The 10 Best Concerts in DFW This Week: Dixie Chicks, Guns N' Roses & More

By now, anyone with a Netflix account has binge-watched Stranger Things and may not know what to do with themselves. Don't worry, though, because there are plenty of other things to do in this town besides sitting on the couch. Why not find out in person if Steven Tyler's transition into country music tickles your fancy? Or maybe grab your Zippo lighter and take your turn being "that guy" yelling "Freebird!" at the Lynyrd Skynyrd show this week? This lineup, along with Culture Club, Dixie Chicks, Korn and Guns N' Roses, is definitely worth setting down the remote.

Steven Tyler
7 p.m. Monday, August 1, at Music Hall at Fair Park, 909 1st Ave., 214-565-1116 or liveatthemusichall.com, $59.95 to $149.95.
Aerosmith’s main mouth Steven Tyler just dropped his first-ever solo album on July 15, We’re All Somebody From Somewhere. It’s a “country-tinged” record produced in Nashville with the help of T-Bone Burnett and a bunch of Music City songwriters, including Chris DeStefano (Carrie Underwood, Luke Bryan), Hillary Lindsey (Taylor Swift, Tim McGraw) and the Warren Brothers (Faith Hill, Martina McBride). It’s sort of endearing that Steven Tyler pays lip service at all to concepts like “authenticity,” particularly because he’s a survivor of rock ’n’ roll’s gilded age, never mind that Aerosmith continues to rock arenas despite the fact that its members’ ages add up to something like a million years. Seeing how Tyler’s already dabbled in shoehorning rap into his music, he shouldn’t give a shit about what anyone thinks. Besides, “Don’t Want to Miss a Thing,” which came out 20 years ago, is pretty much a country song already. Tyler may yet get made fun of by Sturgill Simpson super fans (correction: probably already is), but really, so long as he isn’t rapping about tailgates or tractors, Tyler is most likely in the clear. Steve Steward
Rich the Kid
With Famous Dex, 7 p.m., Tuesday, August 2, at Gas Monkey Live, 10110 Technology Blvd. E, Dallas, TX 75220, or gasmonkeybarngrill.com, $20 to $35
Rich the Kid could be the freshest face in the rap scene right now. 2016 has been pretty good to him so far, having collaborations with Diplo, Justin Bieber, Frank Ocean, Ty Dolla $ign and Jaden Smith. He even shared the stage with G-Eazy earlier this year. He's not exactly new to the game, though: Rich the Kid's voice has been heard in the background of various other artists' releases, including Young Thug, for a few years now. But after signing with the label Quality Control Music back in March and even creating his own label, Forever Rich Music, this 24-year-old has proven he's a hustler and likely on his way to wider popularity. Diamond Victoria

Guns N’ Roses
8 p.m. Wednesday, August 3, at AT&T Stadium, 1 AT&T Way, Arlington, 817-892.4000 or attstadium.com, $30 to $250.
It’s no secret that Axl Rose is a mercurial fellow. Prone to erratically violent shifts in temperament, his longtime stint as Guns N’ Roses frontman is known just as much for his disdain of anything resembling order as it is for the occasionally brilliant music that results from the band’s scatter shot touring and recording sessions. Rose is famous for bailing on endeavors once they’ve been set in motion, so GNR fans tend to greet every show announcement with skepticism before plucking down major cash for tickets. Yet all indications are that the show at Jerry Jones’ football palace, which once looked to stand a 50/50 chance of actually happening, is a go. Even Rose’s gig moonlighting as AC/DC’s singer hasn’t gotten in the way. So pack up the tailgate chairs, load up the cooler and stock the vintage boomboxes with Appetite for Destruction, but double check the internet to make sure they haven’t broken up yet before heading out to party in Arlington. With Axl, it’s always best to be sure. Jeff Strowe

Mike Gervais
9 p.m. Thursday, August 4, at Red Light Lounge, 2911 Main St., 469-458-3324 or redlightdallas.com, $5. Minneapolis is an often overlooked hub of Midwest techno. For the past two decades, Twin Cities native Mike Gervais has been a vital part of that scene as an artist and a label owner (System and Timefog). Dallas is in for a real treat when Gervais passes through Red Light for four hours of what promises to be one of the best techno sets to grace decks in Dallas this year. Not just pandering to old school ravers, Gervais offers a very modern take that is far more in line with the cutting-edge sound you'll hear at afterhours parties in dance music epicenters like Detroit or Berlin's Tresor and Berghain clubs. His sets touch on the deeper side of techno while also embracing its post-industrial tendencies. If you are used to traveling out of state to get a decent techno fix, this is a must-see show. Wanz Dover
Korn
With Rob Zombie and In This Moment, 6:30 p.m. Thursday, August 4, at Gexa Energy Pavilion, 1818 1st Ave., 214-421-1111 or dallaspavilion.org, $25 to $69.50. Even though its popularity has been declining for many years, the  divisive genre of nu metal — the emotionally stunted, dreadlock-wearing little brother of grunge — has never fully gone away. Korn never really left the scene entirely, and have released albums for over 20 years, even with personal hiccups within the band. Korn’s 12th album, The Serenity of Suffering, will be released in October, and guitarist Brian “Head” Welch has described it as a return to an aggressive and more guitar-based approach instead of the recent prominence of an electronic element. The pun-friendly Return of the Dreads Tour will also be co-headlined by fellow nu-metal icon Rob Zombie, whose shows always look like a nightmarish Halloween carnival. Considering the venue is a pavilion, it’s only appropriate. It’s easy to forget about just how popular Korn were after the third album Follow the Leader achieved mainstream success in 1998. Korn may have given rise to a slew of copycats, but also showcasing a new, weird breed of metal that infused ominous beats and chunky riffs into an aggressive and melodic take. So say what you will about the genre, but metal hasn't seen such highs since nu metal's peak. Kristin Lockhart
Neko Case
With k.d. lang and Laura Veirs, 8 p.m., Thursday, August 4, at The Winspear Opera House, 2403 Flora St., 214-880-0202, or attpac.org, $65 to $75
A few years ago, k.d. lang extended the invitation to Neko Case and Laura Veirs to create an album, combining the sounds of the three singer-songwriters to create something familiar but novel. The product of this excursion is their collective debut case/lang/veirs, released last month with its first single, "Atomic Number." It's a dream-like album with powerful harmonies. Unlike some collaborative albums, case/lang/veirs isn't a means to revive a struggling career of any of the participants, though it stands to fall on the ears of younger listeners who otherwise may not have ever known the three veterans. DV

