Trae Tha Truth, JMack, Big HudTreesAugust 13, 2011Better than: trying to act like Dallas has a hip-hop pedigree to compete with Houston. There wasn’t much of a build-up to Trae The Truth’s entrance at Trees on Saturday night. After a particularly high-energy set from JMack and a funny offering from…
Maleveller, Eagle Claw, The House Harkonnen Double Wide August 13, 2011 Better than: teaching your nephew how to play Mastodon songs. Last year, Maleveller could only play a certain amount of songs live. Because, well, they only had those songs to choose from. During one particularly memorable set back in…
Death Cab for Cutie, Frightened RabbitVerizon TheatreAugust 13, 2011 Better than: sweating in the heat only to watch a band implode. After living through the nightmare that was the Kings of Leon show a few weeks back, it was nice to be in the cool confines of Verizon Theatre Saturday…
Big Business, Torche, Thrones Club Dada August 12, 2011 Better than: 10 million pounds of sludge from New York and New Jersey Big Business was the third and final band to take the stage at Dada on Friday night. But with the way things played out, their hour-long set felt…
Fuckin’ Slayer! No, we don’t mean that. We’re actually referring to this perfect photo from last year’s Iron Maiden show at Gexa Energy Pavilion. Over the last year, we’ve collected a number of great fan photos from concerts around Dallas, but few fans display their rock horns in photos as…
Digitalism, Jackbeats and DestructoGranada TheaterAugust 9, 2011Better than: waking up to this morning’s alarm clock. At some point in the 10 o’clock hour last night at the Granada Theater, Destructo, who not only served as the opening touring act on this bill but also as one of the entire so-called…
Scattered Trees, The Alternate RoutesProphet BarAugust 8, 2011Better than: a band in a mismatched room on a quiet Tuesday. The four members of Chicago’s Scattered Trees took the stage at the Prophet Bar for a modest audience of perhaps 50 when they started their headlining set last night. Perhaps the…
Welcome to My First Show, where we give bands a chance to talk about the first shows they ever attended — no matter how uncool and embarrassing those tales may be. Torche is not a band out to pulverize your brain. But when you see them play live, that’s usually…
SiaGranada TheaterAugust 7, 2011 Better than: watching someone with a gift trying to make it seem like work. I don’t know if Sia has been bestowed the nickname “The Voice.” She ought to, though. She certainly earned that title last night, performing before a sold out show at the Granada. And…
Kinky Friedman, Josh Alan FriedmanSons of Hermann HallAugust 6, 2011 Better than: Rick Perry’s prayer meeting. Sons of Hermann Hall had a full house on Saturday night for KNON’s 28th anniversary celebration, headlined by Kinky Friedman. It was a hardcore segment of The People to whom the station gives Voice, and they…
Sundress, Dove Hunter, Chris CatalenaDouble WideAugust 4, 2011Better than: Vice’s Dos and Don’ts To be clear: Last night’s show at The Double Wide, despite boasting The Black Angels’ name in bold print, wasn’t a Black Angels show. It was a show “curated” by The Black Angels, the fine print for…
Ke$ha, LMFAO, Spank Rock Gexa Energy Pavilion at Fair Park August 4, 2011 Better than: trying to get by without water in this climate. The Gexa Energy Pavilion’s stage housed a two-story steel scaffolding with vertical LED light rods and a large diamond in the center. A bit after 9:30…
Electric Daisy Carnival ExperienceAugust 4, 2011 Better than: anything else going on in Hurst last night. Granted, we’re not familiar with weeknight activities in Hurst, but the screening was sold out, which indicates some level of excitement. Last night’s premiere of the Electric Daisy Carnival Experience documentary was like watching a…
Arctic MonkeysPalladium BallroomAugust 1, 2011Better than: watching a trainwreck the Kings of Leon It’s hard to believe British garage rockers Arctic Monkeys have been kicking around for nearly a decade. It makes us feel a tad bit old to think of ourselves barely at drinking age, watching the raw youngsters perform…
Welcome to My First Show, where we give bands a chance to talk about the first shows they ever attended — no matter how uncool and embarrassing those tales may be. Chance Morgan and Matt Mooty, friends since childhood, are the masterminds behind one of Fort Worth’s finest acts, The…
After Hours with George Quartz, Live!Texas TheatreJuly 39, 2011Better than: watching that Kings of Leon guy throw the world’s least exciting hissy fit and quit the band onstage. If KoL had beat the crap out of each other Brian Jonestown style, it might have been worth it. We think George…
Kings of Leon, Band of Horses Gexa Energy Pavilion July 29, 2011 Better than: watching a train wreck. About three songs into Kings of Leon’s set, lead singer Caleb Followill addressed the crowd: “My voice is shot,” he said. “My voice is completely, one hundred percent, gone. But I’m going…
Shiner Rising Star 2011: Night One of Round One Love & War in Texas in Plano July 28, 2011So here we are: another year, another opening night for the annual Shiner Rising Star competition. To begin the eighth 13-week season, three Dallas-area acts were brought to the stage of the Plano…
Katy Perry, Robyn Verizon Theater in Grand Praire July 28, 2011 Better than: the petroleum aftertaste of cherry chapstick. A lingering cotton candy scent filled the Verizon Theater last night as four displays beamed the beginning of the Wizard of Oz-inspired story that would thematically tie together Katy Perry’s California Dreams Tour…
Moonface, Flow Child, Nervous Curtains Dada Wednesday, July 27, 2011 Better than: the Rangers’ performance that night, by a moonshot. Moonface is essentially Spencer Krug’s solo project, the purest distillation of the twisted melodies and lyrical longing we’re likely to hear any time soon from the yelpier of Wolf Parade’s…
Jessica Lea Mayfield, Ferraby Lionheart and The Naptime ShakeDadaJuly 26, 2011Better than: the movie Lionheart. Jessica Lea Mayfield’s career has something a storybook feel to it, given that she was essentially raised on a tour bus (she started performing with her family’s One Way Rider band as an 8-year-old), started…
Cabe Booth’s name might not ring too many bells. But if you’ve ever been to the Curtain Club, you’ve seen his artwork. Creating stunning, life-like paintings of legendary bands, you might as well stare at them for hours.Booth’s birthday is coming up this week, and for his birthday party, he’s hosting…
