Live Music Now

These are the top 6 concerts in Houston this week

RodeoHouston hangover is in full effect. Not many big name acts are clamoring to play the city's largest venues knowing full well that many casual fans will be staying home for a bit to rest and recover from the biggest music event of the year.

Then again, with the Deer Park smoke plume hanging above our heads, maybe it's better we don't poison the opinions of any major act on the city, especially if we'd like to see them again.

Thankfully, a handful of mid-sized shows will ease the comedown from those lofty heights achieved over the last three weeks.

CultureMap's biggest, best, and most noteworthy shows are as follows:

CultureMap show of the week: A Bowie Celebration at Heights Theater
David Bowie's passing left a huge hole in music. One of the most storied and influential artists of all time has been sorely missed, but a group of musicians that made up his backing bands carry his vision on with A Bowie Celebration — A David Bowie Alumni Tour.

Mike Garson, Earl Slick, Gerry Leonard, and Carmine Rojas all played with Bowie at some point in his career, and they'll be joined by several guest musicians, including Corey Glover, singer with Living Colour. Relive the magic of Bowie's major hits in what will be as close as many of us will get to seeing the legend in person.

A Bowie Celebration is at Heights Theater, located at 339 W. 19th St., on Wednesday, March 20. Tickets start at $32 plus a $7 service charge. Doors open at 7 pm.

Amos Lee at Revention
Philadelphia singer-songwriter Amos Lee hit No. 1 on the Billboard Top 200 with Mission Bell in 2011 behind the strength of his song "Windows Are Rolled Down," but he's been recording and performing professionally since 2004. Tabbed by Rolling Stone early on as an artist to watch, Amos incorporates rock, soul, jazz, and folk music into his songs. He's toured with some major acts, including Norah Jones, Bob Dylan, Elvis Costello, and Paul Simon. He's on tour behind the acclaimed 2018 album My New Moon.

Amos Lee headlines Revention Music Center, located at 520 Texas Ave., on Wednesday, March 20. Ethan Gruska opens. Tickets start at $15 plus fees. Doors open at 6:30 pm.

CultureMap recommends: Tiësto
Make no mistake, Dutch DJ and producer Tiësto is one of the biggest names in the EDM world, making RodeoHouston star Zedd look like Harry Potter to his Dumbledore. The 50-year-old is considered by many to be the Godfather of EDM, rising to fame in the late '90s, when electronic music moved from the clubs to warehouse raves and festivals, eventually garnering mainstream acceptance.

He won Grammys, he played opening ceremonies of the Olympics, and performs at the biggest nightclubs in the world, including as a resident in Las Vegas. In other words, if you like anything that resembles a beat, dish out the cash to see this guy in action behind the 1s and 2s.

Tiesto is at Spire Nightclub, located at 1720 Main St., on Friday, March 22. Justin Caruso opens. Tickets start at $70 plus $10.91 fees. Doors open at 10 pm. He is also at Clé on Saturday, March 23. Tickets start at $80.91 plus fees. Doors open at 2 pm.

Mudhoney at WOMH
Seattle act Mudhoney gained a brief burst of notoriety in the early '90s. They were major influences on an up-and-coming act named Nirvana. When Kurt Cobain and co. hit the big time, the band was offered a major label contract. Unfortunately, their brand of grunge was a little too arty, and they didn't make much of an impact other than on the alternative charts.

Still, they were the first band to reach a wider audience with the cooler-than-thou Sub Pop label, which opened the door to other grunge acts to get signed, making them an extremely important band in the annals of music history. They are touring behind last year's Digital Garbage.

Mudhoney plays White Oak Music Hall, located at 2915 N. Main St., on Friday, March 22. Cherubs and Frog Hair open. Tickets start at $27 plus fees. Doors open at 8 pm.

Lords of Acid at Scout Bar
Holy crap, Lords of Acid scared the bejesus out of suburban parents when they came out in the early '90s. The industrial/electronic act was always provocative, overtly sexual, fetishistic, and generally embraced all forms of hedonism. In other words, if you're an out and proud conservative, you might want to avoid this show. But if you're into songs with titles like "Sex Cam Girl," "Drink My Honey," and "Spank My Booty," you'll find some guilty pleasure in seeing this over-the-top, never boring Belgian band.

