The Best Bay Area Events for 5/2-5/8
By Jerucifer, Arts & Events Editor
I feel this intense chaotic energy lately and it’s really making me want to go do All The Things! Not sure if it’s helping, but I’m doing it anyway, consequences be damned! I am pretty juiced about a few that you will not want to miss out on, and please don’t forget to say hi if you see me out at events! Here’s what I’m most excited about for the week of 5/2..
Our Partners’ Events
Laurie Kilmartin
5/3-5/6 | Punch Line | 444 Battery St, SF | 8 pm | $23+
Laurie Kilmartin has been doing standup since 1987 and has appeared on CONAN, Jimmy Kimmel Live, and Comedy Central. Her Seeso special “45 Jokes About My Dead Dad” made Vulture’s list of Top Ten Comedy Specials of 2016. She’s written two books, Shitty Mom (2012) and Dead People Suck (2018). She is currently a writer for CONAN on TBS, and previously wrote for Tough Crowd w/Colin Quinn (Comedy Central) and The Late Late Show with Craig Fergusion (CBS). She has appeared the Montreal Comedy Festival as a New Face and, 12 years later, as a Master.
This Week’s Events
Tuesday, 5/2
America’s Gift to Famine-Stricken Russia (1922)
5/2 | Frost Ampitheatre | 351 Lasuen St, Stanford | 6 pm | free
A film screening of America’s Gift to Famine-Stricken Russia (1922), with live musical accompaniment will be shown at Hauck Auditorium. Commentary provided by Bertrand Patenaude. The formal program will be hybrid and will be followed by a reception.
Devin The Dude, Your Favorite Rapper’s Favorite Rapper (Fr Fr)
5/2 | Crybaby | 1928 Telegraph Ave, Oakland | 9 pm | $15+
Your favorite rapper’s favorite rapper is coming to the baby.
we finna get faded and rock with the realest mf to ever bless tha mic.
see what u got layin’ around in that doobie ashtray, grab your ticket and come kick it… we got some special appearances from Sean G & Special Guests dropping the slaps to keep you on the floor and warmed up… plus some gift bags to the folks who get in early…
Pulse
5/2 | Alamo Drafthouse | 2550 Mission St, SF | 9:30 pm | $10
The original Japanese cult classic. Before The Grudge, before Dark Water, there was Pulse, one of the scariest films ever made by the master of Japanese horror, Kiyoshi Kurosawa. A group of young friends is rocked by the sudden suicide of one of their own. When his ghostly image appears on their computer screens, something far more horrifying is unleashed. The terror mounts as more deaths and disappearances occur. Kurosawa’s Pulse is a psychologically unsettling tale, which effects will endure long after the chills have subsided.
FREE Stand-Up Comedy Show
5/2 | Arepas Latin Cuisine | 3198 16th St, SF | 8 pm | free
Wednesday, 5/3
Silhouette 1 Year Anniversary
5/3 | The Hub RWC | 2650 Broadway, Redwood City | 7:30 pm | $20-25
We’ve been teasing in Redwood City for one year! Burlesque, drag, circus, comedy, music, and more.
Bizzy Bone
5/3 | The New Parish | 1743 San Pablo Ave, Oakland | 8 pm | $25
Bizzy Bone is an American rapper. Born to an African American/Indian father and an Italian/Jewish mother, Bizzy Bone started in hip-hop as a founding member of the group Bone Thugs-N-Harmony.
Harry Mack: ODYSSEY
5/3 | 1015 Folsom | 1015 Folsom St, SF | 7:30 pm | $45
Multi-talented artist and fully improvisational rapper Harry Mack is best known for his unique, jaw-dropping visual freestyle rapping. He first came to fame when his Venice Beach Freestyle went viral.
Queens & Comedy
5/3 | Cobb’s Comedy Club | 915 Columbus Ave, SF | 8 pm | $26+
LoLGBT+ Presents: Queens & Comedy
Thursday, 5/4
L7 : 30 Years of “Bricks Are Heavy”
5/4 | UC Theatre | 2036 University Ave, Berkeley | 8 pm | $35
Performing BRICKS ARE HEAVY in its ENTIRETY!
L7 is an American all-female rock band founded in Los Angeles, California, first active from 1985 to 2001 and re-formed in 2014. Their longest standing lineup consists of Suzi Gardner (guitars, vocals), Donita Sparks (vocals, guitars), Jennifer Finch (bass, vocals), and Dee Plakas (drums, vocals).
SPRING ART POP-UP
5/4 | Secession Art & Design | 307 Cortland Ave, SF | 11 am | free
Secession Art & Design’s San Francisco Spring Popup is happening May 4-7 at 307 Cortland. 15 artists have created a collection of art that will make each room in your abode feel vibrant and meditative. For those of you who want to see a sneak preview of the new art, you can go to our virtual gallery.
Ruckus & Rumpus Revival: May the Fourth Be With You
5/4 | Oakland Metro Operahouse | 3rd & Castro St, Oakland | 7 pm | $20
A special Star Wars Day edition of Ruckus & Rumpus Revival!
