Dave Chappelle and Jon Stewart’s Wild Houston Adventure, Ice Cube’s Retro Basketball and Rainbow Pride: Houston’s Best Weekend Events

Editor’s Note: Houston’s weekends are packed full of events, but how many of them are truly worthy of your time? PaperCity’s Matthew Ramirez returns to cut through the clutter to give you the best options in this weekly series. This is a loaded Pride weekend, so let’s get right to it.

Indecision: 2018?

In the second of back-to-back nights, the comedy dream team of Dave Chappelle and Jon Stewart hit Sugar Land’s Smart Financial Centre for their final two performances, Friday, June 22. Chappelle is hot off his run of Netflix specials (which ranged from “very funny” to “just Ok”) and Stewart, who has long given up his Daily Show duties, is nonetheless still cracking wise about politics and culture in America.

This is the kind of show where your phones are put into into a Yondr pouch (a locked bag out of sight) during the performance, so who knows what these guys are up to, but no doubt it will be funny. Friday, June 22; tickets start at $69; doors at 5:30 pm for the 7 pm show; doors open at 9:30 pm for the 10:30 pm show.

Rainbow on the Green

It’s Pride weekend, and one of the biggest Pride events in Houston is at Discovery Green. Friday, June 22, DG hosts Rainbow on the Green presented by Legacy Community Health, starting at 6 pm and running until 10. Performers include R&B star Deborah Cox (Grammy Award-nominee and Broadway actress), Latin singer Edward Salles, emerging electro-pop act The Patternist, and more.

As always, admission to Discovery Green is free.

“That’s Three-on-Three in a Half-Court”

After a devastating loss to the Golden State Warriors in seven games, the Houston Rockets were forced to watch an anti-climactic NBA Finals sweep at home. With the NBA Draft in the rearview mirror, and free agency a week away, it’s time to enjoy some drama-free basketball before LeBron James and Kawhi Leonard no doubt turn the league upside down again come July 1.

The Big 3 is a professional three-on-three basketball league co-founded by Ice Cube, featuring some of the biggest stars from yesteryear hitting the Toyota Center once more. Friday will see four games played, ostensibly for broadcast later this summer on Fox Sports.

Big names include Metta World Peace, Baron Davis, Amare Stoudemire, the newly jacked Mike Bibby, Kenyon Martin and Rockets fan favorite Cuttino Mobley. Things will kick-off at 3:30 pm with a free outdoor concert right outside Toyota Center featuring Ice Cube himself and Bun B.

Tickets start at $25; one ticket will get you into all four games. Doors at 4:30 pm, first game tips off at 5:30 pm.

MFAH Double Feature

Andre Leon Talley is a fashion icon. While years as a judge on America’s Next Top Model is probably how most know his face, the fashion-inclined put Talley in rarefied air only also touched by Anna Wintour; Talley also long served as fashion bible Vogue‘s editor-in-chief, was mentored by Andy Warhol, and has also long been one of the most important and visible African-Americans working in high fashion.

The Gospel According to Andre is the smart documentary about his life he so deserves, an all-American, beat-the-odds success story that is also quietly touching. It premieres at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, Friday, June 22, at 7:30 pm. There will be more showings in the coming weeks. Adult tickets $9.

Also at the MFAH this weekend is the classic car chase film Bullitt, starring Steve McQueen, the final movie of the MFAH’s long-term Jazz on Film series. Bullitt is a tad dated, but its meditative pacing is enhanced by its iconic, thoughtful score by Argentinian composer Lalo Schifrin. Sunday, June 24, at 5 pm.

Pearl Crushing It

Full disclosure: I consider Mandy Clinton, the mastermind of Pearl Crush, a friend, but, as the many unanswered emails in my inbox will attest to, I don’t promote music I don’t strongly care about – I just can’t fake enthusiasm. But Clinton has just released her Coax Me Out EP last week on digital and vinyl, and it’s the next step in the realization of her vision as a dream-pop synth maestro, filling in the spaces her old music left with bright, vivid color.

Her album release party is Saturday, June 23, at downtown’s Spruce Goose Flyers Club which is fast becoming the hot spot for Houston and regional bands to perform. Britt, a talented young singer-songwriter from Houston in the vein of Snail Mail or Vagabon, is one of a few openers. Doors open at 8:30 pm; tickets $10.