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: Ripe at MGM Music Hall
We love to raise a glass to Boston bands that level up, and few have leveled up higher in recent years than Ripe. The Berklee-born dance-funk crew have conquered most high-profile stages around the city, from House of Blues to Boston Calling, and now set their sights this Saturday (April 8) on MGM Music Hall at Fenway. Robbie Wulfsohn and the gang dropped sophomore album Bright Blues last month via Glassnote Records, and it’s a further evolution of sound that’s earned global praise and widespread awareness. It’s a party wherever Ripe play — this current North American tour takes them everywhere from Terminal 5 in New York City to San Francisco’s The Fillmore — and they’ll no doubt bring the heat to Lansdowne Street this weekend.
RIPE + MELT + COUCH :: Saturday, April 8 at MGM Music Hall at Fenway, 2 Lansdowne St. in Boston, MA :: 7:30 p.m., all ages, $42 to $62 :: Event info :: Advance tickets
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Comedy: Alex Giampapa at The Secret Loft
While the above blurb on Ripe is about the Boston band leveling up, homegrown comedian Alex Giampapa is also known to elevate. This Saturday (April 8) at The Secret Loft (shhhh, ya gotta get a ticket to score the location), Giampara hosts a special two-show taping for his High Performance comedy series. Here’s Jason Greenough lighting up this week’s Mic’d Up: “With a little bit of mystery and most likely a whole lot of smoke, ‘Jim Dad’ is bringing a new meaning to his high levels of comedy potency. The only thing that could make this night of skepticism, social commentary and unfolding the absurdities of everyday life is if the man on stage was higher than the Red Sox combined ERA, so that’s what he’s going to do. He’s also recording it for a special, so buckle up.”
ALEX GIAMPAPA :: Saturday, April 8 at The Secret Loft in Boston, MA (address provided to ticket holders day of show) :: 7 and 9 p.m., $20 to $25 :: Advance tickets
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Film/TV: ‘Blue Jean’ at The Brattle
The annual Wicked Queer festival has been holding court all week, screening films at The MFA, Emerson’s Bright Family Screening Room at the Paramount Center, and The Brattle. This Saturday (April 8), the Cambridge arthouse shows Blue Jean, Georgia Oakley’s 2022 British drama that caught our immediate attention by utilizing Bad Boys Blue’s ’80s Euro-pop classic “You’re A Woman” in the trailer. That’s a four-star review right there (we love you John McInerney). But the film also looks quite impactful. Here’s the synopsis: “England, 1988 — Margaret Thatcher’s Conservative government are about to pass a law stigmatizing gays and lesbians, forcing Jean, a gym teacher, to live a double life. As pressure mounts from all sides, the arrival of a new girl at school catalyses a crisis that will challenge Jean to her core.”
‘BLUE JEAN’ :: Saturday, April 8 at The Brattle, 40 Brattle St. in Cambridge, MA :: 5 p.m., $15 :: Event info and tickets