The 10 Best Concerts in Dallas This Week: Yo Gotti, 97.1 The Eagle's BFD & More

Did someone say three-day weekend? It's been months since we've had one of those, but thanks to Memorial Day Weekend we're about to get an extra day of grilling, swimming and drinking at the end of this week. That also means an extra day to stay out late taking in shows, without the fear of trudging to work with a hangover. So the question is, what shows are you going to do in Dallas to take advantage of this charmed situation? Here are the picks you need to help you choose wisely.
Kaleo
8 p.m. Monday, May 23, at House of Blues, 2200 N Lamar St., houseofblues.com/dallas, $16.
This quartet quickly dominated the charts in Iceland shortly after the release of their debut album in 2013. Since then, Kaleo jetted off to the United States and made Austin their new home to not only immerse themselves in the American music that’s influenced their sound but to explore the wide ranging cultures in the states. Their music reflects their travels and is steeped in Rock and Roll, Blues and Americana. Their current single “No Good” rivals the best work from our own Quaker City Night Hawks. Their latest album A/B is available for pre-order and much like they did in Iceland, it won’t be too surprising if this group ends of wrangling their way onto the Billboard charts as well. Mikel Galicia
Damien Jurado & the Heavy Light
8 p.m. Tuesday, May 24, at Club Dada, 2720 Elm St., dadadfw.com, $15-$17.
For years now, Seattle's Damien Jurado has been a major voice in the "freak folk", "neo-folk", or whatever your preferred nomenclature may be for those artists that dabble outside of the mainstream. An intriguing songwriter who deals in all sorts of deep metaphysical issues, Jurado comes to Dada having just released his latest album, Visions Of Us On The Land. Though it's his 12th release overall, Visions serves as perhaps the final piece in a trilogy of releases that center around an unnamed protagonist's post-accident journey towards salvation? enlightenment? a way home? That's the beauty of Jurado's music; the fact that his songs are so open ended and without easy answers make them fascinating to ponder over and speculate about. To make the process all the more palatable, the songs are gussied up with all sorts of haunting, trippy, and reverb-drenched instrumentation. Live, he's even been known to occasionally allow the audience a glimpse into his highly creative mind, so those in attendance should expect a healthy anecdote or two, as well. Jeff Strowe
Communion Dallas: Basecamp
8 p.m. Wednesday, May 25, at Club Dada, 2720 Elm St., dadadfw.com, $8-$12.
This electronic trio from Nashville have the art of seduction down to a science. So much so that once Skrillex heard their sultry R&B-inspired tracks he signed them to his OWSLA label immediately. Similar to artists like Sampha and How To Dress Well their brand of music is rooted in electronic programming, delicate vocals and is highly emotive. This will be a rare sighting of the trio. After this current tour they’re on, they’ll be going back into the studio to follow up their 2015 release Greater Than. Local favorite Larry g(EE) is also featured on the bill with a special DJ set. Mikel Galicia
Foreigner
8 p.m. Thursday, May 26, at Choctaw Resort and Casino, 4216 S. Highway 69/75, Durant, Oklahoma, $30-$45.
Cue the over-the-top concert sounder. The Juke Box Heroes are bringing their war chest of cheesy guitar licks back to town, er, close to town. And what pairs better with the sleaze-rock stylings of Mick Jones than a weekend of gambling at Dallas’ most proximal Indian casino? Anthem after anthem surely awaits the "Dirty White Boys" and girls in attendance, many of whom will no doubt be surprised to learn that, yeah, THAT ONE was a Foreigner song, too. Here’s hoping the set is more Double Vision than Mr. Moonlight or Can’t Slow Down. With Jones, founder, being the only remaining original band member on the band’s roster, the show at Choctaw sounds like a parade of hits, cheesy guitar licks and all. Matt Martinez
DIIV
With Broncho, Winter and the Paranoyds, 7 p.m. Friday, May 27, at Trees, 2709 Elm St., 214-741-1122 or treesdallas.com, $18.
DIIV's musical style falls somewhere between shoegaze and dreampop. (Think My Bloody Valentine meets early Deerhunter.) It sounds a piece from the modern era, yet very reminiscent of the early '90s. Every fuzzed-out song on the band's latest offering, Is the Is Are, is laced with nostalgia and beauty like a hazy daydream, which is a product of principal songwriter Zachary Cole Smith's battle with drug addiction. His turmoil floats on waves of melancholy indie pop on the album's title track, whose title means something to a sober Smith, I'm sure. While Smith's lyrics expose his vulnerable side and inner demons, the album is a lofty one at a whopping 17 tracks. This is definitely a band with a lot to say. There's even a track with Cole's longtime girlfriend, actress/model/musician Sky Ferreira. Juan Vargas
The Polyphonic Spree
8 p.m. Friday, May 27, at Levitt Pavilion, 100 W. Abram St., Arlington, levittpavilionarlington.org, Free.
