Wednesday
In 1991, the Boston-based outfit Powerman 5000 was born. Despite sounding like an alter-ego superhero your 4-year-old made up, Powerman 5000 is one of industrial metal’s most successful bands. Led by Spider One, a punk rock Billy Idol lookalike, art school dropout and younger brother of horror metal heavyweight Rob Zombie, Powerman 5000 garnered national attention in 1996 with the remastered edition of The Blood-Splat Rating System (also titled Mega!! Kung Fu Radio), giving them a spot on stage at Ozzfest in 1997. The band’s latest album, 2017’s New Wave, became a critical success, but this year the band is touring for the 20th anniversary of its most successful record, Tonight the Stars Revolt! The show starts at 8 p.m. on Wednesday, July 3, at Trees, 2709 Elm St.,Tickets are $12-$20 at ticketfly.com. Diamond Rodrigue
This year marks 50 years since country singer-songwriter Willie Nelson acquired “Trigger,” his famous Martin N-20, and after a 62-year career, Nelson’s on the road again with a new record in tow. For his 69th studio album, Ride Me Back Home, which was released on June 21, producer Buddy Cannon and Nelson delivered a record that’s garnering a lot of positive buzz for its choice covers and timely new numbers. Willie Nelson & Family return to North Texas to take part of the Outlaw Music Festival Tour 2019, and Dallas is the only Texas city on either leg of the tour. Joining Willie & Co. on this tour stop are Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats, Casey Donahew, Steve Earle & The Dukes, Hayes Carll and Colter Wall, as well as Bluegrass songstress Alison Krauss, who has won 27 Grammy Awards from 42 nominations, ranking her third for most wins of all time (only behind legendary record exec and producer-composer-arranger Quincy Jones and classical conductor Georg Solti) for most Grammy awards, which means she’s the most awarded vocalist or singer and the most awarded female artist in Grammy history. The festival starts at 1 p.m. on Wednesday, July 3, at Dos Equis Pavilion, 3839 S. Fitzhugh Ave. Tickets are $25-$350 at livenation.com. Daniel Rodrigue
Two heavy-hitting progressive metal bands; Coheed and Cambria and Mastodon will share The Pavilion at Toyota Music Factory stage Wednesday as part of The Unheavenly Skye Tour. Coheed and Cambria released its latest album Vaxis: Act I: The Unheavenly Creatures after signing on with Roadrunner Records about a year ago. Like the band’s first seven albums, Vaxis follows the story line of a science fiction comic series written by singer Claudio Sanchez, which also inspired the band’s name. Mastodon’s latest album Emperor of Sand is only three years old, and there’s talk of a new one on the way. But Mastodon is really touring off its fourth studio album, Crack the Skye, celebrating the 10th anniversary of its release. The show starts at 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday, July 3, at The Pavilion at Toyota Music Factory, 316 W. Las Colinas Blvd, Irving. Tickets are $30-$80 at livenation.com. Jacob Vaughn
Thursday
For one day, in celebration of Independence Day, you can get a taste of the State Fair of Texas — deep-fried everything, rides, rigged carnival games, concessions, agricultural exhibits that no one gives a damn about — almost three months before Big Tex awakens from hibernation to open the fair gates for this year’s edition Sept. 27. Along with the aforementioned attractions, Fourth on the Midway includes live music and will conclude with Fair Park Fourth’s fireworks display at 9:37 p.m. (on the actual Fourth of July, the way God and the forefathers intended). From noon to 10 p.m. Thursday, admission to the Midway is $8 or $5 online and parking is $10 at Gates 5 and 6, 3921 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. Visit bigtex.com for tickets and more information. Jesse Hughey
It'll be a bitchin' good time. There, we thought we'd just get the bad punning out of our system right away. Oh, we have tons more, but out of decency we’ll just stick to the facts: The Lone Star State Classic Dog Show is happening July 4-7. More than 1,700 dogs representing over 150 breeds will pack (sorry) Dallas Market Howl (we mean Hall, really sorry) at 2200 Stemmons Freeway. Held twice yearly, the classic is the only all-breed dog show in Dallas, organized by three North Texas clubs that are part of the American Kennel Club. Visitors can watch the exhibition and judging of various breeds and classes, meet breeders and get info on dog ownership and shop with vendors offering dog-related products, but no dogs. (On that note, unless li'l Sir Wendell Barkley Wet Nose IV of Southlake is an official entrant, please leave your own dogs at home. We wouldn't want to give them an inferiority complex.) The show runs from 8 a.m. until 5 p.m. daily. Tickets, $8 for adults and $5 for kids ages 5-12, are available at the door. Visit dallasdogshow.com for more info on when specific breeds are showing. Patrick Williams
Friday
Sub-Sahara has been busy since it won Best Live Act at the 2019 Dallas Observer Music Awards. They released "Berry," a haunting and hypnotic love song, on Valentine's Day and have been playing about a show a week alongside bands like Sealion, LOAFERS and Rosegarden Funeral Party. North Texas rock act Steve Gnash will join Sub-Sahara at Double Wide. The two bands also just played together at Transit Bicycle Co. to celebrate the business' 10th anniversary. Additionally, after a two-year hiatus, indie-rock band Pollen will be performing for the first time with an all-new lineup. The show starts at 8 p.m. on Friday, July 5, at Double Wide, 3510 Commerce St. Tickets are $7 at prekindle.com. Jacob Vaughn
