FEATURED EVENT
COMEDY
1st Annual Portland Queer Comedy Festival
July 13–16
Multiple venues
$20–135, 21+
Almost 50 nationally recognized and local standup comedians across the LGBTQ+ spectrum gather for America’s first-ever festival celebrating queer humor. Audiences will pack into the Funhouse Lounge, Curious Comedy Theater, Crush Bar and Ford Food + Drink to hear comedy from the likes of Guy Branum, Kate Willet, ANT, Jason Stuart, Riley Silverman and plenty more.
Tuesday, July 11
TRIVIA
Harry Potter Trivia
7 p.m.
Bazi Bierbrasserie
$5, 21+
Celebrate 20 years of the J. K. Rowling wizardverse with team trivia based on the Harry Potter books and movies (minimum of two participants per team) and win prizes!
FILM
Silent Kings
7 p.m.
Clinton Street Theater
$5–8, all ages
Corvallis musicians Justin Schepige and Kevin Van Walk play live soundtracks to five classic silent film masterpieces, starring actors such as Max Linder, Harold Lloyd, Buster Keaton, Fatty Arbuckle and Charlie Chaplin.
DRAG QUEENS
Catch a Rising Star
7 p.m.
Darcelle XV Showplace
$5, 21+
Aspiring performers act in this audience-participation talent revue to decide which new artists will perform in the legendary Darcelle XV Friday Night Show. Burgers, drink specials and that special Old Portland Old Gay vibe you can’t get anywhere else. The event is hosted by Poison Waters.
JAZZ
David Goldblatt Sextet
7:30 p.m.
Lan Su Chinese Garden
$20–30, all ages
Part of the summer Jazz in the Garden series by Lan Su Chinese Garden and PDX Jazz.
FILM
Shaolin Invincibles (1977)
7:30 p.m.
Hollywood Theatre
$9, all ages
An orphan (Judy Lee) raised in a Shaolin temple battles the evil emperor who killed her family. In doing so, she must battle two wizards with four-foot-long tongues (which will definitely be shown as FX magic). The film is part of the “Kung Fu Theater” series.
COMEDY
The Confessional
8 p.m.
Church Bar
$5, 21+
Caitlin Weierhauser, Alex Rios, Monahad Elshieky and David Mascorro perform an intimate night of comedy.
Wednesday, July 12
ROCK
Blondie, Garbage
5 p.m.
Edgefield Amphitheatre
Sold out, all ages
The Rage & Rapture Tour brings two of rock’s longest-standing ladies and their backing bands to Portland-adjacent Troutdale to tour their new material: Blondie’s Pollinator and Garbage’s Strange Little Birds. Read our review of Blondie and Garbage here.
POP
Sabrina Carpenter, Alex Aiono, New Hope Club
6 p.m.
Crystal Ballroom
$35, all ages
The Disney Channel actress/singer, perhaps best known for her supporting roles on Horns(2013), Orange is the New Black and Girl Meets World, tours in support of her sophomore album, Evolution.
FILM
A League of Their Own (1992)
6:30 p.m.
George Park
Free, all ages
The St. Johns Center for Opportunity, St. Johns Neighborhood Association and the Lucas Cole Agency screen this classic starring Madonna and Rosie O’Donnell.
FILM
Schrotten (2016)
7 p.m.
Clinton Street Theater
$6–10, all ages
Known in English as Scrappin’, this German short film focuses on a family of scrap dealers who must overcome their differences to save the family business.
FILM
Latter Days (2003)
7:30 p.m.
Hollywood Theatre
$7–9, all ages
This gay film on love and religion isn’t particularly interesting on its surface but acts as a sort of time capsule for being gay in 2003. Fun trivia: C. Jay Cox worked on this film immediately after he wrote Sweet Home Alabama, and it is filled with cameos from stars like Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Rob McElhenney (It’s Always Sunny), Jacqueline Bisset (1967’s Casino Royale) and Amber Benson (Buffy).
DRAG QUEENS
Spank Bank: It Gets Wetter
9 p.m.
The Know
Free, 21+
Water is the essence of wetness, and wetness is the theme of this punk-tinged drag party, with a costume contest featuring categories like “Wet Becky,” “You Wetta Wipe,” “Pit Stain” and “Flooded,” presumably like a basement. Music by DJs Pocket Rock-It and Chelsea Starr and entertainment by House of Smashley.
