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Mon 7
Mad. Sq. Eats General Worth Square; 11am; free
Twice a year, this outdoor food fest brings buzzworthy bites from the city’s best restaurants to Worth Square in the Flatiron District. Highlights include Roberta’s sensational pizza, MeltKraft grilled cheese sandwiches and cheesesteaks by the Truffleist.
RECOMMENDED: Full guide to things to do in NYC this week
The Surprise Show Mailroom NYC; 8pm; $5
You never know who you'll see at this stand-up show hosted by Sachin Shaan and Anish Mitra. Frequent drop-ins include Jim Gaffigan, Todd Barry and Judah Friedlander. This time, the buddy duo launches a monthly show with a banging opening night at the Mailroom. Get in with these boys from the ground floor.
Jessie Ware Brooklyn Steel; 7pm; $35
The London soul-pop diva’s beguiling debut, Devotion, retooled the silken stylings of Sade with a grandiose modern polish, while the follow-up came off as surprisingly reserved and elegantly subtle. Last year’s Glasshouse melds the two styles—her majestic-sounding beginnings and the subsequent turn toward quiet and nuance—to great effect.
Would You Rather VSpot Organic; 8pm; free
Maggie Maxwell and Andre Medrano bring comics to veggie spot VSpot Organic to discern from lists of hypothetical options that would make Abbi and Ilana proud. This month, Lizzie Martinez, Albert Kirchner, Peter Bandyk, Florence Friebe and Rosemary Cipriano take on the infamous question.
Open Flame Mood Ring; 8pm; free
Dust off the grim mood and bro culture of most open mics and head to this delightful queer comedy showcase, at which members of the community try out four-minute sets every Monday. Sam Campbell, Simone Leitner and Peter Valenti host.
Tue 8
BackFat Variety Union Hall; 8pm; $6, at the door $8
Brooklyn's most adorably bonkers show provides plenty of bizarre bang for your buck. At this lit edition, host Emily Winter celebrates her birthday with guest co-host Chris Calogero and guests Ana Fabrega, Brett Davis, Dan Perlman and Janelle James.
Car Seat Headrest Market Hotel; 7pm; $25
A band-name backstory: for the sake of privacy as a teenager in Virginia, Will Toledo began recording his 11-album discography (all self-released on Bandcamp) by hunkering down in the back of the family car. After picking up on Toledo's unique ear for poignant melody, prestigious indie arbiter Matador Records released his Teens of Style and Teens of Denial, both breathtakingly ambitious efforts with rough-hewn anthems that recall peak-era Built to Spill or Modest Mouse. This year sees the release of a re-recorded version of his 2011 LP, Twin Fantasy. Count on hearing from that cult fave at this outing.
Xiu Xiu Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum; 7pm; $15–$25
You don’t have to listen to much more than a minute of a Xiu Xiu song to understand that Jamie Stewart is upset. Indeed, nearly everything in the Durham, NC, singer’s catalog represents a shot across the bow of calmness: his vocal histrionics, the ping-ponging of intense imagery and emo straightforwardness and the wailing electronics that cut through otherwise pleasant melodies. Here he plays a special set, featuring an extended-length track chronicling the experience of demonic possession, as part of a Guggenheim exhibit by artist Danh Vo.
Fred Hersch Jazz Standard; 7:30pm; $35
Piano veteran Hersch holds court at the Jazz Standard, pairing with a different collaborator on four of his five nights. The run starts with clarinetist Anat Cohen and closes with bassist Esperanza Spalding. In between, duos with vocalist Kate McGarry and alto saxist Miguel Zenon and a weekend engagement of Hersch's Pocket Orchestra showcase a different angle on the mesmerizing improviser.
Bill Charlap Trio Birdland; 8:30pm, 11pm; $40
Although pianist Charlap didn't write many of the songs in his trio's repertoire, it's not inappropriate to call him a songsmith; he reshapes the Great American Songbook until it becomes something new, if not altogether different.
