Music❯Metal

Meet the Tokyo Kanpai Boys, Japan's funniest stand-up comedians bringing brand-new material and a wildly entertaining look at life & comedy through Japanese eyes.

Featuring Kansei Yasuda, Daniel Wilson, Shota Saimu and Daisuke Muramoto.

Whether they're explaining Japanese dating culture, exposing everyday misunderstandings between East and West, or simply proving that awkwardness is universal in every language, Tokyo Kanpai Boys delivers a show that's packed with laughs.

Don’t miss this unforgettable night of international comedy that bridges cultures through laughter. Cheers ("Kanpai!") to that. 🍻

Featuring:

Kansei Yasuda

Originally from Tokyo and now based in Toronto, Kansei is one of the fastest-rising international comics working today. A Golden Ticket winner on Kill Tony, he has toured throughout North America and Asia, earning acclaim for his energetic storytelling, sharp cultural observations, and brilliantly unpredictable style.

Daniel Wilson

A Japanese-American comedian based in Tokyo, Daniel has built a massive global following through his viral "Let Me Teach You Some Japanese" videos, earning over200,000 Instagram followers and 5.5 million TikTok likes. Trained at Japan's prestigious Watanabe Comedy School, he combines Japanese and American comedy traditions into a style that's both insightful and endlessly relatable.

Shota Saimu

Known for his deceptively quiet stage presence and devastating punchlines, Shota has become a favorite among audiences in both Japan and the United States. Performing in both English and Japanese, his dry delivery, understated confidence, and viral online clips have made him one of Japan's most exciting emerging comedic voices.

Daisuke Muramoto

One of Japan's most recognizable comedians, Muramoto first rose to fame as half of the legendary manzai duo Woman Rush Hour, appearing on hundreds of television programs before reinventing himself as one of Japan's boldest stand-up voices. His acclaimed documentary I Am a Comedian chronicles his journey from mainstream celebrity to internationally touring performer whose fearless comedy tackles politics, culture, and identity.

Management reserves the right to prevent customers from entering the facility who they deem disruptive or dangerous to other patrons.

Portland Art Museum invites the community to join a Free First Thursday event, offering free admission to the museum for all, plus a Live Wire event as part of the Literary Arts Portland Book Festival. Visitors can take in the afternoon gallery pop-ups, the evening show, or both!

4:30 – 6 p.m. — Free, pre-show, pop-up performances will take place throughout the Museum’s galleries. Performers are poet and rapper Dessa, bestselling children’s author Mac Barnett, Pulitzer Prize Finalist Ed Park, and Portland comedian Mx. Dahlia Belle.

Free First Thursday tickets can be reserved online one week in advance and are also available at the door.

7 p.m. — Enjoy a fully seated, ticketed Live Wire taping hosted by Luke Burbank with announcer Elena Passarello, featuring a blend of interviews, comedy, and music performed live for the audience, then edited into an episode for broadcast to over 200 public radio stations nationwide. Performers are poet and rapper Dessa, bestselling children’s author Mac Barnett, Pulitzer Prize Finalist Ed Park, and Portland comedian Mx. Dahlia Belle. Doors will open at 6:30pm.

GA Tickets are $15. Preferred Seating is $40. Discounts available to Portland Book Festival passholders.

Dessa is a singer, rapper, and writer who fell in love with language as a toddler—and just never got over it. Now, she works in fields that traffic in words: she’s recorded rap bangers as part of the fiercely independent Doomtree collective, released a live album with the Grammy-winning Minnesota Orchestra; contributed to The New York Times and National Geographic Traveler; delivered a TED Talk on the intersection of romance and neuroscience that’s notched more than 4 million views; hosted 2 seasons of behavioral science podcast Deeply Human (BBC/American Public Media); and published a memoir recounting most of the above called My Own Devices (Penguin Random House).

Mac Barnett, the 2025–2026 National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature, is a New York Times bestselling author of stories for children. Mac’s books have won many prizes, including two Caldecott Honors, three New York Times/New York Public Library Best Illustrated Children’s Book Awards, three E. B. White Read Aloud Awards and the Boston Globe–Horn Book Award, as well as several international prizes. He lives in Oakland, California. His latest book, illustrated by X. Fang, is Tom Nancy: The Sheep Who Swapped Brains with a Boy. From two of the most exciting picture book makers today comes a hilarious trickster tale and Freaky Friday switcheroo story: a sneaky, cheeky sheep named Tom Nancy has a brain swap proposal for an innocent farm boy named Felix that will change both of their lives forever. Laugh-out-loud, subversive, and totally unexpected.

Ed Park is the author of the novels Personal Days and Same Bed Different Dreams. He is a founding editor of The Believer, and has worked in newspapers, book publishing, and academia. His writing appears in The New Yorker, The New York Review of Books, Harper’s Magazine, The Atlantic, and elsewhere. Profound, wily, and beautifully wrought, his new book Three Tenses: A Transmission from the Nineties is a meeting of memory and myth, confession and obfuscation, coalescing to offer a singular picture of creativity in action.

The princess of Portland comedy, best known for her breakout performance on the popular Netflix special Hannah Gadsby’s Gender Agenda, Mx. Dahlia Belle has been compared to a Swiss Army knife—different tools to extract sharpness, softness, vulnerability, hope, and wicked wit. She’s been declared one of “11 Trans Comedians… Funnier Than Dave Chappelle” by Out Magazine, repeatedly featured on NPR, and has written for Cosmopolitan Magazine, The Guardian, The Stranger, and Portland Mercury. Her live performances have included NW Black Comedy Festival, Upper Left Comedy Festival, SF Sketchfest, and an awkward conversation with John Waters and Piers Morgan. In the upcoming live taping of her comedy special Affirmed at Polaris Hall on November 22nd, Mx. Dahlia Belle delivers 60 new minutes of stand-up to celebrate and affirm being human in the modern world through a combination of the wholesome and mundane, anecdotes about house cats, liscivious foibles of the LGBT community, and an unapologetic account of her personal journey with gender-affirming care, all delivered with her trademark free form wit.

