Friday
Waxahatchee is Katie Crutchfield's minimalist project who turns out delectable pop tunes. Crutchfield came from the acclaimed folky garage rock band P.S. Eliot and has found her footing with her new band, touring on its latest, Out in the Storm. Expect plenty of crunchy guitars with sweet harmonies. The band has four albums to pick a set list from and puts on an impressive live show. Club Dada, 2720 Elm St., 8 p.m., $15, dadadallas.com. – Eric GrubbsEnter the sweet, little world of We the Birds bloggers Natalie and Emily during a special soiree from 1 p.m. to midnight Friday, Aug. 4, and from 11 a.m. to midnight Saturday, Aug. 5, at Jade + Clover, 2633 Main St. The taste-making Dallas duo has curated an event featuring beautifully block-printed dresses and tops from Symbology’s new Hibiscus Flower collection (at a special discount), as well as We The Birds’ chic and tasty French macarons. The creative powerhouses behind both Symbology and We the Birds will be on site, too, offering shoppers an opportunity to meet the entrepreneurs behind the brands. For more information, find the Symbology x We the Birds event on Facebook. Jade & Clover, 2633 Main St., 11 a.m.-midnight, free, jadeandclover.com. – Jennifer Davis-Lamm
English band Queen is like a solar system that lost its star. Late singer Freddie Mercury was an icon of showmanship, passion and theatricality, the ultimate performer and arguably the most talented vocalist in rock history. When you've lost the greatest frontman in all of pop music, Adam Lambert initially wouldn't appear to be a fitting replacement. After all, he earned his fame (after auditioning with "Bohemian Rhapsody") on American Idol. However, like Mercury, he is a countertenor, a young, good-looking gay man, androgynously glam like a Velvet Goldmine character and pleasantly controversial. American Airlines Center, 2500 Victory Ave., 8 p.m., $49.50-$175, ticketmaster.com. – Eva Raggio
North Texas' Cody Jinks makes the kind of country music that resonates beyond strict fans of the genre. As proof of his cross appeal, all he really needs to do is point to his experience fronting a metal band. Now that he's considered more of a country artist, however, his outlaw persona lends itself well to both sides of his musical personality. He can churn out vigorous and energetic anthems and then turn things down with ruminative ballads. In a live setting, he's as apt to break out Pink Floyd and Soundgarden covers as he is to cover Hank, Willie or Waylon. Although he's five albums into his career, 2017 has been a banner year for Jinks. He's appeared on late-night television, is headlining the Ryman and has earned praise from many of the industry's heaviest hitters. Speaking of heavyweights, the one and only Kris Kristofferson is opening Friday evening's show. This is a one-time only treat to help celebrate Jinks' homecoming; be sure to allow yourself plenty of time getting out to Grand Prairie so you don't miss out. Verizon Theatre, 1001 Performance Place, Grand Prairie, 7 p.m., $30-$125, axs.com. – Jeff Strowe
The Cry Havoc Theater Company presents the biting political allegory The Great American Sideshow, co-produced with Kitchen Dog Theater. The Great American Sideshow outlines the story of Otto Barron, the new owner of The Great American Sideshow, and his attempts to coerce his employees to embrace his own perverse worldview, all for the sake of making The Great American Sideshow great again. Dissenters are met with manipulation, intimidation and (presumably) death. By the end of the tale, no one seems to remember how The Great American Sideshow began, much less what it stood for. The subtext is both sad and frightening, revealing how, through ego and greed, an agenda can undermine and ultimately destroy the bedrock from which it sprung. Performances take place at 8 p.m. Friday, Aug. 4, through Sunday, Aug. 6, and Wednesday, Aug. 9, through Saturday, Aug. 12, at Trinity Rivers Arts Center, 2600 N. Stemmons Freeway. Tickets are $15. For more information, visit kitchendogtheater.org. Trinity River Arts Center, 2600 N. Stemmons Freeway, 8 p.m., $15, kitchendogtheater.org. – Jonathan Patrick
Saturday
Retro gaming has become a hot commodity, which is amazing when you think about it. How do you keep an industry vibrant that technically can’t produce new games? If you’re a lover of the pixelated arts, you’re in the target market for one of the most beloved gaming conventions in the Dallas area. The Let’s Play Gaming Expo at the Irving Convention Center, 500 W. Las Colinas Blvd., will have just about everything a gamer could want to play. The gaming floor will be filled with vendors and chances to play all kinds of video games, including a full re-creation of a classic video game arcade — minus the part when you have to dig for quarters or tokens to continue. There are also a ton of tournaments in a bunch of different video and board games, as well as live panels and discussions on gaming issues. The expo runs from Saturday, Aug. 5, through Sunday, Aug. 6. Weekend passes are $25 online and $30 at the door, day passes are $15 online and $20 in person, and VIP packages are $75. Purchase passes online at letsplaygamingexpo.com. Irving Convention Center, 500 W. Las Colinas Blvd., Saturday-Sunday, $15-$75, letsplaygamingexpo.com. – Danny Gallagher
