my own personal team of Special Forces. Little does Aunt Esther know that Commando is screening at The Coolidge tonight, the latest in the Brookline cinema’s After Midnite series. We’ll let them take it from here. “In this early action classic that features his unique blend of thrills and offbeat humor, Arnold Schwarzenegger stars as Col. John Matrix, ultimate soldier and one-man army. Matrix, the former leader of a special commando strike force that always got the toughest jobs done, is forced back into action when his young daughter (Alyssa Milano) is kidnapped. To find her, Matrix has to fight his way through an array of punks, killers, one of his former commandos, and a fully equipped private army. With the help of a feisty stewardess (Rae Dawn Chong) and an old friend, Matrix has only a few hours to overcome his greatest challenge: finding his daughter before she’s killed.” No chance? Think again.
‘COMMANDO’ :: Friday, December 5 at The Coolidge Corner Theatre, 290 Harvard St. in Brookline, MA :: 11:59 p.m., $17 :: Advance tickets and info