Joshua Lyford
Mardi Gras, Oktoberfest, Krampuslauf, Carnival; cities the world over celebrate their individual beauty in culturally unique ways and Worcester is no different. But the Heart of the Commonwealth has something even more beautiful than those other bums: the Worcester Hot Dog Safari. For the uninitiated (or those that missed last month’s cover story): the Safari has been a mainstay since 2011. Hot dog enthusiasts grab scorecards and head out across the city sampling the wares of the area’s finest hot dog curators. The adventure ends in a highly competitive voting bloodbath to determine the year’s best hot dog. While the Safari has begun to spread to other cities across the country, Worcester remains the big dog. The Hot Dog Safari returns on Aug. 15 and while you stuff yourself in ways that would make Joey Chestnut recoil, remember: money raised in scorecard sales benefit the Worcester County Food Bank. Go on, eat another one.
The Palladium isn’t messing around this summer, and neither should you, unless your idea of messing around is banging your head off of your neck while housing a half dozen PBRs, in which case, mess about, friend, mess about. A few highlights include Norwegian black metal legends Dimmu Borgir alongside New York’s Suffocation and Hulder on the Grand Serpent Rising tour on Aug. 8 and New Orleans’ Down, supported by Helmet. In a completely different direction, Anthony Green’s “This Tour Won’t Save You” likely won’t result in any rock neck-related injuries, but does hit the Palladium on Aug. 28.
Serious question: what was your first thought when you watched the opening moments of American cinema classic “Blade”? As the blood rained down upon the rave attendees reveling in hedonism, did you think to yourself, “I CAN DANCE TO THIS; I CAN FALL IN LOVE IN A SHOWER OF BLOOD; I CAN EXCEL AS A HOT VAMPIRE?” If you did, or honestly, even if you didn’t, some fantastic news for you: Blood Rave returns to Ralph’s Diner on Aug. 8. To describe it in square terms, this is a goth dance party that makes sure you leave having experienced the full width and breadth of what you were always a bit too afraid to admit you wanted. It’s 2026 baby, if you can’t explore your fishnet vampire dance fantasy now, when?
While dogs across the community band together in anger for last month’s fireworks display, Indian Ranch in Webster takes a breather from this summer’s slate of cover bands to bring back a true legend. Melissa Etheridge brings her Rise tour to Central Massachusetts on Aug. 29 and if you can’t enjoy listening to “Yes I Am”, “I’m the only One” and “Come to my Window” while drinking a margarita on a boat, then it may be time to consider the problem might actually be you.
Did you know you could rip roller skates on the Worcester Common Oval? You could – in theory – wear a leather jacket, slick back a greaser’s pompadour, and don some black sunglasses. At the time of this writing, there is no reason to believe you couldn’t snap your fingers and dance menacingly like a sexy alley cat, you saucy little minx. All this to say that every Friday this summer The Oval has skating and music from 6-9 p.m. Fear not, you can rent skates when you arrive.