Thursday, July 13
AMERICANA
ZZ Ward
7 p.m.
Revolution Hall
$25, all ages
The bluegrass-pop singer-songwriter tours in support of her freshly released new album, The Storm.
INDIE ROCK
Tacocat, Sunbathe, Surfer Rosie
8 p.m.
Mississippi Studios
$15, 21+
The Longview, WA natives and critical darlings who played Coachella this past spring celebrate a whole decade together this year!
PUPPETS
Cthulhu: The Musical
8 p.m. (also showing 7/14-7/15)
Shoebox Theater
Sold out, all ages
Ashland’s Puppeteers for Fears is a puppet musical troupe dedicated to staging horror productions. This play based on H.P. Lovecraft’s most infamous monster features a full rock band and multimedia projection art.
FILM
The Umbrellas of Cherbourg (1964)
8:15 p.m.
Mission Theater
$11, 21+
Think La La Land if there had been a subplot about the Algerian War (or whatever contemporary military conflict would suffice). One of the first great French musical films. Price of admission includes a signature crafted cocktail.
ALT-POP
Zealyn
9 p.m.
The White Eagle
$8–10, 21+
You might already know Zealyn as Angie Miller, the third-place winner of American Idol‘s 12th season. If, however, you haven’t seen that show since before the original judges left, you’ll be pleasantly surprised by this freshly re-branded pop star’s chill music.
Friday, July 14
FILM
Letters From Baghdad (2016)
Multiple Times
Cinema 21
$6–8.50, all ages
This documentary focuses on Gertrude Bell whose influence on post-WWI Iraq can be felt even today.
ALT-POP
Jaymes Young, Matt Maeson
7 p.m.
Hawthorne Theatre
$15, all ages
The alt-R&B crooner has been featured alongside Birdy and David Guetta and written songs for ZHU and tours in support of his debut album, Feel Something.
FILM
Wizards (1977)
7:30 p.m.
Hollywood Theatre
$11–13
Rated PG at a time when the MPAA was still getting their shit together, Wizards is a trippy, heavy cartoon about the clash between natural magic and industrial technology. The 40th-anniversary screening of this cult classic will include an appearance by film score composer Andrew Belling. Screened in 35 mm.
FUNK
The Revolution
8 p.m.
Roseland Theater
$35–55, all ages
The late Prince’s legendary backing band continues on without their leader. Come hear these musicians, legends in their own right, tear the house down.
NIGHTLIFE
DJ Lemon
9 p.m.
Secret Society
$15–40, 21+
DJs Prashant (Jai Ho! Dance Series) and Ki provide local support for one of India’s biggest Bollywood DJs.
ANTI-FOLK
Joseph Arthur
9 p.m.
Doug Fir Lounge
$18–20, 21+
The “In the Sun” singer tours for the 15th anniversary of his album Redemption Son.
DRAG QUEENS
NecroNancy: Courtney Lovefest 2
9 p.m.
Lovecraft Bar
$10, 21+
Patrick Buckmaster throws a birthday party for one of PSU’s most controversial alumni, with a night of Hole and Courtney Love-themed drag performances and a CL costume contest.
NIGHTLIFE
Dis Fig
10 p.m.
Tonic Lounge
$5, 21+
No Control hosts the American-born, Brooklyn-based Chinese DJ, who has been influenced by her residency in Berlin since 2014. Local support from DJs Troubled Youth, Daniela Karina, Casual Aztec and Princess Dimebag and a live set from Decorum.
Saturday, July 15
FILM
Second Chance Dogs (2016)
2 p.m.
Clinton Street Theater
$5–10, all ages
Part of the New York Dog Film Festival, this dog-cumentary focuses on the ASPCA’s Behavioral Rehabilitation Center at St. Hubert’s Animal Welfare Center in Madison, NJ, which offers extensive behavioral rehabilitation for previously homeless dogs with severe social issues. Well-behaved dogs are allowed to attend this screening with their “parents.”
CABARET
Naughty Bit Burlesque
6:15 p.m.
Bit House Saloon
$15–25, 21+
This monthly burlesque revue features a half-dozen local dancers supporting headliner Indigo Blue (Seattle).
NIGHTLIFE
DJ Shadow
8 p.m.
Roseland Theater
$25, 21+
DJ Shadow has been sampling and spinning mixes for over twenty years and comes to Portland in support of his new album, The Mountain Will Fall.
