Good Day, Good Citizens! Each Friday after the Presidents arrive with their decaf coffee and Dave Edmunds serenades us with “Here Comes The Weekend”, the weekend can officially start. With the weekend ahead you might need something to do. I, Pierre Robert, run down an extensive list of things happening in and around the Philadelphia area. I call it Pierre’s Weekend Calendar. Everything from concerts to go to (A Great Big Pile of Leaves at the Underground Arts on Saturday), movies to see (Challengers, rated R), events (small and large) to partake in, and always what is going on here at WMMR.

Some things are fairly standard (like The Philadelphia Show), some are totally bizarre (like the World Oddities Expo), and to be honest, for some of this stuff, I don’t have a clue as to what they are (like Heavy Metal Meditation). Hopefully, this guide of, some of what is going on in a fine village near you, will help keep you busy this weekend. Who knows, maybe you’ll even catch me at one or two of these events this weekend (please stop and say hi if you do).

On Sale Friday:

Imagine Dragons @ Freedom Mortgage Pavilion 7/30

Graham Nash @ Ocean City Music Pier (Ocean City, NJ) 8/26 & @ Whitaker Center (Harrisburg) 8/27

The Suicide Machines with Big D & The Kids Table, and The Planet Smashers @ TLA 9/13

Shows This Weekend:

Friday & Saturday

Hannibal Buress @ Helium

Rachel Feinstein@ Punchline

Friday

Me First and the Gimme Gimmes & The Defiant @ TLA

The Hip Abduction @ The Music Hall at World Cafe Live

Dave Barnes @ City Winery

Steve Mason (of Beta Band & King Biscuit Time) @ MilkBoy

Belle & Sebastian @ Union Transfer

Stolen Gin @ The Lounge at World Cafe Live

Aaron Lee Tasjan @ Johnny Brenda’s

Surf Trash @ Kung Fu Necktie

Doss / Swami Sound @ Underground Arts

Bodega / Bleary Eyed / Disaster Artist / The Lunar

Saturday

Hippie Sabotage @ Union Transfer

Clutch @ The Queen

Ana Popovic @ Sellersville Theater

Breland @ Brooklyn Bowl

Eric Slick @ Johnny Brenda’s

Modern Bliss @ Ardmore Music Hall

Shannon Ford @ City Winery

The Rascals @ Keswick Theatre

A Great Big Pile of Leaves @ Underground Arts

Andrew Dice Clay @ Xcite Center at Parx Casino

Spanish Love Songs / Oso Oso @ TLA

Anthony Jeselnik @ Miller Theater

Jon Stewart @ The Grand – Wilmington, DE

Sunday

Loony @ The Foundry

Mr. Greengenes – Benefit Show @ The Queen

JD Southern @ Sellersville Theater

Sam Evian @ Johnny Brenda’s

Ty Segall @ Union Transfer

Helado Negro @ Underground Arts

KNOWER @ Ardmore Music Hall

Alexz Johnson @ MilkBoy

Brad Williams @ Miller Theater

What’s Going on in the Movies? New This Week:

Challengers ( R ): Zendaya, Mike Faist, Josh O’Connor

Boy Kills World ( R ): Bill Skarsgård, Jessica Rothe, Andrew Koji, H. Jon Benjamin, Samara Weaving

What’s Going on in the Movies? Still In Theatres:

Blood for Dust ( R ): Kit Harington, Scoot McNairy, Josh Lucas, Ethan Suplee

Abigail ( R ): Angus Cloud, Alisha Weir, Melissa Barrera

What’s Happening at MMR?

Friday

Caseyboy is at the 128th running of the Penn Relays from noon – 2pm at Franklin Field (235 S 33rd St), Caseyboy will be covering the action and reporting live during Pierre Roberts’s show. Keep an eye out for Casey taking on an array of special responsibilities during the event. He is set to be the honorary bell ringer for the College Women’s Distance Medley Race and hold the tape at the finish line for select events. CaseyBoy is also set to tour the food concessions and vendor village.

