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: Concert For Ukraine at Magic Room
Exactly 120 days ago, Russia invaded Ukraine, and though the news has faded from stateside TV broadcasts and our social media feeds, the people of the war-torn country are still very much in need. So the Boston music scene is coming together tonight and tomorrow (June 24 and 25) at Norwood’s Magic Room to benefit the women and children. The 10-band Concert For Ukraine bill is led by The Dogmatics, Gene Dante & The Future Starlets, Smitt E. Smitty & The Feztones, Baabes (pictured), Cold Expectations, and more, with radio notables Kristen Eck of BumbleBee Radio and Cha-Chi Loprete hosting the festivities each night. It’s rock and roll for a good, and necessary, cause.
CONCERT FOR UKRAINE :: Friday, June 24 and Saturday, June 25 at Magic Room, 83 Norse St. in Norwood, MA :: 7:30 p.m. both night, $20 in advance and $25 at the door :: Advance tickets
Comedy: Ron Funches at The Wilbur
For whatever reason, June isn’t the funniest month on the calendar, but Ron Funches is looking to change that. The actor, comedian, and writer swings back to Boston Saturday night (June 25) to hold court at The Wilbur, and we’ve got word from this week’s Mic’d Up roundup of live comedy: “If you’re looking for dark, gut-punching comedy that will not only leave a smile on your face, but also a glow of confidence shining in your chest, then look no further than Ron Funches. The feel-good funnyman returns to Boston with a brand new slate of material, and the same ol’ infectious smile and teddy-bear-with-a-hand-grenade demeanor that make his comedy so attractive.”
RON FUNCHES :: Saturday, June 25 at The Wilbur Theatre, 246 Tremont St. in Boston, MA :: 7 p.m., $30 to $40 :: Wilbur event page
Film/TV: ‘Elvis’ has entered the theater
We’re not too big on conspiracy theories, but check this out: The same week that Baz Luhrmann’s highly anticipated Elvis biopic hits theaters, a Bloodhound named Trumpet became the first of his kind to win the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show — in the 146-year history of the event! We’re very happy for Trumpet, and we’re happy for Luhrmann, who looks like he has a hit on his hands. As Nick Johnston writes in his favorable Vanyaland film review, ‘Elvis’ is “a genuine delight, being a survey of classic Americana as well as a biting tragedy.” Suddenly, the phrase “You ain’t nothin’ but a hound dog” has a whole new meaning.
‘ELVIS’ :: Now playing in theaters :: Check local listings for details