The 10 Best Concerts of the Week: Lionel Richie, 2 Chainz, Incubus and More

The time is here for stepping out of the comfort of your air-conditioned home and Netflix queue and into the wide world of roadshows. This week is jam-packed with names hotter than August temperatures.

Lionel Richie's rescheduled concert from earlier this summer kicks off a stretch of great shows, including Queen + Adam Lambert, Kris Kristofferson and indie artist Waxahatchee. Further into the weekend, catch 2 Chainz, John Mayer, Primus and more.


Lionel Richie and Mariah Carey
7 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 3, American Airlines Center, 2500 Victory Ave., 214-222-3687 or ticketmaster.com, $29 and up

Lionel Richie and Mariah Carey are two of the most financially successful musicians of all time. With their unforgettable voices and knack for hooking melodies, they’ve collected platinum-quality singles, Grammys and legions of fans. Their willingness to venture into cheesy smoothness and unabashed sentimentality helped shape the modern pop frontier. Sure, they often smooth off the edges and cut the results with water, but entertainment doesn’t have to be critically robust to sweep you away from the pressures of work, home and living in a human body. The courage to go anywhere — even into kitsch — for a radio-ready hit is a testament to the love these two artists have for their fans. Their joint All the Hits Tour promises to showcase the songs that made them both household names, all nestled in an awe-inspiring, arena-sized flash bang of sight and sound. Escapism might get a bad rap, but what more could you want from a pop song? Jonathan Patrick


Queen + Adam Lambert
8 p.m. Friday, Aug. 4, American Airlines Center, 2500 Victory Ave., 214-222-3687 or americanairlinescenter.com, $49.50-$175

English band Queen is like a solar system that lost its star. Late singer Freddie Mercury was an icon of showmanship, passion and theatricality, the ultimate performer and arguably the most talented vocalist in rock history. When you've lost the greatest frontman in all of pop music, Adam Lambert initially wouldn't appear to be a fitting replacement. After all, he earned his fame (after auditioning with "Bohemian Rhapsody") on American Idol. However, like Mercury, he is a countertenor, a young, good-looking gay man, androgynously glam like a Velvet Goldmine character and pleasantly controversial. Eva Raggio


Cody Jinks, Kris Kristofferson, Ward Davis
7 p.m. Friday, Aug. 4, Verizon Theatre, 1001 Performance Place, Grand Prairie, 972-854-5050 or verizontheatre.com, $30-$125

North Texas' Cody Jinks makes the kind of country music that resonates beyond strict fans of the genre. As proof of his cross appeal, all he really needs to do is point to his experience fronting a metal band. Now that he's considered more of a country artist, however, his outlaw persona lends itself well to both sides of his musical personality. He can churn out vigorous and energetic anthems and then turn things down with ruminative ballads. In a live setting, he's as apt to break out Pink Floyd and Soundgarden covers as he is to cover Hank, Willie or Waylon. Although he's five albums into his career, 2017 has been a banner year for Jinks. He's appeared on late-night television, is headlining the Ryman and has earned praise from many of the industry's heaviest hitters. Speaking of heavyweights, the one and only Kris Kristofferson is opening Friday evening's show. This is a one-time only treat to help celebrate Jinks' homecoming; be sure to allow yourself plenty of time getting out to Grand Prairie so you don't miss out. Jeff Strowe


Waxahatchee
With Palehound and Outer Spaces, 8 p.m. Friday, Aug. 4, Club Dada, 2720 Elm St., dadadallas.com, $15

Waxahatchee is Katie Crutchfield's minimalist project who turns out delectable pop tunes. Crutchfield came from the acclaimed folky garage rock band P.S. Eliot and has found her footing with her new band, touring on its latest, Out in the Storm. Expect plenty of crunchy guitars with sweet harmonies. The band has four albums to pick a set list from and puts on an impressive live show. Eric Grubbs


Kyle Park
10:30 p.m. Friday, Aug. 4, Billy Bob's Texas, 2520 Rodeo Plaza, Fort Worth, 817-624-7117 or billybobstexas.com, $12-$18

