Monty Python’s Spamalot has been breaking box office records everywhere, and has remained the hottest ticket on Broadway since it opened in 2005. The legendarily wacky take on the tale of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table has impressed fans for the last few years, and the original cast recording of Spamalot won the 2006 Grammy Awards for Best Musical Show Album. The show also won three 2005 Tony Awards, including best musical and best director (Mike Nichols). Spamalot features a chorus line of dancing divas and knights, both set in costumes designed by the award-winning Tim Hatley. Performances aren’t scheduled to begin until May 1, but tickets for the show will be available on Friday night during a special ticket event sale. Food will be served, there will be games and merchandise giveaways in the Shea’s lobby and the comedy classic Monty Python and the Holy Grail will be screened free of charge at 7:30pm. Tickets will be available at Shea’s box office on this night, before becoming available to the general public the next day.This event is free, but tickets to Spamalot are not.

He left for the Washington Post in 2002, but prior to that Tom Toles labored for years in the offices of the Buffalo News, the Courier-Express and UB’s Spectrum. Now the Burchfield-Penney’s Don Metz has assembled a show featuring more than 100 of Toles’ political cartoons, all made during his tenure at the News. Called Caustic Ink, the exhibit is one of four that debut this Friday. The others comprise work by painter Michael Herbold and media artist Diane Bertolo (part of the Burchfield-Penney’s 2/2 series of shared exhibits); watercolors by the brilliant Jeanette Blair; and a selection of work from the Annette Craven Modern Ceramics Collection. Toles will deliver a lecture on Saturday, January 27 (2pm) with News editor Margaret Sullivan; if you’ve never met the Pulitzer Prize winner in person, by all means go and listen. But don’t skip the opening reception this Friday—the Burchfield-Penney lays a better table than any gallery in town.

This weekend Canadian rock/pop band Sloan returns to Buffalo, where they’ve maintained a healthy fan base throughout their 16-plus years together. The Halifax natives have risen from literally nowhere to now close to everywhere thanks to sheer determination. Sloan started their own label, Murderecords, with the intention of using it as a vehicle for the band. However, knowing the odds against getting noticed in a small town, they ultimately decided to use the label to help other indie bands get a start just like they did. All four band members are songwriters, and are by this point musical veterans who, instead of resting on their laurels, continue to challenge themselves with each new record. Their latest release is a 30-song epic, fittingly titled Never Hear the End of It, which just came out in the states on January 9. This album has generated heavier buzz than the group has experienced before, garnering rave reviews from critics and fans alike. Doors open at 7pm and this is an all-ages show.

Brooklyn native Kevin Devine was born out of the 1990s indie rock scene. After doing time in various loud rock bands, Devine went out on his own at the turn of the decade. Echoing the wordplay of Bob Dylan and the melancholy of Elliott Smith, he released three albums on independent labels before signing to Capitol Records. His label debut, Put Your Ghost to Rest, is an emotive mix of both the personal and political. Touring with Kevin is Matador recording artist and Mohawk Place favorite Jennifer O’Connor. After playing with the Atlanta-based indie rock band Violet, O’Connor moved to Brooklyn and began sculpting stripped-down acoustic songs that were, and continue to be, both brutally honest and heartbreakingly beautiful. After releasing her second record, the critically acclaimed The Color and the Light, she caught the attention of Matador, where she just released a third album called Over the Mountain, Across the Valley and Back to the Stars. Filtering out her sound in a more band-like setting this recording is her most accomplished yet. Pablo opens the show.