Saturday

MMR’s own oddity, Jacky Bam Bam will be strutting around the PA Convention Center (1101 Arch Street) on Saturday from 12pm-2pm for the World Oddities Expo. The World Oddities Expo is a traveling oddities festival- a peculiar paradise where weird thrives! We pride ourselves on being an all inclusive artisan and small business fueled mega-convention. We feature artists, vendors, performers, educators, and guest speakers to create a macabre and magical experience for all!

MMR’s Secret Weapon Chuck Damico will be behind the kit for the band Beer:30 as they play music for Beers, Gears, and Tipped Ears – car show and fundraiser this Saturday from Noon to 5pm. It is at the Chuck Lager Bar & Restaurant (270 White Horse Pike, Barrington, NJ). There is a car show, prizes, raffles, and live music. $20 donation per car and 15% of all food proceeds benefit Barrington TNR (Trap, Neuter, Release)and Community Cat Club.

Sunday

If you are down at Dover Motor Speedway on Sunday be on the lookout for Jacky Bam Bam and Caseyboy.

Happening Around Town:

Through May 5

Spring Blooms: Longwood Gardens, 1001 Longwood Road, Kennett Square.

Beautiful: The Carole King Musical: Walnut Street Theatre, 825 Walnut Street.

Through May 12

Ritual of Self: Isaiah Zagar’s Self-Portraits in Paper:  through May 12th, Philadelphia’s Magic Gardens, 1020 South Street.

Through May 19

Best of the Nest: Birdhouse Competition & Display at Peddler’s Village: Peddler’s Village, 2400 Street Road, New Hope.

Through June 30

Rothman Orthopedics Roller Rink: Sunday-Thursday: 11 a.m. – 8:45 p.m., Friday & Saturday: 11 a.m. – 10 p.m. Rothman Orthopedics Roller Rink, 1 S. 15th Street.

Through August 5

Unhoused: Personal Stories and Public Health: Mütter Museum, 19 South 22nd Street.

Through August

BOLD: Color from Test Tube to Textile: Science History Institute, 315 Chestnut Street.

Wondrous Space: Franklin Institute, 222 North 20th Street.

Otherworld Philly:  2500 Grant Avenue.

Through September 2

Under the Canopy: Animals of the Rainforest: Academy of Natural Sciences, 1900 Benjamin Franklin Parkway.

The Art of the Brick: Through September 2nd, Franklin Institute, 222 North 20th Street.

Through September 15

Every Leaf & Twig: Andrew Wyeth’s Botanical Imagination: Brandywine Museum of Art, 1 Hoffman’s Mill Road, Chadds Ford.

Through September 29

Life Onto Land: The Devonian:  The Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University – 1900 Benjamin Franklin Parkway.

Through October 14

George R. Anthonisen: Meditations on the Human Condition at James A. Michener Art Museum: James A. Michener Art Museum, 138 S. Pine Street, Doylestown.

Through November 8

Andalusia Historic House, Gardens & Arboretum:  Andalusia Historic House & Gardens, 1237 State Road, Andalusia.

Through January 5

Witness to Revolution: The Unlikely Travels of Washington’s Tent: Museum of the American Revolution, 101 South Third Street.

Through May 2025

At the Water’s Edge: Working and living along the Delaware River:  Independence Seaport Museum, 211 South Columbus Boulevard.

Things Happening This Weekend

FRIDAY, SATURDAY, & SUNDAY

PHS Pop-Up Gardens:  Fri: 4pm-10pm, Sat-Sun: 12pm-10pm. PHS Pop-Up Garden at Manayunk, 106 Jamestown Avenue; PHS Pop-Up Garden at South Street, 1438 South Street.

The Philadelphia Show: Philadelphia Museum of Art, 2600 Benjamin Franklin Parkway.

