Liga MX comes to Q2 twice, and August opens at full volume.

The Leagues Cup takes over this week, and we are not complaining. Austin FC hosts Club Tijuana on Thursday and Club Puebla next Sunday, the first two of three Liga MX visits to Q2 this month, and both are first-ever meetings. Between the matches, Melanie Martinez brings her arena spectacle to Moody on Monday, the Paramount keeps its summer series rolling with Goodfellas tonight and The Last Picture Show midweek, and Singin' in the Rain enters weekend six of seven on the Zilker hillside. Highs sit in the upper 90s all week, so the after-dark rule from July still applies. Plan accordingly and drink water you did not know you needed.

The marquee

• Thu Aug 6, 8:00 PM · From $30
  Austin FC vs Club Tijuana, Leagues Cup
  Q2 Stadium, 10414 McKalla Pl
  The first of three Liga MX clubs at Q2 this month, and the first time Austin FC has ever faced Tijuana. Leagues Cup matches carry a different energy than league play, more traveling fans and more noise. An 8 PM August kickoff means the sun is down by the half, which is the kindest scheduling Q2 gets all summer.
• Sun Aug 9, 8:00 PM · From $30
  Austin FC vs Club Puebla, Leagues Cup
  Q2 Stadium, 10414 McKalla Pl
  Match two of the Q2 triple, three days after Tijuana. A Sunday night kickoff is rare here and it makes for the best-value ticket of the phase. If you can only do one, Thursday has the fresher legs; if you want a full stadium on a school night, this is your pick.
• Thu-Sun, 8:15 PM (through Aug 15) · Free
  Zilker Summer Musical: Singin' in the Rain, weekend six
  Beverly S. Sheffield Hillside Theater, Zilker Park
  Two weekends left, and this is the one to actually go to. The final weekend always draws the biggest crowds of the run, so weekend six is your last chance at a good blanket spot without a 7 PM arrival. Thursday remains the quiet night.

Sunday · Tonight

• 7:00 PM · $15
  Goodfellas at the Paramount
  Paramount Theatre, 713 Congress Ave
  The summer series gives Scorsese the Sunday night slot. Spirited Away runs the 3 PM matinee if you want the double.
• 8:15 PM · Free
  Zilker Summer Musical, weekend five closes
  Zilker Hillside Theater
  Sunday stays the second-quietest night on the hillside. Weekend six picks up Thursday.
• 4:00 PM · Free
  Chicken Shit Bingo
  Ginny's Little Longhorn Saloon, Brentwood
  Cash for beer, a numbered square, and a chicken deciding your afternoon. Inside by 3:30 for a seat.
• Open until 10:00 PM · $5
  Evening swim at Barton Springs
  Zilker Park
  The after-7 window is still the move. 68 degrees regardless of what August thinks.

Monday–Wednesday

• Mon Aug 3, 8:00 PM · Varies
  Melanie Martinez
  Moody Center, 2001 Robert Dedman Dr
  One of the more theatrical arena productions touring right now, full staging and costume acts. Expect the merch line to open hours before doors.
• Mon Aug 3, 8:00 PM · $20
  Bob Schneider's Lonelyland
  Saxon Pub, 1320 S Lamar Blvd
  The Monday residency rolls on. Arrive by 7:30 for a seat with sightlines.
• Tue Aug 4, 8:00 PM · No cover
  Two-step lessons at the White Horse
  500 Comal St, East Austin
• Wed Aug 5, 7:30 PM · $15
  The Last Picture Show at the Paramount
  713 Congress Ave
  Bogdanovich's small-town Texas elegy on the Congress Avenue screen. The right film for the venue, and the air conditioning is better than the Rio Grande Valley's ever was.
• Nightly, 9:30 PM · $10 or less
  Jazz at the Elephant Room
  315 Congress Ave, Downtown
  The basement weeknight sets are the underrated version. Cooler, emptier, same players.

