There's a swath of great show to hit this weekend and that is in large part due to a little spillover from Fun Fun Fun Fest. So, go ahead and thank Austin before we go on. Cool, that was nice of you; it is good to express gratitude. This weekend you've got the opportunity to smoke a doobie with the country god, Willie Nelson in Oklahoma. Thee Oh Sees play a show that's sure to be a little nuts at Hailey's in Denton. Yann Tierson of Amélie is set to stop by the Granada, along with Death From Above for a highly anticipated show. Enough of this, check out your picks and plan your weekend.
See also: Fun Fun Fun Fest Is The Best Festival in Texas, and Here's Why
Lionel Richie 8 p.m. Friday, November 7, at Choctaw Casino Resort, 4216 S. Highway 69/75 Durant, OK, 800-788-2464 or choctawcasinos.com, $95-$195 Lionel Richie is a legend. First, he and a few friends formed the Commodores at Tuskegee University after combining the Mystics and the Jays. What followed was a slew of hits like the funk staples "Machine Gun," "Brick House" and those beautiful ballads like "Easy" and "Three Times a Lady." Richie left the group in 1982 to pursue a solo career, only to give us classic track after classic track: "All Night Long (All Night)," "Hello," and "Dancing on the Ceiling" all immediately come to mind. All hail Mr. Richie, fan of brick houses that are once, twice, no, no, no -- three times a lady. H. Drew Blackburn
Dum Dum Girls With Ex-Cops, 8 p.m. Friday, November 7, at Club Dada, 2720 Elm St., dadadallas.com, $15-$17 Kristin Welchez, better known by her stage name Dee Dee Penny, has been operating the Dum Dum Girls since 2008 with a rotating cast of players who create smart and often dreamy music. Earlier this year her third long player, Too True, dropped on Sub Pop. The album has a bit of a retro '90s alt-rock vibe to it. This is reinforced by Penny's name checking Siouxsie & the Banshees, Suede and Stone Roses as sources of inspiration behind her latest effort. It is not hard to imagine any of the songs from Too True on a playlist from MTV's 120 Minutes back in the early '90s. Despite the distinct nostalgia the album is overflowing with ambitious pop bravado. Powerful hooks with occasional nods to a Phil Spector-style wall of sound gives enough gravitas to the Dum Dum Girls' overall sound to hint towards a dramatic and endearing live show. Wanz Dover
Big K.R.I.T With Two-9, 8 p.m., Friday, November 7, at South Side Music Hall, 1135 S Lamar St., $30-$35 There is only one rapper out right now with a thicker southern drawl than Big K.R.IT. and that is Iggy Azalea. He is your champion of southern fried hip hop. The Def Jam artist is so much of a pendant of the genre that he named his latest release Cadillactica. K.R.I.T. is a thoughtful lyricist like the indisputable and forever kings Outkast, however, he's got no problem talking his shit like another legendary southern duo UGK. Joining him is Two-9, a rambunctious and eclectic group of misfits out of Atlanta, Georgia. This is probably your best pick for a rap show all week. HDB
Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr. With Mini Mansions, 7 p.m., Saturday, November 8, at Trees, 2709 Elm St., 214-741-1122 or treesdallas.com, $12-$15 Not a lot of indie pop bands from Detroit give a nod of the hat to a Nascar driver when naming themselves. At first glance you may expect a country band wearing straw hats and skin-tight bootleg jeans belting out twangy tunes about spurned lovers and Miller Lite. However, Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr. couldn't be further from that. They're heavy on a dance-ready pop sound that is even better when a disco ball is somewhere present. This is a scientific fact. Also, the real Dale Earnhardt Jr. is a fan of the band. HDB
Death from Above 1979 With Biblical, 8 p.m., Saturday, November 8 at Granada Theater, 3524 Greenville Ave., 214-824-9933 or granadatheater.com, $34.50/$36.50 at the door Ten years is a hell of a long time to go silent. After just two years touring on 2004's You're a Woman, I'm a Machine, Death From Above 1979 split and the album eventually became a posthumous classic, heralded as an utterly unique and heavy experience that was gone far too soon. The breakup likely added to the mystique, but either way this was a band with a following that knew exactly what it expected from DFA. Which makes a comeback album all the more dangerous. 2014's The Physical World holds plenty of moments that feel pulled straight from their first album, but many more moments that feel alien to anyone who has a shrine to You're a Woman constructed in their closet. But all the long-time fans muttering the words "sellout" and "mainstream" under their breath should still be excited at the chance to see DFA live, as they were meant to be experienced. A band this heavy shouldn't be heard on recordings alone. No, DFA is best heard while getting your feet stomped on and wondering if the blood on your hands is yours or someone else's. Matt Wood
Bastille 8 p.m., Saturday, November 8, at Verizon Theatre, 1001 Performance Pl., Grand Prairie, 972-854-5111 or verizontheatre.com, $39.50 The English band Bastille is named after a French holiday to commemorate the Storming of the Bastille, which was a fortress and prison, at the beginning of the French Revolution. The triumphant, grandiose, celebratory nature of the band is encapsulated from the start, all by a name. It's the sort of mega arena-ready pop found in latter-day Coldplay or current-day Imagine Dragons, packed with nods to mythology, torn cites and the Bible, which is, as we all know, perfect for music tailored to car commercials. HDB
Thee Oh Sees With Jack Name, Dead Mockingbirds and Birds of Night, 9 p.m. Sunday, November 9, at Hailey's Club, 122 Mulberry St., haileysclub.com, $15-$20 This is an incredible show, well-worth the drive to Denton from Dallas or Fort Worth, and I'd be saying that even if Thee Oh Sees were playing alone. It is also worth noting that Thee Oh Sees will be performing as a trio with frontman John Dwyer backed by two new musicians, rather than the usual four-piece band that recorded their latest album, Drop. If you have never seen this garage/psych rock band live, expect a chaotic live show that could change your life. Landing a band like Thee Oh Sees at Hailey's is nothing short of a coup. But Drag City recording artist Jack Name should also be quite interesting. He has worked with Ariel Pink and White Fence and his 2014 album, Light Show, is a very strange trip into a world that Brian Eno may have visited at some point, complete with some bizarre (in a good way) music videos. Dead Mockingbirds and Birds of Night are both assets to the regional music scene and they are getting better with every single show, so there are no weaknesses in this diverse lineup. Jeremy Hallock
Yann Tiersen With DM Stith, 7 p.m., Sunday, November 9 at Granada Theater, 3524 Greenville Ave., 214-824-9933 or granadatheater.com, $24-$35 Yann Tiersen is a maestro. He's dabbled in avant-garde rock, folk and rock. He's probably most recognizable for his work as the composer behind the Amélie soundtrack. Outside of the soundtrack for the aforementioned twee French film, Tiersen has eight studio albums under his belt, the latest of which is Infinity, which delivers a pastiche of beautiful and serene music. HDB
Atmosphere With Prof, and Dem Atlas, 8 p.m., Sunday, November 9, at House of Blues, 2200 N. Lamar St., 214-978-2583 or houseofblues.com/dallas, $35-$41 Atmosphere is a rap duo from Minneapolis, Minnesota. Yes, those exist. C'mon, rap is everywhere, man. These guys, Slug the MC and Ant the DJ, have been making music since the '90s and bubbling on the top of the underground backpacker rap scene for quite some time. Slug is known for his introspective i.e. low-key, depressing, kind of sad, but ultimately uplifting lyrics, and Ant is known for his updated take on boom-bap production. For all of the hardcore hip hop heads out there, this is your shot: When life hands you lemons you paint that shit bey seeing Atmosphere.HDB
