10 Best Concerts of the Week: George Strait, Pentatonix, King's X and More

There is a lot of music to be thankful for in the week leading up to Thanksgiving. For one thing, the "King of Country" himself will be playing two nights in Fort Worth this weekend. The world's best-selling guitar virtuoso will also appear this weekend in Dallas. Next week, the country's favorite a cappella quintet plays a hometown show to bring in the holiday cheer, and then a prog metal band from across the pond presents a show in Deep Ellum. Outside of the big names this week, North Texas will also see a variety of shows from diverse acts like a violin-playing America's Got Talent quarterfinalist. Irving will see a trio of DJs bring in the weekend as Dallas gets its fill of alt-pop. The new week brings singer-songwriters to Greenville Avenue and Oak Cliff after Denton brings back an event dedicated to showcasing the talent of its local artists. Like Thanksgiving dinner, this week may be a little bit messy, but that's how you know it's good.
Lindsey Stirling
7 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 17, Texas Trust CU Theatre, 1001 Performance Place, Grand Prairie. $39.75+ at axs.com

America's Got Talent Season 5 quarterfinalist Lindsey Stirling impressed audiences and judges with her mix of hip-hop, pop and classical music on the violin while incorporating choreographed dancing as she played. Though Stirling did not win the competition, she gained millions of subscribers to her YouTube channel, building upon her success on the show. Stirling's continued popularity has led her to work with acts around the music industry, including Evanescence, The Decemberists, John Legend and Pentatonix. Stirling has released six albums since her time on the show and is currently touring in support of her most recent album, Snow Waltz. The album was released in early October and contains covers of Christmas classics such as "Sleigh Ride" and "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen" in addition to a handful of original compositions for the holiday season.
Gryffin
7 p.m. Friday, Nov. 18, The Pavilion at Toyota Music Factory, 300 W. Las Colinas Blvd., Irving. $50+ at livenation.com

DJ, songwriter and record producer Gryffin is probably best known for his remixes of songs by other artists like Years & Years, Tove Lo and Maroon 5. Gryffin had been making music here and there since his childhood, having been classically trained on the piano at an early age. The artist made his world debut in 2015 at the SnowGlobe Music Festival in South Lake Tahoe. Since then, he's had the opportunity to remix more popular songs and collaborate with feature artists like Carly Rea Jepsen and OneRepublic. Gryffin is on tour in support of his new album, Alive, which came out earlier this month, a 16-track project that includes club-ready dance tracks, high-spirited pop songs and just the right amount of trance. Friday night's show will see opening sets from L.A. electronic producer William Black and UK DJ Codeko.
George Strait
7 p.m. Friday and Saturday, Nov. 18 and 19, Dickies Arena, 1911 Montgomery St., Fort Worth. $400+ at ticketmaster.com

Returning to North Texas this week is the "King of Country" himself, George Strait. When Strait played two shows at Dickies Arena the last time he was in our neck of the woods, it was the first time he had performed in Fort Worth in 37 years. The venue must have treated him right because he has once again scheduled two shows, both sold out and both with verified resale tickets starting at $400. Strait retired from touring with a blowout concert at AT&T Stadium in 2014, but after two years he started coming back around with one-off concerts and festival appearances. After all, he didn't retire from music or live shows all together — just the arduous touring part of it. Strait has also released two albums since he retired from touring, with his most recent, Honky Tonk Time Machine, coming out in 2019. Canadian country music singer Tenille Townes played a couple of shows with Strait back in February and will be opening both shows this week in Fort Worth.
Joe Satriani
6:30 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 19, Majestic Theatre, 1925 Elm St. $38+ at ticketmaster.com

Guitar virtuoso Joe Satriani had released only two albums when Mick Jagger asked him to play guitar on Jagger's first solo tour in 1988. A few years later, Satriani was chosen as Ritchie Blackmore's temporary replacement in Deep Purple. While credits like these would be the envy of any guitar player, Satriani has made an even bigger name for himself as a solo artist, earning 15 Grammy nominations throughout his career and selling over 10 million albums to make him the all-time best-selling instrumental rock guitarist. Trained under jazz masters and drawing influences from British guitar gods as well as Jimi Hendrix, Satriani has really set the bar for solo guitar performance, using hammer-ons, pull-offs, two-handed tapping, volume swells and whammy bar effects. Satriani is currently touring in support of his 18th album, The Elephants of Mars, which was released this past April.
Nightly
7 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 19, The Studio at The Factory, 2727 Canton St. $18 at axs.com

