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    Fitz Makeover

    Big changes for iconic Houston concert venue — beer garden, more parking and better bathrooms!

    Elizabeth Rhodes
    Aug 12, 2015 | 10:15 am

    Following last week's announcement that promotion company Pegstar will no longer host shows at Fitzgerald's — believed to be the city's oldest music venue — many Houstonians feared the worst: The venue was shutting down.

    While Pegstar's final show at the beloved venue will in fact take place on August 29, current Fitzgerald's sound engineer Lauren Oakes — who has worked there since 2004 — will take over and supervise major renovations of the building.

    So what exactly is changing?

    According to Fitzgerald's spokesperson Dutch Small, the building, which was constructed in 1918 and owned by Sara Fitzgerald since the early '70s, will be completely gutted and renovated as soon as the current tenant vacates.

    "Fitzgerald's is not going to become an unrecognizably different place," Small adds. "It will still be Fitzgerald's, it just will no longer be grimy and gritty."

    "We're taking out all the 100-year-old wiring and rewiring the whole building," Small says. "We're completely renovating all of the bathrooms and taking all of the rotten wood off of the exterior and replacing it. The second story balcony will be rebuilt and will wrap around the building.

    "We're going to have a beer garden. We're tearing down several of the houses that are adjacent and turning it into a parking, as well as completely resurfacing the entire parking lot. Most importantly to music fans, we're going to have a significant upgrade of the PA system so the sound and the acoustics — the sonic experience — will be vastly superior."

    Other improvements include a better air-conditioning system, an industrial elevator to assist bands with load-in — bands currently have to carry their equipment up a flight of exterior stairs — and a better backstage area to accommodate the artists.

    "Fitzgerald's is not going to become an unrecognizably different place," Small adds. "It will still be Fitzgerald's, it just will no longer be grimy and gritty."

    Concert celebration

    According to Small, a huge celebratory concert — the artists have yet to be announced — will take place when the venue reopens, currently set for October 3.

    "We've got target dates, but there are realities that no one can control surrounding them," he says. "The reality is that we're not in control of the city, we're not in control of the permitting process, we're not in control of what we find within those rotten walls, we're not in control of a whole lot of things that are going to be part and parcel of this restoration process and it could be that we miss our deadline, but I believe that because everyone loves the venue so much, they would rather see a delay in opening than see it done badly or incompletely."

    "It's Houston's live music church," Oakes says. "We're just making it what it always should have been."

    With Austin-based concert promotion group Transmission — known for Fun Fun Fun Fest and more than 700 events around Austin in 2014 alone — will take over booking shows for Fitzgerald's following the venue's reopening. As for the types of shows that the venue will host, you can expect changes, but nothing earth-shattering, according to Small.

    "We know that Fitzgerald's is a sacred place in the city of Houston," Small says. "We have all grown up there, and not just us, but our audience. It's not going to suddenly become a metal club, it's not going to suddenly become a hip-hop club, it's not going to suddenly become an EDM club. It's going to be Fitzgerald's.

    "We will, as a result of our improved facilities, be able to accommodate bigger acts. That's the most noticeable change in the programming is that the names will be somewhat bigger, but also, because we are all personally involved and have great relationships with local artists, the venue will still remain fully engaged in developing local talent."

    As someone who has frequented the venue since the age of 15, I'm personally excited for all of the changes. Who hasn't had a terrible experience in Fitzgerald's bathrooms or worried that their tire might blow out in their miniscule parking lot?

    Yes, things will be different, but Oakes — who said she's been paying attention to what needs to be fixed at the venue for more than a decade — assures that these changes are all for the best.

    "It's Houston's live music church," Oakes says. "We're just making it what it always should have been."

    The scene at Fitzgerald's

      
    unspecified
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    Movie Review

    Disturbing new horror film Bring Her Back will shock fans of the genre

    Alex Bentley
    May 30, 2025 | 4:00 pm
    Sally Hawkins and Sora Wong in Bring Her Back
    Photo courtesy of A24
    Sally Hawkins and Sora Wong in Bring Her Back.

    While there have been plenty of great horror movies that have come out of the United States, there are also many examples of other countries delivering films that put American ones to shame. Whether it’s the freedom of working outside the U.S. studio system, different sensibilities, or something else, international horror movies often hit way harder than domestic ones.

    The latest example is the Australian film Bring Her Back, directed by Danny and Michael Philippou, the same filmmakers behind the 2023 sensation Talk to Me. The fantastically unnerving story centers on Andy (Billy Barratt) and his sister, Piper (Sora Wong), who’s legally blind. The two are put into foster care after the death of their father, finding a home with Laura (Sally Hawkins), a former social worker. Laura is enthusiastic about having Piper, who reminds her of her blind daughter who passed away, but Andy feels a coolness toward him right away.

    Also living with Laura is Oliver (Jonah Wren Phillips), whom Laura says has been mute since her daughter’s death. But Oliver’s actions are much weirder than him not being able to talk, and Laura alternates between being dismissive of him and overly attentive. Things start to go off the rails when Andy witnesses a horrific event, and he and Piper - along with the audience - are unprepared for how awful things will get.

    The film, written by Danny Philippou and Bill Hinzman, ranks extremely high on the list of most disturbing films you’re likely to see. It’s not just the blood and gore that can be found in many other horror movies; it’s the manner in which the carnage comes about that may haunt the dreams of viewers. The things that the filmmakers choose to show are so shocking that it’s fair to wonder what kind of a mind comes up with such atrocities.

    But the Philippous have more on their mind than trying to traumatize viewers visually. It’s a movie about grief and a broken foster care system mixed with a tinge of the supernatural. While it’s not entirely clear what’s going on with Laura and Oliver, it involves something spooky that has affected both of them in inexplicable ways. The film combines the horrors of real life and the incomprehensible for a highly effective story.

    The film also veers far away from your typical horror film arc. While Laura is the “villain” of the film, she’s also a victim in a certain way, and the filmmakers have empathy for the trauma that she has endured. They don’t excuse her actions, but the reasons behind them are explained, and so the journey that Andy and Piper go on becomes more meaningful than if it involved a monster with no back story.

    Hawkins, who’s been nominated for two Oscars, elevates the film with her high-level acting. No matter what kind of weird thing Laura does, it feels grounded because Hawkins is bringing it to life. Barratt and Wong play their roles well, but it’s Phillips who’s the real revelation. Without speaking a word, he turns in a supremely creepy performance, one that’s especially amazing for the physical things he’s asked to do.

    Even horror film aficionados may not be able to anticipate the level of depravity on display in Bring Her Back. Unlike other movies in the genre, it’s not out for cheap thrills. The Philippous give it heart and soul, along with some of the most messed-up scenes you’ll see this year.

    ---

    Bring Her Back is now playing theaters.

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