The 10 Best Concerts of the Week: Jay-Z and Beyoncé, Social Distortion and More

Jay-Z and Beyoncé take center stage this week with their highly anticipated show at AT&T Stadium Tuesday night. And there's plenty of punk, alternative and psychedelic rock hitting clubs and theaters, including Roky Erickson, Social Distortion, Ryley Walker and more. Want something more laid back? Paul Slavens's impromptu night at Dan's Silverleaf in Denton on Monday night is always a great way to sip a beer and have a few laughs.


Paul Slavens
9 p.m., Monday, Sept. 10, at Dan's Silverleaf, 103 Industrial St., Denton, 940-320-2000, danssilverleaf.com, free

Paul Slavens, frontman of the late '80s and early '90s band Ten Hands, is pretty well known around these parts. His radio show on KXT-FM 91.7 has earned him many Dallas Observer Music Award titles, including this year's Best Radio Show/Podcast. But he also hosts an impromptu show at Dan’s Silver Leaf in Denton. He takes song title suggestions from people and creates music based on those titles right on the spot. You can catch him at Dan's most Monday nights. Diamond Victoria


Dark Rooms
With New Fumes, 8 p.m. Monday, Sept. 10 at Club Dada, 2720 Elm St., $10 at dadadallas.com

Before vocalist, songwriter, composer and classically trained violinist Daniel Hart started scoring feature-length films in 2012, Hart had toured and recorded with bands like St. Vincent, The Polyphonic Spree and Broken Social Scene to name a few. In 2013, Hart formed Dark Rooms in Dallas with multi-instrumentalist and co-vocalist Rachel Ballard, guitarist Casey Trela and percussionist Bobak Lotfipour, and the band released a well-received self-titled debut album later in 2013. In December 2016, Dark Rooms played the band’s farewell-to-Dallas concert at Club Dada after Hart announced that he and Ballard were moving to Los Angeles so he could pursue scoring more films. Hart’s composing credits now include scoring the Disney film Pete's Dragon, FOX's television series adaptation of The Exorcist, the Natalie Portman-produced documentary Eating Animals and more, as well as a handful of scores for David Lowery films, such as A Ghost Story and Ain't Them Bodies Saints. Dark Rooms released the band’s sophomore full-length, “Distraction Sickness,” in 2017. The now Los Angeles-based Dark Rooms returns to Club Dada with an opening set by New Fumes. Daniel Rodrigue


Beyonce and Jay Z
7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 11 at AT&T Stadium, 1 AT&T Way, Arlington, $49 and up at livenation.com

Since 2013’s self-titled Beyoncé, Queen Bey has torn through one of the hottest streaks in pop history, culminating in this year’s Everything is Love, a joint venture with husband and legendary rapper Jay Z. Built upon the pillars of black love, black pride and black power, Everything is Love provides a platform for the couple to explore among other things the harrowing complexities of marriage. After a very public struggle with Jay Z’s infidelity, both artists released records addressing their marital woes—Bey’s fiercely empowering Lemonade and Jay Z’s repentant return to form, 4:44. Through a luxurious blend of silvery synths, future soul and velvety trap, Everything is Love closes this shaky chapter of their relationship with a triumphant explanation point. They’ve grown, made amends and given the world one of the finest albums of the year — a real life testament to the beautiful disorientation of romance and the unique, indefatigable strength of women. It ought to make for one hell of a tour, too. Jonathan Patrick


Rise Against- Mourning in AmeriKa Tour
7 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 13 at The Pavilion at Toyota Music Factory, 316 West Las Colinas Boulevard, Irving, $24 and up at livenation.com

Borne from the collapse of 88 Finger Louie, Rise against broke away from its underground beginnings to become one of the millennium’s biggest punk rock acts. Formed in 1999, the band’s early days belied their eventual rise to stardom. Finding it difficult to meld as a band initially, the group took some time to finalize their lineup. But by the mid-2000s the band was charting in the top 10 in North America and in heavy rotation on alt-rock radio stations across the nation. Singles like “Prayer for a Refugee” and “Savior” did much to raise the band’s stock, and their 2017 release Wolves was the band’s fifth consecutive Top 10 album. Most recently they’ve begun experimenting with their sound, putting out The Ghost Note Sympathies, Vol. 1. An acoustic “greatest hits” album so to speak, the change in tone is a welcome evolution for Rise Against. They’ll be touring through Dallas alongside fellow punk rock brigades Anti-Flag and AFI, so be sure to strap the kneepads under your skinny jeans. Nicholas Bostick