West Chester International Short Film Festival: Uptown! Knauer Performing Arts Center, 226 North High Street, West Chester.

Crafted in Philly Brewery Tours: April 26th-June 30th, multiple locations.

Passover at Eastern State Penitentiary: 10 a.m.-5 p.m., Eastern State Penitentiary, 2027 Fairmount Avenue.

Philly Black Pride: April 25th-28th, multiple locations.

Madame Butterfly: April 26th-May 5th, Academy of Music, 240 South Broad Street.

Parks on Tap: Fri: 4pm-10pm, Sat-Sun: 12pm-10pm. This weekend Columbus Square Park – 1100 Wharton St, Philadelphia. continues through September 29th, multiple locations.

Independence Beer Garden: Independence Beer Garden, 100 S. Independence Mall West.

FRIDAY April 26

Spring Awakening: Cirque du Stratus: 5:30 p.m.-2 a.m., Stratus Rooftop Lounge, 433 Chestnut Street.

Friday & Saturday

Superheroes, Science, and the Environment: Science History Institute, 315 Chestnut Street.

Subaru Cherry Blossom Festival of Greater Philadelphia: Fairmount Park Horticulture Center – 100 N. Horticultural Drive, Philadelphia.

SATURDAY April 27

The Historic Crafts & Trades Fair: Saturdays through May 18th, 11 a.m.-4 p.m., Carpenters’ Court, in front of Carpenters’ Hall, 320 Chestnut Street.

The Great DuBois:  1:30 & 7:30 p.m., Bucks County Playhouse, 70 South Main Street, New Hope.

West Craft Fest: 11 a.m.-5 p.m., the Woodlands, 40th Street & Woodland Avenue.

Food Truck Frenzy:  11 a.m.-5 p.m., Linvilla Orchards, 137 West Knowlton Road, Media.

Triumph Music Festival: 10 a.m., 1 p.m. & 6 p.m., Academy of Music Ballroom, 240 South Broad Street.

Drag Bingo Brunch: 11:30 a.m., Thirsty Dice, 1642 Fairmount Avenue.

Let’s Be Friends:  2 p.m., Merion Friends Activities Building, 615 Montgomery Avenue.

World Oddities Expo: 12pm – 8pm. Pennsylvania Convention Center – 1101 Arch Street.

SATURDAY & SUNDAY

VinylCon:  10 a.m.-5 p.m.; April 28th, 10 a.m.-4 p.m.; 23rd Street Armory, 22 South 23rd Street.

SUNDAY April 28

Flavors On the Avenue:  11 a.m.-5 p.m., East, Passyunk Avenue from Broad to Dickinson Street.

Open Artists’ Studios @ Mill Studios: noon to 5 p.m., The Mill Studios, 123 & 128 Leverington Avenue.

Heavy Metal Meditation:  1-3 p.m., PhilaMOCA, 531 North 12th Street.

Fairmount Arts Crawl:  noon-4 p.m., on Fairmount Avenue and nearby spots in the neighborhood.

Eras Dance Party at Garage:  2-5 p.m., Garage Passyunk, 1231 East Passyunk Avenue.

Mexican Week:  April 28th-May 4th, multiple locations.

Sports Up!

All Weekend

PHILLIES are AWAY vs San Diego Padres on Friday at 9:40pm, Saturday at 8:40pm, and  Sunday at 4:10pm.

Friday & Saturday

Penn Relays — High school and college athletes compete in various track and field events, including the long jump, the hammer throw, shot put and more at Franklin Field, 235 South 33rd Street.

Saturday

UNION are HOME vs Real Salt Lake at 7:30pm.

Monster Energy AMA Supercross 2024 Championship at Lincoln Financial Field starting at 2:30 p.m.

Sunday

SIXERS are HOME vs New York Knicks at 1pm in Round 1 of the Eastern Conference Playoffs.