Mike Brooks
Audio By Carbonatix
Well, folks, we made it. The holiday season is officially here, and if you’re already done listening to your visiting relatives, this concert week offers many chances to drown out the noise. The biggest acts of the week arrive early with Doja Cat taking over the American Airlines Center on Thursday. The trio of Enrique Iglesias, Pitbull and Ricky Martin take the stage the following night at the AAC, while country legend George Strait plays his first of two nights in Fort Worth. On Saturday, local country hero Paul Cauthen makes a stop in Deep Ellum, and on Sunday, Wynonna Judd plays some classic country downtown, while The National lights up Irving and LP shows some love to The Cedars. There will be time to rest on Monday, but Tuesday brings the fire with August Burns Red. Wednesday sets the table with a Friendsgiving show from a few local country acts at the Longhorn Ballroom, and we give thanks for the new Polyphonic Spree album on Lower Greenville.
Doja Cat
7:30 p.m., Thursday, Nov. 16, American Airlines Center, 2500 Victory Ave. $79.50+ at ticketmaster.com
It’s been quite the year for rapper, singer and producer Doja Cat. Not only did the artist earn her first solo No.1 single with “Paint the Town Red,” Doja Cat was also named one of the 100 most influential people in the world by Time magazine. To top things off, Doja Cat kicked off her first ever headlining tour this year in support of her September release, Scarlet. The album is something of a response to critics who questioned her ability to rap on her more pop-inspired 2021 album, Planet Her. Scarlet boldly displays Doja Cat’s skills as a rapper with the artist commanding a full, 15-track album without any featured artists needed to bolster her work. Doja Cat also decided to do the album without the help of heavy-hitter producers, choosing lesser-known producers instead. Ice Spice will be joining the second half of the The Scarlet Tour, but here in Dallas, Doja Cat will have opening support from rapper and singer DOECHII.
The Trilogy Tour
7 p.m., Friday, Nov. 17, American Airlines Center, 2500 Victory Ave. $97+ at ticketmaster.com
Enrique Iglesias, Pitbull and Ricky Martin will be joining forces this week, bringing The Trilogy Tour to Victory Park. This is the second time Martin and Iglesias have toured together, but this year they are including Mr. Worldwide himself to turn things up a notch. Iglesias and Pitbull have also toured together in 2017, so these are three people who know each other and play nicely together. Iglesias and Martin led the U.S. Latin pop explosion of the late ’90s/early 2000s along with Shakira, Jennifer Lopez and Marc Anthony. The two both had chart-topping hits in 1999, Martin with the inescapable “Livin’ La Vida Loca” and Iglesias with the smoldering single “Bailamos.” Pitbull’s time came a bit later with the release of his debut album, M.I.A.M.I., in 2004. The three artists have all had very different career trajectories since their time at the top, but together, this is sure to be a top-tier show by any decade’s standards.
George Strait
8 p.m. Friday and Saturday, Nov. 17-18, Dickies Arena, 1911 Montgomery St., Fort Worth. $300+ at ticketmaster.com
Returning to North Texas for what is slowly becoming an annual tradition this week is the “King of Country” himself, George Strait. When Strait played two shows at Dickies Arena in 2021, it was the first time he had performed in Fort Worth in 37 years. The venue must have treated him right, because he followed it up with two shows in 2022; both sold out and both had verified resale tickets starting at $400. This year, he did it again. Strait retired from touring with a blowout concert at AT&T Stadium in 2014, but after two years he started coming back around with one-off concerts and festival appearances. After all, he didn’t retire from music or live shows all together – just the arduous touring part of it. Strait has also released two albums of original material since he retired from touring, with his most recent, Honky Tonk Time Machine, coming out in 2019. New Braunfels country music singer Catie Offerman opens both shows.
Paul Cauthen
8 p.m., Saturday, Nov. 18, The Factory in Deep Ellum, 2713 Canton St. $37.25 at axs.com
Tyler’s own Paul Cauthen has one of the best voices in country music today, and we don’t just mean here in North Texas. Known as Big Velvet for the same gritty baritone of his closest musical ancestor Waylon Jennings – whose “Luckenbach, Texas (Back to the Basics of Love)” Cauthen covered in 2017 – the singer garnered a national reputation for doing old school country (“Prayed for Rain”) and being able to do it in a new school way (“Cocaine Country Dancing”) with his 2019 release Room 41. Cauthen’s follow-up album, Country Coming Down, came out last spring to many positive reviews with its lead single, “Country As Fuck.” Over the summer, Cauthen focused on single releases, releasing four new tracks over the course of four months. Cauthen’s This Road I’m On Tour stops in Deep Ellum this weekend with Idaho country singer Colby Acuff on board to open.