Thursday–Friday

• Thu Aug 6, 8:00 PM · From $30
  Austin FC vs Club Tijuana, Leagues Cup
  Q2 Stadium
  See the marquee. Red Line to McKalla Station beats every parking option.
• Thu Aug 6, evening · $15
  Reservoir Dogs at the Paramount
  713 Congress Ave
  Tarantino's debut in the summer series slot. Tight runtime, out well before the Q2 final whistle if you are tracking the score.
• Thu Aug 6, 7:00 PM · Free
  Drop-In Summer Concert Series
  Long Center Lawn, 701 W Riverside Dr
  Second-to-last week of the free Thursday series. Blanket, 6:30 arrival, skyline view included.
• Thu Aug 6, 8:15 PM · Free
  Zilker Summer Musical, weekend six opens
  Zilker Hillside Theater
• Fri Aug 7, 9:00 PM · No cover
  Friday honky tonk at the White Horse
  500 Comal St

Next Saturday

• Sat Aug 8, 9:00 AM to 1:00 PM · Free
  SFC Farmers Market at Republic Square
  422 Guadalupe St, Downtown
  Late peach season and early pepper season overlap right about now. Go early, before the shade runs out.
• Sat Aug 8, 8:15 PM · Free
  Zilker Summer Musical
  Zilker Hillside Theater
• Sat Aug 8, 10:00 PM · $15
  Late set at the Continental Club
  1315 S Congress Ave
• Open until 10:00 PM · $5
  Barton Springs weekend hours
  Zilker Park

Next Sunday

• Sun Aug 9, 8:00 PM · From $30
  Austin FC vs Club Puebla, Leagues Cup
  Q2 Stadium
  The Sunday night Q2 experience is worth having once. See the marquee.
• Sun Aug 9, 8:15 PM · Free
  Zilker Summer Musical, weekend six closes
  Zilker Hillside Theater
  One weekend left after this one. The closing stretch starts Thursday the 13th.
• Sun Aug 9, 4:00 PM · Free
  Chicken Shit Bingo
  Ginny's Little Longhorn Saloon, Brentwood

What we're drinking this week

• · $6
  Live Oak Hefeweizen
  Live Oak Brewing, 1615 Crozier Ln
  Still the best wheat beer brewed in Texas, and the east-side biergarten catches an actual breeze after 6. Fifteen minutes from Q2 if you are making a match-day afternoon of it.
• · $12
  Frozen margarita
  Matt's El Rancho, 2613 S Lamar Blvd
  The Bob Armstrong dip is the headline but the frozen machine is the reason the patio survives August. Weeknights before 6 skip the wait.
• · $9
  Michelada
  La Holly Cocina, 2500 E 6th St
  The correct drink for a Leagues Cup week. Salt, lime, and enough spice to make the heat feel intentional.

Free this week

• Thu-Sun, 8:15 PM · Free
  Zilker Summer Musical: Singin' in the Rain
  Zilker Hillside Theater
• Thu Aug 6, 7:00 PM · Free
  Drop-In Summer Concert Series
  Long Center Lawn
• Sat Aug 8, 9:00 AM to 1:00 PM · Free
  SFC Farmers Market at Republic Square
  422 Guadalupe St

From the archive

With two Q2 matches from $30 and a free musical on the hillside, this is a cheap week to do well. Our guide to a full Austin weekend on fifty dollars covers the tacos, the swims, and the shows that keep the total under budget without feeling like it.

Looking ahead

• Thu Aug 13, 7:30 PM · From $30
  Austin FC vs Club América, Leagues Cup
  Q2 Stadium
• Aug 13 to Aug 15, 8:15 PM · Free
  Zilker Summer Musical, final weekend
  Zilker Hillside Theater
• Thu Aug 13, 7:00 PM · Free
  Drop-In Summer Concert Series finale
  Long Center Lawn

ATX Weekly tip

For both Q2 matches, take the CapMetro Red Line to McKalla Station; it drops you at the stadium gate and a $3.50 day pass beats the $30 lots. Trains run late after the final whistle on match nights, but the first two southbound departures are packed, so either sprint out at the whistle or give it twenty minutes at the north concourse taco stand. If you are driving anyway, the Domain garages a half mile south are free and the walk is flat.

A week with two Liga MX nights at Q2 and a free musical between them is August doing its best impression of a reasonable month. Hydrate, take the train, and we will see you on the north end. — The ATX Weekly Editors