Lords of Acid will wreck Scout Bar, located at 18307 Egret Bay Blvd., on Friday, March 22. Orgy, Genitorturers, Little Miss Nasty, Gabriel & the Apocalypse open. Tickets start at $26 plus fees. Doors start at 7 pm.

Taking Back Sunday at HOB
When did Houston become the emo city? Recent appearances by a number of emo-rock bands such as Panic! at the Disco and Cursive had all of us busting out our mascara and Hot Topic tees. Many of these acts are back in a big way, including New York band Taking Back Sunday.

The group is making a two-night stop at the House of Blues, showcasing their new greatest hits package, Twenty, 20 years after they started playing together. Expect to hear plenty of their biggest tunes, including "MakeDamnSure" and "Cute with the 'E'." (Now, where did our wallet chain go?)

Taking Back Sunday is at House of Blues, located at 1204 Caroline St., on Monday, March 25, and Tuesday, March 26. Frank Iero opens. Tickets start at $35 plus fees. Doors open at 7 pm.

A Bowie Celebration - The David Bowie Alumni Tour comes to Heights Theater on Wednesday, March 20.

Steve Rose

A Bowie Celebration - The David Bowie Alumni Tour comes to Heights Theater on Wednesday, March 20.

nightlife concerts music column

Movie Review

Summer camp drama The Plague proves middle school is still pure horror

Photo courtesy of IFC

Everett Blunck in The Plague.

Anybody who’s attended elementary school in the last 100 years knows the concept of “cooties,” a fictional affliction that is typically caught when touched by a member of the opposite sex. A more updated version of the same idea is featured in the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series, this time called the “Cheese Touch,” making anyone who touches a moldy piece of cheese on the school’s basketball court an outcast.

A much more menacing version of this “disease” is on display in The Plague, which takes place at a summer water polo camp for tweens. The film focuses on Ben (Everett Blunck), a slightly awkward boy who struggles to fit in with the “cool” crowd led by Jake (Kayo Martin). That group has no problems making fun of others that they deem to be different, especially Eli (Kenny Rasmussen), who has been ostracized because of a rash he has that the kids call “the plague.”

Ben wants to be part of the main group, but his natural empathy leads him to reach out to Eli on more than one occasion despite Eli engaging in some uncomfortable behavior. With the camp’s coach (Joel Edgerton) not much help when it comes to the bullying tactics by Jake and others, especially those that take place at night, Ben is left to fend for himself. His vacillations between wanting to be accepted and wanting to do what’s right continue until his hand is forced.

Written and directed by first-time feature filmmaker Charlie Polinger, the film has all the feel of a horror movie without actually being a horror. The staging used by Polinger gives the film a claustrophobic feel as Ben can’t seem to escape the psychological torture inflicted by Jake and others no matter where he goes. He also employs a jarring score by Johan Lenox to great effect, one that’s designed to keep viewers on edge even when nothing bad is happening.

No matter how far removed you are from middle school, the film will likely bring up feelings you thought you had left behind. Much like with Bo Burnham’s Eighth Grade, Polinger finds a way to tap into something universal in his depiction of tweens, an age when everyone is still discovering who they really are. Some go along to get along, others don’t even attempt to fit in, but no one truly feels settled.

Whether the plague is real or not in the world of the film is up for debate. While most of the time it comes off as something made up to underscore the feeling of otherness felt by Ben, Polinger does literalize it to a degree. He even tiptoes up to the line of body horror before wisely retreating, although what he does show will still make some viewers squeamish. However, because he seems to be leaning one way before pulling back, there’s the possibility that some will be disappointed by the tease of something more intense.

The film’s biggest success is in its casting. Finding good child actors is notoriously tough, and yet Polinger and casting director Rebecca Dealy found a bunch who sell the story for all it’s worth. Blunck, Martin, and Rasmussen get the most play, but everyone else complements them well. Edgerton is the only well-known actor in the film, but he’s used sparingly and isn’t asked to do much, leaving the kids to carry the story on their shoulders.

Fitting in as a tween is hard enough without others actively trying to find ways to cast someone out. The Plague is an effective demonstration of the dynamics that can play out in a competitive environment that also includes a group that has yet to develop into fully-rounded people. It features discomfort on multiple levels, marking an auspicious debut for Polinger.

---

The Plague is now playing in theaters.

movies film