Whassup in the 518? – Weekend Shows – 5/1 – 5/3

Whassup in the 518?

Weekend of May 1–3, 2026 · Capital Region, New York

May is here, and the Capital Region isn’t easing into it. This weekend delivers a Broadway powerhouse, a Grammy-winning jazz drummer, a metal triple-header, a sprawling outdoor festival, an iconic folk room packed with a legend, drag royalty in Saratoga, and enough local color to fill every stage from Troy to Cohoes. Here’s everything worth knowing.

FRIDAY, MAY 1ST

& Juliet

Proctors Theatre  ·  Schenectady  ·  8pm

Shakespeare’s Juliet doesn’t die in this one — she drops Romeo, grabs her friends, and goes out dancing. The North American tour of this Grammy-nominated Broadway smash has been packing houses coast to coast, and it’s easy to see why: a book by the Emmy-winning writer of Schitt’s Creek, choreography that doesn’t quit, and a jukebox catalog built entirely from Max Martin — the man behind more No. 1 hits than anyone alive. “Since U Been Gone,” “Roar,” “Baby One More Time.” You know every word. Also plays Sat 2pm & 8pm and Sun 2pm.

Monét X Change

Universal Preservation Hall  ·  Saratoga Springs  ·  7:30pm

Two-time RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars winner Monét X Change is one of the most charismatic performers in drag today — sharp, hilarious, and genuinely gifted as a vocalist. UPH is one of the best intimate venues in the region, a restored 19th-century church with acoustics that make everything sound like it was built for the room. This one will sell out.

Lacuna Coil: Sleepless Empire Tour w/ Escape the Fate & AXTY

Empire Live  ·  Albany  ·  Doors 6:30pm, Show 7:30pm

Milan’s Lacuna Coil have been one of the most consistent acts in gothic metal for nearly three decades, and their dual-vocal attack — Cristina Scabbia and Andrea Ferro trading lines over symphonic crunch — never gets old live. Escape the Fate provide sharp post-hardcore support. Empire Live’s main room is the right size for this kind of show.

The Dying Poets Tour: Poet The Band / Major Moment / The Almas & More

Empire Underground at Empire Live  ·  Albany  ·  7pm

Downstairs at Empire, the Underground stage hosts a six-band showcase headlined by Poet The Band alongside Major Moment, The Almas, Outta My Head, At Lights Wake, and Psychomanteum. A strong night for anyone who lives in the alt-rock and post-hardcore space.

Sweet Baby James: The #1 James Taylor Tribute

Cohoes Music Hall  ·  Cohoes  ·  7:30pm–10pm

Bill Griese’s Sweet Baby James show has earned a devoted following for one simple reason: it’s genuinely stunning. The Cohoes Music Hall — a 150-year-old jewel box of a room — is the perfect setting for a night built on fire and rain and Carolina in my mind. If you’ve been putting this one off, stop.

The Wheel

Rustic Barn Pub  ·  Troy  ·  8pm–11pm

The Capital Region’s most dedicated Grateful Dead tribute band takes over the Rustic Barn for a Friday night run through the Dead’s bottomless catalog. Free-flowing, good-natured, and reliably loose. The Rustic Barn is exactly the right room for it.

A Tribute to The Notorious B.I.G. feat. Lil’ Cease & The Frank White Experience

Lark Hall  ·  Albany  ·  8pm

Lil’ Cease isn’t just a tribute act — he was there. A founding member of Junior M.A.F.I.A. and one of Biggie’s closest collaborators, he’s one of the few people who can perform this music with actual firsthand authority. Lark Hall’s intimate 300-capacity room should make this feel immediate in all the right ways.

Luko Adjaffi & Gold Sun

Putnam Place  ·  Saratoga Springs

Luko Adjaffi brings West African percussion and melodic tradition into a contemporary live format that’s equal parts concert and dance party. Gold Sun joins for what should be a warm, rhythmically rich night in the heart of downtown Saratoga.

Bimbo Nite Rave: Bimbos in Space  (21+ w/ valid ID)

No Fun  ·  Troy  ·  8pm–11pm

No Fun’s recurring Bimbo Nite Rave is exactly what it sounds like: a queer-inclusive, unabashedly loud dance party. The space-themed installment promises costumes, beats, and the kind of energy that No Fun does better than anyone on River Street.

QUICK HITS FROM BAR PEOPLE — FRIDAY, MAY 1

More live music across the region at barpeople.com

Albany County

6pm  Tame the Rooster  @  Allied Brewing, Altamont

7pm  Donna Tritico Band  @  Hedge Bistro, Altamont

8pm  The Schmooze  @  Creekside Restaurant & Bar, Catskill

6pm  Dan Sherwin  @  Normandside Country Club, Delmar

6pm  Justin Joyner  @  The Scarlet Knife, Latham

7pm  Ill Funk Ensemble  @  The Bunker, Latham

Saratoga County

6pm  George Krakat  @  Powers Pub, Clifton Park

6:30pm  Margo Macero  @  Peddlers Bar & Bistro, Clifton Park

Rensselaer County

6pm  Brandon LaRocca  @  Hudson Brewing Co., Hudson

SATURDAY, MAY 2ND

& Juliet  —  Matinee & Evening

Proctors Theatre  ·  Schenectady  ·  2pm & 8pm

Two bites at the apple today. The matinee at 2pm makes this a genuinely great option for families or anyone who wants to be home before midnight. The evening show at 8pm is the full late-night theatrical experience. Either way, it’s the best thing on a Broadway stage that’s come through Schenectady this season.

