Live Music Now

These are the 6 best concerts in Houston this week

Those hoping to see Chance the Rapper this week are probably still feeling the sting this week as his January 26 show at Toyota Center was cancelled due to personal reasons.

But take heart, local music fans. There are plenty of shows on the 2020 horizon. Galveston's Mardi Gras! just announced their music lineup for the two-week fest. Pop star Halsey recently announced a June stop at Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion. Tim McGraw and Matchbox 20 announced August shows at the Pavilion as well.

And we also have a decent week of concerts ahead to celebrate. CultureMap's biggest, best, and most notable shows of the week are as follows:

Dwight Yoakum at Arena Theatre
Fun fact: Dwight Yoakum used to date actress Sharon Stone. Things ended so badly, he wrote the songs "Fast As You" and "Heart of Stone." Eesh. Thankfully, Houston crowds are in good graces with the recent inductee to the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame, who plays regularly in the Bayou City.

This marks his first appearance since his stop at White Oak Music Hall for the LSD tour with Lucinda Williams and Steve Earle in 2018. He hasn't released any new material in some time, but his nearly 25-year catalog will surely feature a ton of hits, such as "Guitars, Cadillacs," "Honky Tonk Man," and "Little Ways." Fans of old school country won't want to miss it. Call it a warm-up for the big show when RodeoHouston comes around in March.

Dwight Yoakum plays Arena Theatre, located at 7326 Southwest Fwy, on Thursday, January 23. Tickets start at $85 plus fees. Show starts at 9 p.m.

Queensrÿche at HOB
Classic rock fans of a certain age will be flashing the devil's horns when the Pacific Northwest act Queensrÿche takes the stage. The hard rock-heavy metal band has sold 20 million albums worldwide since their inception in 1980.

Most followers of the Rÿche will no doubt be on hand to hear their classics, mostly centered around their 1988 breakthrough Operation: Mindcrime and 1990's Empire, including "I Don't Believe in Love," "Jet City Woman," and "Silent Lucidity." While original lead singer Geoff Tate isn't touring, new vocalist Todd La Torre is more than capable of hitting the high notes.

Queensrÿche is at House of Blues, located at 1204 Caroline St., on Thursday, January 23. John 5 and Adam to Eve open. Tickets start at $29.50 plus fees. Doors open at 7 pm.

Biz Markie at HOB
Lovers of many music genres will find something to love when New York City rapper, DJ, and beatboxer Biz Markie returns to House of Blues with his Decades Collide '80s vs. '90s tour. While now known mostly for one song, "Just a Friend," Biz enjoyed a some time in the spotlight in the late '80s and early '90s with humorous songs that found a home on MTV back when it played music. The nostalgia for those days lives on in pop culture, which makes Biz the perfect curator for a fun evening to be paired with dancing shoes.

Biz Markie mixes the hits at House of Blues, located at 1204 Caroline St., on Friday, January 24. Tickets start at $15 plus fees. Doors open at 7 pm.

CultureMap recommends: Robert Ellis at Heights Theater
For the first part of his career, hometown hero Robert Ellis, played the role of a somewhat-serious troubadour. But on his latest album, last year's Texas Piano Man, Ellis dons an all-white suit and cowboy hat and leans into his pop sensibilities, producing perhaps his most fun-loving album and certainly his most critically acclaimed.

It tackles Texas clichés and turns them on their head, while paying a nod to the things that make the Lone Star State great, like album closer "Topo Chico," and the changing times with "Nobody Smokes Anymore." Ellis will be fully invested in his Texas Piano Man — akin to an Elton-John-loving drifter — at Heights Theater, playing a solo piano set.

Robert Ellis plays solo at Heights Theater, located at 339 W 19th St., on Friday, January 24. Jamie McDell opens. Tickets start at $22 plus fees. Doors open at 7 pm.

CultureMap show of the week: Trey Anastasio at HOB
Phish heads will be ready to get trippy when that famed Vermont jam band's talented guitarist Trey Anastasio appears on the House of Blues stage. Anastacio may have found fame with his first band, but he's been nothing but prolific as a solo artist, recording and releasing well over a dozen albums of experimental music incorporating psych-rock, free jazz, and jam band indulgences.

Most recently, he worked on the band-oriented Ghosts of the Forest project, released last year. In other words, things will get wavy-gravy when he and his Trey Anastasio Band take off.

