Affion Crockett
Don’t be surprised if Chris Rock and Jay-Z are at Affion Crockett’s stand-up show — that is, their voices, delivered by Crockett in the form of wicked impressions. Drake and Eminem are also in his Rolodex. Combined with his ability to make physical comedy look easy, it’s no wonder he was being touted as “the next Jim Carrey” early on in his career. The comic, who also raps and dances, has also lent his voice to numerous movies and TV shows, from Family Guy to Pixels. He and his cast of characters will entertain you at 8 p.m. on Thursday, August 2, at Tempe Improv, 930 East University Drive. Admission is $25 for ages 21 and older; a two-drink minimum is required. Call 480-921-9877 or visit the Tempe Improv website. Amy Young
It's movie time.
Amy Young
Did you know that there is more to do at The Nile than punk and metal shows? That’s right, everyone’s favorite heavy music venue is also hosting Summer Screen: Dinner and a Movie. On Thursday, August 2, you can see the wonderfully gory Pulp Fiction at 105 West Main Street in Mesa. For $20, you will get food will be provided by Republica Empanada, a drink, and admission to the theater. There won’t be chairs provided, so be sure to bring blankets and lawn chairs to enjoy this picnic-style meal. Doors will open at 6:30 p.m. and the film will start at 7. Registration is required at the Summer Screen website. Lindsay Roberts
National IPA Day
Wandering Tortoise, one of Phoenix’s premier craft beer bars, will be throwing down for National IPA Day, a fictional holiday on Thursday, August 2, that will become nonfictional when the first rush of dank juicy booze touches your tongue. IPA has easily been the most popular beer style of the last five years, but it’s falling out of fashion. The IPAs that people like these days are more floral and citrusy. They are fresh and lush, somewhere close to the opposite of what the popular IPAs were a few years ago. Though the lineup of IPAs is unavailable as of now, you can bet the Tortoise will be pouring some great ones. Head to 2417 East Indian School Road at noon for $5 pints in celebration of the faux holiday. Visit the Facebook event page. Chris Malloy
Aasif Mandvi
The title of Aasif Mandvi’s latest Phoenix appearance makes his intentions clear: The audience will be witness to the comedian’s creative process as he refines his routine. Dubbed Come See How The Sausage Is Made, the actor, author, and former Daily Show correspondent will share how he gets his material to the award-winning level audiences have laughed at for years. See the comedian run his material through the meat grinder at 7:30 and 10 p.m. on Friday, August 3, at Stand Up Live, 50 West Jefferson Street with additional shows on Saturday, August 4. Tickets are $25 with a two-drink minimum. For more information, visit the Stand Up Live website. Jason Keil
Check out the anti-Trump billboard when you hit ThirdSpace.
Benjamin Leatherman
It might be called “Historic” Grand Avenue, but that doesn’t mean the diagonal strip near downtown Phoenix is living in the past. See what we mean, as ThirdSpace, 1028 Grand Avenue, presents its latest Friday Night Live lineup, starting at 9 p.m. on Friday, August 3, and running until 2 a.m. on Saturday. It’s all about hip-hop, including a steady stream of free live performance, along with live art. The lineup includes DJs PsychoPat and Les 735 (AOTA), plus Sikeadelic Poise, Vitality MC, Gouda Black, Lil Willie Animal, and more. The MF Doom dedication set kicks off at 11:25 p.m. Visit the ThirdSpace Facebook page. Lynn Trimble
Mark-Making Robots
Vacuums have been around since 1901, but you don’t have to be a neat freak to enjoy one. Turns out, the roving Roomba Robot version can do a lot more than comb your carpets for pet hair. It’s a pretty good painter, too. Artist Bobby Zokaites will show you how it’s done during a free workshop called Mark-Making Robots, happening from noon to 2 p.m. on Saturday, August 4, at The Gallery at Tempe Center for the Arts, 700 West Rio Salado Parkway. While you’re there, you can whip up your own mark-making machine and check out Zokaites’ robot-assisted artworks in an art show called “Draw: The Art of Curiosity and Innovation.” Visit the Tempe Center for the Arts website. Lynn Trimble
Arizona Diamondbacks vs. San Francisco Giants
Imagine instead of costumed characters, the Diamondbacks Legends Race was run with the team’s flesh-and-blood legends: Randy Johnson, Luis Gonzalez, Matt Williams, and Mark Grace. There might be a lot of flesh and blood left on the ground, but it might be possible to run such a race on Saturday, August 4, when the Arizona Diamondbacks honor their 20th anniversary team before their game against the San Francisco Giants.
