The 10 Best Concerts of the Week: Run The Jewels, Kid Cudi, The Roots and More

This week, we see dynamic duo Run The Jewels play a show with Danny Brown at South Side Ballroom, the Roots team up with Erykah Badu and the Dallas Pops at Pavilion at Toyota Music Factory, Macklemore reminds us that he's more than a thrift shop guru, and more.


Run the Jewels and Danny Brown
With Denzel Curry, 8 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 17, South Side Ballroom, 1135 S. Lamar St., 214-421-2021 or livenation.com, $39-$132

Two of the most recognizable and influential rap acts of the decade are coming to Dallas — and somehow, impossibly, they’re co-headlining the same tour. Joined by hot newcomer Denzel Curry, Run the Jewels and Danny Brown descend on the South Side Ballroom in what is sure to be one of the most anticipated hip-hop events of the year. Brown’s wordy histrionics and RTJ’s clever, politically charged fury might not seem like an obvious match at first, but if the history of rap has taught us anything, it’s that putting talented emcees in the company of one another almost always renders fascinating results. With Brown and RTJ both touring behind incredible new full-lengths — The Atrocity Exhibition and Run the Jewels 3, respectively — there will be plenty of fuel backing this tour. Amid Brown’s melancholic, sharply witty pensiveness and RTJ’s seamless chemistry, this show promises plenty of surprises, plenty of fireworks and plenty of satisfied concertgoers. Jonathan Patrick



A Night of Symphonic Hip Hop
The Roots, Dallas Pops, Erykah Badu, Bilal, Robert Glasper and Miguel Atwood-Ferguson, 8 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 17, Pavilion at Toyota Music Factory, 300 W. Las Colinas Blvd., Irving, 972-810-1499 or livenation.com, $29 and up

The Roots is a household name these days, thanks to the group's role as the impeccable-sounding house band on Jimmy Fallon's Tonight Show and the ubiquity of drummer/bandleader Questlove. However, the Philly natives have been quietly putting out quality albums for nearly 30 years. Although it’s defined as a hip-hop collective, the band defies genre classification as it moves swiftly between varying styles that reflect its thorough knowledge and appreciation of music history. Frequent Roots collaborator Erykah Badu is, of course, a Dallas legend who frequently appears on local stages as a performer, activist and DJ. At Toyota Music Factory, a 50-piece symphony of local musicians will accompany The Roots and Badu, which means a new and eclectic take on both artists' catalogs, plus some out-of-left-field covers. Amazon's Twitch Channel will livestream and record this show, so your shouted cheers and song requests may be preserved for posterity. Jeff Strowe


Macklemore
7 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 17, House of Blues, 2200 N. Lamar St., 214-978-2583 or houseofblues.com, $48-$104

Macklemore released his second solo album, Gemini, last month, more than a decade after 2005's The Language of My World. His mainstream success is mostly thanks to his collaboration with producer Ryan Lewis, which brought us more politically fueled tracks on albums such as 2015's This Unruly Mess I've Made and, of course, every secondhand shopper's anthem, "Thrift Shop." However, the Seattle-born rapper's latest solo material examines his personal life more, politics less, and embraces a stronger sense of playfulness. Diamond Victoria


A$AP Mob
With Key! and Cozy Boys., 7 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 18, Bomb Factory, 2713 Canton St., 214-932-6501 or thebombfactory.com, $42.50-$195

There’s never a dull moment with A$AP Mob. The bustling Harlem hip-hop collective of artists, producers, video directors, designers and more founded in 2006 has changed the hip-hop landscape by skyrocketing one of its founding members, A$AP Rocky, into mainstream superstardom. The beauty of A$AP Mob is in its numbers. While Rocky is busy tending to his newfound fame in the fashion world and preparing his upcoming album, the collective is busy pushing new projects from other members, such as A$AP Ferg and A$AP Twelvvy. The rotation will continue until every member of the group sees a project released. That abundance of material and creative juice has turned into the Cozy Tapes mixtape series, and now the whole gang is out on the road in support of Cozy Tapes, Vol 2: Too Cozy. This is the first time Dallas will see all the A$AP Mob members together, including its affiliates, Key! and Cozy Boys, the group's DJs. Mikel Galicia


