The Best Concerts in Dallas This Week: Mos Def, Belle and Sebastian and More

Remember when the weather got comfortable for a minute last week? Yeah, that was kinda cool (no pun intended — although, probably). Last week featured a plethora of outdoor shows that, over the weekend, left all to roast in 100-degree heat — because oh right, Texas. Fortunately, there are just as many top-notch indoor options in store for us this week, including the rescheduled Yasiin Bey (aka Mos Def) show at The Bomb Factory and KXT's Summer Cut, which has ever-so-thoughtfully moved from Gexa Energy Pavilion to the air-conditioned confines of South Side Ballroom.
Funky Knuckles
10 p.m. Monday, August 24, at The Free Man, 2626 Commerce St., 214-377-9893 or freemandallas.com, Free
The Dallas-based Funky Knuckles are virtuosos, through and through. They seamlessly jump between jazz and funk while maintaining perfect rhythm throughout complex time signatures. Their arrangements are dense, but that doesn't exclude people who aren't technical musicians themselves. Even if they're playing in an almost made-up melodic key, there's still a huge amount of soul thrown into the mix. Matt Wood
David Crosby
With Snarky Puppy, Myron Butler, RC & the Gritz, Shaun Martin, Becca Stevens and Geno Young, 8 p.m. Tuesday, August 25, at Granada Theater, 3524 Greenville Ave., 214-824-9933 or granadatheater.com, $32-$56
David Crosby is a legend. As a member of the Byrds and CSNY, Crosby and his push-broom mustache was in the vanguard of the late-'60s long hair revolution, celebrating such cultural milestones as getting eight miles high and almost (but not quite, man) cutting his hair. In later years, he distinguished himself as sobriety partner for Lionel Hutz and biological father of Melissa Etheridge's offspring. But this night isn't about Crosby; it's about Dallas engineer Eric Hartman, who worked records for the likes of Crosby, Timbaland, Kirk Franklin and Snarky Puppy. Sadly, Hartman passed away in June, leaving behind a wife and two daughters. Proceeds from the show will go to Hartman's family. Jeff Gage Yes
With Toto, 7:30 p.m. Thursday, August 27, at Verizon Theatre, 1001 Performance Place, Grand Prairie, 972-854-5111 or verizontheatre.com, $39.50-$89.75
Even in the heady annals of prog rock, Yes fits into a singular niche. The U.K. natives broke out in the early 1970s with their heartfelt and bizarre song play, along with their mystical lyricism, which puts them in the class of Vanilla Fudge and Queen. Although their variations in intensity and colorful, often complicated guitar work set them apart from the rest, and they’re known for their symphonic and abstract compositions. Many fans and critics consider their creative peak to be their early albums, especially the intricately orchestrated Fragile and the more absurdist and experimental Close to the Edge. Since then, they’ve released 38 studio albums and tour frequently. Surprisingly, they maintain a legit social media presence, which comes in stark contrast to most of their surviving rock band contemporaries from the ’60s and ‘70s. Sadly, earlier this summer band co-founder Chris Squire passed away. While they no longer tour with any of the original members, Yes lives on, rocking the world for their legions of dedicated fans, old and new. Pablo Arauz
Warrant
With L.S.D., 7:30 p.m. Friday, August 28, at Gas Monkey Bar 'N Grill, 10261 Technology Blvd. E., 214-350-1904 or gasmonkeybarngrill.com,  $18-$40
Warrant's fan base is almost entirely made up of greasy 40-something dudes who think "Cherry Pie" is a lifestyle anthem and equally greasy teenagers who play "Guitar Hero" a bit too much. Which is a weird coupling for a glam metal band from 1984 with an endless closet of leather vests. But hey, they're providing an admirable service to all the '80s moms who want to tease their hair one more time. MW
ZZ Ward
With Marc Scibilia and the Young Wild, 8 p.m. Friday, August 28, at Granada Theater, 3524 Greenville Ave., 214-824-9933 or granadatheater.com, $30-$105
ZZ Ward's intonations are instantly recognizable from her foot-stomping saloon song "Put the Gun Down," which has accompanied plenty of movie soundtracks already. Zsuzsanna Ward (whose name is worth about 99 points in Scrabble), with her bluesy, note-bending voice, appeals to modern pop sensibilities while adding just enough flair to make her stand out for the crowd. Even if you can't put a face to a name, you can recognize Ward just by hearing "whoo-hoo-hoo" from a mile away. MW
KXT Summer Cut
With Belle and Sebastian, Sarah Jaffe, Israel Nash, Fantastic Negrito, Doug Burr, Repel the Robot, Jessie Frye, Calhoun and Catamaran, 5 p.m. Saturday, August 29, South Side Ballroom, 1135 S. Lamar St., 214-421-2021 or southsideballroomdallas.com, $39.50
