I Saw U at Julia's Bad Girls Brunch

You were full of the electricity. You went on stage and were fire itself. You took a pic with me in it. I waved, you showed me. You are so gorgeous!

Zen and the Art of Mandolin

five years ago maybe. we talked at a bus stop, our bus never came. you got a gig car and gave me a ride. tell me what bus stop it was. cheers <3

The party’s not over! Billie Eilish is bringing her Hit Me Hard and Soft tour to the Climate Pledge Arena this winter. Slipknot has also announced a tour celebrating the 25th anniversary of their debut self-titled album. Plus, P!nk will fly through the Tacoma Dome this September. Read on for details on those and other newly announced events, plus some news you can use.

Tickets go on sale at 10 am unless otherwise noted.

ON SALE FRIDAY, MAY 3

MUSIC

AJ Rafael
Neumos (Sat Sept 28)

American Aquarium
Neumos (Sun Nov 10)
On sale at 7 am

Animals As Leaders
The Showbox (Thurs Oct 31)

On Saturday, May 4, some of the Pacific Northwest's funniest people will take the stage at the Egyptian Theatre as part of The Stranger's Undisputable Geniuses of Comedy showcase. Andy Iwancio! Dan Hurwitz! Chris Mejia! Monica Nevi! Juno Men! Bernice Larson! Kermet Apio! And headliner Sam Miller! Plus, the whole night will be hosted by Emmett Montgomery, beloved weirdo, host of Friendship Dungeon and Joketellers Union, and one of 2023's Undisputable Geniuses.

It's going to be very funny! I hope you come! Tickets are available here! Exclamation points!

Lesson learned: Earlier this week, Ashley called me out for being a “corporate shill” because I used Accuweather for my forecast instead of the National Weather Service. My bad! The National Weather Service is forecasting a suuuuuuper nice day—sunny with a high of 63!

Popular University for Gaza: I overheard two students at UW sorta laughing at how small the Progressive Student Union’s (PSU) encampment was early yesterday afternoon, but not 10 minutes later a bunch of students from the United Front for Palestinian Liberation (UF) rolled in with tents, easily doubling the size of the occupation to a steady population of 150. According to the UF’s media liaison, the students plan to stay in the quad until the University meets their demands: Divest from Israel, cut ties with Boeing, and stop repressing Palestinian students and faculty. 

NOW: A large group of student advocates are setting up more tents at the quad at UW, at least doubling the existing Gaza solidarity encampment that's already calling for the Universoty to divest from Israel pic.twitter.com/9PrpN2VXIz

— Hannah Krieg (@hannahkrieg) May 1, 2024

Seattle Police Chief Adrian Diaz must soon decide how to discipline Seattle Police Officer Burton Hill after the Office of Police Accountability (OPA) found that Hill violated the department’s bias and professionalism policies when he hurled racist and sexist slurs at his Chinese-American neighbor in August 2022. In the past, officers who made racist comments, even off-duty, have faced severe discipline, including termination.

OPA opened the investigation into Hill in September 2023 after a Chinese social services organization filed a complaint on behalf of Hill’s neighbor, Zhen Jin. The complaint said that on August 29, 2022, Hill and his partner Agnes Miggins initiated an argument with Jin, during which Hill used a racial slur for East Asians, calling Jin a “dumb fucking ch***” as well as referring to her by a sexist term for women, calling her a c***. Hill also told Jin, “You’re going to jail.” The Chinese Information and Services Center (CISC) provided the OPA with a recording of the encounter and said Jin feared for her safety. 

On Saturday, May 4, some of the Pacific Northwest's funniest people will take the stage at the Egyptian Theatre as part of The Stranger's Undisputable Geniuses of Comedy showcase. Andy Iwancio! Dan Hurwitz! Chris Mejia! Monica Nevi! Juno Men! Bernice Larson! Kermet Apio! And headliner Sam Miller! Plus, the whole night will be hosted by Emmett Montgomery, beloved weirdo, host of Friendship Dungeon and Joketellers Union, and one of 2023's Undisputable Geniuses.

It's going to be very funny! I hope you come! Tickets are available here! Exclamation points!

As we approach National Bike Month, I just want to issue a quick reminder to our car and pedestrian friends that they, too, must conduct themselves accordingly to avoid major road catastrophes. But most of all I would like to address the runners taking up the bike lane. 

Bike lanes are our only refuge. We don’t get the safety of sidewalks, roller-skaters also lay claim our lanes, and we’re risking our lives when we share the horribly managed roads with Seattle’s shite drivers. So, please, please, please leave them for us. 

Welcome to May, the homestretch of spring that brings with it a host of major local happenings, fun holidays, and chances to reap the bounties of April showers. To help guide you through all of the options, we've compiled a curated version of our top picks below—you can also browse a more comprehensive collection of this month's biggest offerings over on our May events calendar, but here, you'll just read about the things that excite us the most. Read on for options ranging from Kathleen Hanna - Rebel Girl: My Life as a Feminist Punk to Pearl Jam and from the Seattle International Film Festival to Seattle Beer Week.