Free First Thursdays at the Museum and PAM CUT’s Tomorrow Theater aligns with the revitalization of the long-standing Portland art galleries’ tradition of opening their doors for openings, receptions, and events on the first Thursday of each month. In recent months art and culture organizations have joined to bring back this popular activity, including the Pacific Northwest College of Art and the Oregon Jewish Museum and Center for Holocaust Education in the North Park Blocks.

Generous support provided by Art Bridges Foundation’s Access for All program.

It took Cam all of 3 weeks to drop out of college at FAMU to pursue comedy full time at the age of 19. Cam recently appeared on Season 16 of ‘America’s Got Talent’ receiving a “Yes” from all 4 celebrity judges, Simon Cowell, Heidi Klum, Sophia Vergara, and Howie Mandel. In 2019, Cam Bertrand became the youngest comic to win the 'Florida's Funniest' competition, beating out over 300 comics, previous winners include Daniel Tosh, Bert Kreischer, Preacher Lawson and JB Ball. In that same year, Cam also became the youngest comedian to record his own half hour comedy special with DryBar comedy, his special 'Sophisticated Ignorance' which has garnered over 140 million total views since its release. Cam has built up a social media following of nearly 1 Million Followers on TikTok, 176k on Instagram, 270k on Facebook, and 47k on Youtube. He has also worked with some of the biggest names in comedy today including: Joe Rogan, Andrew Schulz, Matt Rife, Bert Kreischer, Pete Davidson, Hannibal Buress, Michael Che, Josh Blue, and Mike Epps. Couple's Package includes: - 2 premium seats - $90 food & beverage credit ($45 per person)- Gratuity - Ticket Protection Management reserves the right to prevent customers from entering the facility who they deem disruptive or dangerous to other patrons.

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From humble beginnings 50 years ago busking on the streets of Philadelphia, to acclaimed sold–out runs on Broadway and renown as the longest-running and one of the most-beloved resident headline acts in Las Vegas history, magic’s legendary duo — Penn Jillette and Teller — continue to defy labels (and at times physics and good taste), by redefining the genre of magic and inventing their own very distinct niche in comedy.

The current hit series Penn & Teller: Fool Us! for The CW Network, on which up-and-comers and magic veterans try to fool Penn & Teller for a chance to star in the pair’s hit Las Vegas stage show, was nominated for a Critics’ Choice Award and has been renewed for an unprecedented 12th season. The show is the longest continual American magic television series in history, introducing the art to new fans and cultivating new generations of innovators within the craft.

Twice named “Magicians of the Year” by the Academy of Magical Arts, the equivalent of the Oscars in magic, they were named the 2024 Masters Fellowship recipients, the highest honor the Academy bestows. The pair live in Las Vegas, where they are engaged in their community, acting as honorary chairmen for AFAN (Aid for AIDS Nevada), raising and donating nearly $2 million and serving as grand marshals for AFAN’s annual Las Vegas AIDS Walk for the past 23 years. Through their involvement with Opportunity Village, which assists in employment placement and lifestyle betterment for those living with intellectual disabilities, they have raised over $1 million. The annual blood drive, Penn & Teller’s 13 Bloody Days of Christmas, has resulted in over 85,000 donors since its inception. In 2023, they took part in the USO’s annual Christmas tour, entertaining thousands of servicemen and servicewomen in bases across Europe.

In 2025, the pair celebrated 50 years as innovators in combining smart, edgy comedy with their unique magical style.

British breakthrough Brett Goldstein has swiftly cemented his status as a formidable creative force, both on and off screen.

Goldstein most recently starred opposite Jennifer Lopez in the Netflix’s irreverent romantic comedy “Office Romance,” which he also co-wrote and produced alongside Joe Kelly. The film immediately soared to the No. 1 spot globally, drawing an astonishing 20.9 million views in its opening weekend.

He also continues to push creative boundaries as co-creator and executive producer of the cathartic comedy “Shrinking,” alongside Jason Segel and Bill Lawrence. The Emmy-nominated Apple TV series is currently in production on its fourth season. In addition to his work behind the scenes, Goldstein’s pivotal guest performance has drawn widespread critical acclaim. His contributions to the series have earned him a BAFTA TV Craft Award nomination for ‘Writer: Comedy,’ a SAG Award nomination for ‘Outstanding Ensemble,’ and a 2024 WGA nomination for ‘New Series.’

Goldstein first broke through as writer, executive producer, and star of the Apple TV phenomenon “Ted Lasso,” set to return for its fourth season in August. His brash yet lovable performance as Roy Kent previously earned him two consecutive Primetime Emmy Awards for ‘Best Supporting Actor in a Comedy’ – the first back-to-back win in the category in nearly 15 years. He also received a Critics Choice Award, Golden Globe nomination, and shared in the SAG Award for ‘Outstanding Ensemble,’ along with the WGA Awards for ‘Best Comedy Series’ and ‘Best New Series.’

Most recently, it was announced that Goldstein will create and star in the male escort comedy series “Escorted” for Amazon MGM Studios. This is on the heels of bringing his signature charm and sharp wit to HBO with his first stand-up special, “The Second Best Night of Your Life,” following a sold-out North American tour. The special earned him nominations at the 2026 Golden Globe Awards and Critics Choice Awards.

In film, Goldstein stars in Kornél Mundruczó’s latest drama “At the Sea” alongside Amy Adams and Murray Bartlett, which had its world premiere at the 2026 Berlin Film Festival. He also lent his voice to Craig Mazin’s animated feature “The Sheep Detectives” for Amazon MGM Studios. This follows his devasting performance opposite Imogen Poots in “All of You,” a humorous and heart-wrenching romantic drama he also co-wrote and produced. The film premiered at the 2024 Toronto International Film Festival, later screened at BFI London, and is now streaming on Apple TV.

The tour de force also hosts the iHeartRadio award-winning podcast “Films to Be Buried With,” which finds him in candid, often hilarious conversations with special guests as they discuss the films that have shaped them.

He has no time for dinner.

