Events on Central

Six local acts share the Launchpad stage in what amounts to a cross-section of the current Albuquerque underground, capped by DJ Meowstas to carry the room into the late hours. Launchpad runs tight sets on multi-bill nights, so arriving early actually matters here if you care about catching the openers with sound that is dialed...

The 20th Annual New Mexico Jazz Festival steps outside its usual performance format for a film day at the Guild, pairing the 1981 avant-garde document Imagine the Sound with the John Coltrane biography Chasing Trane across three screenings. The Guild's small room and good projection make this a better way to absorb both films than...

Four years in, New Mexico Goth Fest has established itself as the one night Launchpad fully commits to the dark side, running past 2 a.m. with bands cycling through both the main room and the bar area. The crowd skews serious about the music rather than the costume, which makes for a better show and...

Triple-A Pacific Coast League ball between the Isotopes and the Tacoma Rainiers, a Friday night game at one of the better mid-sized ballparks in the country. Isotopes Park sits right on Central, which means you can walk from a dozen bars and restaurants before first pitch without touching a highway. September games here tend to...

Night one of New Mexico's annual goth festival stacks eight acts across what will likely be a long, late run at Launchpad, anchored by local and regional names like Theif, Bellhead, and Hex Cassette alongside DJ sets from Ordo Amoris. Launchpad's layout rewards arriving early if you want a position near the stage, because by...

Hotel Albuquerque's tablao format puts you close enough to feel the footwork through the floor, which is either thrilling or too much depending on your baseline for intensity. This is a full dinner show, so budget the whole evening rather than treating it as a drop-in. Performers are still TBA at listing time, so check...

Hotel Albuquerque's tablao series brings together dancers, a singer, and a guitarist for an evening of live flamenco in a room that was built for exactly this kind of performance. The specific performers haven't been announced yet, and that matters here because the lineup quality varies show to show, so check back closer to the...

A live improv comedy show at The Box, the small black-box theater on Central that has been quietly hosting some of the sharpest performance work in the neighborhood for years. The room seats maybe 60 people, which means there is nowhere to hide, for the performers or the audience, and that intimacy tends to make...

Triple-A baseball on Central Avenue, the Isotopes hosting Tacoma in what should be a cool early-September evening with the Sandias going pink behind the outfield. Isotopes Park punches well above...

The New Mexico Philharmonic brings a full orchestra into the BioPark Botanic Garden for one of the more genuinely pleasant outdoor concert settings in the city. The gardens do interesting...