Saul Williams
8 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 19, The Kessler Theater, 1230 W. Davis St., 214-272-8346 or thekessler.org, $35 and up

The work of poet, rapper, writer and actor Saul Williams — a gridlock of pillaged hip-hop beats and neon-drenched avant-garde music — is nothing if not intensely visceral. Its textures are biting and distorted; its message is sharply political — and damning. To open its 24th season, local literary nonprofit WordSpace has invited Williams to headline the upcoming Dallas Poetry Slam at the Kessler Theater. With his urgent delivery and infectious zeal, Williams is an ideal pick — just the sort of artist to reintroduce what's become one of our city’s most cherished arts institutions. Expect stark contrasts, like enraged poetry set to classical music flourishes, and a mixture of diverging styles, like keening noise married to delicate piano and embattled hip-hop. But above all, expect to be changed. Jonathan Patrick


Corey Feldman and the Angels
with Ronnie Heart, 8 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 19, Club Dada, 2720 Elm St., 214-742-3400 or dadadallas.com, $20

Look, we're not here to tell you that Corey Feldman and the Angels are a mainstay in the world of good music by any stretch of the imagination. What we will say is that it's pretty entertaining to watch the former child star of the 1980s recall his former pal onstage as he mimics Michael Jackson and dances around with scantily clad women in angel outfits. His show at Dada may not inspire a musical revolution, but it will get your toes tapping. DV


I Love the '90s
7 p.m. Friday, Oct. 20, Winstar World Casino, 777 Casino Avenue, 800-622-6317 or winstarworldcasino.com, sold out

The '90s are a decade that will live on forever. It gave us pink- and turquoise-colored everything, an affinity for flannel shirts and some of the best (and worst) music of all time. If all of those "Only '90s Kids Will Understand This" posts send you down memory lane, the I Love the '90s tour is for you. Featuring Salt-N-Pepa, Vanilla Ice, Color Me Badd, Coolio, Rob Base, Young MC and others, it's a night of celebration for those who experienced it firsthand and those who feel that maybe they were born a little after their time. DV


Soul Bounce with DJ Wanz Dover
9 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 21, Ships Lounge, 1613 Greenville Ave., 972-707-7234 or shipslounge.com, free

Wanz Dover and a rotating guest list of some of the city's best soul DJs throw a retro party, touching on funk, soul, psyche rock, surf, protopunk, garage rock and other assorted old school jams every Saturday night at Ships Lounge. With tunes from Velvet Underground to Otis Redding, this weekly Lower Greenville gig is a great alternative for those not wanting to brave Deep Ellum on its busier nights. It's truly a night dedicated to perfect dive-bar jams for mods and rockers of all stripes. DV


Kid Cudi
7 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 22, The Bomb Factory, 2713 Canton St., 214-932-6501 or thebombfactory.com, $59.50-$75

Scott Mescudi uses his atmospheric art to bring his experiences with depression to light as Kid Cudi. In the process, he’s amassed a cultlike following and influenced a new generation of hip-hop with his debut LP, Man on the Moon: The End of Day. His career has seen peaks and valleys as he’s experimented with wide-ranging sonics and genres, all while remaining transparent about his mental health. In 2016, Cudi spent most of the year in rehab for suicidal thoughts, as he told fans via an open letter. During that time, he wrote one of his best albums in years, Passion, Pain & Demon Slayin. Kid Cudi is embarking on a 27-city tour in support of the album, and fans are reporting he looks happier than he has in years. Mikel Galicia


Evanescence
8 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 22, the Pavilion at Toyota Music Factory, 300 W. Las Colinas Blvd., livenation.com, $42.50-$88

Pianist and singer Amy Lee is the voice, face and driving heart behind the operatic rock band Evanescence. Its fame took off with Fallen, the album that brought chart-topping hits such as "My Immortal" and "Bring Me To Life." Evanescence has seen some lineup changes since then, and after a hiatus that started in 2009, it returned to the stage in 2014. Now it's back with a new album, Synthesis, and is playing alongside a live orchestra this year on tour. DV