Sat. July 21

Bill Maher is pretty straight-up about where he stands: Virulently anti-Bush/Iraq war, pro-pot, atheistic, humanistic, considers humor a requisite antidote to the ongoing miseries of the world. Which is to say, not much has changed in Maher's world since his "Politically Correct" nights on network TV now that he's gone to HBO for "Real Time With Bill Maher," his round-table chat with celebrities, comics, politicos, authors and the like. It's on hiatus right now - which explains why Maher's taken his one-man show on the road (he's at Berklee Peformance Center Saturday July 21) - but it's truly one of the best hours on TV. People say things they probably wouldn't in other contexts, and the back-and-forth squabbles are, often, a hoot. But, more often than not, there's backbone and bite in the comedic bits. And Maher, world-weary and cyncial though he may appear, really seems to want to shake things up in a good way. The humor crosses the lines of good taste, often enough - a fine thing. While it's true that Maher is playing to the choir of the converted - in the studio audience and likely at home - the guys on the other side get their moments too. (Even if they're booed.) Will Maher be even more unleashed than he is on TV in concert? Perhaps. He's not gotten where he has by pulling punches. And he gives the left-wing a voice - a humorous, but concerned, one - when most Democrats still rush to the center when anything is stirred up. Saturday's is at 9:30 and it's being broadcast live on HBO. Tickets: $49.50 and $55.

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