Welcome to Super Bowl weekend. Hopefully, if you’re interested in watching the Chiefs, Eagles, Taylor Swift, and/or Kendrick Lamar, you already have your viewing spot picked out. So we’re avoiding anything NFL-related in this edition of the weekend guide, and giving you a great roundup of non-football events.
And what events they are! There’s an exhibit of vibrant photographs of NYC’s punks of color; a battle of the bands; a live presentation of The Rocky Horror Picture Show; and the Wu-Tang Clan even makes an appearance.
Most importantly, there’s a rally on Saturday afternoon in defense of immigrants and against the barrage of ICE raids we’ve been seeing all over the city lately. If you do nothing else this weekend, try to show up to that.
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Friday, February 7
This is the first round of a battle of the bands that will be playing out over the next week or so at Our Wicked Lady. The venue, home since 2015 to up-and-coming and independent artists, is now sadly in danger of closing, and could use your support (yet another reason to come on out).
GZA & Lettuce @ Brooklyn Steel
7 p.m.
The Wu-Tang Clan’s resident genius will be joined by some other geniuses —the superb musicians of the funky band Lettuce. GZA will be performing his classic solo debut Liquid Swords in its entirety.
Juan MacLean @ Good Room
10 p.m.
John MacLean (who performs under the name “The Juan MacLean”) has a long history in music, going back to his time in the ‘90s with Six Finger Satellite. But most folks know him for his mid-to-late aughts run on DFA Records. This DJ set is billed as “open-to-close,” so you’ll get a chance to really hear him stretch out and try new things.
A Clockwork Orange @ Nitehawk Williamsburg
11:55 pm
There has rarely been a film better suited to the term “Midnite Movie” than A Clockwork Orange. Now you’ll get a chance to see Stanley Kubrick’s masterpiece the way God intended: at an insanely late hour, surrounded by fellow maniacs.
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Saturday, February 8
Rally in Defense of Immigrants/Mitín en Apoyo a Inmigrantes @ Sunset Park (44th Street & 6th Ave.)
2 p.m.
The organization Plaza Proletaria is the main driver behind this rally, which is, of course, both to defend immigrants and to protest against the devastating raids, which have been occurring all over the country since Trump took office, and have even hit us here in Brooklyn.
Opening reception for PULSE by Destiny Mata @ Transmitter Gallery
5 p.m.-8 p.m.
Photographer and filmmaker Destiny Mata has been photographing punks of color since 2014. Some of her work has been published in the book The Way We Were. But now you can see it for yourself. Transmitter Gallery is putting on an exhibit of Mata’s powerful photos, and the opening reception is on Saturday night.
“9 Friends Perform…The Rocky Horror Picture Show” @ Cobra Club
8 p.m.
To celebrate comedian Meg Rosensweet’s birthday, they’re gathering some friends to do exactly what the title says: be a “shadow cast” for the cult classic film. Other cast members include L.D. Kelley, Murphy Taylor Smith, and Charlotte Teresa Guerrero.
Below Deck: A PowerPoint Party @ Wonderville
8 p.m.
Here at the Weekend Guide, originality goes a long way. So it’s no wonder we’re recommending this event, which consists of “Nine presentations by nine artists on nine subjects of their choice.” The unpredictability of the whole thing (the website for which has an is-it-a-joke-or-isn’t-it? text exchange about a presentation on the history of cotton candy) is off the charts and should make for a wild evening. The presentations are followed by an afterparty.
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Sunday, February 9
Quartet @ Brooklyn Center for Theatre Research
3 p.m.
Quartet is a “funny and caustic” play by Matthew Gasda. You may know Gasda from a different play of his, 2022’s Dimes Square, which truly caught the zeitgeist and became a hit. Quartet was written just before Dimes Square —if you were hip enough (this writer certainly wasn’t), you may have caught a Greenpoint production back in 2021— but promises to be equally of the moment and fascinating.
Custom of the Coast is a new opera by composer Kamala Sankaram, with a libretto by famed poet Paul Muldoon. Both will be in the house for a talkback following this concert performance (i.e. no sets or costumes). The music will be performed by the FLUX Quartet.
The opera weaves together the life stories of two remarkable women: 18th-century pirate Anne Bonny and Savita Halapannavar, an Indian-born, Ireland-based dentist whose 2012 death of sepsis after being denied an abortion sparked a massive outcry, and started a chain of events that led to Ireland legalizing abortion six years later.
Josh Gondelman: What’s New @ Union Hall
4:30 p.m.
Comedian Josh Gondelman is a man known to many different audiences. To the sneakerheads, he’s the guy who rocks a different pair of kicks every show. To public radio listeners, he’s that guy from Wait Wait… Don’t Tell Me! To the Bodega Hive, he’s best known as the head writer and EP of Showtime’s Desus & Mero. But whatever he does, Josh is always funny. This comedy show of new material is sure to be an amazing way to kick off your Super Bowl Sunday.
The Van Gogh Shogh @ The Brick
8 p.m.
This one-woman show finds performer Donna Oblongata using Van Gogh’s life as a frame —pun intended— to examine the nature of art and fame. We’re told to expect “One part deranged ‘Sip ‘n Paint’, one part karaoke night and one part Sotheby’s.” In what can only be assumed to be a nod to the last of these, audience members are instructed to bring cash to the show, even though tickets are free.
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