What’s it take to get music fans out to concerts in the dead of Texas summer? Based on the lineup of bands hitting the Dallas area this week, the resounding answer would appear to be “throwbacks.” Those throwbacks come in all shapes and sizes, too: They could have a retro…
METZ With Big Ups and Sealion Trees, Dallas Thursday, August 13, 2015 What makes a good punk rock show? Many would agree that the essential elements include, but are not limited to: high energy, mosh pits, sweat, stage diving, more sweat, cheap beer, black clothing and music so loud your ears…
As we close in on the weekend, Dallas may be in for a bit of a break from the heat — as in, the highs may only hit 100 rather than 105. Okay, so that’s not much of a relief, but hey, it’s August in Texas so you can’t expect…
Shania Twain With Gavin DeGraw American Airlines Center, Dallas Monday, August 10, 2015 She’s baaaaaaack. You love her. You karaoke her songs when you’re blackout drunk. She’s the queen of the country-pop crossover and you and Taylor Swift are forever thankful to her for that. She’s Shania Effin’ Twain and…
Shredding. Slapping. Fingering. Oh my. Three-fifths of the ‘classic’ Deep Purple team that wrote the famous Smoke on the Water descended upon Verizon Theatre Sunday and squeezed every possible solo into the evening. On a purely logistical level, you’ve got to give props to any band that can jam 30…
Raekwon With Ghostface Killah, Dillon Cooper and the Outfit, TX House of Blues, Dallas Friday, August 7, 2015 Let’s face it: Getting a true Wu-Tang Clan reunion is never going to happen. Sure, promises have been made over the years (and tickets have been sold for the “full” line-up), but…
Mayhem Festival Gexa Energy Pavilion, Dallas Sunday, August 2, 2015 It is the worst time of the year to produce an outdoor music festival when the majority of attendees are clad in black and furiously moshing/purposefully crashing into each other, but temperatures teetering over 100 degrees didn’t stop the dedicated…
Randy Rogers Band With Jason Isbell, Whiskey Myers and Sunny Sweeney Gexa Energy Pavilion, Dallas Saturday, August 1, 2015 The world of alt-country is a diverse place, which means that trying to put several bands that fall under this umbrella on the same bill can sometimes result in a pretty…
Just when it seemed like the summer was going to go easy on us, last week gave us some reminders that yes, we do still live in Dallas and shit gets pretty hot here. (It didn’t even get that hot. Maybe we’re getting soft.) We rolled into August over the…
Gorilla Vs. Bear Fest V With Jamie xx, Lowers Dens, Tei Shi, Bop English, Yumi Zouma, Prince Innocence and Sober Granada Theater, Dallas Friday, July 31, 2015 The death of the music blog has been greatly exaggerated. Well, at least in the case of Gorilla Vs. Bear, and more precisely…
Phish Verizon Theatre, Grand Prairie Wednesday, July 29, 2015 Last night at Verizon Theatre, Phish inspired some of the worst dancing I have ever seen. Limbs flailing everywhere, arrhythmic hops and gesticulations, strangely aggressive at times, with a noticeable disregard for others’ personal space — all features of a time…
Faith No More With Napalm Death South Side Ballroom, Dallas Monday, July 27, 2015 There was barely a hint of a nostalgia cash-grab with Faith No More’s 90-minute set last night. While that might have challenged the casual fan, the five-piece presented themselves as who they are, not what they…
Miguel With Dorothy South Side Music Hall, Dallas Saturday, July 25, 2015 There’s a weird dichotomy being a person of mixed race in modern America. Too often we’re pushed to identify as one race or another, looked at as a foreigner by whichever group we’re currently associating with. We never…
Let’s face it. You’re probably sick of hearing about social media during the Week of Twitter Beef. So if you want to avoid the exhaustive subtweeting in the coming days, make a swift departure by going out to one of these shows. Whether you’re charged up for the week or feeling…
Fall Out Boy With Wiz Khalifa and Hoodie Allen Gexa Energy Pavilion, Dallas Saturday, July 25, 2015 Talk about an unusual pairing. Or was it? Fall Out Boy and Wiz Khalifa’s joint stop at Gexa Energy Pavilion on Saturday night for their Boys of Zummer tour followed a long tradition…
Kid Rock With Foreigner Gexa Energy Pavilion, Dallas Thursday, July 23, 2015 Kid Rock, the scraggly haired, bad facial hair having owner of a smattering of No. 1 hits we’d all rather forget about, managed to sell out the Gexa Energy Pavilion last night thanks to an unabashed love of…
You hanging in there, champ? Last week we had Judas Priest, the Smashing Pumpkins and Nicki Minaj all roll through Dallas. Wouldn’t blame you if it had all but leveled your bank account and/or physical constitution. But alas, the impetuous concert thresher grinds ceaselessly forward, with everything from the Confederate…
Imagine Dragons With Metric American Airlines Center, Dallas Friday, July 17, 2015 Judging by the crowd who showed up at American Airlines Center on Friday night, Imagine Dragons have done more for sales of Cialis than any ad campaign run with any sporting event ever. The number of aging members…
Nicki Minaj With Meek Mill, Tinashe, Rae Sremmurd and Dej Loaf Gexa Energy Pavilion, Dallas Friday, July 17, 2015 Watch out, world: The title of Best Hip Hop Power Couple may be about to change hands. As Nicki Minaj entered the homestretch of her marathon 38-song tour kickoff at Gexa…
Smashing Pumpkins With Marilyn Manson Gexa Energy Pavilion, Dallas Wednesday, July 15, 2015 There were two camps at Gexa Energy Pavilion on Wednesday night: On one side were the fans wearing black lipstick and on the other were those with “Zero” T-shirts. It was a night where two titans of…
We were getting a little bit testy. Last winter, country mega star Garth Brooks announced that he was finally heading out on the road after a 15-years hiatus from touring. Except there weren’t any dates in Dallas. Then he changed his mind and came to Dallas anyway — but only…
Judas Priest Verizon Theatre, Grand Prairie Monday, July 13, 2015 Mull this fact for a minute: The 2010s mark Judas Priest’s fifth decade as a band. Of all the metal acts that rose to prominence during the 1970s, Judas Priest is one of the few to have stayed enduringly popular…
