As one closes, another opens. This week, as we said farewell to a comedy icon, we welcomed back a beloved band, a beloved movie franchise, and a beloved arena. All of that activity made for quite the emotional rollercoaster as we put together the Friday Five! As you get ready for the first official weekend of summer, take a minute to enjoy the laughs, thrills, and good tunes that got us through the week!
Dave Chappelle + The Foo Fighters
Have you ever wondered what it would be like to watch Dave Chappelle sing karaoke? Well, here’s your chance! The Foo Fighters officially “reopened” Madison Square Garden this week with an absolutely electric show, and every video from the night gave us goosebumps. But the highlight was Chappelle’s guest performance of Radiohead’s “Creep.” The comedy legend brought the house down, getting the crowd involved and letting the band really rock out. The whole video is surreal, in part because it is Dave Chappelle singing along with thousands of fans, but mostly because no one really knew when a packed MSG was coming back. Dave Grohl was the perfect person to kick things off, and he managed to surprise everyone with the Chappelle drop-in. It might not be the best vocal performance you’ve ever heard, but you definitely need to check out these two legends at work.
Jordan Rakei - “Family”
Once again, we found ourselves listening to Jordan Rakei on repeat this week. His new track “Family,” is incredibly chill, perfect for work, a nightcap, or a Sunday morning cruise. Rakei’s voice is very soothing, and while there’s definitely a great groove to it, “Family” will put you right into a nice, relaxed zone. There’s also a cool, descending synth part that we really enjoy. Overall, it’s just an interesting song musically, and gives off the exact vibes we’re looking for heading into the weekend. Jordan Rakei is making his second appearance in the Friday Five for a reason. While this isn’t a track to add to your party playlist, it is a great selection for pretty much any other time, and we think it’s going to get a lot of plays this summer.
F9: The Fast Saga
Speaking of family… F9 has finally arrived! One of our favorite summertime activities is to go into a nice, air-conditioned movie theater, turn our brains off, and let the booming sounds and images of a blockbuster movie wash over us. And now, the ninth installment of the Fast & Furious franchise gives us the perfect opportunity to do just that. F9 has been highly anticipated for over a year, after it was delayed due to movie theater closures. But now, it’s here, and we’re ready to hop back in the driver’s seat. Based on the trailer, we’re getting the return of a beloved character (Han), a new villain (John Cena!), and potentially the franchise’s first attempt to go to outer space. What more could you ask for? We’ve come a long way from the original film, which was basically Point Break on wheels. And while we don’t make any guarantees about the quality of the film, we do promise that we’ll be hanging out with the Fast Family once again this weekend.
Bill Hader & Paul Rudd On Conan
Conan O’Brien’s late night show on TBS came to an end this week, and all of his favorite guests came in to say goodbye to a comedy legend. While there are a LOT of clips we’d recommend watching, Paul Rudd and Bill Hader’s final appearances got us laughing the hardest. We don’t want to spoil too much, but Rudd crashes the interview while wearing a tuxedo, and finally explains a bit he’s been doing on the show for almost 20 years. And Bill Hader absolutely loses his mind. It’s always fun to watch a comedy star break, and Hader’s laughter is pretty contagious. There’s a ton of joy in the clip, which makes it a perfect video to kickstart your weekend.
Crimetown: Providence
After featuring our first podcast last week, we realized that we wanted to go back to the well for a podcast near and dear to our hearts: Crimetown. The first season of the podcast focuses on Providence, Rhode Island, and we can’t recommend it enough. There is incredibly detailed research and reporting around Buddy Cianci and the mob’s influence in Rhode Island, and you get to hear voices from all sides of the events. Given the fact that our hometown grocery store still sells Cianci’s marinara sauce, we felt like this was a podcast made specifically for us. People don’t realize how crazy some of Rhode Island’s history has been, which helped make the podcast a hit across the country. It’s perfect for long summer road trips, or if you just want to sit inside when it gets way too hot. Basically, it’s a pulpy beach thriller without all the reading; who can say “no” to that?