10 Best Concerts of the Week: Pink, Wilco, Depeche Mode and More

So, maybe low- to mid-90s isn’t exactly the temperature we were expecting for the early days of fall, but after going through the extreme heat of summer, this kind of weather will be just fine for this week’s lineup of concerts. Country good ol’ boy Luke Bryan kicks off the week, playing the first of two nights in North Texas, and Wilco passes through The Cedars. On Friday, pop star P!NK brings her circus act to Arlington, and Off With Their Heads get back to business in Deep Ellum. Over the weekend, Tash Sultana brings a breathtaking one-person show to Irving on Saturday, and on Sunday, Depeche Mode brings the darkness to Dallas, The Polyphonic Spree brings the light to Denton and Death Cab For Cutie and The Postal Service navigate both in Grand Prairie. The concert week closes in a world of noise with Boris and Melvins on Lower Greenville and $uicideboy$ in Victory Park.

Luke Bryan
7 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 28, Dos Equis Pavilion, 1818 First Ave. $55.50+ at livenation.com
7 p.m. Friday, Sept. 29, Dickies Arena, 1911 Montgomery St., Fort Worth. $57+ at ticketmaster.com

Boasting a high baritone vocal range of two octaves, one of country music’s current favorites, Luke Bryan, plays two shows in North Texas this week – first, in Dallas, then, in Fort Worth. The CMT 2023 Video of the Year nominee is currently on his Country On Tour with Chayce Beckham and Hailey Whitters, but his Thursday night show in Dallas will also include a performance from Nashville singer-songwriter Conner Smith. In Smith’s place on Friday in Fort Worth will be Jackson Dean and an additional opening set from DJ Rock. Bryan’s last album, Born Here Live Here Die Here, was released in 2020, but he is currently touring in support of his compilation album, Prayin’ in a Deer Stand, which came out at the end of last year. Bryan is known to his fans, called The Nut House, for putting on incredible shows with great musicians and lots of audience engagement.

Wilco
7:30 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 28, South Side Ballroom, 1135 Botham Jean Blvd. $59.95 at ticketmaster.com

For almost 30 years, indie rock band Wilco has pushed the boundaries of alternative and country through art and experimentation. Led by singer Jeff Tweedy, Wilco arose from the ashes of alt-country progenitor Uncle Tupelo when singer Jay Farrar left to start Son Volt in 1994. While Son Volt has remained in that same alt-country vein ever since, Wilco has refused to stick to the formula. By the late ’90s, Wilco was incorporating elements from psych rock in its album Summerteeth and art rock in its most iconic album Yankee Hotel Foxtrot in 2002. For all of its legacy and influence, Wilco has never taken itself too seriously, incorporating dry humor into its music and album titles – such as 2015’s Star Wars, which had absolutely nothing to do with the billion-dollar media franchise. Wilco’s Tour To Infinity comes to The Cedars Thursday with opening support from University of North Texas alumna My Brightest Diamond.

P!NK
6:30 p.m. Friday, Sept. 29, Globe Life Field, 734 Stadium Dr., Arlington. $52+ at ticketmaster.com

All summer long, pop singer P!NK has taken her Summer Carnival 2023 across Europe and North America. The tour has presented many supporting acts, including Gwen Stefani, Pitbull and The Script. For her performance in Arlington this Friday, P!NK will be joined by Americana singer-songwriter Brandi Carlile, LA electropop band GROUPLOVE and DJ KidCutUp. It’s a mixed bag of music and artists that’s sure to keep the night interesting. Of course, P!NK will be headlining the night with her circus-like performance filled with acrobatics and other death-defying feats – the name of her new album is Trustfall, after all. P!NK’s Arlington show will be one of the last North American performances on the tour before it picks up in Oceania next February.

Off With Their Heads
7 p.m. Friday, Sept. 29, Three Links, 2704 Elm St. $25 at seetickets.us

This year marks the 20th anniversary of Off With Their Heads, the Minneapolis punk rock band whose epic songs about loss and hope could fill a stadium. This year also marks the 10-year anniversary of the band’s breakthrough album, Home. Throughout the summer, the band has been playing the album in its entirety as seems to be the standard with these anniversary tours, but for its show this Friday in Deep Ellum, they will be throwing out the anniversary tour format and instead play a regular concert with a regular setlist with selections from across the band’s catalog to a regular crowd of people who can’t get enough of the band’s somber and mature take on punk rock. After 20 years in the business of punk rock, the band has managed to maintain the intense energy that hooked fans into its performances in the first place. Seattle’s Dead Bars opens for the band after a set from Dallas garage-punk band Battery Doll.