Johnson, Gonzalez, and Williams are all part of the honor squad, and Grace works for the team’s broadcast network, but don’t expect them to put on their track shoes anytime soon. There will, however be an alumni game at 2:30 p.m. before the start of the regular game at 5:10 p.m. The first 20,000 fans will receive a complimentary 20th-anniversary team T-shirt. Tickets start at $19. Visit the D-backs website. Stuart Warner
Stateside Sweet 16 Birthday Bash
The company that brought us Valley Bar, Crescent Ballroom, and The Van Buren is turning 16 on Saturday, August 4. So it’s time to party at the Stateside Sweet 16 Birthday Bash. DJs Sean Watson, A Claire Slattery and Stoneypie will start the night off by spinning dance tracks from MGMT, The Weeknd, the xx, Passion Pit, and Childish Gambino. This will be followed by a live performance from the band Poolside. Now, we know what you’re thinking: Will there be cake? Duh. Carnival games? It’s a given. Admission for the 21-and-up event is $10 in advance and $15 on the day of the show. To purchase tickets, head to the Ticketweb website. Lindsay Roberts
Kingdom Hearts Orchestra World Tour
Even if you are nerdy enough to own every iteration of the Kingdom Hearts video game and its soundtrack, you may want to buy your tickets for the Kingdom Hearts Orchestra World Tour, like, right now. Original soundtrack composer Yoko Shimomura will be headed to Symphony Hall, 75 North Second Street, at 8 p.m. on Saturday, August 4. A full orchestra will be playing fan favorites such as “Dearly Beloved” and “Simple and Clean.” Tickets start at $49 via the Ticketforce website. For more information or to invite friends, visit the Facebook event page. Lindsay Roberts
Strip it all away.
Courtesy of Davisson Entertainment
As the cliche goes, if public speaking makes you nervous, you should imagine the audience naked. “Stripped Cabaret: Un-Censored, Un-Hinged, Un-Derwear” flips that tired notion on its head. Some of Phoenix’s best performers, including Phoenix Theatre actors Toby Yatso and Trisha Ditsworth, will perform showstoppers in their skivvies, including numbers from the musicals The Book of Mormon and Kinky Boots. Proceeds from the performance will go to benefit the Valley’s newest theater company, Blk Box Phx. Strip it all away at 7:30 and 10:30 p.m. on Saturday, August 4, at Playhouse On The Park, 1850 North Central Avenue. Tickets are $25-$40. For more information, visit the Stripped Cabaret website. Jason Keil
Prowl and Play: Magical Midsummer Dream
Most of the Phoenix Zoo’s magic comes from the variety of creatures that call the place home. At Prowl and Play: Magical Midsummer Dream, it’s the humans who will be providing the weirdness and wizardry. This mythical, mystical after-hours party is your chance to frolic with fairies as you get your mind twisted by a magician and illusionist. There’s also games, live music, waterslides and a DJ. Aspiring sorcerers can hear Professor Fyrberg from the School of Wizardry drop some knowledge. The esoteric soiree takes place from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. on Saturday, August 4, at the Phoenix Zoo, 455 North Galvin Parkway. Admission is $10, and free for kids 2 and younger. Call 602-286-3800 or visit Phoenix Zoo website. Amy Young
Led Zeppelin Evening
Sure, Led Zeppelin may have broken up decades ago after the death of its legendary drummer, John Bonham. But their legacy remains, scratched into the desks of high school stoners everywhere, and in Jason Bonham, son of John. He’s bringing his Led Zeppelin Evening to the Valley this week, featuring epic covers of the band’s biggest hits, with all the lights, sounds, and atmospheric visual effects that ’70s audiences never would’ve dreamed of. And as the piece de resistance, Jason performs the epic drum solo from “Moby Dick” (off Led Zeppelin II) side-by-side with a video of his dad. Who needs a hologram? It all starts at 8 p.m. on Saturday, August 4, at the Talking Stick Resort Ballroom, 9800 East Talking Stick Way, Scottsdale. Tickets are $30 to $50 via Ticketmaster. For more info, visit the Talking Stick Resort website. Douglas Markowitz
“Sympathetic Vibrations”
There were good vibes aplenty as Eye Lounge, 419 East Roosevelt Street, opened its newest art show during Third Friday in July. But no worries if you didn’t make it to the gallery that night, because the “Sympathetic Vibrations” exhibit is still open, and you can take a good look from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Sunday, August 5. It’s a two-person show featuring mixed-media works by Tess Mosko Scherer and sculptures by David L. Bradley.