It took Cam all of 3 weeks to drop out of college at FAMU to pursue comedy full-time at the age of 19. Cam recently appeared on Season 16 of America’s Got Talent,’receiving a “Yes” from all 4 celebrity judges, Simon Cowell, Heidi Klum, Sophia Vergara, and Howie Mandel.

In 2019, Cam Bertrand became the youngest comic to win the Florida's Funniest competition, beating out over 300 comics. Previous winners include Daniel Tosh, Bert Kreischer, Preacher Lawson and JB Ball. In that same year, Cam also became the youngest comedian to record his own half-hour comedy special with DryBar comedy, his special Sophisticated Ignorance, which has garnered over 140 million total views since its release. He has also worked with some of the biggest names in comedy today, including Joe Rogan, Andrew Schulz, Matt Rife, Bert Kreischer, Pete Davidson, Hannibal Buress, Michael Che, Josh Blue, and Mike Epps.

From humble beginnings 50 years ago busking on the streets of Philadelphia, to acclaimed sold–out runs on Broadway and renown as the longest-running and one of the most-beloved resident headline acts in Las Vegas history, magic’s legendary duo — Penn Jillette and Teller — continue to defy labels (and at times physics and good taste), by redefining the genre of magic and inventing their own very distinct niche in comedy.

Their Off-Broadway debut in 1985 electrified New York with a stage show the likes of which had never been seen. Combining magic, comedy, and social commentary in a theatrical event the New York Times said was a “A witheringly funny…Brazen assault on the temple of magic,” the show moved to Broadway in 1987, the first of three eponymously titled Broadway runs. Their efforts in New York have been awarded an Obie and a Lucille Lortel Award. Their most recent return to Broadway, hailed as “Deliciously Demented” by USA Today, was the highest-grossing non-musical for the entirety of its run, even out-grossing Hamilton for one week.

Performing nearly 300 live shows every year from the stages of America’s greatest performing arts venues as well as the Sydney Opera House and London’s Apollo Theatre, their record-breaking Las Vegas show at The Rio Hotel & Casino has an amazing 10 wins, including 2025, as “Las Vegas Magicians of the Year” and was called “The single best show in Vegas,” by the Los Angeles Times.

The current hit series Penn & Teller: Fool Us! for The CW Network, on which up-and-comers and magic veterans try to fool Penn & Teller for a chance to star in the pair’s hit Las Vegas stage show, was nominated for a Critic’s Choice Award and has been renewed for an unprecedented 12th season. The show is the longest continual American magic television series in history, introducing the art to new fans and cultivating new generations of innovators within the craft.

Hundreds of outrageous appearances on everything from Fallon to Friends, The Simpsons to Colbert, Modern Family to Big Bang Theory, Dancing With The Stars to The Masked Singer, plus their own specials for NBC, ABC, PBS and Comedy Central have garnered them an Emmy, a Writers Guild Award, and their own star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. The controversial Showtime series, Penn & Teller: BS! was nominated for 13 Emmys and was the longest-running series in the history of the network. The show highlighted the pair’s ardent skepticism by tackling the fakes and frauds behind such topics as alien abduction, psychics, and bottled water.

In recent years they have become acclaimed documentarians with the BAFTA-nominated Sony Pictures Classic release, Tim’s Vermeer, which follows Texas-based inventor Tim Jenison on his quest to discover the methods used by Dutch Master painter Johannes Vermeer. Their other films, the critically-lauded feature The Aristocrats and the Showtime short The Gambler’s Ballad, were met with wide praise.

The Olivier-nominated Magic Goes Wrong, written and created in collaboration with Mischief Theatre (creators of the Tony-nominated The Play That Goes Wrong), played at London’s West End Vaudeville Theatre, setting a box office pre-sale record. The Daily Mail hailed it as a “Spellbinding romp,” while The Sun theater critic raved, “I’ll be laughing into next week.” In 2024, they had two shows running Off-Broadway as creators and producers: the Magic Goes Wrong spin-off The Mind Mangler, which returned to London’s West End in
March, and the technology/magic/thriller Stalker.

As individuals, they are just as prolific. Teller directed versions of Macbeth and The Tempest which toured to raves from The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal, co-wrote and directed the Off-Broadway thriller Play Dead and has written two books. Penn has written five books, including the New York Times Best Sellers “God No!” and “Presto”. For his role in this year’s critically acclaimed Oscar-nominated film, Marty Supreme, he was nominated for an Actor Award (formerly the SAG Awards), alongside co-stars Timothee Chalamet and Gwyneth Paltrow.

Twice named “Magicians of the Year” by the Academy of Magical Arts, the equivalent of the Oscars in magic, they were named the 2024 Masters Fellowship recipients, the highest honor the Academy bestows. The pair live in Las Vegas where they are engaged in their community, acting as honorary chairmen for AFAN (Aid for AIDS Nevada), raising and donating nearly $2 million and serving as grand marshals for AFAN’s annual Las Vegas AIDS Walk for the past 23 years. Through their involvement with Opportunity Village, which assists in employment placement and lifestyle betterment for those living with intellectual disabilities, they have raised over $1 million. The annual blood drive, Penn & Teller’s 13 Bloody Days of Christmas, has resulted in over 85,000 donors since its inception. In 2023, they took part in the USO’s annual Christmas tour, entertaining thousands of servicemen and servicewomen in bases across Europe.

In 2025, the pair celebrated 50 years as innovators in combining smart, edgy comedy with their unique magical style.

Thursday, November 5th, 2026 6:30PM Roseland Theater All Ages General Admission Floor | 21 & Over Reserved Seating Balcony No refunds or exchanges. Tickets are non-transferable. Will Call name changes not permitted. Print at home tickets can be...

Saturday, November 28th, 2026 7:00PM Roseland Theater All Ages General Admission Floor | 21 & Over Reserved Seating Balcony No refunds or exchanges. Tickets are non-transferable. Will Call name changes not permitted. Print at home tickets can be...

What do you get when Don Lemon, award-winning journalist, and DL Hughley, one of the original Kings of Comedy, and highly recognized stand-up comedians come together for a night of conversation?