Say the words “sex education” to a parent and watch them fold in on themselves, cringing. Even the most open-minded moms and dads out there cannot even deal with THE TALK, and that inability to just tell it like it is has wide-ranging effects on kids, especially when schools duck the conversation as well. The teens of Cry Havoc Theater Company won’t shy away from the topic, though. They demand more from the adults in their lives — including parents, teachers and legislators — during Sex Ed, a performance piece that spotlights their frustration about what they aren’t taught. The play is a series of interviews juxtaposed with excerpts from the official (and sometimes laughable) Texas curriculum on the topic. The result? A jarring and thought-provoking imbalance that will open eyes and bolster parents with just enough determination to finally get that conversation started. See it at Hamon Hall in the AT&T Performing Arts Center, 2403 Flora St., from Friday, July 5, through Sunday, July 14. Performances are Thursdays at 7:30 p.m.; Fridays at 8 p.m.; Saturdays at 2 and 8 p.m.; and Sundays at 2 p.m. Tickets are $25 at attpac.org. Jennifer Davis-Lamm
Amanda Seales, formerly known as Amanda Diva, is an actress, comedian, singer, rapper, radio host, MTV VJ, spoken-word artist, holder of a master’s degree in African American studies from Columbia University and more. Her latest gig has her combining those talents and more as the host of the game-show style road show Smart Funny & Black, a celebration of blackness in which two celebrities compete in various contests that test their wits and knowledge of black history, culture and the black experience in the “Hall of Flava” in front of a live band, the Clapbacks. See who wins an induction into the “Illustrious League of Master Blacksperts” at 8 p.m. (doors at 7) Friday at the House of Blues, 2200 N. Lamar St. Tickets, $34.50 to $90.50, and more information are at 214-978-2583 or smartfunnyandblack.com. Jesse Hughey
Minnesota dream-pop band Vansire’s first Texas performance will be in Dallas. They are kicking off over a month of scheduled shows with one at Club Dada this Friday. Primary members Josh Augustin and Sam Winemiller met as teenagers playing in the high school band and began experimenting with music together. After discovering they were creatively compatible, the two set out to form a band that sounded like Mac DeMarco. An online random word generator had them set on Vansire for the name of their new project, the name of an obscure mongoose. The rest, like their 2019 two-song release Metamodernity and their 2018 album Angel Youth, is history. The show starts at 6 p.m. on Friday, July 5, at Club Dada, 2720 Elm St. Tickets are $14-$17 at eventbrite.com. Jacob Vaughn
Uptown Players’ salute to Pride Month in the LGBTQ community is Max Vernon’s The View Upstairs, an off-Broadway hit, which completes its run at the Kalita Humphreys Theater, 3636 Turtle Creek Blvd, at 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday, and at 2 p.m. Sunday. Cheryl Denson directs; Kevin Gunter directs the rock and jazz score; and choreography is by Trevor Wright. The setting is the Upstairs Lounge, serving as a dive bar/home/church in 1973 in New Orleans’ French Quarter. The true story tells of the fire that destroyed the bar and killed 32 people. For tickets ($30-$50) call 214-219-2718 or uptownplayers.org. Reba Liner
Saturday
Just a few years ago, Eddie B was a sixth grade science teacher breaking bad not by manufacturing meth, but, for some, doing far worse: pursuing a career in comedy. After posting a series of online videos called “What Teachers Really Say,” Anthony B took his viral fame to the stage and has since become the national spokesperson, and perhaps true voice, for teachers everywhere. Catch his I’m Already Professionally Developed Tour stop at 8 p.m on Saturday, July 6, at the Winspear Opera House, 2403 Flora Street. Tickets are $20-60 at attpac.org. Eva Raggio
Over 50 years, 25 records, and countless reinventions and lineups later, Latin rock band Santana is still kicking. The brainchild of Mexican-American guitarist Carlos Santana (the band’s only consistent member), Santana’s balance of popular tastes with subtle experimentation has made them one of the most beloved acts of all time: The band has sold over 40 million records worldwide, notched over 10 top-10 albums, won eight Grammys and been inducted into The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. South American rhythms threaded with Americana and alternative rock, jazz fusion and world music, as it turns out, make for a timeless recipe for success. The show starts at 7 p.m. on Saturday, July 6, Dos Equis Pavilion, 3839 S. Fitzhugh Ave. Tickets are $35 at livenation.com. Jonathan Patrick
