THE HOT 5 An opinionated to-do list By Christopher Schobert January and February are positively huge—the inauguration, the Super Bowl, the Oscars—but there’s oh-so-much more happening locally. Consider these five events the inauguration, the Super Bowl, and the Oscars all rolled into one. Let’s call them the S-oscar-ation Bowls. And Hot 5 goes to … 1. Squeaky Wheel’s Peepshow: A Secret Worth Keeping Is there a better benefit than Squeaky Wheel’s Peepshow? If so, prove it. After all, Peepshow is both a fundraiser, and a helluva good time. This year’s theme—the delightfully mysterious “A Secret Worth Keeping”—is ideal in its open-endedness, and it will be fascinating to see how it will be interpreted by the participating artists, film, and video makers, and attendees, for that matter. Three years ago, the Peepshow—dubbed “the sexiest art party of the year”—was memorably held at the dark, wind-y Hotel Lenox, an event still talked about, while last year’s was held at the landmark Broadway Market. A new year brings a new locale, and this one seems an ideal fit: Dnipro, a.k.a. the Ukranian Cultural Center on Genesee Street. Dnipro is the kind of place that is absolutely beloved in WNY, but also a little under the radar. It is, quite simply, huge, and should provide a venue at once historic and wonderfully open to exploration. Just like a Peepshow. Saturday, February 21, at Dnipro, 562 Genesee St., Buffalo; 884-7172 or www.squeaky.org. 2. Winter Blues Festival We WNYers are truly lucky to be in such close proximity to Ellicottville, which might not quite be the “Aspen of the East” but is certainly worthy of being mentioned in the same breath as Hunter Thompson’s former stomping grounds (and ash depository), or even Canada’s Banff. It’s a skier’s dream, but offers much else for folks who, like me, have only moved that quickly when under the influence. The Winter Blues Festival is one of the weekend hot-spots greatest events, a lost weekend of drinks, food, and hardcore blues. It’s a great getaway, and, since Ellicottville is not far, won’t tax your wallet too severely. Friday, January 2, and Saturday, January 3, in bars and restaurants throughout Ellicottville; 800-349-9099 or www.ellicottvilleny.com. 3. Rain—A Tribute to the Beatles Beatles tributes tend to either be deliberately cartoon-y (Beatlemania!), affectionate parodies (the Rutles), or oddly maudlin. (I’ll never forget seeing a solid Beatle act in Las Vegas derail with a five-minute monologue on the death of John Lennon … way to bring down a crowd, faux-Beatles.) I haven’t seen them all, but certainly the toppermost of the poppermost is Rain: The Beatles Experience, which returns to Shea’s on February 20 and 21 following a sold-out performance last year. I found it to be pretty stunning—musically dead-on, visually (somewhat) accurate, and best of all, designed with a live audience in mind. The stage setup features several large video screens with vintage video clips, and Cher-esque costume changes. Of course, none of it would work if the performers did not adequately capture the nuances of Liverpudlian sound, and Rain pulls it off in a manner even the most ardent Fab Faux-ologist should judge as proper. Since the Beatles themselves never got to perform songs like “I Am the Walrus” and “Helter Skelter” live, it’s especially fun to hear these late-sixties triumphs. And let’s face it, all-things-Beatle are always in style. That means Rain has a lengthier shelf life than Something Good, the Herman’s Hermits tribute act. It’s the closest we’ll get to a Beatles reunion, so let’s come together, shall we? I’ve got a feeling that all we need is love, love me do, while my guitar gently weeps, etc. Friday, February 20, and Saturday, February 21, at 8 p.m. at Shea’s Performing Arts Center, 646 Main St., Buffalo; 847-1410 or www.sheas.org. 4. Polar Bites The Buffalo Zoo is H-O-T these days. The new rainforest exhibit—see an exploration of the exciting facility here—opened a few months ago, and is already one of the Zoo’s most popular spots. But fundraising is an important part of keeping the Zoo healthy, and here’s a great one: Polar Bites. The evening will feature food, wine, beer, and specialty services from establishments known and loved throughout the area. Past year’s have featured “animal ambassadors” from the Zoo—seriously!—which is beyond awesome, and there will also be basket and silent auctions. FYI: attendees must be twenty-one or older. (I wonder if that includes the animals?) Thursday, February 19, at 6 p.m. at the Buffalo Niagara Convention Center, 153 Franklin St., Buffalo; 995-6131 or www.buffalozoo.org. 5. Robert Burns Supper at the Amherst Museum Scottish poet Robert “Don’t call me Mr.” Burns may have passed away in 1796, but his legacy lives on—I mean, the guy wrote “Auld Lang Syne,” which you likely heard just before passing out on New Year’s Eve. Okay, so he might not be as sexy as Rimbaud, but Burns is probably Scotland’s most beloved poet, and the Amherst Museum is keeping his memory alive in WNY with this event. Interestingly, Burns suppers are held throughout the world, and usually conclude, appropriately, with “Auld Lang Syne.” So, should auld acquaintance be forgot, and never brought to mind? I say nay, and so did Robert Burns. Saturday, January 24, at the Amherst Museum, 3755 Tonawanda Creek Rd., Amherst; 689-1440 or www.amherstmuseum.org. Christopher Schobert’s first-ever concert was Ringo Starr and his All-Starr Band at Melody Fair, and it was fab. SUBSCRIBE NOW Back to the Table of Contents Back to Top