Editor’s Note: Welcome to V3 Weekend, a new Vanyaland series where we 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: Dropkick Murphys at House of Blues and Roadrunner
St. Patrick’s Day in Boston as the gods intended it is finally back after a two-year hiatus, and the Dropkick Murphys have enough pent-up Celtic-punk piss n’ vinegar to fills the music halls from Lansdowne to Brighton. After last night’s free livestream, Ken Casey and the boys continue their holiday stand at House of Blues tonight (March 18) and tomorrow (March 19), before bouncing down Commonwealth Avenue over to Roadrunner on Sunday (March 20). The House of Blues gigs are sold out, but there seems to be tickets available for the Roadrunner show (as of press time), so ship up to Boston Landing and celebrate in style as required by 617 law.
Comedy: Big Irish Jay & friends at Laugh Boston
Sure, across St. Patrick’s Day weekend, there is comedy everywhere you look, from the green-stained streets of Southie to the Todd & Tara bars across Allston-Brighton. But some Irish humor is intentional, and Big Irish Jay is holding court with his own brand of luck at Laugh Boston tonight (March 18) and Saturday (March 19). As comedy editor Jason Greenough writes in this week’s Mic’d Up: “It wouldn’t be St. Patrick’s Day in Boston this week without, of course, a little bit of Irish. Or in the case of Jay Hollingsworth, a big bit of it. Take a swim in the pot o’ comedy gold with Big Irish Jay and a smattering of his stand-up pals.” Gary Gulman called Big Irish Jay “ballsy and very, very funny,” and there’s no better endorsement than that. Hit our 2019 feature to learn even more.
Film/TV: A Walk Among The Tombstones on Netflix
Dubbed the “gold standard” of Liam Neeson action flicks by film editor Nick Johnston, A Walk Among The Tombstones hits Netflix this week, taking Northern Ireland’s favorite Hollywood badass on a crime thriller joyride full of gun-fire, deception, and neck-punching. It’s no Taken (then again, what is?), but it’ll nurse that Guinness hangover nicely on Sunday or whenever you finally tap out of holiday revelry. Here’s the synopsis of the film, based on Lawrence Block’s novel and directed by Emmy-winner Scott Frank: “A drug kingpin hires troubled ex-cop Matt Scudder to find his wife’s killers, a hunt that leads to shocking revelations in New York’s underworld.” Bang, and we can’t stress this enough, bang.