Expect the unexpected from these two brilliant minds doing their public service while taking you on a journey exploring topics spanning everything from social issues, race, pop-culture and current events. Nothing is off limits!

Halfway through the four-year touring cycle for their eighth full-length record Gnosis, Chicago-based instrumental trio Russian Circles hit the two-decade anniversary of their formation. One might expect a band to capitalize on such a major milestone. Instead, guitarist Mike Sullivan, drummer Dave Turncrantz, and bassist/keyboardist Brian Cook spent 2024 unceremoniously touring in support of their most recent album across Australia, South America, Europe, and North America. After all, this is the work ethic that built Russian Circles into one of the biggest heavy instrumental rock bands in the world. This is a band with no hit songs. No fan consensus on their best album. Just a reputation for consistency and quality.

Not that things haven’t changed in the last 22 years. The band is now spread out between Chicago, Los Angeles, and a rural island off the coast of Seattle. While the trio insists their music is a confluence of broad-ranging influences-the formidable Touch & Go artists of the Midwest, the prog giants of late ’60s and early ’70s England, the hypnotic motorik and kosmische grooves of West Germany, the international underground’s most caustic strains of metal-it is fair to say Russian Circles’ adventurous diversity has evolved into its own distinct sound. As one of the notoriously press-shy members anonymously mentioned, “the music we make is a collective process of reconciliation, navigation, and reflection upon aging both as individuals and as a creative entity. Life has created very real distances between us, but the band continues to be at the center, and this creative collaboration is a way of charting the passage of time while also giving us a reason to look to the future.” On their latest album, Nine, the band triangulates their relative positions into singular seismic long-form album-oriented soundtracks to the trials and tragedies of life in the modern age.

For Nine, Russian Circles adhered to their strategy from Blood Year (2019) and Gnosis (2022) by teaming up with engineer Kurt Ballou (Converge, Mastodon, High on Fire). Basic tracking took place at Electrical Audio in Chicago while the finishing touches occurred at Ballou’s GodCity Studio in Salem, Massachusetts. Recording at Electrical Audio allowed the band to retain a thread to their earliest endeavors, with the band having recorded at Steve Albini’s exalted studio as far back as their debut album Enter (2006). The relationship with Ballou is a more recent development stemming back to the band’s sixth album Guidance (2016), owing to his ability to highlight the weight and entropy of metal and hardcore bands in their natural environment while enhancing the clarity and articulation often lost in walls of distortion.

Nine continues Russian Circles’ unhurried evolution and disciplined refinement, leaning into their strengths while pushing at the boundaries of their sound. Album opener “Borehole” offers what might be the band’s closest approximation of a traditional rock song schematic, with a structure of repeating parts that takes the listener on a journey promising hope only to bring them full circle to the dark, desolate, and dystopian futility of the song’s namesake: Russia’s abandoned Kola Superdeep Borehole. From there, the band launches into a ferociously concise overview of metal battle tactics with “Empath”-where a Godflesh-style bass crunch and tornado siren drone ushers in thrash-inspired guitars, venomous black metal attacks, d-beat forays, a deliciously knuckleheaded hardcore breakdown, and a final scorched earth war metal riff, all in just under five minutes. Side A closes with Nine‘s grand centerpiece-the patiently cataclysmic “Eluvial.” Centered around the kind of ping-ponging delayed guitar patterns that Brian Eno and The Edge developed for The Joshua Tree, guitarist Mike Sullivan slowly unfurls a winding, linear melody against the backdrop of drummer Dave Turncrantz’s Latin-rhythm-inspired groove and Brian Cook’s pairing of grinding bass and stuttering electronics. “Eluvial” slowly builds to an apex, leaving only the vaguest breadcrumb trail of obscured percussive and melodic motifs to the song’s final cleansing tempest.

The latter half of Nine builds on Russian Circles’ aural expansion. Side B opens with bottom-end synth pulses, dubby bass lines, serpentine finger-tapped guitar patterns, and nimble rhythmic shifts on “E2.” On “Meridian,” the band once again employs the slow-build strategies of their post-rock inclinations, with Turncrantz’s propulsive drums and Sullivan’s Steve Reich-esque arpeggios giving the song a sense of constant forward momentum, perfectly suited for gliding along the expressways of towering metropolises on neon nights. The album ends with the light and dark contrast of “Arletta” and “Seventh Seal.” Much like Cliff Burton-era Metallica’s penchant of pairing melancholic classical guitar passages with the blunt force trauma of their heaviest tracks, so does the stark beauty of Sullivan’s nylon string solo composition usher in the band’s most unapologetically straightforward metallic assault.

The album art for Nine consists of photographs of Snowpile for Chicago, a sculpture by Tony Tasset that’s been on display in the windows of Chicago Public Library’s West Town Branch since 2004-the year Russian Circles formed. Constructed out of cast bronze, brass, fiberglass, resin, and oil paint, Snowpile for Chicago is a convincing recreation of the mounds of dirty snow that occupy city streets throughout Midwest winters. The inclusion of this image is partially a nod to the band’s hometown, but more importantly serves as an analogy for Russian Circles’ music. It’s a meticulously crafted piece that documents a cold, harsh, and ugly reality. Even though this artifact captures something that is unpleasant, its rendering by human hands gives it a quality of striking beauty. There is a larger conversation to be had about transgressive art, ephemera, the devaluing of art in a cultural landscape that craves constant content, the advent of AI in creative realms, and the general sense of futility that looms over musicians in the modern age, but as an instrumental band, Russian Circles opt to plant these notions in the listeners’ heads through the image of a haunting sculpture in a stark interior space rather than through crafting online manifestos, social media rants, or topical lyrics.

Reinvention is unnecessary when the path forward has always been an open horizon. When it comes to Russian Circles, you can go back through their catalog and find a vast array of moods, stylistic shifts, and timbral experiments across any given album, yet there has been a noticeable progression in the overall experience of taking in any one of their albums as a whole. Whereas earlier albums were almost playful in their traversing of territories, Nine is a document of a band that knows the lay of the land and is fortifying their dominion over the varied terrain.

