Things to do in Vancouver this week: Nov. 9–15
Brett Goldstein at the Orpheum, Raffi at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre and Beck at the same venue anchor a wet week that starts with a stacked Monday and ends on the indie side.
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This is a wet week, and the forecast sorts it into two kinds of day. Monday and Tuesday are the heaviest, both at 100% chance of rain with temperatures between 6°C and 12°C on Monday and 7°C and 12°C on Tuesday. Wednesday brings rain showers at 12°C to 14°C with a 90% chance, and Friday, Saturday and Sunday stay in the same grey lane at 96%, 94% and 90%. Thursday is the only day that eases off, at 60% and 12°C to 13°C, so if you want to be outside for a walk on the seawall, that is your window. For the rest of the week, plan around rooms with a roof and a good stage.
Monday is the stacked night. The Black Angels play the Commodore Ballroom at 7:00 PM, a US psychedelic rock band that has been together since 2004. Allison Russell, the Canadian singer, songwriter, musician, actress and activist, plays the Chan Centre for the Performing Arts at 7:30 PM. Tadhg Nolan has two shows at the Fox Cabaret, at 6:30 PM and 7:30 PM. If you can only make one, the Commodore is the louder night and the Chan Centre is the quieter one, and on a 100% rain Monday, both are a good excuse to stay dry. Tuesday is quieter. Bad Waitress, a punk band from Toronto signed to Royal Mountain Records, play The Cobalt at 9:00 PM, and Thank You Pizza is a sensible mid-range stop beforehand if you want to eat well without a fuss.
Wednesday belongs to Brett Goldstein at the Orpheum, 8:00 PM. He is the English actor, comedian, podcaster and writer best known as Roy Kent on Ted Lasso, and he won the Primetime Emmy for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series for each of the first two seasons. Book C|PRIME Modern Italian Steak and Wine for a proper dinner first, because a wet Wednesday calls for a long meal. The same day, Richmond holds its Remembrance Day ceremony at the city hall cenotaph. The parade starts at 10:20 a.m., there are two minutes of silence at 11 a.m., and the road closures on No. 3 Road and Granville Avenue last until 1:30 p.m.
Thursday is the one day to be out on foot. It is also the right night to eat at Murmur, the Mount Pleasant restaurant that opened in August 2025 and is closing after about a year. Its last meal is Nov. 29, so there is no time to wait. The owners say only that it has been not an easy decision, and that is reason enough to go.
Friday brings Ron Funches to the Rio Theatre at 8:00 PM, an American comedian and actor who was a regular on the NBC series Undateable from 2014 to 2016 and has voiced characters on BoJack Horseman and Adventure Time. The Rio is a good room for a wet Friday. Sassy 009 plays Fortune Sound Club at 6:00 PM. The Oslo-born musician, real name Sunniva Lindgard, makes an early start, so eat at The Templeton, the cheap diner, first.
The weekend is for families and for the indie end of the bill. Raffi, the Egyptian-born Armenian-Canadian singer, songwriter and author known as the country's most beloved children's performer, plays the Queen Elizabeth Theatre for two performances, on Nov. 14 and 15. Beck plays the same theatre and Wolf Parade plays The Pearl, but no dates are set for either in this guide, so confirm before you plan around them. Take the kids to Raffi, then have a long lunch at The Templeton, which is the right kind of cheap for a Saturday with a toddler in tow.
If I could only pick one night out this week, it would be Brett Goldstein at the Orpheum on Wednesday, because a sharp comedy show with a proper dinner beforehand is the best answer to a wet week in Vancouver.
