The 10 Best Concerts in Dallas This Week: Bulladora, Kenny Chesney & More

Three-day weekends are great and all, but you'd better hope you didn't go too hard the past few days because you'll need all the energy you can get for this week's concert schedule. Monday night kicks things off with a memorial for Mercury Rocket bassist Krissy Arnold and Sunday night closes off the week with the last-ever show at Rubber Gloves. In between, there's a first-time music festival, a big-name country show at the Cowboys Stadium and a hell of a lot more.
Krissy Fest
With Mercury Rocket, Street Arabs, Seres and more, 8 p.m. Monday, May 30, at RBC, 2617 Commerce St., 469-487-6149 or rbcdeepellum.com, Free.
If there's one weekly music showcase that brings Dallas' DIY music spirit above ground and help keep it intact, it's Outward Bound Mixtape Sessions. Thanks to Stefan González, who curates the series each Monday and brought it from Crown & Harp to RBC at the beginning of the year, it's one of Dallas' most vital hubs for experimental and noise music. From free jazz to noise rock to one-man bands, Outward Bound's guiding principle is to toss rules out the window. Local music doesn't get more wild or inspired than this. This week, Outward Bound hosts a special installment to pay tribute to Krissy Arnold, the late bassist for local band Mercury Rocket. Jeff Gage
Paul Slavens and Friends
10 p.m. Monday, May 30, at Dan's Silverleaf, 103 N. Industrial St., Denton, 940-320-2000 or danssilverleaf.com, Free.
Paul Slavens is a local legend. He was the frontman of the late 80s and early 90s outfit, Ten Hands. He’s a renowned radio host at KXT 91.7 FM as well. He also does this kooky little thing at Dan’s Silver Leaf in Denton every Monday. He takes song title suggestions from people and makes up a song right there. It’s like a freestyle. Whatever you do, don’t be the dick that tries to make him rhyme orange. H. Drew Blackburn
The Funky Knuckles
10 p.m. Monday, May 30, at Sundown at Granada, 3520 Greenville Ave., 214-823-8305 or granadatheater.com, Free.
The Funky Knuckles have been together for over six years. The fusion jazz band released an album called Meta-Musica in 2014 that climbed to No. 1 on iTunes’ jazz charts on the first day of its release. Together, they Knuckles are a force to be reckoned with. That’s because, individually, they’re all seasoned players who’ve worked with superstars like Beyoncé, Erykah Badu, Chrisette Michelle, Talib Kweli, Puff Daddy and the Polyphonic Spree. HDB
The Free Loaders
7 p.m. Tuesday, May 31, at The Free Man, 2626 Commerce St., 214-377-9893, Free.
The Free Loaders have earned their praise in this city. They haven't been sitting around on their asses all these years. They’ve played show after show, no matter if it was in a club, at a party or some boogie event where the music isn't meant to be appreciated. This band of blues, jazz and swing musicians ranges from three to eight members depending on the situation. However, expect a great show packed with fun from experts at their craft. And, if we're all lucky, Mavericks owner and dance savant Mark Cuban will show up and teach us how to do some line dancing. HDB
Adia Victoria
8 p.m. Wednesday, June 1, at Three Links, 2704 Elm St., threelinkesdeepellum.com, $10.
29-year old Nashville based blues singer, Adia Victoria’s debut album, Beyond the Bloodhounds, released on Friday, May 13, was produced by Roger Moutenote of Yo La Tengo & Sleater Kinney at his Tennessee studio, Haptown Studios. Victoria was named one of the “10 New Artists You Need to Know” in 2015 from Rolling Stone and began touring her new album on May 7, 2016 in Brooklyn, NY. The awe-inspiring sounds of Victoria's music brings sadness, blues, death, and loneliness into perspective, along with some extra eerie doo-wop tunes. Born to a Trinidadian immigrant father and a Philadelphia-born mother, Victoria was not creatively satisfied in high school classes, instead would skip math, English, and science - but she’d never miss a dance class. More than a singer and songwriter, Victoria also writes poetry, is a former ballerina, telemarketer, and French major. Sara Button
KXT Summer Cut
With Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeros, Wild Feathers, the Relatives and more, 7 p.m. Friday, June 3, at South Side Ballroom, 1135 S. Lamar St., (972) 343-2444 or southsideballroomdallas.com, $35.