Nate Smith

The Egg  ·  Albany  ·  8pm

Nate Smith is the kind of musician who makes other musicians stop and stare. A multi-Grammy-winning drummer, composer, producer, and bandleader, he has played with Dave Holland, Pat Metheny, Brittany Howard, Childish Gambino, and Norah Jones — and still manages to be one of the most-watched drum educators on the internet. His latest record, LIVE ACTION, is a sprawling, joyful producer’s statement. The Egg’s Swyer Theatre is an intimate room that suits his sound perfectly.

The B-Street Band: A Tribute to The Boss

Cohoes Music Hall  ·  Cohoes  ·  7:30pm–10pm

34 years and nearly 5,500 performances in, The B-Street Band were the first tribute act in the world dedicated to a living performer, and they remain the gold standard for Springsteen tributes. The Cohoes Music Hall — already atmospheric enough on its own — turns into something approaching a genuine event when a band this good is on stage.

Wolfgang Collective

Rustic Barn Pub  ·  Troy  ·  7pm–10pm

Wolfgang Collective work in the space where folk songwriting meets soul-driven groove, and they do it with enough energy to fill a room twice the size of the Rustic Barn. A strong local act for a Saturday night that doesn’t ask much of you besides showing up.

Raisin Sound — Launch Party

Lark Hall  ·  Albany

A local music launch party at one of Albany’s best independent venues. Raisin Sound brings their sound to Lark Hall’s 300-capacity room on Hudson Avenue for what should be a celebratory, high-energy night. Watch this one.

Livingston Taylor  —  Two Performances

Caffe Lena  ·  Saratoga Springs  ·  4pm & 8pm

Livingston Taylor has been performing for over fifty years and still plays with the warmth and precision of someone who genuinely loves the room. Brother of James Taylor, yes — but very much his own artist, with a catalog and a stage presence that stand on their own. Caffe Lena is one of the most revered small folk venues in the country (the Library of Congress called it “an American music treasure”), and 110 seats means there isn’t a bad one in the house. Two shows: 4pm and 8pm.

The Spring Thing  —  2nd Annual

Hangar on the Hudson  ·  Troy  ·  Doors 3pm, Music 4pm–10pm

Eight Capital Region acts. Two stages — one inside, one in the back lot. Food from The Ale House. $20 advance, $25 at the door. The Hangar’s Spring Thing has quickly become one of the best arguments for the strength and variety of the local scene, and this year’s lineup backs that up: Rover, Mud Wasp, Kimono Dragons, Take Steps, Zan & the Winter Folk, Geoff Gordon feat. Troy Pohl, Stella & the Reptilians, and Brick Windows. Rain or shine. 18+ (kids 12 & under free with an adult).

Demon Hunter: There Was a Light Here Tour w/ Convictions

Empire Live  ·  Albany  ·  Doors 6:30pm, Show 7:30pm

Seattle’s Demon Hunter have been one of the most prolific and consistent acts in heavy Christian metal for over twenty years. The There Was a Light Here Tour finds them in strong form, with Convictions providing support.

Locked in a Vacancy

Empire Underground at Empire Live  ·  Albany  ·  6:30pm

The Underground’s intimate 350-capacity room hosts Locked in a Vacancy for a Saturday night rock show.

QUICK HITS FROM BAR PEOPLE — SATURDAY, MAY 2

Full listings at barpeople.com

Albany County

7pm  Josh Clevenstine  @  Across The Street Pub, Albany

7pm  Off The Record  @  Albany Distilling Co., Albany

Saratoga County

6pm  Steven & Shannon Gray  @  Powers Pub, Clifton Park

6:30pm  Rick Bolton & Maggie Doherty  @  Peddlers Bar & Bistro, Clifton Park

5pm  Midnight Choir  @  Dancing Grain Farm Brewery, Gansevoort

Rensselaer County

7pm  Harmonic Duo  @  American Legion, Wynantskill

SUNDAY, MAY 3RD

THIS LUMINOUS EARTH — Albany Pro Musica

Troy Savings Bank Music Hall  ·  Troy  ·  3pm

Albany Pro Musica and Orchestra Pro Musica close their season at one of the most acoustically perfect small concert halls in North America. The program is ambitious: Jake Runestad’s Emmy Award-winning Earth Symphony — a choral symphony that moves from environmental wonder to grief to redemption — paired with Morten Lauridsen’s transcendent Lux Aeterna. If you’ve never heard a world-class choir fill the Troy Music Hall, this Sunday afternoon is the place to fix that.

& Juliet  —  Final Schenectady Performance

Proctors Theatre  ·  Schenectady  ·  2pm

The last chance to catch the tour’s Schenectady run. A Sunday matinee that’s genuinely worth treating as a proper afternoon out.

Deicide w/ Rotting Christ

Empire Live  ·  Albany  ·  6:45pm

Death metal royalty: Florida’s Deicide have been one of the most controversial and sonically devastating acts in extreme metal for 35 years, and Greek extreme metal legends Rotting Christ bring their own decades of credibility to the bill. Empire Live on a Sunday night, for the people who need it.

Prince Daddy & The Hyena w/ Remo Drive

Empire Underground at Empire Live  ·  Albany  ·  7:30pm

Prince Daddy & The Hyena make the kind of emo that’s genuinely hard to categorize — raw, melodically smart, emotionally unguarded — and they’ve built a real following for it. Remo Drive are an equally compelling indie-emo outfit. The Underground is the right-sized room: small enough to feel close, loud enough to matter.

QUICK HITS FROM BAR PEOPLE — SUNDAY, MAY 3

Full listings at barpeople.com

Albany County

2:30pm  Eliot Lewis  @  Lark Street Tavern, Albany

Saratoga County

5pm  Bobbie Van Detta  @  Charlton Tavern, Ballston Lake

Have a show we missed? Email the editor. Listings updated weekly every Thursday. Welcome to the 518. Go hear something.