Trey Anastasio headlines House of Blues, located at 1204 Caroline St., on Saturday, January 25. Tickets start at $49.50 plus fees. Doors open at 7 pm.

Wale at HOB
First gaining prominence after catching the ear of uber-producer Mark Ronson in the MySpace era, Washington, D.C. rapper Wale succeeded in topping the charts with 2013's The Gifted. But that wouldn't have been possible without his collaborations with other hip-hop luminaries, including Lady Gaga, Gucci Mane, Miguel, Usher, Rick Ross, and Waka Flocka Flame as well as an ear for great samples — listen for the bed springs in hit song, "Bad." While his last few albums lost some creative momentum, he's back on the road behind last year's Wow...That's Crazy.

Wale throws down at House of Blues, located at 1204 Caroline St., on Sunday, January 26. Tickets start at $25 plus fees. Yowda and DJ Money also appear. Doors open at 7 pm.

Dwight Yoakum performs at Arena Theatre on Thursday, January 23.

News_Michael D. Clark_112009_Dwight Yoakum

Photo courtesy of Michael D. Clark

Dwight Yoakum performs at Arena Theatre on Thursday, January 23.

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Movie Review

Houston native Wes Anderson shows off comedic side in The Phoenician Scheme

Photo courtesy of TPS Productions/Focus Features

Benicio Del Toro, Mia Threapleton, and Michael Cera in The Phoenician Scheme.

If you were to do a poll of the best comedy filmmakers of the 21st century, writer/director Wes Anderson is not the obvious choice to come out on top, but there’s an argument to be made for him. His quirky style doesn’t yield the guffaws that more broad comedies do, but the absurd situations he creates in his films are often more consistently funny than anything else.

Anderson’s inimitable approach is once again on full display in The Phoenician Scheme. At its center is Zsa-Zsa Gorda (Benicio Del Toro), a much-hated businessman who’s looking to complete a number of big projects in the fictional country of Phoenicia. As he seems to be the target of multiple assassination attempts, he appoints his daughter, Liesl (Mia Threapleton), as his heir to try to ensure his legacy.

Both she and his new assistant, Bjorn (Michael Cera), accompany him around the country as he tries to enact a scheme to have others cover the bulk of the cost for the various projects. Those he attempts to convince include Phoenician Prince Farouk (Riz Ahmed), brothers Leland (Tom Hanks) and Reagan (Bryan Cranston), fellow businessman Marseille Bob (Mathieu Amalric), ship captain Marty (Jeffrey Wright), his Cousin Hilda (Scarlett Johansson), and Uncle Nubar (Benedict Cumberbatch).

Put in Andersonian terms, the film is a mix between the madcap antics from The Grand Budapest Hotel and the impenetrable storytelling of Asteroid City. If you were to try to understand every detail of what’s going on in the story of The Phoenician Scheme, it might take three or more viewings to do so. But the film is still highly entertaining because Anderson fills its frames with his typical visual delights, great wordplay, and his particular version of slapstick.

Much of the comedy of the film derives from Anderson inserting moments that initially come as a surprise and then utilizing them as running jokes. The film features more blood than usual for the filmmaker, but each time a character gets wounded (or worse), it gets funnier. The assassination attempts get broader as the film goes along, and the matter-of-fact way in which they’re treated by Gorda and others is also hilarious.

Of course, Anderson is the cinephile’s comedy director, so the film is also full of high-brow things like allusions to paintings, tributes to other filmmakers, and classical music. Each time Gorda has an attempt on his life, he briefly finds himself in a version of limbo, depicted in black-and-white by Anderson. The cast of characters Gorda finds there - including Bill Murray as God - could come straight out of a 1950s Ingmar Bergman movie.

Del Toro has delivered some great performances over the years, but this one is near the top for him. This is his second Anderson film (following The French Dispatch) and he nails the deadpan method. Also great is Cera, who uses a ridiculous accent to make a big impression. Threapleton, the daughter of Kate Winslet, makes the most of her first big film role. The list of supporting actors is too deep to properly laud everyone, but they all fit in seamlessly.

Opinions will differ, but for this critic’s money, Anderson is at his best when he fully leans into the comedy of his films. He does just that in The Phoenician Scheme, to the point that it doesn’t matter that the story is overly complex. The combination of his eye for visual detail, a witty script, and committed performances make it a success.

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The Phoenician Scheme is now playing in theaters.

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