Many of us are understandably not feeling particularly patriotic these days, but this is one Independence Day festivity we can all agree on, by celebrating freedom... from clothing. The Star Spangled Spectacular is an event for ages 18 and up, and takes place at Viva’s Lounge, one of Dallas’ most renowned spots for the teasing art of burlesque, where dancers will perform a tribute to Lady Liberty with gyrating tassels and the wee-est of thongs. Doors open at 8 p.m, and the show starts at 9 p.m, at 1350 Manufacturing St. General admission tickets are $22, with priority seating for $34 and VIP for a table of four, including cocktail service, for $165, on sale at Prekindle.com. Eva Raggio
On June 7, Brooklyn-based Yeasayer returned with their fifth album Erotic Reruns on their own eponymously named label (following releases on Mute and Secretly Canadian). After 14 years as a band, Erotic Reruns finds the trio shedding some of the more experimental, cinematic tracks with strange and tribal sounds familiar to longtime fans for a more streamlined and danceable pop approach. And while Erotic Reruns stands as Yeasayer’s most sonically accessible record, lyricists Chris Keating and Anand Wilder didn’t pull any punches with the socially conscious, pointedly political and darkly dystopian lyrics. The album was reportedly inspired by the buildup to and fallout from the 2016 presidential election and features songs that name-check James Comey, Stephen Miller and Sarah Huckabee Sanders. The upbeat track “Crack a Smile" ends with the repeated line of “You're a liar,” as the trio takes on the “crooked” grin of a powerful “liar” and “fool” with “evil in (his) eyes” who’s the “psycho captain of this fading realm.” Los Angeles’ indie-pop act Steady Holiday opens.The show starts at 8 p.m. on Saturday, July 6, at Trees, 2709 Elm St. Tickets are $25-$27 at ticketfly.com. Daniel Rodrigue
Adam Amparan has had quite the career since he had a cup of coffee with El Paso turbulent art-punk band At the Drive-In. Amparan played on the band’s 1997 debut album Acrobatic Tenement but left before its release. The band that bears his name now is a far cry from the chaos of his earlier punk days, however, opting instead for the poppy bliss of psychedelic garage rock. Adam & The Figurines’ eponymous 2017 album is downright beach-worthy with all of the appeal of wearing a blossom hat on a sunny day. Joining The Figurines on the Spinster Records main stage are the raucous Nashville duo, VOLK. Composed of Eleot Reich on drums and Chris Lowe on guitar, the pair’s track “Honey Bee” off their 2018 EP Average American Band comes off like a more modern White Stripes with a bit more yeehaw and screaming. The Prof.Fuzz 63 will start the fun at 8:30 p.m. and will be assisted in doling out the smooth live lo-fi with former Delzells vocalist Justin Casey. The show starts at 8:30 p.m. on Saturday, July 6, at Spinster Records Dallas, 829 W. Davis St., Admission is a $5 donation. Nick Bostick
Sunday
Interested in developing a taste for Shakespeare but not sure you're ready for the avaunts, prithees and other bits of Tudor English? Shakespeare Dallas has just the thing: a live stage version of Shakespeare in Love, the 1998 winner of the Academy Award for best picture. Written for the stage by Tom Stoppard, who co-wrote the screenplay, the fantasy story of Shakespeare's thwarted love affair includes romance, cross dressing, comedy and confusion — all the staples of a Shakespeare play, minus the death and unfamiliar language. Think of it as an intro survey course. Doors for Sunday's performance at Samuell Grand Park, 1500 Tenison Parkway, open at 7 p.m. for the 8:15 p.m. show. General admission tickets are $15 plus fees on prekindle.com. Patrick Williams
The members of local metal band Wooden Earth call themselves "heavy riff merchants hailing from Dallas, Texas." The trio, fronted by drummer and singer Griffin Thomas, earned this self-proclaimed title with the release of Waves of Smoke, the band's 2018 EP. Wooden Earth will be headlining at Three Links as part of local bands The Boleys and Modular Sun's Texas Invasion Tour presented by Dreamy Life Records and Music. If the psychedelic vibrations of The Boleys and Modular Sun don't melt your brain, Wooden Earth will. The show starts at 8 p.m. on Sunday, July 7, at Three Links, 2704 Elm St. Tickets are $7 at seetickets.us. Jacob Vaughn
Monday
Actress, author, fitness diva and favorite bogey-woman of crusty old conservatives who still think the Vietnam War was winnable, Jane Fonda will be at Winspear Opera House to chat with fans about her life, career and current projects. An Evening with Jane Fonda promises a collection of clips, stories and an intimate Q&A with audience members. See Fonda at 7:30 p.m. Monday at 2403 Flora St. Tickets start at $49.50 at attpac.org. Patrick Williams
Tuesday
Even the biggest art aficionados have a hard time getting their eyes on a Caravaggio, as less than 10 of his paintings are on display in the U.S. – but leave it to the Dallas Museum of Art to bring us that exclusive experience with Caravaggio: Martha and Mary Magdalene. The 17th century painting, on display until Sept. 22, is a prime example of the baroque master’s realism, as he used his skillful chiaroscuro technique to depict Mary Magdalene (at the time considered a prostitute by the Catholic Church, but hey who hasn’t been?) as she experiences a come-to-Jesus epiphany with her peer-pressuring sister. Admission to the exhibit is free, at 1717 North Harwood. For more information visit dma.org. Eva Raggio