Mosko Scherer was inspired by Jungian psychology, and Bradley by his travels through war-torn regions. Taken together, they prompt reflection on the human condition, from both an individual and collective perspective. The exhibit continues through Sunday, August 12. Visit the Eye Lounge website. Lynn Trimble
Goof Bawlz
Promoter Bobby Johnson loves stand-up comedy. One problem to him, though? Lots of local comics don’t get to stand up long enough. He created the Goof Bawlz comedy show to “give current AZ comics who are funny and have a reasonable following a solid 7 to 10 minutes on the mic.” Former Arizona residents qualify, too, like this month’s headliner, Billy O’Connor. An NYC firefighter and 9/11 first responder prior to his move to Phoenix, he’s recently adopted a California address. He returns for a visit to inspire yuks along with eight other funny folks at 7:30 p.m. on Sunday, August 5, at Stand Up Live, 50 West Jefferson Street. Admission is $15 for 18 and older.
Attendance requires a two-drink minimum. Call 480-719-6100 or check out the Stand Up Live website. Amy Young
My Beloved World
It’s been nearly a decade since Associate Justice Sonia Sotomayor joined the U.S. Supreme Court. She’s the first Latina to serve on the court, after growing up in the Bronx borough of New York City with Puerto Rico-born parents and attending Yale Law School. Now, Phoenix playwright James Garcia is sharing his take on her journey, including her experiences with diabetes and a parent battling alcoholism, in an original play called My Beloved World, which will have its world premiere right here in the Valley. You can catch the first performance at 7 p.m. on Monday, August 6, on the intimate Kax Stage at Herberger Theater Center, 222 East Monroe Street.
Tickets are $7. It’s being presented by New Carpa Theater Company. Visit the Herberger Theater website. Lynn Trimble
Interactive Introverts
YouTube personalities Dan and Phil (last names Howell and Lester, respectively) are stepping out from behind the camera and headed onstage to meet their followers from around the world. As the tour’s title suggests, Interactive Introverts will be more than just an evening of emotional stories and fun from the former BBC DJs and inventors of the party game Truth Bombs. Fans are encouraged to get into the act by submitting content on the tour’s webpage (danandphil.com). Your video might become part of the show.
Let your insecurity get the best of you at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, August 7, at Comerica Theatre, 400 West Washington Street. Tickets are $48.50 to $83.50. For more information, visit the Comerica Theatre website. Jason Keil
“Collections and Curiosities”
Twice each month, art lovers converge on downtown Phoenix galleries for First and Third Friday art walks. But that’s just the tip of the proverbial iceberg when it comes to the metro Phoenix arts scene. Odds are, you’ve never explored the art offerings at Arts HQ Gallery in Surprise. But now’s a great time to give it a go, because they’re showing works by several artists that might not be on your radar just yet, in an exhibition called “Collections and Curiosities.” You can check it out the free show between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m. on Tuesday, August 7. Visit the West Valley Arts website. Lynn Trimble
Strong Towns Phoenix
What makes a city vibrant and strong? Is it diversity, economic prosperity, green spaces, or a thriving arts scene? Hear Chuck Marohn’s take during a free Strong Towns Phoenix gathering, happening at the A.E. England Building at Civic Space Park, 424 North Central Avenue, on Wednesday, August 8. Marohn is the founder and head of Strong Towns, a Minnesota-based nonprofit that explores development and the issue of building economic resilience. Show up at 5 p.m. for the reception, or 5:30 p.m. for the formal presentation. A discussion and Q&A session follows at 7 p.m. Visit the Strong Towns website. Lynn Trimble
The Desert is No Lady
Close your eyes for a minute, and see what pops up when you think about the Southwest. Is it wide open spaces? Cross-border collaborations? Water resources? Everyone’s got a different take on the Southwest, including nine women artists and writers featured in a 1995 film called The Desert is No Lady. It’s being screened at Phoenix Art Museum, 1625 North Central Avenue, at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, August 8. The 45-minute film shares the perspectives of women from Pueblo, Navajo, Mexican-American, and Anglo backgrounds. They work in various media, including painting, photography, and sculpture. Tickets are $5. Visit the Phoenix Art Museum website. Lynn Trimble
