Kool & The Gang, The Village People
Every year the Oregon State Fair has all kinds of pleasant state-fair-type things to do—rides, animals, oversized vegetables—but the live entertainment can be… shall we say… dire. Not this year! Tonight, Kool and the Gang, AKA Jersey City’s finest export (with apologies to Nathan Lane), will turn the Salem fairgrounds into a funk ’n’ soul dance party with everlasting jams like “Ladies’ Night,” “Celebration,” and “Jungle Boogie.” Wait, and the Village People are opening? If you got ears and an ass, this is the place to be. NED LANNAMANN
7 pm, Oregon State Fairgrounds, free w/ State Fair admission


Margaret Cho
A sterling example in the tradition of hilarious women who have to deal with a lot of bullshit, Margaret Cho is among the smartest and sharpest comedians commenting on social issues today. Her comedy often focuses on Asian-American representation in media, her struggles with “not being Asian enough,” and trashing Republicans. 
8 pm, Helium Comedy Club, $30-38

Cat-Chella: The Prids, Arctic Flowers, Vibrissae, Darkswoon, DJ Wednesday
Unlike its namesake festival, you won’t have to drag yourself to the desert for Cat-Chella, the concert series benefiting local animal welfare nonprofits through the power of rock ’n’ roll. All proceeds from this event will go to the Portland Animal Welfare Team, which provides free veterinary care to the pets of people experiencing houselessness. Please note: No actual felines will be in attendance. CIARA DOLAN
8 pm, Holocene, $10

Top Down Rooftop Cinema: Escape From New York
John Carpenter has made better movies than this over his long and incredibly varied career, and he’s definitely made worse (cough—Ghosts of Mars—cough cough), but 1981’s Escape From New York could be the most Carpenter of all Carpenter’s films, the one most consistently peppered with the director’s signature touches. If, by some weird happenstance, you haven’t seen one of his films before (that’s crazy), Escape is the best introduction, primarily due to Kurt Russell’s career-defining performance as Snake Plissken. BOBBY ROBERTS
7 pm, Portland State University Parking Structure #2, $7-10

Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever, Jo Passed
Quick-rising Melbourne band Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever bring their infectious blend of jangly indie rock and guitar pop back through the Doug Fir for the Portland stop on a North American tour supporting their Sub Pop-issued debut, Hope Downs.
9 pm, Doug Fir, $13-15

Cool Kids Patio Show
The Doug Fir patio hosts one of the finest free stand-up showcases in town, paired perfectly with some of our city's best singer/songwriters. This time, Solvents provides the sounds while Alex Falcone, Corina Lucas, and Kate Murphy bring the laughs. Hosted by Andie Main.
6 pm, Doug Fir, free

JPEGMafia, Donte Thomas
Baltimore-hailing rapper Barrington DeVaughn Hendricks (AKA JPEGMafia) brings his experimental style down to Peter's Room in support of his 2018 album, Veteran.
8 pm, Peter's Room at the Roseland, $15-18, all ages

Superorganism, Yuno
Superorganism is probably one of the first bands born from intercontinental Skype sessions. Orono Noguchi moved from Japan to Maine as a teenager in the hope of attending college in the US, and discovered the New Zealand-born, London-based band the Eversons through YouTube recommendations. On a visit home to Japan she saw the group perform, and they struck up a friendship and collaboration that’s still maintained almost entirely online. After dropping the super-popular single “Everybody Wants to Be Famous” in January, the eight-member collective released their self-titled debut LP as Superorganism. With Beck-inspired samples of cash registers, birds chirping, and children’s laughter contrasting sharply against Noguchi’s numbed vocals, it’s a kind of pop that captures both the sensory overload and ennui of the internet age. CIARA DOLAN
8:30 pm, Wonder Ballroom, $17-20, all ages

Don't forget to check out our Things To Do calendar for even more things to do!