May the 4th Beer With You
5/4 | Armistice Brewing Co | 845 Marina Bay Pkwy, Richmond | 12 pm | free
Our annual Star Wars celebration is BACK! We’ve got a shipload of stuff planned for this intergalactic celebration! There will be Star Wars trivia and a costume contest, and we’ll be completely redecorating the bar by turning it into an Imperial Officer lounge complete with glow lights, fog machine, and lasers!
Star Wars Sith Rave: Hard Dance From The Darkside
5/4 | Crybaby | 1928 Telegraph Ave, Oakland | 9 pm | $10-22
Star Wars: A New Hope
5/4 | The Cut | 250 Main St, SF | 8 pm | $14+
Luke Skywalker joins forces with a Jedi Knight, a cocky pilot, a Wookiee and two droids to save the galaxy from the Empire.
Friday, 5/5
Roaring 20’s Speakeasy
5/5 | Trellis | 981 Mission St, SF | 4-9 pm | $5-45
Step back in time in your best Gatsby attire. Enjoy extraordinary entertainment, craft cocktails, San Francisco’s best tacos, and electric tunes. Drink, dance, laugh, chat, and pretend the world isn’t going to sh*t, just like we did in the olden days.
5 de Mayo Fiesta, dance party! Cumbias, reggeaton, y más!
5/5 | Nido’s Backyard | 104 Oak Street, Oakland | 5-10 pm | free
Free entrance – Reservations for full dining service are available but not required for those who are going to the dance party.
Valencia Fridays – Cinco de Mayo Edition
5/5 | The Valencia Room | 647 Valencia St, SF | 9 pm | free before 10 w/ RSVP
Hip Hop & Latin Music all nite. Squad Up n Slide Thru.
Cinco de Mayo at The Madrigal
5/5 | The Madrigal | 100 Van Ness Ave, SF | 9 pm | free entry
The Madrigal will be turning into a cantina to celebrate Cinco de Mayo with the ultimate fiesta. Offering a special beverage menu featuring traditional spirits and flavors to enjoy from Mexico: Seasonal Margaritas, fresh Sangrias, and complex Mezcal creations. The Madrigal’s food menu will also be redesigned taking inspiration from Mexican staples and festive twists for in-person dining and to-go. Alongside the comida and bebidas, The Madrigal will have a DJ, host guest giveaways, and feature other fun activities like a photo booth and tasting experience.
Chillonas: Cinco de Mayo
5/5 | Oasis | 298 11th St, SF | 10 pm | $15
Help us celebrate Cinco de Mayo, in commemoration of the Mexican army beating the shit out of the French at the Battle of Puebla in 1862. Or, you know, in commemoration of drinks and good times.
Chillonas is a Latinx+ Queer nightlife event produced by La Chucha, Princess Panocha, and Jose Alejo. Birthed in the San Francisco SoMa District, Chillonas fosters a space centering, but not exclusive to, Latinx music, drag, and other forms of art.
Fantastic Negrito
5/5 | Great American Music Hall | 759 O’Farrell St, SF | 9 pm | $40-45
For Fantastic Negrito, “derivative” is the devil, so to ensure his sound is his own, every chord comes from a place of immediacy. Immediacy opens the door for instinct. Instinct is a tool that makes an artist into an individual. Negrito leaves the original sounds of Lead Belly and Skip Woods intact and builds bridges to modernity by looping and sampling his own live instruments.
Fiesta de las Frikitonas
5/5 | The Knockout | 3223 Mission St, SF | 9 pm | $10-15
This cinco de mayo baila con las FRIKITONAS!!! Hot goth gf y popperz presentan: FIESTA DE LAS FRIKITONAS
Una noche de dancing, drag, y gotica en espanol con tus DJs!
First Friday: Cinco De Mayo
5/5 | Eli’s Mile High | 3629 MLK Jr Way, Oakland | 9 pm | $5-20 sliding scale NOTAFLOF
First Friday – Cinco de Mayo! Caja Magica will be spinning lots of latin jams – Cumbia, Salsa and visual s by AV Transit!
Cinco de Psycho
5/5 | Monarch Gardens | 428 11th St, SF | 3-10 pm | $10-15
We’ll have food trucks from WH42 and Street Meet Taco Truck, tasty adult beverages, tons of tables and umbrellas to chill out, games like ping pong, corn hole, hoops, and a Jolly Jumper! Get loose and dance to live DJ sets from Brunch Life, Chris Fox, Shawn Steele, and DJ Del Fino. Latin music themes will run through disco, motown, and house throughout the party! Come have fun with good friends and enjoy yourself in the afternoon sun into the early eve!
Saturday, 5/6
Pyrography Installation and Artist Reception
5/6 | Kate’s Kitchen | 471 Haight St, SF | 1-4 pm | free
From the words she painted across the mural next to her first gallery storefront over 15 years ago on McAllister Street that read “Swankety Swank: Honoring Beauty, Earth and Age”, Yabette Swank’s creations, events, and retail experiences have followed through on that intention.
This pyrography work entitled Market Street, San Francisco is inspired by the film, A Trip Down Market Street taken by the Miles Brothers four days before the 1906 earthquake. Swank took stills from the film, referencing special elements, researched archival photographs, and inserted representational figures and places.