COMEDY

Ben Schwartz & Friends
Your first encounter with Ben Schwartz may have been his role as wannabe baller Jean-Ralphio Saperstein on Parks and Recreation. Since then, he's voiced Sonic the Hedgehog (a role that oddly suits his fast-paced comedy style) and starred in three Netflix improv specials. He'll drop by Seattle on the heels of last year's schlocky horror-comedy Renfield, in which he appeared alongside Nicolas Cage as Dracula. LINDSAY COSTELLO
Paramount Theatre, Downtown (Sun May 5)

Not to vilify the Seattle City Council, but on Tuesday they did some villain shit when they voted 7-2 to reject the Connected Communities Pilot program, which would have offered development incentives for low-income, community-centered housing at no cost to the City. The vote flies in the face of their campaign promises to “talk less, do more,” listen to stakeholders, and promote “gentle density” to avoid displacement in the quest to mitigate the housing crisis. 

Council Member Tammy Morales started working on her Connected Communities Pilot program more than two years ago. She introduced it to the previous council last Septemeber and then held five committee meetings with her new colleagues even though the council usually votes after just two. 

WEDNESDAY 5/1  

Fat Ham

(THEATER) I can’t tell you everything I want to tell you about Fat Ham. Maybe that James Ijames’s critically acclaimed adaptation of Hamlet—which moves the tragic story to a modern-day Southern family barbecue—won the 2022 Pulitzer Prize for Drama and was nominated for five Tonys is enough to convince you to see it. But if you, like me, never cultivated a deep love of—or even minor appreciation for—Shakespeare’s work then you, like me, might assume it’s not your ~vibe~. But dismissing Fat Ham would mean missing the emotional karaoke scene that melted my bitter Gen X heart into a puddle of weepy empathy for Juicy, the queer Black Hamlet of the story (powerfully portrayed by Taj E.M. Burroughs). You'd also miss hilarious performances from Chip Sherman (one-half of local drag duo LüChi) and Felicia V. Loud (of Seattle's own Black Stax). Worst of all, not seeing Fat Ham would mean not crying joyful tears when [redacted] struts onstage wearing a [redacted], launching the play into a [redacted] filled with [redacted] and [redacted]. (No spoilers!) Roll your eyes at Shakespeare all you want, but do not miss Fat Ham. (Bagley Wright Theater, 155 Mercer St, multiple showtimes through May 12, $20-$105) MEGAN SELING

On Saturday, May 4, some of the Pacific Northwest's funniest people will take the stage at the Egyptian Theatre as part of The Stranger's Undisputable Geniuses of Comedy showcase. Andy Iwancio! Dan Hurwitz! Chris Mejia! Monica Nevi! Juno Men! Bernice Larson! Kermet Apio! And headliner Sam Miller! Plus, the whole night will be hosted by Emmett Montgomery, beloved weirdo, host of Friendship Dungeon and Joketellers Union, and one of 2023's Undisputable Geniuses.

It's going to be very funny! I hope you come! Tickets are available here! Exclamation points!

Seattle City Council rejects more dense affordable housing: It would be cool if nonprofits and developers could build larger and taller buildings than zoning codes allow if they had affordable housing and/or community spaces, but only bill sponsor Tammy Morales and councilmember Dan Strauss voted to make that happen. The Seattle Times reports that some new council members said the city should address zoning as part of a larger planning effort instead of passing a lone bill. Before the vote, Strauss proposed a NIMBY-friendly amendment reducing the amount of additional density the bill allowed, but most of the council even rejected that.

ICYMI: Yesterday, I reported that Northwest Film Forum is struggling and cut nearly half of its staff to offset a financial deficit. The vital resource for Seattle filmmakers is not anywhere near closing, but it is enduring a hard time for nonprofits, especially for one that screens cool movies for a relatively niche audience.

Yesterday the Northwest Film Forum laid off nearly half of its small staff. Executive director Derek Edamura confirmed the cuts and said the nonprofit is struggling, but not closing.https://t.co/UUpPI7BG0F

— The Stranger 🗞 (@TheStranger) April 30, 2024

If you’re in Interbay on a Thursday or Friday evening, in the sidewalkless industrial district just southwest of the Ballard Bridge, you might spot a sandwich board that promises a tasting room serving locally made amaro. It’s a little tricky to find, but let the sandwich boards guide you: toward some warehouses, through a parking lot down by the train tracks, and to a specific door. Look for the neon sign that depicts a bowtie made of recycle arrows. Okay, they’re supposed to be hearts. That’s the SennzaFinne logo.

Does it feel weird to just walk into some warehouse with no concierge, like someone will yell at you and ask what you’re doing there? Yes. But listen, it’s cool. Enter the building beneath the recycle bowtie, and continue past the coffee roasters on the left and the motorcycle… welding… workshop… on the right. Proceed toward the Christmas lights at the end of the fluorescent corridor. Narrow your eyes. Oh my god, it’s true. There’s a little cocktail bar in the distance. 

Northwest Film Forum laid off nearly half of its employees yesterday.

Executive director Derek Edamura confirmed that management told the small staff about cuts over Zoom calls on Monday. Five people were laid off immediately, and two more will be laid off in the next three months, adding up to about 50% of staff. 

In a Tuesday phone call, Edamura told The Stranger that the Forum is not at risk of closing. He said the “hard” decision to cut staff is a short-term strategy to avoid long-term financial deficits and any cuts to programming this year.