Country star Chris Young is set to headline the 2018 edition of Freedom Over Texas, the official City of Houston Fourth of July celebration to take place at Eleanor Tinsley Park.
The event, taking place from 4 to 10 pm on Independence Day, July 4, will offer four stages for music, culminating in a massive fireworks display. The family-friendly event will also have a kids zone and beer garden.
This year’s party follows up a successful 2017 edition that featured performances from the Joe Jonas-led band DNCE and country singer Hunter Hayes.
The headliner has ties to the Bayou City. Young auditioned for the reality competition series Nashville Star in 2006 in Houston, which he would go on to win, launching his career. He also was one of the first stars to set up a donation fund for Hurricane Harvey victims following the storm. He also performed at RodeoHouston five times, including last month. Young has made a name for himself with numerous award nominations and ten No. 1 country hits, including "I'm Comin' Over" “The Man I Want to Be,” and “Voices."
Other music acts on the bill include Americana country band, The Mavericks; Louisiana R&B singer Cupid, known for his 2007 hit “Cupid Shuffle,” a requisite spin at any wedding or bar mitzfah; Austin-based singer-songwriter Jackie Venson; Latin fusion group Bamuaya Band and Houston country singer Will Carter. Also performing is the Ernest Walker Band playing alongside the Houston Allstars.
The best part? Tickets to Freedom Over Texas are only $5 through May 31 at the event website. Following that, they’ll be $8 through July 3 and a still affordable $10 on the day of the show. Admission is free for kids ages five and younger.
Tickets and the line-up are now available at the Freedom Over Texas website. For those who can't make it downtown, CultureMap partner ABC 13 will simulcast the performances.
Austin singer-songwriter Jackie Venson plays the Freedom Over Texas celebration on July 4.
Courtesy of Freedom Over Texas
Austin singer-songwriter Jackie Venson plays the Freedom Over Texas celebration on July 4.
When the character of Superman was invented in 1938, it was perhaps easier to see the world in good and bad terms. Fascism was already on the rise in Germany under Adolf Hitler, and the idea of an all-powerful superhero who stood up for people in need was a welcome one. In the nearly 90 years since, though, the world and the character have undergone multiple evolutions, and the thought of someone who is purely good is often met with cynicism or worse.
The new Superman, written and directed by James Gunn, puts the superhero (or metahuman, as the film calls him and similar creatures) squarely in the midst of the modern world, with geopolitical conflicts, mega-corporations, and social media all combining to make the altruism of Superman/Clark Kent (David Corenswet) questionable. That skepticism even extends to his coworker/girlfriend Lois Lane (Rachel Brosnahan), whose knowledge of his exploits puts her in a tricky position personally and professionally.
Lex Luthor (Nicholas Hoult) is out to dominate the world and take down Superman, with his eponymous corporation and vast group of underlings dedicated to doing both. Superman is generally a one-man fighting crew, but he’s occasionally aided by a group calling themselves the Justice Gang, comprised of heroes many have never heard of like Guy Gardner (Nathan Fillion), a version of Green Lantern; Hawkgirl (Isabela Merced), a flying metahuman; and Mr. Terrific (Edi Gathegi), who knows all kinds of technology.
One of the best things about this new version of Superman is that it mostly dispenses with introductions, putting the audience in a world where Superman is already a well-known quantity who’s adored by many and hated by some. Gunn has used his new position as co-CEO of DC Studios to honor the past of the hero and take him into the future. With the 1978 John Williams theme song echoing throughout and Corenswet giving off Christopher Reeve vibes, it’s clear Gunn wants audiences to feel nostalgia while still getting something new.
He also appears to want viewers to fight against the negativity that the modern world can bring. The plot involves manipulation of the public, usually at the hands of Luthor, through bombastic talk shows, political theater, and social media, the latter of which — in a great joke — comes to involve hundreds of typing monkeys. The film could be read as a rebuttal of many real-world ills as, despite Luthor’s machinations, many choose to continue to believe in the goodness of Superman.
There is a lot going on in the film, but somehow it never comes off as overly complicated. Superman’s relationship with Lois Lane and Luthor’s attempts at taking him down are given the most prominence, with everything else supporting those two main things. The Justice Gang is a fun addition, with Mr. Terrific becoming the breakout hero of the group. The addition of the (CGI) dog Krypto provides levity, poignant moments, and unexpectedly great action scenes. The only part that gets somewhat short shrift is the crew of The Daily Planet, with everyone besides Lois and Jimmy Olsen (Skyler Gisondo) getting little more than face time.
Being the new Superman is a lot to live up to, but Corenswet is completely up to the job. He, like Reeve, plays the character as someone who is earnest but not naive, a quality that comes through even when he’s in the middle of fight scenes. Brosnahan is also fantastic, providing a nice balance to the relationship while also proving the character’s own worth. Hoult makes for a great new version of Luthor, and Gathegi nearly makes the case that Mr. Terrific should get a starring film of his own.
Just as he did with the Guardians of the Galaxy trilogy, Gunn has shown that success can be found through making characters people want to see. Not everyone in this Superman will be familiar to viewers, but in the end a group of people working together toward a goal that serves the common good is one worth watching and cheering for.