Jason’s performed all over the world including for the troops in Europe, South America, & Afghanistan. His standup special: BISCUITS and GRAVITY can be watched right now on YouTube.

He’s been featured in Red Dead Redemption 2, Orange is the New Black, HBO, Comedy Central, At Home with Amy Sedaris, Hulu’s Wu Tang Clan Series, and 30 Rock.

- 2 premium seats
- $90 food & beverage credit ($45 per person)
- Gratuity
- Ticket Protection

Management reserves the right to prevent customers from entering the facility who they deem disruptive or dangerous to other patrons.

Live Wire joins forces with the Portland Art Museum for an afternoon of roving performances ahead of an evening recording of the program. The event coincides with PAM's monthly Free First Thursday and the Portland Book Festival's expanded programming. Performers will include poet and rapper Dessa, bestselling children’s author Mac Barnett, Pulitzer Prize Finalist Ed Park, and Portland comedian Mx. Dahlia Belle.

Free pop-up performances will take place throughout the Museum’s galleries, giving visitors a chance to catch live performances and storytelling while moving through the PAM spaces. Completely free through PAM’s Free First Thursday general admission. Also, enjoy a fully seated, ticketed Live Wire taping hosted by Luke Burbank with announcer Elena Passarello, featuring a blend of interviews, comedy, and music performed live for the audience, then edited into an episode for broadcast to over 200 public radio stations nationwide.

Visitors can take in the afternoon gallery pop-ups, the evening show, or both.

Yvette Segan is a comedian, actor, writer, and producer. She performs standup all over the globe, most notably at New York Comedy Festival and Top Secret in London. She has featured across the US at Cobb’s Comedy Club in San Francisco, The Hollywood Improv in Los Angeles, Helium Comedy Club in Philadelphia, and headlined Don’t Tell in Washington, DC. In NYC she performs at clubs and indie shows across the boroughs. Her work has been featured by Buzzfeed, Betches, New Yorkers, and Barstool. She has a BA in Drama from Vassar College and Certificate in Classical Acting from the London Academy of Music & Dramatic Art (LAMDA).

- 2 premium seats
- $90 food & beverage credit ($45 per person)
- Gratuity
- Ticket Protection

Management reserves the right to prevent customers from entering the facility who they deem disruptive or dangerous to other patrons.

Join for Nora Ephron’s endlessly charming You’ve Got Mail, the cozy, bookish romantic comedy that makes the dial-up internet age feel magical. Grab a bingo card curated by Violet Hex and play along as Kathleen Kelly and Joe Fox fall in love one anonymous email at a time.

Book superstore magnate Joe Fox (Tom Hanks) and independent book shop owner Kathleen Kelly (Meg Ryan) fall in love in the anonymity of the Internet—both blissfully unaware that he’s trying to put her out of business.

1998. Directed by Nora Ephron. Runtime: 1hr 59min. Rated PG.

Part comedy special, part concert, and full of surprises. Bernice Ye, dubbed “The Jackie Chan of Comedy” by The Stranger, brings Wuhan Clan Ain’t Nuthin’ ta Duck Wit to Portland’s Kickstand Comedy for one night only. Wu-Tang energy meets immigrant storytelling in a live show blending stand-up, original comedy rap, martial arts, audience interaction, and cinematic multimedia. It’s about identity, ambition, and building your own clan when the world doesn’t hand you one.

Born in Wuhan, China, Ye came to the U.S. with $1,000 and a computer science degree from Peking University. She built a career at Microsoft and Hulu, then walked away from tech for the comedy stage. Now an internationally touring comedian, comedy rapper, and taekwondo black belt, she turns that unlikely journey into an evening of laughter, music, and reinvention. It was the most unhinged sequence of decisions she’s ever made. It’s working. With 400K+ followers and more than 100 million views online, Ye has been featured in The Wall Street Journal, Los Angeles Times, The Stranger, and Seattle Gay News. Her credits include the New York Comedy Festival, Bergamot Comedy Festival, and Best of the Fest honors at Burbank Comedy Festival, Laugh After Dark, and Nate Jackson’s Super Funny Comedy Festival.

Following previous appearances at The Siren Theater, Ye returns to Portland with the road-tested show that launched a 13-city national tour. Whether you’ve followed her online or are discovering her for the first time, you’re invited into the Wuhan Clan. Come for the comedy. Leave with a clan—and songs stuck in your head.

Leapin’ Louie: The Upside Down Ocean. Leapin’ Louie’s new show: An ocean animal circus spectacular. It’s science, but you laugh so hard. Gastropod Cousteau (aka Leapin’ Louie Lichtenstein ) is a nudibranch detective trying to figure out what happened to the missing kelp forests. Whales, sea otters, decorator crabs, giant squid and a peacock mantis shrimp help Gastro solve the mystery. And the story is told with circus and comedy. Featuring giant lasso, glow juggling, a 6 foot unicycle, enormous puppets and a slide-show of amazing ocean animals. You know him from White Album Xmas or the Rose Festival. Leapin’ Louie has performed his solo shows in 35 nations around the world, including Japan, Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, Brazil, the UK and a few dozen European tours. He has toured opening for country stars Brooks and Dunn and the rock legend Primus. He makes adults laugh with family-friendly material, and he gets audiences very excited.

Los Angeles based nineteen year old Jeremiah Mark (they/he) released their first full-length endeavor under the moniker Lucy Bedroque, their deadAir Records debut. With no prior singles, the breakneck seventeen track shotgun blast of Digicore and Hardcore Hip Hop, titled “Unmusique” has established them as a bastion of these underground sounds. The release date coincided with their first show on the Jane Remover and Dazegxd tour “TURN UP OR DIE”, along with a full west coast run.

Leading up to this moment, Lucy Bedroque gained a cult following in the shadowy sectors of the online underground, with a break-out debut LP “Sisterhood” as Lostrushi. This is the name that raised them to notoriety alongside peers 9lives, prettifun, and egobreak. The new material continues further down the same path, combining cutthroat rage, with the eclecticism and sensitivities of Stereolab, Radiohead, and Deftones.