For two years, Mother Truckers, 2110 W. Northwest Highway — Dallas’ go-to spot for hot rod memorabilia, pinups and homemade frozen moonshine — has hosted a pinup contest and car show. The show features women with Gil Elvgren-style new and vintage attire competing for a $500 cash award and classic cars on display from Dallas LowLifes. If you’re looking to up your Instagram likes or enter your classic set of wheels, or you want to compete in the beauty contest (judging is partly based on applause, so bring your friends), then don’t miss the third annual Pinup Contest and Car Show beginning at noon Saturday, Aug. 5, with live music from Sleazy Mancini and Drop Top Rockets, drink specials and food trucks. Early registration for the pinup contest and more information is available on the event’s Facebook page, or register on site at 6 p.m. the day of the show. The event is free to attend, but donations are welcome. Mother Truckers, 2110 W. Northwest Highway, noon, free, see Facebook. – Diamond Victoria
2 Chainz possesses the gift of gab in its highest form. The smooth-talking superstar rapper has made a career off witty wordplay, hilarious metaphors and catchy punchline raps that often make him the star of the track no matter the competition, whether it's Lil Wayne, Drake or Kanye West he's sharing a beat with. He’s also a marketing genius. In support of his new album, Pretty Girls Like Trap Music, the Georgia native turned an Atlanta home into a pink pop-up installation that involved an art gallery, a church service and even HIV testing for the community. 2 Chainz’s success is all the more impressive when you realize he didn’t really see mainstream success until his early 30s. He’s one hell of a rapper, and he's getting attention for all the right reasons. Gas Monkey Live, 10110 Technology Blvd. E., 7 p.m., $42.50 and up, ticketfly.com. – Mikel Galicia
For his first studio album in seven years, Retroactive, DJ and producer Sharam Tayebi composed a love letter to his musical influences, and he’s bringing the love to Dallas. As he grew up on the ever-scrutinized streets of post-revolutionary Tehran, Iran, Sharam’s musical tastes were restricted to whatever could be smuggled across the border or was accepted by his government. But at 14, when Sharam and his family moved to Washington, D.C., he learned how to mix tracks, and the rest is history. His album Retroactive is an eclectic walk through Sharam's mind; it fluctuates between electro-tinged nightclub hypnosis on tracks like “Arpi” and more upbeat tunes inspired by '80s disco, like the collab track “Crazi Flute,” which features disco pioneer Giorgio Moroder. But if a walk down memory lane doesn’t sound like your particular cup of jungle juice, Sharam’s latest release, Collecti, Pt. 1, takes a darker turn with guttural growls, and a few tracks may just make it into the set. It'll Do Club, 4322 Elm St., 10 p.m., $15-$20, eventbrite.com.– Nick Bostick
Sunday
Primus is a band's band. The now three-member, San Francisco-based rock band began in 1984 but wasn't signed to a major label until six years later, after releasing the highly successful album Fizzle Fry and touring with Jane's Addiction. Primus' expert musicianship is undeniable, and although it became successful as a '90s alternative band, its origins lie in heavy metal. After repeated hiatuses and lineup changes, the band began touring the country extensively a couple of years ago. South Side Ballroom, 1135 S. Lamar St., 7:30 p.m., $137-$286, ticketmaster.com. – Diamond VictoriaWithin any form of art, there is some rivalry between artists. From Saturday, Aug. 6, through Nov. 5, Southern Methodist University’s Meadows Museum, 5900 Bishop Ave., presents Picasso/Rivera: Still Life and the Precedence of Form, an exhibition of works that compares and contrasts the styles, techniques and possible competition of Pablo Picasso and Diego Rivera. Admission to the Meadows Museum is $4 to $12 for the public and free to SMU faculty, staff and students. It is also free Thursdays after 5 p.m. Hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays and 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Thursdays. Visit meadowsmuseumdallas.org. Meadows Museum, 5900 Bishop Ave.,, through 10 a.m.-5 p.m., $4-$12, meadowsmuseumdallas.org. – Merritt Martin