Massachusetts (1086)

• July 8, 2025
• Colleen Johnson
• 437
• 0

 

In a sea of live events to pick from in this beautiful state of ours, be it outside venues like Tanglewood (where Barenaked Ladies and Sugar Ray, for all my millennials, will be performing tonight), to the surprise All-American Rejects appearance at Fenway just this past weekend in town. The latter mentioned band being in town with the internet-famous baseball team, the Savannah Bananas; your options are endless. It can be incredibly overwhelming, speaking from personal experience. 

But something you simply shouldn’t miss is where I’ll be finding myself this Thursday night, and that is at the beauty of a room, Somerville Theater, to see a live screening of the brand new documentary, “Hung Up On A Dream: The Zombies’ Documentary.” Still, it’s not just your average screening. In tow, there will be a very rare live acoustic performance from the Zombies’ leading man, Colin Blunstone, who will be joined by the director of the documentary above, Robert Schwartzman. In addition to his numerous director and acting credits, Schwartzman has been performing with his California sun-soaked-influenced rock band, Rooney, since the early 2000s. In the past, Schwartzman has discussed how The Zombies were one of the main inspirations for him to pursue a career in rock music, so it’s naturally fitting that he’s combining both of his worlds by directing the first-ever documentary about the band. 

In addition to a screening and a live acoustic performance featuring tracks from The Zombies and some Rooney tunes, as well as the rest of the Rooney guys joining the performance, the duo will also participate in a moderated Q&A.  The night’s schedule is truly making for some special hours with Blunstone and Schwartzman.  The Somerville show serves as the second of the run, which starts tomorrow at The Gramercy in NYC. Still, this show in particular is sure to be something special, as not only does the Somerville Theater function as a music venue, but unlike other spots on this run, it is also a legitimate film theater, one dearly and beloved to many a Boston movie-going fan, including this girl. 

The documentary features all four living members of the band, as well as admirers such as Dave Grohl, Hayley Williams, and Paul Weller. It will cover the incredible six decades as a band and has already received a 90% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, along with a slew of rave reviews. Tickets are still available here, as well as for the rest of the dates, but I recommend grabbing them quickly. And while it does seem like quite a lengthy event, the Somerville concession stand honestly stands out as being unlike most movie theaters I attend. There’s an excellent selection of both wine and local craft beers on draft, if that’s something that suits your taste. Hope to see you there!