Editor’s Note: We’re officially beyond the halfway point of the calendar year, so it’s full steam ahead into the dog days of summer. Get out and enjoy some sun while you can, but if you’d rather set your coordinates for doing something fun indoors to beat the heat, comedy clubs are generally pretty good for air conditioning. It’s truly a win-win for everyone involved. With homegrown talent, national headliners, and open mics galore highlighting the calendar, the plethora of powerful comedy throughout the commonwealth continues to show up, night after night. Enter Mic’d Up, our ongoing weekly series that details the best live comedy shows to consider as you head out and about. Below, find our rundown for this week, through Sunday (July 21).
Matt Braunger at City Winery
Aside from being one of the funniest and all-around best comics in the game, Matt Braunger is also one of the most genuine artists you’ll find in your search for top tier comedy. As he returns to the city with new material, his fresh and often entirely too relatable perspective is always a welcomed viewpoint that will surely deliver one of the best nights you’ll experience at a comedy club. Plus, Ken Reid is also slated to take the stage, so throw down a big ass W for City Winery this coming weekend.
MATT BRAUNGER :: Friday, July 19 at City Winery, 80 Beverly St. in Boston, MA :: 5:30 p.m., $25 to $30 :: Advance Tickets
Jeremiah Watkins at Laugh Boston
In a vast sea of comedians, there are legions of great talents and strengths. It just so happens that Jeremiah Watkins harbors a little bit of all of them. From observational to storytelling and crowd work to taking a simple premise and creating a whole landscape out of it, Watkins is all kill and no chill from the moment he hits the stage, and having him in town this week is a true delight that we wish would happen more often.
JEREMIAH WATKINS :: Friday, July 19 at Laugh Boston, 425 Summer St. in Boston, MA :: 6 p.m., $33 :: Advance tickets
Brett Goldstein at Chevalier Theatre
It hasn’t been all that long since Brett Goldstein was last in the area, and we’ve waited for him to come back ever since. It may be in a slightly more intimate venue this time, but the stardust remains all the same as the Ted Lasso star brings his Second Best Night of Your Life tour back to Massachusetts for round two, with nearly a year’s worth of work to bolster the hour into a new level of potency.
BRETT GOLDSTEIN :: Sunday, July 21 at The Chevalier Theatre, 30 Forest St. in Medford, MA :: 6 p.m., $79 to $115 :: Advance tickets