Wed 9
Parks and Recreation Bingo Videology Bar & Cinema; 9pm; free
Treat yo self to an evening with the whole Pawnee, Indiana gang at this weekly bingo night where episodes play on the big screen and winners nab a free drink.
DoublePlusGood Comedy Show Pacific Standard; 7:30pm; $5 suggested donation
For true comedy connoisseurs tired of seeing their favorite comics squeeze their sets into five minutes, this monthly showcase provides full-length sets and a chill atmosphere for diverse acts to thrive in.
Power Trip + Sheer Mag Elsewhere; 7pm; $18–$20
This thrash quintet turned heads with last year's Nightmare Logic, an LP that perfectly captured the precision fury of mid-’80s Metallica (sans the ballads). The Dallas crew hits Elsewhere for a pair of shows with support from Sheer Mag, an anarchic, defiant garage-rock outfit with incisive politics and arena-sized aspirations. The May 9 bill also includes Outburst and Krimewatch; May 10 features Fury and Red Death.
Bon Jovi Madison Square Garden; 8pm; $150 and up
New Jersey native Jon Bon Jovi slips on his leather vest for another tour with his namesake arena rock act, armed with a catalog of beloved hair metal anthems. The jeans may not be as tight (and the hair not quite as coiffed) as they were in the ’80s, but if you've ever witnessed a rendition of "Livin' on a Prayer" at a karaoke bar, you know how much people love singing along to the band's cheesy working-class odes.
Apologies From Men: The Concert Sid Gold’s Request Room; 8pm; $10
"Amazon Reviews: The Musical!" creator Lauren Maul presents the apologies of Louis C.K., Kevin Spacey, Mario Batali and others overtop of a peppy musical score in this biting—and hilarious—satire.
Thu 10
Summer Kickoff Yacht Party Hornblower Cruises & Events Pier 40; 6:30pm; $39–$49
Summer is coming a little early to New York City Harbor this year as Time Out New York teams up with Hornblower Cruises & Events to throw an epic celebration on the Hudson! Wear your flippy-floppies and get psyched for this three-hour party cruise, which includes an open bar (drink up!), delicious hors d’oeuvres and killer local DJs playing across the yacht’s four floors. Let's not forget about the stunning views of the New York skyline—oh, and did we mention three hours of unlimited booze?
Runnin’ On Empty Le Poisson Rouge; 7:30pm; $3
Best buddies Yotam Tubul and Lisa Franklin take the reins at Le Poisson Rouge every month for this delightful stand-up show, which gives seasoned pros and new acts equal time to shine.
Handmaid’s Tale: The Musical Caveat; 7pm; $15, at the door $20
Could the sheltered, groan-inducing millennial bastion known as Brooklyn become a dystopian terror state? Is New York destined to be the future base of Gilead? Fearless comedians Marcia Belsky and Melissa Stokoski take aim at their generation with Hulu's A Handmaid's Tale as their ammunition in this self-deprecating musical parody of the hit show. They bring Brooklyn's grim future to life with a cast of all-stars: Eudora Peterson, Sophie Santos, Karolena Theresa, Tim Platt, Drew Anderson, Arti Gollapudi, Farah Brook, and Isabel Martin, Jr.
A Flawless Night: Long Live the Queen The Town Hall; 8pm; $50
An epic assembly of queer nightlife icons gather to celebrate the life and legacy of Flawless Sabrina, the early drag pioneer and producer of the Town Hall's legendary 1967 drag pageant, immortalized in the documentary The Queen. Join Linda Simpson, Justin Vivian Bond, Taylor Mac, DJ Sammy Jo, the House of LaBeija and many others at this tribute night, which benefits the Ali Forney Center.
Young Republican: A True Story The Brick; 9:30pm; $10
Actor and comedian Danny Groh wrote and stars in this tale of a young man living the high life in the early aughts—only to have everything come crashing down and go tumbling face first into the Trump era broke and betrothed to a Russian escort.