The 10 Best Concerts in Dallas This Week: Metric, GZA & More

As we inch closer toward the week of infamous gluttony known as Thanksgiving, sate your savage spirit with some Dallas concerts instead. You have hip-hop legend and Wu-Tang founding member GZA at Trees (minus ODB) and you've got Metric, a band so representative of indie pop-rock that they wrote songs for Scott Pilgrim, coming to The Bomb Factory (minus Brie Larson), plus plenty more.

Niykee Heaton
9 p.m. Monday, November 16, at House of Blues, 2200 N. Lamar St., houseofblues.com/dallas, $15
Niykee Heaton has been a controversial Internet entity for a couple of months now after being discovered on YouTube. She initially did acoustic covers of popular songs (often hip-hop) and put out a solo album last September. But people have attempted to discredit her by citing her Instagram, which features her in various states of undress, and claiming she only wants attention. Her response has been simple: She's found new confidence, and she's going to embrace it. Maybe Dallas’ own Demi Lovato taught her a thing or two. Matt Wood

Plain White T's
With Matt McAndrew, Beta Play and Adam Case, 8 p.m. Tuesday, November 17, at Trees, 2709 Elm St., 214-741-1122 or treesdallas.com, $20-$25
Your favorite Chicago alt-rock/power-pop boy band who love to sing to girls named Delilah are coming to Dallas. It has been a long five years since their last studio album, although they kept fans somewhat contented with their EP Should’ve Gone to Bed in 2013. Can you guess who? Well, it’s no secret that Plain White T’s were eager to break their silence and finally release their highly anticipated album American Nights earlier this year. This love song-cooing band have definitely satisfied their fans and gained some new ones with their new wave of music. They didn’t waste any time planning a tour so they could remind everyone why they are still around after almost 20 years of making hits like “Hey There Delilah,” “1, 2, 3, 4” and “Rhythm of Love.” This concert will mix their classic sound with high-energy bangers and is sure to please. Aria Bell

Beach Slang
8 p.m. Wednesday, November 18, at Doublewide, 3510 Commerce St., double-wide.com, $10
Despite their band’s name, Beach Slang are decidedly not garage, not beach-y, and they’re not from California (Pennsylvania actually, which may be the polar opposite of California). Beach Slang have taken shoe-gazey, layered guitars and sped them up to forge a complex and driving sound. They lure you in with crystalline guitar leads before bringing in slicing chord hits with raspy, yelling vocals. It feels as if each song may rip at the seams at any moment. That’s when they pull it back and the tide pulls in — but only so the next wave will hit you even harder. MW

Houndmouth
7 p.m. Thursday, November 19, at Granada Theater, 3524 Greenville Ave., 214-824-9933 or granadatheater.com, $18
Houndmouth's jingle-jangly indie folk is even-keeled and chock-full of good vibes, man. Choruses have all the members singing in "big happy family" unison, and the lead singer looks like he spends at least an hour each morning disheveling his hair. The temperature may be dropping, but Houndmouth will be keeping the Granada heated with warm smiles and fuzzy nostalgia on this night, which marks the sixth anniversary of 91.7 KXT. MW

Metric
With Sarah Jaffe and Hibou, 8:30 p.m. Friday, November 20, at The Bomb Factory, 2713 Canton St., 214-932-6507 or thebombfactory.com, $32-$35
Walking the razor’s edge between indie rock and synth pop, Metric has made quite a name for itself in the 15-plus years it has been around. The band’s rise to fame really took off with the release of Fantasies in 2009, which included hits such as “Help, I’m Alive,” “Gold Guns Girls” and “Gimme Sympathy” and won the 2010 Juno Award for Alternative Album of the Year. Fronted by the talented Emily Haines, the Toronto-based band has had quite a busy year so far, releasing its new album Pagans in Vegas in September while also touring with Imagine Dragons earlier this year. Now the band is coming back into town to headline The Bomb Factory, aka the hottest concert venue in Dallas right now. If Metric’s earlier appearance in Dallas in July is any indication, expect a charismatic and commanding Haines to bring some serious energy to the room. Local talent Sarah Jaffe and Seattle-based Hibou open. Brandon Mikeal

GZA
8 p.m. Friday, November 20, at Trees, 2709 Elm St., 214-741-1122 or treesdallas.com, $20
GZA aka The Genius is the co-founder and original member of the Wu-Tang Clan. 2015 marks the 20th anniversary of the GZA’s breakout solo project, Liquid Swords. After performing at Austin’s Fun Fun Fun Fest earlier this month, the hip-hop icon and possibly a few other group members will make a stop in Dallas. Recently, a stabbing occurred during a party at partner RZA’s New Jersey home, raising doubts that he will show up to perform some of their best-known collaborations this time around. Nevertheless, the catalog of work from this Shaolin soldier has earned wholehearted respect and appreciation from countless pop culture icons. Neil DeGrasse Tyson, Dave Chappelle, Marvel Comics, Seth Rogen and Seth MacFarlane have all proclaimed themselves fans of GZA and his rap crew. Dallas’ Trees is hosting a historic event dedicated to one of hip-hop’s legends that will celebrate two decades of supremacy and continue to prove that “MCs are weak like clock radio speakers.” Jordan Dunbar

Bone Thugs-N-Harmony
With B-Real, Bun B, Scarface, Z-Ro, Slim Thug, El Gant, DJ Sid Wilson, Kurantz, Joey G, Unknown and CB4, 8 p.m. Saturday, November 21, at The Bomb Factory, 2713 Canton St., 214-932-6507 or thebombfactory.com, $35-$55
Wake up, wake up — it’s the 21st of the month! You can go see Bone Thugs-N-Harmony, with supposedly all five Bones in tow, at what will likely be one of the biggest nationally touring hip-hop shows of the year. Just look at who all will be there: B-Real from Cypress Hill, along with Bun B, Scarface, Z-ro, Slim Thug, El Gant, DJ Sid Wilson and a few other artists as well. Bone Thugs will be performing their best-selling 1995 release, E. 1999 Eternal, in its entirety, as they are celebrating its 20th anniversary this year. Fun fact: The album was named after the place where some of the Bones used to hang out, and was also homage to recently deceased Eazy-E and his album Eternal E. Their album E. 1999 Eternal was also nominated for the inaugural Grammy Award for Best Rap Album in 1996. So, meet you at the crossroads? Of Canton and Crowdus streets that is, of course. Sara Button

Savoy
7 p.m. Saturday, November 21, at Trees, 2709 Elm St., 214-741-1122 or treesdallas.com, $20-35
From the wreckage of peak 2010 dubstep, Savoy salvages house-influenced elements and adds notes of modern "future pop." The towering lead synths sing in the higher registers while the "wubwubwubs" keep crawling along the low end. Considering how much borrowing is done in the sprawling electronic genre, it's a combination that screams potential that Savoy has seemingly already mastered. Guess we'll have to see if Taylor Swift borrows the effect on her next album to find out if Savoy saw into the future. MW


Phil Vassar
7 p.m. Sunday, November 22, at The Kessler Theater, 1230 W. Davis St., 214-272-8346 or thekessler.org, $24-38
Phil Vassar catalogues the simpler things. His biggest hit, "Just Another Day in Paradise," is basically a blueprint for the country singer-songwriter story format. He lists kids screaming, phone ringing, dogs barking at mailmen and nearly every other element of a stereotypical suburban morning. But in the chorus, his observations reveal the admirable content of his character; he wouldn't change a thing about his life, even if he has to fix the washing machine for the fifth time this week. MW