Willamette Weekend: 13 Things To Do and See In Portland, June 16-18

Portland Pride, a complication of VHS drug footage and benefit concerts with killer local lineups.

By WW Staff

>FRIDAY, JUNE 16

Poetic Justice Benefit Concert
While the MAX stabbings shook the entire city—and the whole country, really—it hit the local hip-hop community particularly hard, considering survivor Micah Fletcher is one of their own. Tonight, a host of Portland rap luminaries, including Cool Nutz, Mic Capes and Libretto, will perform to raise money for all three victims of the attack. Roseland Theater, 8 NW 6th Ave., 971-230-0033, roselandpdx.com. 7 pm. $12 advance, $15 day of show. All ages.

Mad & A Goat

(courtesy of Coho Productions)

CoHo Productions' Summerfest adds some weirdness to the Portland theater offseason. The first of five weekend-long runs of new plays sounds plenty strange: In order to avoid her student debt, a recent college grad moves to a goat farm/cult in rural Wyoming. CoHo Productions, 2257 NW Raleigh St., cohoproductions.org. 7:30 pm. $20.

Wonderland

In the opening sketch of Wonderland's new show, a woman decides to eat her lunch—a ridiculously large wet burrito—at the strange hour of 9:45 am. Her co-workers watch with horror and fascination as she spends the better part of the morning eating the burrito. Of course, the word "wet burrito" is said in almost every sentence. Not all the sketches live up to the unforced oddity of Wonderland at their best. Still, the show is worth it for its strong points. The cast wholeheartedly dedicates itself to Wonderland's nutball ethos and its delightful ability to exaggerate everyday oddities. The Siren Theater, 315 NW Davis St., wonderlandportland.com. 8 pm. $15-$20.

Queers in Space

Part Pride party, part acid trip, Bit House Saloon's "The Cockpit," a recurring deep house club staple, is throwing a two-story bash destined to resemble a night underneath Rite Aid at S1. Dubbed "Queers in Space," guests might find themselves in an early Britney Spears music video. Expect galactic go-go dancers in flight-attendant garb, trippy visuals bred for candyflipping and puddles of vodka soda beneath many of the urinals. In terms of the tunes, Sterling Moss is at the synth's helm all the way from London. But remember: There's music on both floors. Bit House Saloon, 727 SE Grand Ave., bithousesaloon.com. 9 pm. $10, 21+.SATURDAY, JUNE 17

What the Festival

The scene at What the Festival 2016.

Australian synth-pop act Cut Copy headlines this year's electronic music summer camp in the woods of Central Oregon, but depending on what you're on, the main attractions remain the giant wading pool and the glow of the Illuminated Forest. Wolf Run Ranch, 78889 Dufur Valley Road, Dufur, Ore., whatthefestival.com. June 16-19.

Portland Cheese and Beer Fest

(courtesy of Facebook)

Portland cheese king Steve Jones joins forces with some of the best breweries in the region to pair 10 Cascadia-made cheeses with 10 local beers at the Portland Beer and Cheese Fest, a gluttonous affair that also features artisan charcuterie and chocolate. Culmination Brewing, 2117 NE Oregon St., 971-254-9114, culminationbrewing.com. 1-4 pm. $35.

Liberty Ball: Máscaras, Blue Cranes, Hungry Ghost, Ritchie Young, DJ Eric Mast, Gran Ritmos DJs

This hodgepodge of adventurous local bands and DJs—ranging from the Blue Cranes' open-ended jazz to Loch Lomond ringleader Ritchie Young's masterful indie folk to however you want to classify Máscaras' wild rhythms—comes together in the name of resistance and protecting some of Portland's most vulnerable communities. Proceeds go to the ACLU, Ecotrust, the Sexual and Minority Youth Resource Center and the Immigrant and Refugee Community Organization. Revolution Hall, 1300 SE Stark St. #110, 503-288-3895. 6 pm. $20. All ages.

Slant: Live Queer Storytelling

Between all the Jell-O shots and showers you are forced to partake in so that you can de-glitter yourself before work, you might meander toward Mississippi Studios and momentarily take the backseat. Essentially, it's The Moth, but with all queer speakers, Slant is a platform for queer people to discuss the hard-hitting issues. We're talking everything from erotic Pokemon fan fiction to stripping for podcasts. Hosted by veteran performer SisterBritt, you'll get seven-minute stories from a variety of LGBTQ people, some of whom are traveling comedians Pride-hopping from city to city. Mississippi Studios, 3939 N Mississippi Ave., mississippistudios.com. 6 pm. $15.

Blow Pony's 10th Annual Queer Mutiny Fest NW

Any monthly foray into a Blow Pony party provides one with a war story or two to recount the following morning over a couple of mimos. That being said, Blow Pony: Pride Edition pulls out all the stops. For its first year in its new space, Blow Pony's Annual Queer Mutiny Fest features rap-infused hip-hop courtesy of DJ Airick X and a slew of RuPaul Drag Race contestants, such as Miss Peppermint and Laila McQueen. Bossanova Ballroom, 722 E. Burnside St., blowpony.com. 9 pm. $19. 21+.

This Is Your VCR on Drugs

(courtesy of Grand Illusion Cinema)

VCR combines footage from charmingly tacky drug-trip and drug-scare VHS tapes to create a compilation that is at once weird, witty, horrifying and never anything less than transfixing. Read our full review here. Hollywood Theatre, hollywoodtheatre.org. 9:30 pm. $9.

SUNDAY, JUNE 18

Portland Pride Parade

Portland Pride isn't just a parade. It's more like a giant party in the street where you see which huge companies are the most socially responsible and free condoms are thrown like confetti. The weekend kicks off Saturday at Waterfront Park with a performance by "drag clown" Carla Rossi. Starts at Northwest 8th Avenue and Davis Street, pridenw.org. 11 am. Free. All ages.

Snackdown

The Snackdown is the nuttiest throwdown of Portland Beer Week—and so, suitably, its last, pairing chefs and brewers together in a WWE-style main event. It's pairing against pairing, with trash talk on the mic and probably some scary chest hair and wigs. The Evergreen Ballroom (above Loyal Legion), 618 SE Alder St., pdxbeerweek.com. $49.

Good With People

In the one-act play, Helen (Devon Allen) owns a hotel in the strange Scottish town Helensburgh, which hosts seaside tourism, a nuclear weapons facility and a peace camp. Evan (Matt DiBiasio) grew up on the nuclear base and went to school with Helen's son, whom he brutally bullied. When he returns to his hometown for a visit, Evan unwittingly books a room at Helen's inn. Not surprisingly, they don't get along. Read our full review here. Performance Works NW, 4625 SE 67th Ave., ourshoesarered.org. 8 pm. $15-$10.

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