Nashville independent alt-pop band Nightly began as the musical project of cousins Jonathan Capeci and Joey Beretta when they were growing up in Philadelphia. The two would go on to be in numerous musical projects before they moved to Nashville in 2010 to form indie band Dinner and a Suit. That band would enjoy some local success and go on some small tours, culminating in a performance as part of the O Music Awards from CMT Studios in Nashville before releasing one last EP and disbanding. The new band Nightly would release its first three EPs with Interscope Records before releasing its debut album and follow-up EP on BMG. In 2021, Nightly released its first single as an independent band and has released 10 singles since, including "why u gotta be like that" with tourmates, vaultboy, and its most recent, "dirty white chucks," which the band released before going on tour.
Rock Lottery #19
7:30 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 19, Dan's Silverleaf, 103 N. Industrial St., Denton. $15 at prekindle.com

After a three-year pause due to COVID, Denton's Rock Lottery is back for its 19th edition. For the uninitiated, the Rock Lottery concept is a simple one. On Saturday morning, 25 musicians will meet at Dan's Silverleaf to create five original bands by drawing names out of a hat. These five different bands will be given just 12 hours to come up with three to five songs, and only one can be a cover. The bands will return to the venue and perform the songs in front of a live audience starting at 8:30 p.m. Among the many bands represented at this year's event are Mutha-Falcon, Upsetting, Starfruit, Temptress and The Hope Trust. Tickets for the event can be purchased now for $15, but the price will go up the day of the show. All the proceeds from the event will benefit Denton's KUZU community radio station. This is sure to be a night of serious fun, just as it has been 18 times before.
Steven Page
7 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 20, Granada Theater, 3524 Greenville Ave. $30+ at prekindle.com

If you remember the Barenaked Ladies pop-rock mega-hit, "One Week," Steven Page is the guy who sings the "It's been one week ... " part, not the "Chickity China, the Chinese chicken ... " part. The band's co-founder, Page left Barenaked Ladies in 2009 to pursue solo opportunities in music and theater (there was also his drug possession arrest in 2008, which may have played a part in the decision). The singer had already released one solo album, The Vanity Project, in 2005, years before his split with the band, but Page has become quite comfortable as a solo artist over the last 12 years, releasing five more albums. His most recent album, Excelsior, was released in late September. The self-produced album deals extensively with grief and loss inspired by the loneliness the singer felt during the pandemic lockdowns. For the Sunday night show, Page will sing a mix of Barenaked Ladies' hits and songs from his solo albums.
Pentatonix
6 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 22, Dickies Arena, 1911 Montgomery St., Fort Worth. $95+ at ticketmaster.com

Arlington's a cappella pop quintet Pentatonix originally formed as a trio to win a radio contest to meet the cast of Glee. The three then became five before entering the third season of The Sing-Off, which the group would go on to win in 2011. In the 11 years since, Pentatonix has released 10 studio albums and earned three Grammy awards. Of those 10 albums, six have been Christmas-themed, including the group's most recent album, Holidays Around the World, released late last month. A festive mix of classic and original songs, Holidays Around the World offers audiences the warm holiday spirit they've come to expect from Pentatonix this past decade, with a little help from American pop stars like Meghan Trainor and international acts like Lebanese singer Hiba Tawaji. Folk trio and winners of Season 21 of The Voice, Girl Named Tom, open the show Tuesday night in Fort Worth.
Jacob Metcalf
7 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 22, The Kessler, 1230 W. Davis St. $20+ at prekindle.com

Local indie-folk artist Jacob Metcalf released his first album, Fjord, in the early winter of 2016. The album offered a range of wistful, unhurried songs complete with large orchestrations and Metcalf’s pleasant vocals leading the way through each story. The songs were written as Metcalf traveled through Asia, Africa, Europe and the Americas and were finalized as he lived out of his car and inside a four-foot crawl space between a vintage store and loft apartments. Metcalf will celebrate the release of his next full-length album, Monitors, Tuesday night after an opening set from Dallas singer-songwriter Doug Burr. The new album centers around the artist's journey within, showing that it can be just as rewarding as a physical trip, but also as perilous. All attendees will receive a complimentary digital-format version of Monitors to take home.
King's X
8 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 23, Trees, 2709 Elm St. $20 at axs.com

Progressive metal band King's X first came together in 1979 in Springfield, Missouri, under the name The Edge, with bass player Doug Pinnick and drummer Jerry Gaskill playing alongside two others. The band replaced its original guitarist with Ty Tabor in 1980, and when Kirk Henderson left the band in 1983, the band continued as a three-piece, changed its name to Sneak Preview and recorded its debut album under that name. That same three-piece performs Wednesday night in Deep Ellum. A few years after the band's debut, Sneak Preview would move to Houston and under the direction of ZZ Top producer Sam Taylor, would change its name to King's X. From 1988 until 2008, the band released a dozen albums of solid guitar work and chunky grooves. After a long hiatus, the band returned in 2022 with its 13th album Three Sides of One, and it returns to North Texas Wednesday night with opening support from Bezel and The Joey C Jones Band.