While forging their distinct multi-media surrealism, Mark also found a penchant for customized linguistics and contorting the English language. Most notably, the title “Glutmother” (the name fans chose for a hyper-active Subreddit) graces the cover art of the debut and the packaging of “Unmusique. “The role of motherhood here is representative of a superiority to everything around it. But beyond humans, it’s a reference to mother nature and creation.” They explain. As for why it’s juxtaposed with gluttony, that’s because “People want more than anyone can handle, and I’ve responded to it with a perfectionist’s mindset.” They combine into a deep resonance of identity that’d easily evade a new listener.

Portland premiere of a new, independent film!

Fran (Geena Pietromonaco), a quirky, Christmas-obsessed designer is scrambling to move out of the Seattle apartment she shares with her ex-boyfriend and his new girlfriend before they get engaged on New Year’s Eve. Will (Zach Gilford), a jaded celebrity chef who has lost his love for cooking and the holidays, needs to salvage his reputation after a brutal breakup with his business partner.

Determined to succeed, Fran enlists her besties to pull off the perfect Christmas culinary pop-up and help Will remember why he loved cooking in the first place. And despite her vow to never date another chef, sparks begin to fly.

• Director: Molly Muse
• Country: United States
• Year: 2026
• Runtime: 93 minutes

Minors ok when accompanied by a parent or guardian

ALL SALES ARE FINAL. PLEASE, DOUBLE CHECK YOUR ORDER BEFORE PURCHASING. NO REFUNDS.

The Understudies, Portland’s hottest new musical improv group, is debuting their one-hour fully improvised musical, The Understudies: A Fully Improvised Musical. It’s curtain time, but the musical’s principal cast has all mysteriously fallen ill! Can the Understudies fill in and perform a show they’ve never even heard of, much less practiced? Come enjoy a fully improvised musical comedy filled with drama, epic songs, joy, dance, and a heaping helping of laughs.

21Ten Theatre is a cozy 40-seat black box theater in Southeast Portland, providing an up close and personal experience with some of Portland's most talented performance artists.

The Understudies are Sean Arlo (Dropped Notes, Curious Comedy), Whitney Kemper (Mouth Stuff, Kickstand Comedy, Curious Comedy), Lydia Manning (Slydia, Bike Play, Kickstand Comedy), Heather Riggs (Mouth Stuff, Kickstand Comedy), Megan Monroe (Kickstand Comedy, Curious Comedy), Wren Reynolds (Kickstand Comedy), Brantley Bacon (pianist extraordinaire, No Soap Radio, Los Mal Hablados), and Bloom Davis (Kickstand Comedy).

Meet the Tokyo Kanpai Boys, Japan's funniest stand-up comedians, bringing brand-new material and a wildly entertaining look at life and comedy through Japanese eyes. Whether they're explaining Japanese dating culture, exposing everyday misunderstandings between East and West, or simply proving that awkwardness is universal across languages, Tokyo Kanpai Boys delivers a show packed with laughs.

Featuring Kansei Yasuda, Daniel Wilson, Shota Saimu and Daisuke Muramoto.

Don’t miss this unforgettable night of international comedy that bridges cultures through laughter. Cheers ("Kanpai") to that.

True West Presents Kathy Griffin: New face, New tour Fri, November 6th, 2026 Doors: 6PM / Show: 7PM Aladdin Theater

The one-man band without a plan, Mattress started in 2006. To quote a sassy pal (with initials IB): “You are wildly unpopular for that amount of time.” Amen. Who cares? Art for art’s sake. For the first time ever–Mattress is putting together a full band for this show. 5 guitars? 8 keyboards? 12 drummers? Yodelers and a glass harmonica? Probably.

Mattress has made some friends over 20 years and put together this stellar bill (more of a mini-fest), bringing together acts he met 20 years ago and 2 years ago. Check this out:

Black Shelton (solo), a one-man band powerhouse of wit, sleaze and electro boogie. Songs "I'm Back in the Doghouse Again" and “White Lover” will warp your mind.

Dragging an Ox Thru Water fingerpicking melody noise glitch heart string puller.

THRONES Joe Preston is coming out of semi-retirement to do this show. Hopefully this will get some elder goths and heshers out of their LazyBoys and into the show.

Joe Von Appen, the monologue performance semi-comedy satirist who has toured with Mattress for close to 10,000 miles. He will host the show; his dry wit will confuse and entertain most in attendance.

Special guest TBA, probably famous, very name-droppable.

Who is in the Mattress band? Members of Modest Mouse, The Fur Coats, Dommengang, Room, WIBG, Black Shelton and others.

Platinum certified singer, songwriter, producer, and multi instrumentalist Sueco has established herself as one of alternative music’s most versatile independent artists, amassing over 1 billion global streams and billions of views across social platforms. Since breaking onto the scene in 2018, he has been at the forefront of a new generation of internet native artists, leveraging viral storytelling, digital marketing, and direct fan engagement to build a global audience. By consistently creating moments that resonate both online and on stage, Sueco has cultivated a loyal worldwide fanbase while establishing himself as one of alternative music’s most recognizable voices.

Known for seamlessly blending rock, punk, metal, hip hop, and pop into a sound entirely his own, Sueco has built a catalog that refuses to be confined by genre. Equal parts songwriter, producer, and performer, his ability to pair massive hooks with raw emotion and explosive energy has earned him a reputation as one of the genre’s most exciting crossover artists while maintaining an unmistakable artistic identity.

That momentum has continued through 2026. Sueco returned with “REARRANGING SCARS,” featured in the latest installment of the Scream franchise, before joining forces with blackbear on the explosive single “ENEMY.” He followed it with “ARE YOU ENTERTAINED?” alongside longtime friend and collaborator Jeris Johnson, delivering one of the year’s standout alternative collaborations and further showcasing his versatility as both a songwriter and artist.

Now fully independent, Sueco continues to build momentum through major film placements, high profile collaborations, and a growing international audience while maintaining full creative control over his music and career. His fearless songwriting, genre bending creativity, and instinct for connecting with fans have positioned him among a new generation of artists redefining what an independent career can look like.