Tash Sultana
8 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 30, The Pavilion at Toyota Music Factory, 300 W. Las Colinas Blvd., Irving. $39.50+ at livenation.com

Currently on her North American Tour 2023, Australian singer-songwriter and one-person band Tash Sultana comes to Irving with New York alternative rock band Bailen. Sultana began singing for the public at the age of 13, playing open mic nights, busking and fronting rock band Mindpilot in Victoria. At the age of 21, Sultana took the world by storm after uploading a video for a song called “Jungle” in 2016. The song, which showcased the artist’s multi-instrumentalism, loop-style performances, percussive style of guitar playing and a vocal range stretching five octaves, amassed over a million views in just five days. Sultana’s unique performance and drive has made her an international sensation with albums charting in Australia, Europe and North America. The artist’s Sugar EP came out last month, and shows that Sultana’s creative drive has no signs of slowing down.

Depeche Mode
7 p.m Sunday, Oct. 1, American Airlines Center, 2500 Victory Ave. $49.50+ at ticketmaster.com

Formed in Basildon, Essex, in 1980, English electronic rock band Depeche Mode is currently touring in support of its 15th studio album Memento Mori, with Brooklyn shoegaze band DIIV opening. The album began as a meditation on life and mortality in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, but this meditation took on a whole new meaning when Depeche Mode bassist Andy Fletcher died unexpectedly at the of 60, following an aortic dissection while at home. While many bands would scrap new material following the death of a bandmate, Depeche Mode, now the duo of singer Dave Gahan and guitarist Martin Gore (along with some studio and touring musicians), set out to record the material in Fletcher’s honor, noting that his untimely death made the subject matter all the more real and relevant. The album was released in March and is sure to end up on many year-end, best-of lists.

The Polyphonic Spree
7 p.m. Sunday, Oct.1, Rubber Gloves, 411 E. Sycamore St., Denton. $25 at prekindle.com

Every year, the Instant Film Society puts on PolaCon, the world’s first 3-day conference about instant film photography, and each year the conference closes with a concert. This year, it will close with its biggest performance yet. For the first time in over 10 years, The Polyphonic Spree will be returning to Denton for an outdoor concert at Rubber Gloves. Earlier this summer, The Polyphonic Spree celebrated the announcement of its latest crowdfunded album, Salvage Enterprise, which is now available for pre-order. Singer Tim DeLaughter has said that he wants fans to experience the album as a whole. Fans can expect to hear a mix of the new material and all their favorites from across the band’s catalog. Denton-born band Pearl Earl will be joining the festivities, opening for The Polyphonic Spree in this hometown show.

The Postal Service & Death Cab For Cutie
8 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 1, Texas Trust CU Theatre, 1001 Texas Trust Way, Grand Prairie. $77+ at stubhub.com

In December 2002, singer and songwriter Ben Gibbard was putting the finishing touches on a little side project called The Postal Service – an indie electronic duo with Dntel. That same month, Gibbard started recording the fourth album with his primary band, Death Cab For Cutie. The following February, The Postal Service released its one and only album Give Up, and later that year, Death Cab For Cutie released its crossover hit album, Transatlanticism – a concept album about a long-distance romance. Both albums became the stuff of legend. From these albums, Death Cab For Cutie grew into the indie rock icon it is today, and Give Up remains one of the single most beautiful one-off albums from the era. The sold-out Give Up & Transatlanticism 20th Anniversary Tour will present both albums played front to back after an opening set from New Zealand indie rock band The Beths.

$uicideboy$
6:30 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 4, American Airlines Center, 2500 Victory Ave. $59.95+ at ticketmaster.com

Call it punk-rap, trap-metal or whatever you like; since 2014 $uicideboy$ has been one of the most popular acts in the underground rap scene, earning a devout cult following that has gotten the group out of the clubs and into arenas. $uicideboy$ started the journey to the top as SoundCloud rappers, releasing dozens of mixtapes and EPs filled with abrasive beats and confessional lyrics about substance abuse, self-harm and Satan worship. Lyrical content like that has certainly made the New Orleans duo a lightning rod for controversy in recent years, but as with any artists who become pariahs to overprotective parents, $uicideboy$’s artistry overpowers its controversy. For fans, $uicideboy$’s lyrics and music are about catharsis – a kind of international group therapy built around music that may not be happy but is honest. The group’s Grey Day Tour 2023 will also see performances from Ghostemane, City Morgue, Freddie Dredd, Sematary and Ramirez.

Boris and Melvins
7 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 4, Granada Theater, 3524 Greenville Ave. $35 at prekindle.com

In 1983, Melvins came together in Montesano, Washington, and began to lay the groundwork for what we know today as grunge rock and sludge metal. A pillar in the burgeoning Washington music scene, Melvins was a favorite band of Nirvana singer Kurt Cobain. Melvins has always existed in the margins of the mainstream music scene, influencing many but reaching only the rabid few. For this concert, Melvins will reach back 32 years to play its Bullhead album in its entirety as well as other fan favorites. Japanese experimental rock band Boris will be joining Melvins on this co-headlining show to play the group’s 2002 album, Heavy Rocks, which had the band exploring the hard rock and heavy metal sounds that bands like Melvins helped to shape. The two-piece noise band from Chicago Mr. Phylzzz will also be there to kick the show off on Lower Greenville.