Culture Club
With Grove, 8 p.m .Friday, August 5, at Verizon Theatre, 1001 Performance Pl., Grand Prairie, 972-854-5111 or verizontheatre.com, $55-250.
At the tip of the '80s new wave spear, Culture Club stood loud and proud as poster boys for the genre. Straddling the line between exuberant and melancholic, their unique brand of danceable pop ballads sent shudders down the sidewalks of every block with a dance club. Now, 30 years after first breaking up, the band is enjoying a renaissance, spurred on by nostalgia and talks of the impending release of their first new album since the Japanese and European exclusive Don’t Mind If I Do. Dallas will get a taste of the yet-to-be-released Tribes, which has seen some sporadic play during this tour, with tracks like the country-and-western inspired “The Truth is a Runaway Train” and the album’s 2014 single “More Than Silence.” Now 55, front man “Boy” George O’Dowd, will saunter down memory lane with a pumped up backing band replete with resounding horns and plenty of costume changes, while George’s voice, once bright and delicate, has matured with age, will give classics like “Karma Chameleon” and “I’ll Tumble 4 Ya” a more complex sound than fans have heard before. So dust off your best bowler, weave a feather in your hair and get ready to party like it’s 1982. Nick Bostick
Dixie Chicks
With Vintage Trouble and Smooth Hound Sound, 7 p.m. Friday, August 5, at Gexa Energy Pavilion, 1818 1st Ave., 214-421-1111 or dallaspavilion.org, $42-$150.
It’s been 10 years since the Texas country-bluegrass-pop trio Dixie Chicks, still the best-selling female band of all time in the U.S., toured last, having suffered heavily after singer Natalie Maines bashed then-President George W. Bush at a London concert in 2003. The fallout appears to be over, however, as shows have been selling out throughout their 53-city reunion tour, DCX MMXVI, celebrating the band’s 20th anniversary. The Chicks make no promises of a new album and reportedly haven’t been introducing any new music on this tour. But back away from the ugliest political year in recent memory? Never. The tour so far has featured a video stage backdrop that includes clownish pictures of politicians, including Donald Trump with devil horns, proving that the while Chicks are once again ready to make music, they still aren’t ready to make nice. Karen Brooks Harper

311
With Sublime With Rome, Dirty Heads, Matisyahu and Tribal Seeds, 5:30 p.m. Saturday, August 6 at Gexa Energy Pavilion, 1818 1^st Ave, 214-421-1111 or dallaspavilion.org, $25 to $65.
311 changed a lot and then some, some but just know they have always been down, down and if they ever didn’t thank you, you then just let them do it now at this headlining concert at Gexa Energy Pavilion. For 28 years, 311 have made a career out of experimenting with and fusing together alternative rock, rap, reggae and a little metal. That experimentation has resulted in an 11-album discography featuring biting guitar riffs, polished raps, smooth melodies, bouncing choruses and a respectable cover of the Cure’s “Lovesong.” Along the way, the band’s developed a loyal fanbase and it only continues to grow with the band’s reputation for the high-energy and feel-good vibes the band projects. Ska punks Sublime With Rome round out 311’s Unity Tour. Mikel Galicia

Lynyrd Skynyrd
With Peter Frampton, 7 p.m., Saturday, August 6, at Choctaw Casino Resort, 4216 S. Highway 69/75 Durant, OK, 800-788-2464, $50 to $75.
Technically, Lynyrd Skynyrd hasn't existed since 1977, when Ronnie Van Zant and several other band members died tragically in a plane crash. Nevertheless, Ronnie's younger brother Johnny Van Zant has insisted on keeping the band touring pretty consistently since 1987. Only one of the founding members, guitarist Gary Rossington, is still with the band, and nothing the second-generation version has done could even approach the band's original work, like "Simple Man," "Gimme Three Steps" or "Sweet Home Alabama." As such, there is really no reason to see Lynyrd Skynyrd live for the music — your records at home will sound much better — but there's no better people-watching than at a show like this. Lynyrd Skynyrd appeals to a certain rowdy type of crowd, so you'd better be ready to duck some elbows, drink some beer and maybe if you're lucky, see some boobs. Amy McCcarthy