Live Wire teams up with the Portland Art Museum during First Thursday and the Portland Book Festival. From 4:30 to 6 p.m., complimentary pop-up performances roam the museum galleries, no ticket needed. At 7 p.m., host Luke Burbank and announcer Elena Passarello lead a seated, ticketed taping with poet and rapper Dessa, children’s author Mac Barnett, Pulitzer Prize finalist Ed Park, and Portland comedian Mx. Dahlia Belle. Doors open at 6:30 p.m.. Portland Book Festival passholders get 10% off.

Date: November 29, 2026 from 2:00 PM

Pricing: $25 – $35

Louis Pearl has been thrilling audiences around the world for over 30 years with the art, magic, science and fun of bubbles. He is a favorite at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, where he has enjoyed 14 years of sell-out success.

Louis explores the breath-taking dynamics of bubbles, combining comedy and artistry with audience participation and enough spellbinding bubble tricks to keep everyone mesmerized. From square bubbles, bubbles inside bubbles, fog-filled bubbles, giant bubbles, bubble volcanoes, tornados and trampolines to people inside bubbles, the Amazing Bubble Man conjures shrieks of laughter and gasps of amazement from all ages.

Most shows will also feature multi-instrumentalist Jet Black Pearl accompanying Louis with bubbly music to double your pleasure.

https://amazingbubbleman.com/

“Greatest Bubble Show on Earth.” – San Francisco Chronicle

“It’s a fantastic show. Louis Pearl playfully forms bubbles beyond imagination and engages the audience with his easygoing nonverbal slapstick.”

“Louis Pearl – aka The Amazing Bubble Man – truly deserves his title. Most of the show is accompanied by gasps and awes…and that’s just the adults. Kids can be heard giggling with excitement.”

“This show captivated its young audience, and the adults loved it as well. Highly recommended.” –British Theater Guide.

“The show is one giant, joyous caper” —The Wee Review

“Better Than Cirque du Soleil” – Corbin Doughy, 11 audience member. The eight-year-old seated beside this reviewer summed it up neatly during the show, proclaiming after one nifty maneuver, ‘he sure is the amazing bubble man.’

Since the early '90s, San Jose's Exhumed have honed their brand of gore-obsessed death metal with a tongue-in-cheek flair and an overall musical approach often reminiscent of Carcass, a band that they have frequently acknowledged as a primary influence. Diligently led by founding guitarist Matt Harvey, they have endured constant lineup changes over the years. Their brutal riffs and horrifically grotesque lyrical themes only intensified over the years, culminating in uncompromising efforts like 2003's Anatomy Is Destiny, 2011's All Guts, No Glory, and 2022's To the Dead.

PAM gallery pop-ups: 4:30-6:00 p.m.
Doors for Live Wire seated show: 6:30 p.m.
Live Show: 7:00 p.m.

Live Wire Radio, the Portland-based public radio variety show, joins forces with the Portland Art Museum for an afternoon of roving performances ahead of an evening recording of the program. The event coincides with PAM’s monthly Free First Thursday and the Portland Book Festival’s expanded programming.

In the afternoon, free pop-up performances will take place throughout the Museum’s galleries giving visitors a chance to catch short live performances and storytelling while moving through the PAM spaces. Performers will include genre-blending rapper and writer Dessa, National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature and children’s author Mac Barnett, National Book Award Finalist Ed Park, and Portland comedian Mx. Dahlia Belle among others.

The evening will feature a fully seated, ticketed Live Wire taping hosted by Luke Burbank with announcer Elena Passarello, featuring a blend of interviews, comedy, and music performed live for the audience, then edited into an episode for broadcast to over 200 public radio stations nationwide.

Visitors can take in the afternoon gallery pop-ups, the evening show, or both!

Note: Admission is free to the afternoon gallery pop-ups as part of general admission on Free First Thursday at Portland Art Museum. Tickets available on the museum website.

Ticket Prices:
$40 Preferred Seats
$36 Bookfest Pass Holder Discount – Preferred Seats (10% off)
$15 General Admission Seats
$13.50 Bookfest Pass Holder Discount – General Admission (10% off)

Fred Armisen is a comedian, writer, producer, and musician. He is the co-writer and co-star of IFC’s Emmy-nominated series Portlandia. He is in the hit Netflix series Wednesday as Uncle Fester. He stars in HBO’s Los Espookys, which he co-wrote and executive produced. He can also be heard in the hit animated Super Mario Bros movie. Armisen stars in, writes, and produces IFC’s hit show Documentary Now. He has also appeared in HBO’s Our Flag Means Death, Judd Apatow’s The Bubble, andAmazon’s series Forever. He voices characters in Big Mouth and The Mitchells vs. The Machines. He is currently starring in the Broadway play All In. Armisen is an 11-season veteran of Saturday Night Live. From 2014-2024, Armisen was band leader of the 8G Band on Late Night With Seth Meyers.

J Names is one of the area’s longest running improv teams. A prominent comedy supergroup of local comedy veterans whose first names (most!) start with the letter “J”. This is high-quality improvisation you won’t want to miss. Featuring: Jay Flewelling, Jed Arkley, Justin Himes, Jenn Hunter, Jon Bolden, SJ Santa Cruz, Katie Behrens, Craig McCarthy.

All ages welcome, though assume PG13 content.
$15 online / $20 at door

With over half a billion online views, privileged west London’s leading freestyle rapper comes to the USA & Canada for the first time! An entire show of lightning-fast improvised raps and explosively funny rhymes all based on audience suggestions. You'll leave astounded at the speed of his brain, the spontaneity of his punchlines, and the stability of his upbringing. Jaw-dropping, hilarious, utterly unbelievable.