Wynonna Judd
7:30 p.m., Sunday, Nov. 19, Majestic Theatre, 1925 Elm St. $103+ at ticketmaster.com
On April 11, 2022, mother-daughter country duo The Judds performed what would be their final performance together at the CMT Music Awards, singing “Love Can Build a Bridge” from the Country Music Hall of Fame in Nashville. That same day, The Judds announced a final tour, but on April 30, mother Naomi Judd took her own life after a long and public struggle against anxiety and depression. The day after, The Judds were inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame, where the two had performed just weeks before. Rather than canceling the tour or touring under her name alone, daughter Wynonna Judd decided to press onward, turning the tour into a memorial for her mother and a chance for more musicians to come on stage and pay their respects. This year, Judd is focusing on healing by playing the songs that helped to heal her in the past. The Back to Wy Tour will see Judd performing songs from her first two albums, Wynonna and Tell Me Why, in order.
The National
7:30 p.m., Sunday, Nov. 19, The Pavilion at Toyota Music Factory, 300 W. Las Colinas Blvd., Irving. $54+ at livenation.com
Indie rock band The National formed in 1999 and spent the next six years grinding it out before winning the kind of praise they receive today. Sure, underground music magazines recognized the band’s talent as early as its third release, Alligator, but that was more of a hit overseas than it was on American shores. That changed in 2007 when the band’s fourth album, Boxer, became the toast of indie music outlets like Pitchfork and The A.V. Club. Every album since has received high praise from international media outlets for the band’s production and songwriting. This year, The National released two albums of new material – First Two Pages of Frankenstein in April and Laugh Track in September. Both albums were recorded around the same time and feature guests such as Sufjan Stevens, Phoebe Bridgers and Taylor Swift, who sings on “The Alcott.” LA indie-folk artist Hand Habits opens the show.
LP
8 p.m., Sunday, Nov. 19, South Side Ballroom, 1135 Botham Jean Blvd. $39.50+ at ticketmaster.com
Long Island singer-songwriter Laura Pergolizzi, known by stage name LP, has been writing and recording music since 2001 when their debut record Heart-Shaped Scar captured listeners’ attention with gritty pop-rock guitars and the singer’s softened blues-rock voice. LP has gone on to write songs for others including Backstreet Boys’ “Love Will Keep You Up All Night” and Rihanna’s “Cheers (Drink to That).” While always staying just out of the limelight on the American music stage, LP has seen their biggest success in Europe where their third album, Lost On You, went platinum on the Polish, French and Italian music charts. The album’s title track, “Lost on You,” became an unexpected hit across Europe and Mexico well over a year after its release, becoming the fourth-most-Shazamed song in the world in the summer of 2016. LP is now touring in support of their seventh album, Love Lines, with Brooklyn singer-songwriter Verite.
August Burns Red
6:30 p.m., Tuesday, Nov. 21, The Factory in Deep Ellum, 2713 Canton St. $32.50+ at axs.com
Coming to Dallas for the second time this year is August Burns Red, one of the first metalcore bands to find mainstream success by placing heavier emphasis on melodic instrumentation. Often cast as a Christian metal band in its early years, August Burns Red’s members have often stated that, despite their personal beliefs, the band’s music stands on its own. The band has, however, always maintained that its music is ultimately positive in its message, and it’s a formula that has served the group well these past 20 years. Last November, August Burns Red surprised fans with the announcement of a 10th studio album, Death Below, which came out at the end of March. For this tour, however, the band is celebrating the 10-year anniversary of Rescue & Restore, which debuted at No. 9 on the Billboard 200 – the highest that the band has ever reached on the chart. Metalcore bands Spite, Brand of Sacrifice and Crystal Lake open.
Joshua Ray Walker
6:30 p.m., Wednesday, Nov. 22, Longhorn Ballroom, 216 Corinth St. $24+ at prekindle.com
Dallas country singer Joshua Ray Walker will team up with alternative country group Vandoliers to present a special Friendsgiving concert with a little help from Bowling For Soup singer and country solo artist Jaret Ray Reddick. Earlier this year, Walker released an album of covers called What Is It Even?, with the singer doing versions of Lizzo’s “Cuz I Love You,” Cher’s “Believe” and Whitney Houston’s “I Want to Dance with Somebody,” among other songs by female recording artists. Vandoliers is still riding the success of its 2022 self-titled release, which showed the world just how tight a six-piece band of cowpunks could be. Reddick also released his first solo album in 2022, showing off his skills as a country musician while still maintaining the lighthearted humor fans grew to love in Bowling For Soup. This is a concert equivalent of a Texas Thanksgiving plate where the turkey comes from a smoker, jalapeño cornbread is served instead of rolls, and pecan pie is dessert, all served up at the iconic Longhorn Ballroom.
The Polyphonic Spree
7 p.m., Wednesday, Nov. 22, Granada Theater, 3524 Greenville Ave. $30 at prekindle.com
Earlier this summer, The Polyphonic Spree announced its latest crowdfunded album, Salvage Enterprise, which will now finally see the light of day on Nov. 17. Singer Tim DeLaughter has said that he wants fans to experience the album as a whole, and this Wednesday fans will be able to get the full experience at the official Salvage Enterprise Album Release Show on Lower Greenville. No word yet on what exactly the audience can expect from the live show, but The Polyphonic Spree is known for making each show a spectacle to behold. And for an album with such an expansive concept, one would expect that the band would be pulling out all the stops for the performance. One thing is certain, though: With a concert like this on Thanksgiving Eve, there will be plenty to be grateful for on Thursday.