Social Distortion
7 p.m. Friday, Sept. 14 at House of Blues, 2200 N. Lamar St., $40 and up at livenation.com

After 40 years of recording and touring, California-based punk rockers Social Distortion never shied away from speaking on social issues the band cares about from the stage and in interviews. Fans of the band know what to expect. But Social Distortion’s frontman Mike Ness recently made news when he climbed off the stage at a Sacramento concert July 19 to confront a so-called fan who had been flipping the band the bird. After expressing Ness’ thoughts on the Trump Administration and its ostensibly racist policies and attitudes, a Republican farmer and self-described “longtime fan” of the punk band yelled back: “I paid for your music, not your politics!” (Perhaps, the least punk thing ever screamed at a punk show.) Then, for a couple songs, as a silent protest, “Farmer Fan” began flipping off the band until the beat down went down. Ness allegedly spit on the farmer before jumping off the stage and into the crowd to punch the fan in the head several times (cellphone video of the incident circulated widely online, and Sacramento police are now investigating the altercation). As the video shows, the whole episode took less than a minute, as Ness & Co. went right back to playing. Punk as fuck. Daniel Rodrigue


Zepparella
8 p.m. Friday, Sept. 14, Trees, 2709 Elm St., 214-741-1122 or treesdallas.com, $15-$18

If you've ever wondered what Led Zeppelin would sound like through the voices, riffs and beats of four badass women, then you need to catch Zepparella live. This all-female Led Zeppelin tribute band is one of the best — and for good reason. Noelle, Gretchen, Angeline and Clementine bring the magic and intensity of the bluesy, psych rock band to life with their unique skills and interpretations. DV


Ryley Walker
8 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 15 at The Foundry, 2303 Pittman Street, free

The Chicago-based songwriter and guitar virtuoso has made a name for himself over the past several years by blending together '60s-inspired folk and '90s alternative rock. It's a charming and eclectic style that ambles along with the reflective strands of Nick Drake or Fairport Convention, and the noisy ebullience of Sonic Youth or Dinosaur Jr. His latest album, Deafman Glance, finds him moving farther away from the solo troubadour territory he previously inhabited into a guide he's becoming more amenable to: that of an indie rock songsmith. He's also probably the funniest and most self-deprecating indie rocker on Twitter. Though he's long been a "must follow", lately he's been on a roll, poking fun at his unkempt appearances, claiming to have never listened to Leonard Cohen, and reminding the Nike-boycotting country duo Big and Rich of the time he sullied their trailer at a music festival. With this in mind, expect some hearty between-song banter at Saturday night's show. Jeff Strowe


Reba McEntire
7 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 15, at Pavilion at Toyota Music Factory, 300 W Las Colinas Blvd., $50 and up

CitySquare is hosting a benefit concert with country music legend, actor and producer Reba McEntire at The Pavilion at Toyota Music Factory called A Night to Remember. According to its website, where you can also learn how to get involved with the company, CitySquare fights causes and effects of poverty through service, advocacy and friendship. DV


The Verve Pipe
8 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 15, at The Kessler Theater, 1230 W. Davis St., 214-272-8346, thekessler.org, $20 and up

Twenty two years after releasing its post-grunge smash hit "The Freshmen," The Verve Pipe is on the road promoting its latest album Parachute. Although frontman Brian Vader Ark once said that his band was a "rags to riches to rags" story, which is fair to say because they haven't quite seen again the fame they had in the '90s, The Verve Pipe has maintained momentum in the world of alternative rock, even with a handful of line-up changes. DV


Roky Erickson
8 p.m. Friday, Sept 14 at The Granada theater, 3524 Greenville Ave, $24 and up at prekindle.com

Ever heard of “Psychedelic Rock?” Roky Erickson invented it. His music, both as a solo artist and with his former band the 13th Floor Elevators, is lush and timeless. His life is a thing of legend — and tragedy. After pioneering the early days of psych and garage rock, the Austin musician slipped into a spiral of poor mental health, misfortune, and exploitation by the music industry. In the late ‘60s, he was arrested, committed, given shock treatments and force-fed antipsychotic chemicals. It would be over thirty years until he found health and toured again. As a vocalist, guitarist, harmonica player and songwriter, Erickson is rightly recognized as pathfinder. His voice is elemental, pure energy. His songs are haunting things, each a visceral rush of delectable grooves, celestial silences and sumptuous guitar play. Rock music and the history of our fine state were changed forever by this artist. It’s a pleasure to have him back again. Jonathan Patrick