Kyle Park is a Texas country singer-songwriter from Austin. Boasting an impressive touring schedule of 175 shows a year, Park keeps his hands firmly planted in his work through producing and writing all of his material, as well as creating a record label, Kyle Park Music Inc. He's been on country music's radar since 2005 but came to prominence in 2008 with iTunes' No. 7 country record, Fall 201. Diamond Victoria


2 Chainz
7 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 5, Gas Monkey Live, 10110 Technology Blvd. E., gasmonkeybarngrill.com or 214-350-1904, $42.50-$75

2 Chainz possesses the gift of gab in its highest form. The smooth-talking superstar rapper has made a career off witty wordplay, hilarious metaphors and catchy punchline raps that often make him the star of the track no matter the competition, whether it's Lil Wayne, Drake or Kanye West he's sharing a beat with. He’s also a marketing genius. In support of his new album, Pretty Girls Like Trap Music, the Georgia native turned an Atlanta home into a pink pop-up installation that involved an art gallery, a church service and even HIV testing for the community. 2 Chainz’s success is all the more impressive when you realize he didn’t really see mainstream success until his early 30s. He’s one hell of a rapper, and he's getting attention for all the right reasons. Mikel Galicia


Sharam
10 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 5, It’ll Do, 4322 Elm St., 214-827-7236, $15-$20

For his first studio album in seven years, Retroactive, DJ and producer Sharam Tayebi composed a love letter to his musical influences, and he’s bringing the love to Dallas. As he grew up on the ever-scrutinized streets of post-revolutionary Tehran, Iran, Sharam’s musical tastes were restricted to whatever could be smuggled across the border or was accepted by his government. But at 14, when Sharam and his family moved to Washington, D.C., he learned how to mix tracks, and the rest is history. His album Retroactive is an eclectic walk through Sharam's mind; it fluctuates between electro-tinged nightclub hypnosis on tracks like “Arpi” and more upbeat tunes inspired by '80s disco, like the collab track “Crazi Flute,” which features disco pioneer Giorgio Moroder. But if a walk down memory lane doesn’t sound like your particular cup of jungle juice, Sharam’s latest release, Collecti, Pt. 1 takes a darker turn with guttural growls, and a few tracks may just make it into the set. Nicholas Bostick


John Mayer
7 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 5, American Airlines Center, 2500 Victory Ave., 214-222-3687 or americanairlinescenter.com, $59 and up

There's no telling how many teenagers' cars have fogged up listening to "Your Body is a Wonderland." After all, John Mayer is the king of soft rock, and he's back this year with a new album called The Search for Everything. Like any album that comes after a four-year hiatus, Mayer's is a means of stepping back into the spotlight, but perhaps he's a little wiser. In support of the album, his tour this summer includes solo acoustic performances of the new tracks, as well as full-band sets and a segment with his blues trio band. Diamond Victoria


Incubus
With Jimmy Eat World, 6:45 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 5, Starplex Pavilion, 1818 First Ave., 214-421-1111 or dallaspavilion.org, $29.50-$115

Incubus and Jimmy Eat World do not immediately come to mind as natural tour-mates, but as survivors of early-2000s rock radio, the combination kind of makes sense. Both bands have buckets of hits and new records to support, both leaned closer to the softer side of rock radio and both know how to put on winning performances. Hell, “Drive” and “The Middle” are cut from the same “Don’t Stop Believin’” cloth. Cory Garcia


Primus
With Clutch, 7:30 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 6, South Side Ballroom, 1135 S Lamar St., 214-421-2021 or southsideballroomdallas.com, $97 and up

Primus is a band's band. The now three-member, San Francisco, California-based rock band began in 1984 but wasn't signed to a major label until six years later, after releasing the highly successful album Fizzle Fry and touring with Jane's Addiction. Primus' expert musicianship is undeniable, and although the it became successful as a '90s alternative band, its origins lie in heavy metal. After repeated hiatuses and lineup changes, the band began touring the country extensively a couple of years ago. Diamond Victoria