The Most Creative Ways to Wear Masks Even When Mandates Are Over
Mask mandates are starting to die, but the controversy around mask wearing is still very much alive. As public performers, musicians can get caught in the middle.
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Dallas Says Farewell to 2020 With New Year’s Eve Fireworks
Just before midnight, fireworks cascaded from the top of Reunion Tower, celebrating the end of 2020 and the beginning of a new year. If ever a departing year deserved a “don’t let the screen door hit you on the way out,” this was it. With many of the normal New…
How the National Media Turned Me Into a Trump Supporter
Mike Brooks is a longtime Observer concert photographer who has shot seemingly every type of artist at every type of local venue. Here he breaks down how this week he was misidentified as a Trump supporter. This is a clickbait headline that is totally “true.” Quotation marks intentional. I readily…
Nothing Can Stop Texans From Lawn Mower Racing
After the ongoing pandemic washed out the first events of the season, lawn mower racing in Texas got going again this past Saturday. The racers were excited to get back on the track, and we were pretty excited, too. Excited enough to make the one hour drive down to Wortham…
The Story Behind 5 Photos of Big Stars Playing at Small Dallas Venues
Mike Brooks is a longtime Observer concert photographer who has shot seemingly every type of artist at every type of local venue. Here he breaks down five of his favorite concert photos. Five pictures, five stories. Or, 10 pounds of talent in a 5-pound bag. I’ve been lucky enough to…
Erykah Badu Celebrated Her Birthday with 4,300 of Her Closest Friends
This past Saturday night, Erykah Badu was scheduled to perform as part of her annual birthday celebration. And the legendary singer is usually so legendarily late, that she made a post on social media the day of the show warning those who expected a late entrance that she wouldn’t be…
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How to Be a Rock Star: Concert Photographer Mike Brooks’ List of Do’s and Don’t’s
Mike Brooks is a longtime Observer concert photographer who has shot seemingly every type of artist at every type of local venue. Here he breaks down 10 ways for artists to get better photos. Every year I photograph a couple of hundred bands playing live shows, and every time I…
Jack White and The Raconteurs Had One of the Best Rock ’n’ Roll Shows Around
The world of rock music is filled with super star talents who out grew their original band and left to find greener pastures. Jack White doesn’t live in that world. Ever the contrarian, the Raconteurs seem to be White’s attempt to retreat, even if briefly, from the demands of being…
Only Grumpy Old Fucks Could Be Mad about J-Pop Metal Band Babymetal
For those of you still without YouTube access, Babymetal is an act from Japan that overlays a teenage J-pop girl band on top of a heavy metal base. If everything in life has its opposite, then this is about as divergent as it gets. Both the group and the performance…
Behind the Curtain: A First Look at the Sleeping Beauty Ballet Opening Friday
As I pull up to an unassuming, windowless building on the outskirts of Ridgmar Mall in Fort Worth, I find a small sign on the reflective glass doors that reads “Texas Ballet Theater: Press button for entry.” Fort Worth, the town of the cow, railroads and rodeos. This is the…
The GOP’s Tax Bill Could Save Small Craft Beer Brewers a Lot of Money
Buried deep within the controversial Tax Cuts and Jobs Act is an early Christmas present for small- to medium-sized producers of beer, wine and spirits. In Part IX, Subpart A, you’ll find the Craft Beverage Modernization and Tax Reform section, and if you are a small producer of alcoholic beverages,…