Last year, 91.7 KXT moved its annual flagship festival, Summer Cut, from its longtime home at Gexa Energy Pavilion to the cozier confines on South Side Ballroom. It was a change for the better, thanks not only to the wonders of air conditioning during a Texas summer but also because it was far better suited to the turnout. This year's lineup doesn't quit have the pull of 2015's — Belle & Sebastian was certainly a more attention-grabbing anchor than Edward Sharpe, who's settled into veteran touring act status not years removed from one-hit-wonder hit, "Home" — but it boasts the same mix of folk, R&B and local artists that drive the station's indie-minded sensibilities. JG
R. Kelly
8 p.m. Friday, June 3 at American Airlines Center, 2500 Victory Ave., 214-222-3687 or americanairlinescenter.com, $79-$129.
Robert Sylvester Kelly’s polarizing ride to popularity was relatively ambiguous, but his music’s highest period was one of the most influential in the R&B genre. Names like the Weeknd, Chris Brown and Lil Wayne carry aspects of his stylist music. Every lyric to “Ignition (Remix)” from his top selling album, Chocolate Factory, is burned into the brains of anyone who came of age in the '90s (or after). His first critically acclaimed love anthem, “Bump N’ Grind,” set the stage for his passionate, bedroom musical career. Since then, the Pied Piper has released 13 studio albums and — when he hasn't been embroiled in the legal troubles and sex allegations that have cast a shadow over his work — cemented his name with the genre’s top artists. His latest album, The Buffet, was released last year and proved the loved-crazed R&B artist is still prominent in music scene. Kells will sbe ure to keep you standing, moving and grooving when his Buffet Tour stops in Dallas at the American Airlines Center. So take your key, stick in the ignition and book Friday night with the King of R&B. Stephen Elliott
Bulladora Music Experience
With Yeasayer, AlunaGeorge, Washed Out and more, 12:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday, June 4 to 5, at Reverchon Park, 3505 Maple Ave., bulladora.com, $52.69-$200.39.
Putting the words “boutique” and “music festival” together can conjure some quaint images. Perhaps even of a petting zoo, complete with pugs wearing wings. That's exactly what first-time festival Bulladora has done (and yes, there will be a pug petting zoo), but the organizers aren't exactly easing gently into the musical festival business. They're hosting not one, but two days of entertainment – three, actually, if you count the Friday night screening of Daft Punk Unchained (which is free with an RSVP). The schedule, however, is not exactly jam-packed. In addition to 12 touring acts, there are forthcoming announcements about local artists on this bill, plus yoga at 11 a.m. each day. If you were going to pick one day, catching Washed Out and Yeasayer on Sunday would be the likely bet; both acts have live shows that have conquered some of the best music festivals in the world. On Saturday night, AlunaGeorge’s voice will be worth hearing and Shamir’s set will be wonderful and weird. Jeremy Hallock
Kenny Chesney
With Miranda Lambert, Saturday, June 4, at AT&T Stadium, 1 AT&T Way, Arlington, 817-892-4000 or attstadium.com, $20-$250.
In 2016, it's hard to distinguish the sensibilities of one man wearing a cowboy hat with a guitar slung over his shoulder from all the cheap personal distractions of bright screens and social networking. Yet modern pop-country mainstay Kenney Chesney manages to make a tug to the contrary of what he calls "Noise" in his latest single, in which he makes a statement on the age of smart phones from the viewpoint of the country giant himself. The single is a preview to his upcoming album Some Town Somewhere, which will be released in July. Since his debut in the early '90s, the singer-songwriter has put out 20 albums, over half of which have been certified gold records, and he continues to tour and churn out music of the brash but catchy variety. As one of the most recognized of the genre in recent memory, Chesney's legacy only grows stronger as the years go by. Pablo Arauz
Lift to Experience
With Corn Mo, the Angelus, Dove Hunter and more, 3 p.m. Sunday, June 5, at Rubber Gloves Rehearsal Studios, 411 E. Sycamore St., Denton, 940-387-7781 or rubberglovesdentontx.com, Sold out.
The recently reunited post-rock trio from Denton, Lift to Experience, is set to play Rubber Gloves Rehearsal Studio’s farewell weekend. In fact, the band will be closing the place down on Sunday night — the last night Gloves will see music lovers pile in for live music. Earlier this year, the band announced that they would reunite for “an exclusive, one-off show” to take place in June for London’s Meltdown 2016. Meltdown is a huge festival that has seen diverse directors such as David Bowie, Patti Smith, Yoko Ono, David Byrne and, most recently, Guy Garvey. Lift to Experience was noticed at South by Southwest in 2000 by Bella Union reps, who signed them the same day. The band only released one full-length album, The Texas-Jerusalem Crossroads, under Bella Union in 2001, with a single, “These Are the Days,” that soon followed. Sometime later this summer, their full-length will be re-released by Mutemath Records. While Lift to Experience will be the final band to ever don the stage of Denton’s longest-standing, most iconic music venue, this will mark their first time playing together live in over 15 years. SB