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.

Biz Markie brings his expert mix to House of Blues on Friday, January 24.

Photo courtesy of I Love the '90s Tour

Biz Markie brings his expert mix to House of Blues on Friday, January 24.

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Movie Review

Tom Cruise goes all out in Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning

Photo courtesy of

Tom Cruise, Simon Pegg, and Hayley Atwell in Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning.

Over the course of 30 years and eight films, the Mission: Impossible series has proven to be the most reliable of any action movie franchise. Not all of them are equally good, but with Tom Cruise in the lead as Ethan Hunt, they can be counted on for at least a couple of mind-blowing stunt sequences per film, enough to keep fans clamoring for more.

Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning has the feel of being the last film in the series, and not just because the 62-year-old Cruise is getting up there in age. Following up closely on the events of 2023’s Dead Reckoning Part One (Part Two changed to The Final Reckoning for unknown reasons), the film has Hunt trying to stop an A.I. villain known as The Entity from taking over the world’s collective stash of nuclear weapons.

To do so, Hunt and his cobbled-together team — Luther (Ving Rhames), Benji (Simon Pegg), Grace (Hayley Atwell), and Paris (Pom Klementieff) — must hopscotch around the world, tracking villain Gabriel (Esai Morales) and trying to figure out a way to get The Entity’s source code, which is located on a sunken Russian submarine. Oh, and they also have to evade capture by a disgruntled U.S. government, led by now-President Erika Sloane (Angela Bassett).

Written and directed by Christopher McQuarrie and co-written by Erik Jendresen, the film might just be the most convoluted one in the series so far. The filmmakers layer on tons of exposition, with lots of flashbacks to previous events in the series to explicate the events of the present, as well as providing unexpected connections to previous films. The plan for stopping The Entity and the references to the past are so dense that the first half of the film is relatively boring.

Things pick up in the final 90 minutes of the three-hour film, mostly because that’s when the majority of the action takes place. More than other entries in the series, the film considers the geopolitical implications of Hunt’s actions, and he has to negotiate with a variety of high-powered people to do what he deems best. While his efforts are somewhat preposterous, even by the standards of the series, they lead to a bunch of fun sequences that provide levity among the world-changing drama.

Ultimately, what makes the film succeed are its action scenes. Cruise has done stunts on planes/helicopters before in the series, but what he does during a biplane sequence toward the end of the film is almost beyond belief. Yes, he’s attached to the plane with harnesses that are digitally erased, but he’s still doing it hundreds of feet in the air at great bodily risk considering. While the series has always featured spectacular stunt sequences, this one deserves to be near the top of the list.

The flashbacks to scenes from throughout the series underscore just how much Cruise has changed in the past 30 years, but also emphasize how amazing it is that he’s still willing to sacrifice his body as much as does to make these films. No other actor goes as far as he does to entertain the masses, and the events of the story even give him opportunities to show off his dramatic acting skills.

The supporting cast is more packed than usual, and all of them enhance the film. In addition to Hunt’s team, the President has a group of advisers that includes actors like Henry Czerny, Holt McCallany, Nick Offerman, and Janet McTeer. Other recognizable faces like Hannah Waddingham (Ted Lasso), Trammell Tillman (Severance), and Katy O’Brian (Love Lies Bleeding) show up for impactful roles.

Whether or not this is the last film in the current incarnation of the series, The Final Reckoning has a lot to offer longtime fans, with action set pieces that remains some of the best Hollywood has to offer. The story may be completely baffling, but with Cruise and other appealing actors leading the way, there’s more than enough great entertainment to go around.

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Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning opens in theaters on May 23.

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