KXT's Summer Cut festival is typically one of Dallas’ midsummer concert highlights, but this year they’re switching things up a bit. They’ve moved from Gexa Energy Pavilion to the smaller confines of South Side Ballroom and booked a bill heavy on local talent, led by the likes of Sarah Jaffe. The changes made room for Belle & Sebastian, who will take the stage for their first appearance in Dallas in a really, really long time. (Try 2006.) Super fans of the band who have been following Belle & Sebastian since the 1990s can expect this show to be full of unbridled enthusiasm. Fresh off the release of Girls in Peacetime Want to Dance earlier this year, the set will be interspersed with Stuart Murdoch and the rest of the band’s expansive catalog of quirky indie tunes and plenty of crowd-pleasers. If you consider yourself a Belle & Sebastian fan, this is a show not to be missed; who knows how long it will be before their next visit to Dallas? Amy McCarthy
Yasiin Bey aka Mos Def
With DJ BIGABDUL, the Outfit, TX, Buffalo Black, Ty Money and DJ Sober, 7 p.m. Saturday, August 29, at The Bomb Factory, 2713 Canton St., 214-932-6507 or thebombfactory.com, $35-$40
Yasiin Bey is the artist formerly known as Mos Def. Starting his career out as a founding member of influential rap duo Black Star, Bey went on to find huge success as a solo artist and actor, winning a string of Grammys, Emmys and Golden Globes. Bey’s music is hip-hop to the core, but he never limits himself to the confines of the genre, as he explores rock, blues and soul throughout. His adventurous spirit as an artist has led to collaborations with Bad Brains, In Living Color, Gorillaz, the Black Keys, Ron Carter, the Neptunes and even Kanye West, who counts Bey as a major influence. Bey no longer resides in the U.S. (he says the hostile political, social and economic environment negatively impacts his creativity), so this tour is a particularly rare occurrence. Based on his performances so far in other cities — which have included a tribute to J Dilla, his debut Black on Both Sides in its entirety and some new, as-yet-unreleased material — it would be fair to expect the unexpected from an artist in peak form. Wanz Dover
Dierks Bentley
With Maddie and Tae, 7:30 p.m. Saturday, August 29, at Gexa Energy Pavilion, 1818 1st Ave., 214-421-1111 or gexaenergypavilion.net, $33-$57.75
Somewhere in the Smoky Mountains of Tennessee there sits a top-secret laboratory where the greatest minds a corporate conglomerate can find sit together endlessly trying to perfect a formula that will provide them with their very own Country Music Ubermensch. This group works tirelessly to find the optimal being who can perfectly step into a pair of Wranglers and stand behind a mic singing songs while also spiking the sales of cinnamon-flavored, caramel-colored ethanol, gas-guzzling double cabs whose sole purpose is to haul groceries to and from suburban strip malls and mediocre beer that’s owned by European corporations. These technicians have been working on this process since the technology was stolen from a German scientist based in Brazil in the 1970s, and after a time their best version, the Strait, was released on the public. The Strait was such a resounding success the hivemind decided to further push their boundaries and release a religious version (the recently malfunctioning Travis edition), the everyman version (the Brooks) and the blonde version (the Jackson). Even with all this success the market was lost to the growth of alt-rock and hip-hop, so the group decided to concentrate their efforts and release numerous versions in an effort to recapture their former glory. This was a success: They released the Australian (the Urban), the chill bro (the Shelton), the Bizkits (Florida & Georgia versions) and of course, the bro versions, of which Dierks Bentley is one. Jaime-Paul Falcon
Kelly Clarkson
With Pentatonix, 7:30 p.m. Sunday, August 30, at Gexa Energy Pavilion, 1818 1st Ave., 214-421-1111 or gexaenergypavilion.net, $20-$99.50
It’s been 12 years since Burleson was pushed into the cultural consciousness. It was due to — what else? — a resident being plucked by producers of a reality show on FOX that featured singing and other things that post 9/11, “please God numb us from the pain” America desired. It would have been easy for Kelly Clarkson to disappear after that win — and honestly after her feature film debut in From Justin to Kelly we probably all wanted her to disappear. But then something happened: She found a hit. And let’s not be trite here, she didn’t find just any hit, she found “Since U Been Gone” aka one of the greatest pop songs of the decade. So after that Clarkson was able to do whatever she wanted. More girl power song choices? Sure. Random covers that people eat up because she has a legit voice? Yep. And now that she’s fully embraced her country leaning roots, it’s hard to see Clarkson’s star ever fading. Hard to believe it took a garbage TV show for her star to be discovered. Jaime-Paul Falcon
Mushroomhead
With (Hed) P.E., Scare Don't Fear, Unsaid, Rex Mundi, 8 p.m. Sunday, August 30, at Trees, 214-741-1122 or treesdallas.com, $18.50-$23
Like GWAR, Cleveland's Mushroomhead is as interested in the band's presentation as it is in the music. Wearing masks and using aliases, the eight guys who make up Mushroomhead play metal with a distinct electronic/industrial influence. Sure, the band can sometimes come off as Ministry Lite, but since Al Jourgensen claims that Ministry is no longer a functioning unit, Mushroomhead may be the next best thing. Plus, any band named after my favorite Can song gets extra style points. Darryl Smyers

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