Hello everyone! MC Hammersmith here! It's been months of waiting, and I'm *still* awaiting final work visa approval from your glorious USCIS! I have an interview at the US Embassy on the week of October 12th, where - all being well - I am assured they *should*grant me final visa approval then and there to enter your great nation! HOWEVER! Anything could happen, and while tickets to this show are obviously refundable in the event my visa doesn't arrive in time, if you book hotels/travel to come to this show, PLEASE make sure it is refundable also! I would hate for any of my noble American followers to be left out of pocket by any final administrative curveballs. Okay thanks love you and see you in the States probably; can't wait to eat Chipotle til I'm sick!

- 2 premium seats
- $90 food & beverage credit ($45 per person)
- Gratuity
- Ticket Protection

Management reserves the right to prevent customers from entering the facility who they deem disruptive or dangerous to other patrons.

Ahren Belisle has skyrocketed onto some of the biggest stages in comedy—despite only performing stand-up for a few short years. He won over millions as a Top 10 Finalist on America’s Got Talent and made an unforgettable debut on the wildly popular podcast Kill Tony, where he’s become a regular fixture. A former software engineer and mental health advocate, Ahren was born in Northern Ontario with cerebral palsy and is nonverbal, delivering his punchlines through his phone. His innate charm and quick wit have earned him a unique place in comedy—where the comedian who doesn’t speak is allowed to say anything. Ahren has built a devoted following of over a million fans across social media, using his platform to blend bold comedy with messages of positivity, inclusion, and resilience.

- 2 premium seats
- $90 food & beverage credit ($45 per person)
- Gratuity
- Ticket Protection

Management reserves the right to prevent customers from entering the facility who they deem disruptive or dangerous to other patrons.

Anthony Hudson reads from his new collection of performance works Lamp Black: Plays and Other Grievances at Portland Art Museum in the American Art gallery (Level 2, Room 211), paired with Moses Soyer, Girl with a Cigarette.

Followed by book signing at The Shop at PAM.

A major collection of performance works by artist and agitator Anthony Hudson.

Lamp Back: Plays and Other Grievances collects nearly a decade of work by Anthony Hudson, a queer Indigenous artist and agitator also known as Portland, Oregon’s premier drag clown, Carla Rossi. Whether fumbling with a lamp in a satirical takedown of land acknowledgments or confronting the history of redface in pop culture, Hudson alternates between Rossi’s cackling “ghost of white privilege” and more earnest, vulnerable confessionals as himself—all with a deep commitment to bitter humor and brutal honesty. In these performance works, a mixed-race Native boy plays a pilgrim in his kindergarten Thanksgiving pageant. A young artist recounts the racism in their favorite musical and the larger American theater system. A drag queen storytime goes disastrously wrong and calls for an exorcism with a plunger. Kate Bredeson’s unflinching introduction speaks to Hudson’s work through a cultural and historical lens and illuminates the importance of his project to filet the American Empire.

Special live introduction and post-screening Q&A with the writer, director, and producers Josh Androsky, Nate Fisher, and Amber A’Lee Frost!

Chapo Trap House presents: CHUNKS – an anthology film of six unique comedy shorts threaded together with our host Ruby, a faded Hollywood starlet (Ruby McCollister, Search Party, Rap World) and taking inspiration from the glamorous by-gone era of late nite public access weirdness.

With live action shorts featuring originals from friends of the podcast, like Pod About List (Adam Friedland Show, Rap World), Sandy Honig (Adult Swim’s Three Busy Debras), Will Senett (A Closer Look, Eephus), and two animated segments from Episode 1 & Jim Soper (The Day the Earth Blew Up: A Looney Tunes Movie) and Nick Mullen (CumTown) & Saul Crinier.

• Director: Various
• Country: United States
• Year: 2026
• Runtime: 120 minutes

Marsha Blovotnik is angry. So angry. The whole world is fakakte, but for this Leftie Jewish Lesbian, it’s her sister Janice who really burns her tuchus. Janice invites herself over for Shabbos dinner and then shows up three minutes early. Who does that?!? Just before her sister arrives, a mysterious ancestor gives Marsha a pot of magical chicken soup with the power to cure the world of its woes — if only Marsha can cool down enough to share a bowl of soup with her sister.

A buoyant, crackling comedy about how to live in a dumpster fire.

Fred Armisen is a comedian, writer, producer, and musician. He is the co-writer and co-star of IFC’s Emmy-nominated series Portlandia. He is in the hit Netflix series Wednesday as Uncle Fester. He stars in HBO’s Los Espookys, which he co-wrote and executive-produced. He can also be heard in the hit animated movie Super Mario Bros. Armisen stars in, writes, and produces IFC’s hit show Documentary Now. He has also appeared in HBO’s Our Flag Means Death, Judd Apatow’s The Bubble, and Amazon’s series Forever. He voices characters in Big Mouth and The Mitchells vs. The Machines. He is currently starring in the Broadway play All In. Armisen is an 11-season veteran of Saturday Night Live. From 2014-2024, Armisen was the band leader of the 8G Band on Late Night with Seth Meyers.

w/ Darkest Hour, Brotality, Ligature Marks Saturday, November 21st, 2026 8:00PM Hawthorne Theatre 21 & Over Only w/ Valid Photo ID No refunds or exchanges. All sales final. If you need any ADA accommodations, please reach out to...

Get ready for a night of music, comedy and incredible a cappella music as Vocalocity brings We’re Halfway There. Vocalocity takes some of the biggest songs from the ’60s to today and completely reimagines them using only the human voice. From Bon Jovi, Whitney Houston and Michael Jackson to Coldplay and more, their fun show is packed with songs you know and love, Vocalocity’s signature harmonies and plenty of unexpected moments along the way.

This isn’t your traditional a cappella concert. Vocalocity combines powerful vocals, beatboxing, comedy and six distinct personalities into a fast-moving show designed to keep you entertained from beginning to end.

Come laugh, sing along and experience your favorite songs in a whole new way.

Join us for Perfect Person Live! A flawless call-in advice show in which Miles Bonsignore answers your calls, solves your problems, and helps you achieve perfection.

- 2 premium seats
- $90 food & beverage credit ($45 per person)
- Gratuity
- Ticket Protection

Management reserves the right to prevent customers from entering the facility who they deem disruptive or dangerous to other patrons.