The house lights faded as the stadium thump of Queen’s “We Will Rock You” thundered to life. Perhaps you’ve heard “We Will Rock You” at the American Airlines Center before — during a Mavericks or Stars game — but you’ve never heard it like that, not with the fog, at…
Though we’ve been greeted with hot summer temperatures a bit earlier than usual, the concert calendar is already looking ahead to the cooler fall and winter months. Ahead this week, we’ve got announcements from ’80s favorites, legendary rock and classical acts, a bit of country and some club shows of…
It can be hard to trust record companies and believe that entertainers sound the same live as they do recorded. This especially rings true for electronic and pop genres. But sometimes, fans get really lucky, and an artist proves to be even better in person. Dua Lipa is one of…
Rock ‘n’ roll has never been very honest with itself. A music of change and rebellion, it’s also one of hard-and-fast demarcations, an us-and-them fantasy that increasingly has left it trapped inside its own (largely white, largely male) self-image that pits the cool kids against everyone else. But that may be changing…
Creed Bratton is best known for his role as the idiosyncratic quality assurance director at Dunder Mifflin on NBC’s long-running show The Office. Fans of the show may not realize that Bratton’s talents extend far beyond the non sequiturs and bizarre stories of his on-screen persona. Bratton’s career as a…
Sometimes it’s hard to say if farewell tours are just publicity stunts or if some of music’s biggest icons long for the simple life only to realize that arenas filled with adoring fans paying lots of money aren’t so bad. Either way, we’re reaping the benefits as country music superstar…
Hot weather means some hot shows ahead on the concert calendar for music fans in the metro area. This week, we’ve compiled a mix of cool local acts, touring indie darlings and influential rappers. Check out all the details below. Ice Cube is perhaps the biggest show announcement this week,…
Every June in Philadelphia, hip-hop-heads and music fans gather for the Roots Picnic. This Saturday will mark the 11th edition of the outdoor summer fest founded and hosted by legendary Philly group The Roots. In a conversation earlier this year with Roots drummer Amir “Questlove” Thompson, Dallas maestro RC Williams…
When we spoke to Ken Stringfellow last year, he was not in the head space to devote all of his creative energy to playing with his main band, The Posies, and doing the group’s best-known material. “I don’t want to give people the same thing again, exactly the same way,”…
It can be difficult for a young adult to find places to enjoy nightlife and good music after dark. Whether you’re in the city for the first time or were born and raised in the heart of Dallas, it helps to know of the best places to hear music and…
This weekend, days before Maya Piata’s EP release show at Independent Bar & Kitchen, the artist escaped to the Oklahoma woods to get her mind right. She places a high premium on emotional intelligence and spiritual alignment. Nothing could stop her from being the best Maya she could be for…
The great thing about the streaming video platform YouTube is the accessibility and chances it continues to give people with talent who may never get seen by the Hollywood machine. The bad thing about YouTube is that it made people like Jake Paul famous. The Vine maker turned YouTube vlogger…
Everything was sexier Sunday night. The moms were excited to be out of the house on a school night. You could hear every man in the city alone at home, happy they escaped a night at American Airlines Center watching the man who brought sexy back perform. Sunday night as…
Dallas venue The Dirty 30 had a break-in May 7 for the sixth time in a year and a half. Someone used a crowbar to open the door, broke the windows and took about $850 worth of alcohol. Although the club’s security alarms have sounded for all of the break-ins,…
This week, we see what is slated to be legendary folk singer-songwriter Paul Simon’s last concert in Dallas as he brings his farewell tour to American Airlines Center on Friday. If you missed Justin Timberlake last week, catch his second show Monday night. Poison plays Toyota Music Factory on Saturday…
“In Bed With” is a Dallas Observer series in which we delve into the homes and personal lives of Dallas music industry professionals. “I have a theory that all of our neighbors are swingers,“ says musician Jacob Metcalf as he walks up the stairs to the apartment he shares with…
Craig Wayne Boyd won The Voice Season 7, the show’s highest rated season, singing a song that hit No. 1 on Billboard’s American country music charts. The Dallas-bred country singer, who won the singing competition with Blake Shelton as his coach, is returning to his hometown Sunday for a benefit…
Compared with last week’s bevy of concert announcements, this Friday’s collection is a bit lighter. However, there are still things to get excited about, like the legendary Bob Dylan, a boy band holiday extravaganza and a Texas-style birthday bash. The one and only Bob Dylan continues his never-ending tour. Out…
The Mammoths are an Austin band with Dallas roots, and they are ready to show off their fusion of blues-rock and psych-soul to the city where it all came together. The band started when David Kapsner (lead vocals, guitar, piano), Michael Jekot (lead guitar, vocals) and Tyler Rush (bass, vocals)…
Blade Runner, Terminator, Alien, 12 Monkeys and The Fifth Element will come to life when five local supergroups present their 25-minute original scores at 8 p.m. Saturday on the Ruins stage for Sci-Fi Fest. If you missed the announcement two months ago, King Camel’s Jeff Brown put together a lineup of…
North Texans like to kick Plano around. To its detractors, it’s an area apparently devoid of culture or anything worth venturing north of LBJ Freeway for. But the Collin County town saved Ron Bultongez’s life. Bultongez, a singer-songwriter, was on the ABC reboot of American Idol. When he initially tried…
It isn’t too often that you’ll find a Hollywood A-lister spending about 40 nights per year on the road, hard at work as a touring musician. Then again, Kevin Bacon has always marched to his own beat. Since beginning his acting career in the late ’70s, he has consistently followed…
