Drag dinners, dance nights, yoga, and trivia: Taylor Swiftthemed events are everywhere
Sound Check is the Globe’s weekly guide to concerts, tunes, and trends rooted in Boston and beyond. This column covers April 12-18.
If Taylor Swift thinks it’s exhausting “always rooting for the anti-hero,” wait until she learns how taxing it is to keep up with every event she’s inspired across Greater Boston.
In the wake of a particularly massive 2023 for the pop star — which included the release of “Speak Now (Taylor’s Version),” a billion-dollar haul from her “Eras” tour, and excessive coverage of her relationship with Super Bowl-winning beau Travis Kelce — cultural hubs in the area are catering to Swift’s feverish fandom with themed events, spanning yoga to candlelight cover concerts. And with the fast-approaching April 19 arrival of her 11th studio album, “The Tortured Poets Department,” in mind, many businesses have doubled down on the trend.
Sipping mimosas to the sound of Swiftian heartbreak? There’s an event for that: the “Rise & Remix Brunch (Taylor’s Version)” at Rail Stop in Brighton on April 20. Reliving the “Eras” tour by swapping friendship bracelets among fellow fans? There’s an outing for that too, an April 19 listening party and craft night hosted by Time Out Market. The Boston Public Library has even tapped into the trend and organized a tween fan celebration on April 20 at its Adams Street branch.
If you can name a type of event, it’s likely already been spun into a local tribute to Swift, as proven by bingo at Harpoon Brewery (Wednesday), a “drag dinner” at Summer Shack on Dalton Street (April 19), and dance nights at venues like the House of Blues (April 20) and the Middle East Downstairs (April 26).
Swiftie trivia in particular remains popular at taprooms like Night Shift Brewing in Everett, which will welcome casual and ardent fans for some friendly competition on Thursday.
To say the market has become saturated with Swiftie soirees would be putting it lightly. But for small restaurants, bars, and shops, indulging in a little fanfare can result in a big boost for business.
Alex Skinner, Night Shift’s taproom manager, says that their Taylor Swift trivia nights have been a reliable way to broaden the customer base and pack the brewery on otherwise quiet days. Next Thursday’s trivia night will be Night Shift’s third rendition of the event in roughly a year — more than they’d usually schedule for any other themed trivia night — but the demand has yet to taper. In fact, when these competitions sell out in advance, hopeful guests still call to inquire if there’s room for a few extra fans. It’s not uncommon for customers to request Night Shift’s Swift-inspired cocktails (which aren’t on the standard menu) on regular nights, either.
“During our slow months, it helps us survive,” Skinner explains. “When we first started proposing these events, I was a little skeptical, but after seeing [the success], there’s no denying the force and impact that she has.”
GIG GUIDE PinkPantheress showcases her dance-pop prowess on Friday at Royale for her “Capable of Love” tour. The English singer and producer has remained one of the most promising rising acts in recent years, bedazzling Ice Spice’s hip-hop on their collaboration “Boy’s a liar Pt. 2” and streamlining liquid drum and bass on her 2023 record “Heaven knows.” Nashville indie rock act WILLIS tout their just-released debut record “I Can’t Thank You Enough” at Brighton Music Hall on Friday; the following week at the venue, lovelytheband revive their late-2010s earworm “broken” alongside tracks from their 2023 release “if we’re being honest” on Thursday.
Fans of pop icons can head to the Berklee Performance Center on Friday and Saturday for the Michael Jackson Ensemble: Human Nature, the latest addition to the college’s “Signature Series” lineup. Meanwhile, the Contemporary Music Department at the New England Conservatory reinterprets the music of
David Bowie with a free show at Jordan Hall on Wednesday.
Rapper Waka Flocka Flame visits Big Night Live on Saturday with his new single “Foreva,” followed by a seductive rotation of R&B from Boston DJs including Real P and Baby Indiglo at the ever-popular “Silk” dance night on Sunday.
Movements and Tigers Jaw bring echoes of emo and indie rock to Roadrunner on Saturday with the “RUCKUS!” tour, while Cypress Hill blends ‘90s hip-hop gold and more modern cuts — perhaps the Barron Ricks collab “Tequila Sunrise” — at the group’s show on Thursday. Bad Bunny’s Most Wanted Tour springs into TD Garden on Wednesday. Mayor Michelle Wu feted the Puerto Rican star’s last Boston performance by declaring Aug. 18, 2022, “Bad Bunny Day” in the city, which Newbury Street shop Concepts commemorated last summer with a special model of Adidas sneakers.
NOW SPINNING Nia Archives, “Silence Is Loud.” On her first studio album, the British singer and producer professes her loneliness — then promptly drowns it out — with spasms of frantic electronica. “Without you, the silence is loud,” she admits on the title track, before stuffing the void with 13 songs’ worth of skittering beats and wisdom gleaned from her mid-20s.
Bad Bad Hats, “Bad Bad Hats.” It pays to be a Patreon supporter of Bad Bad Hats, who used the platform to accept fan-made songwriting prompts and gear up for their first self-produced record. Effortlessly cool yet peppered with whimsy (like Talking Heads-esque speech-singing on “TPA”), the Minneapolis band accessorizes their pop-rock with quirky hooks that’ll knock around noggins for days.
The Ballroom Thieves, “Sundust.” With vocals that melt into an unhurried backdrop of folksy instrumentals, the Massachusetts-born group sing, strum, and pluck their way toward a gentler world on the follow-up to their 2022 record “Clouds.” Languid as a Sunday afternoon, the album’s singles — “Tender” and “Casual” — spell out the band’s apparent mind-set when assembling their latest project.
BONUS TRACK Hours before this week’s solar eclipse, Missy Elliott announced the intergalactic-themed “Out of This World” tour featuring Busta Rhymes, Ciara, and Timbaland. The 24-date journey across North America — which stops at TD Garden on Aug. 10 – marks the rapper’s first headlining tour in her decades-spanning career. Tickets go on sale to the general public Friday at 10 a.m.