AMERICANA
Andrew Combs, Barna Howard
8 p.m.
Mississippi Studios
$12–14, 21+
Whether you’ve always been into country or are just now getting into it as a reaction to Lady Gaga’s Joanne no longer being entirely off-base from the pulse of the pop zeitgeist, y’all will love Andrew Combs’ soothing, authentic take on a genre rife with stereotypical twangs and tropes.
PUNK
Man Repellent, Shower Scum, Born Upset
9 p.m.
The Fixin’ To
$5, 21+
Man Repellent are a 2017 contender for Willamette Week‘s Best Rock/Metal Band. Come hear why.
NIGHTLIFE
Sadaf, Pastiche Lumumba, Kath
10:30 p.m.
S1
$10, 21+
“Sadaf is an Iranian-born, New York City-based producer, violinist, vocalist and multi-media artist. Sadaf’s visuals, sonics, and confrontational performative tactics confound and upend the inward-looking effect inherent to contemporary performance art, simultaneously drawing from and subverting the language of advertising, celebrity and the gaze.”
FILM
The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975)
11:59 p.m.
Clinton Street Theater
$8, all ages
For almost 40 years, Clinton Street Cabaret has hosted the longest running shadow cast of RHPS in America. Even if you’ve never seen this film before, seeing it with a shadow cast is an essential experience.
Sunday, July 16
THEATRE/FILM
Obsession
Noon/5 p.m.
World Trade Center Theater
$15–23, all ages
Ivan van Hove directs Jude Law in a new stage adaptation of the 1943 Luchino Visconti film, filmed live at London’s Barbican Theatre.
FILMS
Indiana Jones Trilogy
1/4/7 p.m. (also screening July 15)
Hollywood Theatre
$4–9, all ages
The “Spielberg on Film” series screens the original Indiana Jones trilogy in 35 mm: Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981), The Temple of Doom (1984) and The Last Crusade (1989).
FILM
Breathless (1960)
2 p.m. (also screening July 15)
Mission Theater
$2, all ages
I’ve studied A Bout de Souffle twice in my film studies career, so you should have to see this Jean-luc Goddard classic at least once.
FILM
Jules et Jim (1962)
5:30 p.m.
Mission Theater
$3–4, all ages
A love triangle between Jules (Oskar Werner), Jim (Henri Serre) and Catherine (Jeanne Moreau) grows more complicated with the waxing and waning of the First World War.
FAMILY
Summer Free For All
6 p.m.
Overlook Park
Free, all ages
Latinx Pride and Portland Parks & Rec host an evening of family-friendly activities, including group Zumba, kids’ story time, a musical tribute to Juan Gabriel and a screening of El Libro de la Vida (The Book of Life) (2014).
ALT POP
Moon Bounce, Champ!on, Chucky Steez
7 p.m.
The White Eagle
$7–10, 21+
Moon Bounce’s brand of alt-pop encompasses ambient hip-hop and chill R&B for some sickeningly sweet effects.
FOLK
Aimee Mann, Rhiannon Giddens
7:30 p.m.
The Oregon Zoo
$30–60, all ages
You know Aimee Mann from her music career and self-deprecating Portlandia appearances, and you know Rhiannon Giddens as the lead vocalist of the Grammy-winning Americana-blues band Carolina Chocolate Drops. They co-headline on the Oregon Zoo’s summer concert series.
Monday, July 17
FILM
The Little Hours (2017)
Multiple screen times
Cinema 21
$6–8.50, all ages
Aubrey Plaza, Alison Brie, Dave Franco and Nick Offerman star in this comedic, cannabis-infused retelling of the First Tale of the Third Day of The Decameron, a 14th-century anthology by Italian author Giovanni Boccaccio. It’s films like this that make me feel happy that I studied literature.
LECTURE
Microbes & the Human Gut
6 p.m.
Alberta Rose Theatre
$8–13, all ages
Dr. Lisa Sardinia presents at the “Science on Tap” series about the almost countless non-human organisms that inhabit and construct nine tenths of a human body.
COMEDY
It’s Gonna Be Okay
8 p.m.
East Burn
Free, 21+
Barbara Holm’s smart-but-not-that-smart stand-up night turns four years old and sees Caitlin Weierhauser, Katie Nguyen, Jen Tam, Brandon Lyons and Lewis Sequeira join Holm on stage.