Boulet Brothers’ Dragula Titans
5/6 | The Regency Ballroom | 1300 Van Ness Ave, SF | 8 pm | $40+
You’ve watched these Titans battle all season long, now come see our winning Supermonster LIVE! The Boulet Brothers’ Dragula: Titans is hitting the road and bringing the haunts and screams to a city near you. At each show the Boulet Brother’s will be joined by their newly crowned Supermonster, the Titan of all Titans. You won’t want to miss a minute of the horrifying and deadly tricks the Boulet Brothers have up their sleeves, and you never know which of your favorite ghouls you’ll see along the way.
San Francisco Singles Happy Hour
5/6 | Bamboo Hut | 479 Broadway, SF | 6-8 pm | $20
Singles only Happy Hour at Bamboo Hut. Unlimited free drinks and mixer-style mingling!
Trap Karaoke
5/6 | August Hall | 420 Mason St, SF | 8:30 | $48-72
TRAP Karaoke began in the fall of 2015 after Jason Mowatt, a music festival organizer, envisioned what he calls a “user-generated concert” experience, placing fans at the center of the concert experience. The result? A platform on top of music; a backdrop for life; a nexus into cultural participation, personal empowerment, cherished moments, human connection, and community!
Pandora’s Box
5/6 | Paramount Theatre | 2025 Broadway, Oakland | 7 pm | $35
SF Silent Film Festival presents Pandora’s Box
K-Pop K-Hiphop Party
5/6 | The New Parish | 1743 San Pablo Ave, Oakland | 9 pm | $10-20
You’ve reached us at 82 ALL NIGHT. The number you called has been connected!
This 18+ event will bring you the hottest sounds from South Korea at The New Parish in Oakland. DJ Peter Lo is dedicated to spinning the hottest K-Pop, K-HipHop, and K-R&B all night long! You don’t want to miss out on the best live performances from your local dance teams and musicians. Plus: you’ll have a chance to win prizes from our free giveaways throughout the night! Let’s make this a fun, safe and memorable night.
Sunday, 5/7
Spotlight on Alee Peoples
5/7 | Roxie Theater | 3117 16th St, SF | 1 pm | $5-15
We welcome Peoples up from Los Angeles to present her complete body of 16mm films along with selections from the Canyon Cinema collection. Alee’s films are brim-ful of bold gestures, pointedly orchestrating performances and camera movements, views and edits, sound and image. What are her films about–planes, balloons, friends, traffic, pop music, the signs and billboards of LA? Sure, these are among the recurring environmental and cultural threads from which she weaves her cinematic scherzi. Most importantly, she is always playing, and she takes it seriously.
TWANG! Sunday w/ Gold Band, Jon & the Baptists
5/7 | Thee Parkside | 1600 17th St, SF | 4 pm | free
Antibalas
5/7 | UC Theatre | 2036 University Ave, Berkeley | 7 pm | $30
It’s hard to believe that more than twenty years have passed since Antibalas’s humble beginning as a neighborhood dance / protest band in the block parties and underground parties in pre-gentrified Williamsburg, Brooklyn. Over the past two decades they have evolved into what The Guardian called “one of the world’s finest Afrobeat bands” while enjoying equal renown for their cross-genre collaborations with legends of popular music.
Summertime Radness: Yung Bae
5/7 | Phoenix Hotel | 601 Eddy St, SF | 1 pm | $15-150
LA-based artist and producer Yung Bae heralds the rise of Future Funk, stewarding the sub-genre from the underground into a cult-like phenomena. Throughout his extensive catalog, now spread across 6 albums, Yung Bae immediately grabs his listener with a sound design that spans between smooth jazz, funk, old school hip-hop, to Studio 54 disco.
Monday, 5/8
Deerhoof + special guests
5/8 | Great American Music Hall | 759 O’Farrell St, SF | 8 pm | $25
Venerable underground group whose ever-changing music is united by their experimental spirit and heartfelt point of view.
We Build Houses Here
5/8 | Oasis | 298 11th St, SF | 7 pm | $30-70
In this immersive theatrical experience, a gaggle of drag and performance artists get shipwrecked at San Francisco’s iconic Oasis nightclub.
Get stranded on a desert island with a gaggle of glittery castaways in Detour’s newest immersive theater experience, We Build Houses Here. Journey with our shipwrecked crew through the historic Oasis nightclub as we blend drag, dance and theater to create a new home for ourselves.
Monday Night Chamber Music Society
5/8 | Freight & Salvage | 2020 Addison St, Berkeley | 7:30 | $9-11
Five San Francisco Chamber Orchestra All-Stars team up for their fourth annual program of viola quintets; no, that’s not five violas but rather a string quartet enhanced by a second violist. Masterpieces by Mozart and Brahms performed by great musicians and great friends.
Skating Polly
5/8 | Ivy Room | 860 San Pablo Ave, Albany | 8 pm | $13-15
Skating Polly and record release for Chaos County.
Rad Upcoming Events
5/9 John Waters in conversation with Aubrey Plaza
Don’t forget to check out our Big Bad List of Rad Ongoing Events right here!
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