The Boston Traveler

Tomorrow evening from 5pm to 8pm at One City Hall Plaza, Boston will host its ninth GospelFest, a free music showcase that features the inspiring sounds of contemporary and traditional gospel performers from both near and far.
Boston’s local gospel scene will be represented by LeRoy Streat with Grace. The group specializes in the Christian worship music that Streat has been writing, playing, and producing for more than fifteen years, in addition to his work leading music ministries both in the United States and abroad. The local presence is increased by Major Choirboy, a native of Houston, Texas, and …read more

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Boston’s Institute of Contemporary Art does much more than beautify Bean Town’s surroundings with displays of gorgeous visual art. In conjunction with Berklee College of Music, it also enhances the aesthetic appeal of the area by offering HarborWalk Sounds, a series of free outdoor concerts performed by Berklee students and alumni, each Thursday evening.
To enjoy the diverse musical styles that lean heavily toward jazz, just head over to Putnam Investments Plaza (100 Northern Avenue, Boston Waterfront, 617-478-3100) from 6pm to 8:30pm. The lineup for the series, which runs until September 11, follows. Visit the ICA website for …read more

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The Bard days of summer are almost here, and they’re free, too!
On Friday, July 18, Citi Performing Arts Center will kick off its three-week engagement on Boston Common performing William Shakespeare’s much-loved romantic comedy As You Like It.
The talented cast bringing the production to life includes Obie winners Marin Ireland as Rosalind and Fred Weller (of USA Network’s hit series In Plain Sight) as Orlando, along with Larry Coen as Touchstone, Johnny Lee Davenport as Duke Senior, Jennie Israel as Phebe, Ali Marsh (Weller’s wife) as Celia, Paul Melendy as Silvius, Dan Roach as Oliver, Fred Sullivan, Jr. as Jacques, …read more

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This Fourth of July, it’s a shame revelers in the Boston area won’t get to enjoy the traditional free Boston Pops Fireworks Spectacular from the Longfellow Bridge, a prime vantage point. But that doesn’t mean the celebration will be any less dazzling, especially since this year is the event’s 35th anniversary.
As most residents know, the annual Independence Day festivities featuring the Boston Pops occurs over two days in the city, the actual holiday and the day before it. As a result, the Boston Pops will perform an 8:30pm concert on both Thursday, July 3, and Friday, July 4.
There …read more

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Happy Father’s Day!
Here’s a little laughter for all of The Boston Traveler readers out there who happen to be fathers, courtesy of one of the funniest sitcoms currently on television, Tina Fey’s masterful 30 Rock.
Watch — and try not to choke — as Tracy Morgan’s Tracy Jordan and Alec Baldwin’s Jack Donaghy participate in a very special and hilarious therapy session. I wonder how long it took the therapist to recover afterwards.

Therapy, Jack Style

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…or at least local dancer Michael Kim can.
The best dance reality competition on television, Fox network’s So You Think You Can Dance, just wrapped up its six-city audition phase for the current fourth season earlier tonight. All of the candidates who make it through the first grueling phase then move on to an even more difficult level of competition in the Las Vegas second round. A final cut is made at the end of that stage, and the far fewer people who survive move on to the final level of competition that results in a single ultimate winner.
One …read more

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Since Boston is a college town, bookstores abound wherever you go, some even housing convenient cafes where customers can grab a cup of coffee or tea to go along with their reading distraction of choice. Coming Up: Ten Boston-area bookstores worth visiting, in alphabetical order.
Borders
Helpful staff; nice prices with ample bargains; occasional events; good selection of books, movies, and music; one of those aforementioned cafes; and located near several subway and bus lines, not to mention directly down the street from the central Downtown Crossing shopping area. It’s not the only Borders in town, of course, but it …read more

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Pop-rock vocalist Natalie Merchant, formerly of alternative rock’s 10,000 Maniacs, has a sweet two-day gig coming up next week in Boston. The New York native will be performing live twice with the revered Boston Pops Orchestra, led by conductor Keith Lockhart, during EdgeFest 2008.
EdgeFest, now in its fourth year, is a Boston Pops concert series that pairs the orchestra with contemporary bands and artists. Not surprisingly, the different musical focus attracts a significant number of 30-something attendees, in contrast to the customary Boston Pops audience, which has an average age of over 50.
Merchant’s last studio release was 2003’s …read more

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Warm weather and outdoor concerts go together so well, the only thing that makes them better is when the latter are free. People who realize this and share an appreciation of the planet we call home are in luck, then, because Saturday, May 24th, marks the 15th Annual EarthFest hosted by WBOS Radio 92.9.
Performing this year for free in honor of Earth are alternative rockers Cake, the headliners, as well as The BoDeans, Cracker, The English Beat, and various Boston-based groups. The event will also offer environment-friendly activities, including many targeted specifically towards family and children.
EarthFest has been …read more

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