Over the past decade-plus, the Polyphonic Spree has morphed size, shape, and hue. The band is a living organism, cells of piano, percussion, trombones, trumpet and choir churning to make up a body. Its a bright, jubilant life form, with an outer layer that’s been seen, in the wild, in technicolor. Last year marked the 15th anniversary of the debut LP, The Beginning Stages Of. It’s been 15 years since the white robes of “Light & Day.” A decade-plus-five-years since “Soldier Girl.” So, you know, we’re pretty damn old. Once, at a early 2000’s show in Deep Ellum, I saw the Polyphonic Spree’s concert open with a Russian folk band that played a bass the size of the door. The Russian band sang “She’ll Be Coming ‘Round the Mountain.” It was weird and wild, like all of Polyphonic’s luminescent shows. This will be fun. Nick Rallo
Yo Gotti
With Dej Loaf, 8 p.m. Friday, May 27, at The Bomb Factory, 2713 Canton St., thebombfactory.com or 214-932-6501, $78-$153.
In a lot of ways, Yo Gotti and Dej Loaf are polar opposites. Yo Gotti is a 35-year-old legend in his hometown of Memphis who came up the old-fashioned way: under the tutelage of 8Ball & MJG and Three 6 Mafia. (Although it’s rumored he’s now rivals with his forefathers.) While his mixtapes and independent albums garnered notoriety within the underbelly of the hip-hop community, it took nearly 15 years for him to break into the national limelight and become a mainstay on Top 40 radio with hits like “Errbody” and “Down in the DM.” Dej Loaf, however, was an overnight success after her song “Try Me” went viral shortly after the Detroit native posted it on Soundcloud. Within months, the 25-year-old was signed to a major label, charting on the Billboard charts and touring the country. When they come together for this co-headlining affair at the 4,000-capacity Bomb Factory, they’ll show off what they do have in common: sensational rap stylings delivered effortlessly, never compromising the calm, cool and collected dispositions that have made them stars. Mikel Galicia
Sam Beam & Jesca Hoop
With Marlon Williams, 7 p.m. Saturday, May 28, at The Kessler Theater, 1230 W. Davis St., 214-272-8346 or thekessler.org, $30.
Sam Beam may not have been born in Texas, but the singular force behind the acclaimed indie-folk project Iron & Wine got here as fast as he could. He's now in year 15 of his career, having risen to notoriety with his delicate brand of introspective folk. But enough about Beam; the story here is his collaborator on the duet album Love Letter For Fire, Jesca Hoop. Hoop's story is fascinating: She worked as a survival guide on a program for wayward teens' from there she moved to Los Angeles, where she landed a job as a nanny for Tom Waits' children. Waits then took on a mentor role for Hoop, helping shepherd her musical career. She was signed to Columbia Records, where she put out her debut, Kismet, only to be dropped from the label three months after the albums' release. From there she moved to England, signed to Vanguard Records, put out a sophomore album and an EP, and became the go-to vocalist to guest on songs by all your 36-year-old friend's favorite bands. Then came Love Letter, which has gotten her the type of critical praise that solidifies a career. The music is pretty damn great, too. Jaime-Paul Falcon
Nada Surf
With Moving Panoramas, 9 p.m. Saturday, May 28, at Granada Theater, 3524 Greenville Ave., 214-824-9933 or granadatheater.com, $24-$45.
Twenty years ago, when their earworm of a single, "Popular," was flooding the radio airwaves and rotating through MTV's playlist, it was pretty hard to imagine that Nada Surf would still be standing strong, circa 2016. But here we are, and the New York-based indie rock survivors are out touring behind their latest effort, You Know Who You Are. Filled with a couple of rousing anthems and a healthy dose of their trademark power-pop, this album is also the first to feature former Guided by Voices guitarist Doug Gillard, an addition that matches as well in musical aesthetics as it does in '90s alt-rock symbolism. Like the album title implies, Nada Surf keeps a pretty robust touring calendar that keeps venues filled with loyal fans. Those scattered around DFW (you know who you are) should find it in them to bring along a friend or two Saturday night to the Granada. It's a great opportunity to witness a group of well-traveled craftsmen work at what they do best. Jeff Strowe
97.1 The Eagle's BFD
With Shinedown, Collective Soul, 3 Doors Down and more, 2 p.m. Sunday, May 29, at Gexa Energy Pavilion, 1818 1st Ave., 214-421-1111 or dallaspavilion.org, $9.71-$72.95.
97.1 The Eagle prides itself on broadcasting all the kickass rock 'n' roll of the past few decades on its radio frequency. The lineup at this year's Big Freaking Deal (said politely) consists of stupendous heavy rock acts that you may already be familiar with and some not so much. Sixx AM, featuring Nikki Sixx of metal legends Mötley Crüe, headlines the show along with Three Doors Down's twangy alt-folk. The rest of the bill includes various other familiar country-fried Southern rock vets. Florida's edgy Americana troupe Shinedown and Georgia's Collective Soul, famous for their hit "Shine," are also performing. Dallas-based Drowning Pool, whose reputation for their brute riffage outlives them, are acting as openers. Expect plenty of ass kicking with a high chance of slam dancing in the pit. Pablo Arauz