This Week In Music

Motorcycles and hip-hop: Lone Star Rally, Fall Out Boy, Jay-Z highlight championship week of concerts

The Black Album and black leather highlight the week ahead for music in and around Houston as the city celebrates a world championship with world-class talent and events. From hogs on the historic Strand in Galveston and Mr. Carter visiting the in-laws to a big Party on the Plaza, the stars have aligned for Astros fans to let loose as they are set to toast their team in style over the next week.

Best Show of the Week
At this point does Jay-Z, producer of said Black Album, have to tour anymore? The guy is closing in on billionaire status and he's achieved almost everything a musician and businessman can accomplish, so the only reasons for touring his latest album is either to maintain his profile as the Merriam-Webster dictionary definition of the American dream or because he really loves his fans. No matter the reason, droves of hip-hop fans will be at his Toyota Center stop of the 4:44 Tour on Wednesday, November 8, because very few rapper/producers are making impactful music at this level, not to mention, he has a catalogue of hits dating back almost 20 years to pull from.

The biggest question is, will the Queen Bey herself, Beyonce Knowles, make an appearance in her hometown to perform a few songs alongside her world-beating partner? If there’s any stop on this tour where it would happen, this would have to be the one where we get a duet from the power couple who have done a tour together in the past. Fast-rising, 24-year-old Chicago rapper Vic Mensa and Jay-Z protege will open. Tickets start at $39.50, but checking the Toyota Center site, the only seats still available start at $199.50 plus service charges. Doors open at 7 pm.

Biggest Show of the Week
As a former Galveston resident, there are three type of island residents when nearly 600,000 visitors and nearly 300,000 motorcycles descend on the Island throughout the weekend as part of the immense Lone Star Rally. The first type of resident will get out of town, the constant roar too much for them to take; the second will live for three days with earplugs firmly implanted in their skulls; the third will bust out their leather and denim and embrace the sheer madness for what the Lone Star Rally is, which is a really great party with a couple of dozen of bands playing over the course of the weekend.

The Lone Star Rally is one of, if not the biggest (there’s always been arguments over whether the Sturgis, South Dakota rally is bigger), motorcycle enthusiast gatherings in the world. A surprisingly safe and fun event, bikers bust out their tricked out rides and showcase them along The Strand throughout the day, riders filling the bars and cheering on a strong line-up of bands that cater to this sort of crowd. It’s so huge, the City of Galveston commissioned its own economic impact study and the results are impressive.

Performers through Sunday, November 2 include Vanilla Ice, David Allen Coe, Shallow Side, the Zach Tate Band, Tom Keifer and many more. Admission is free.

Best Free Show of the Week
Respect has to be given to The Old 97’s for the sheer longevity of their career. Releasing their first album in 1994, the quartet that got its start in Dallas has produced one of the most respected catalogues of Americana-based rock music, making friends of Hollywood along the way, in no small part due to lead singer Rhett Miller’s good looks, charm and strong songwriting. The band continues to churn out new music, the latest being this year’s Graveyard Whistling.

The band is set to play the Party on the Plaza concert series on Wednesday, November 8, a great venue just outside the George R. Brown Convention Center for any Astros fans that can’t get the celebration out of their system. The best part? The show is free. The Seratones will open.

Other Shows of Note
Friday, November 3
Iron & Wine with John Moreland at the Heights Theater. Tickets are sold out. Doors open at 7 pm.

Sunday, November 5
The Guess Who at Dosey Doe, tickets start at $118 , doors open at 7:30 pm.

Monday, November 6
Toad the Wet Sprocket at the House of Blues, tickets start at $40, doors open at 7 p.m.

Tuesday, November 7
Fall Out Boy with blackbear and Jaden Smith at the Toyota Center, tickets start at $30.50, doors open at 6 p.m.

Wednesday, Nov. 8
The Jesus and Mary Chain at White Oak Music Hall, tickets are $30 in advance, doors open at 7 p.m.

The Last Bandoleros at the House of Blues Bronze Peacock Room, tickets start at $13, doors open at 7 p.m.

Pop-punk stars Fall Out Boy hit the Toyota Center on Tuesday, November 7.

Photo by Pamela Littky

Pop-punk stars Fall Out Boy hit the Toyota Center on Tuesday, November 7.

music concerts

In Memoriam

Legendary Texas singer-songwriter Joe Ely dies at 78

Joe Ely/Facebook

Joe Ely was a major figure in Texas' progressive country scene.

Joe Ely, the legendary songwriter, singer and storyteller whose career spanned more than five decades, has died from complications related to Lewy Body Dementia, Parkinson’s disease, and pneumonia. He was 78.

In a statement posted to his Facebook page, Ely died at his home in Taos, New Mexico, with his wife, Sharon, and daughter, Marie, at his side.

Born February 9, 1947, in Amarillo, Texas, Ely was raised in Lubbock and became a central figure among a generation of influential West Texas musicians. He later settled in Austin, helping shape the city’s reputation as a hub for live music.

As with many local legends, it's hard to tease out what specifically made Ely's time in Austin so great; Austin treasures its live music staples, so being around and staying authentic from the early days is often the most important thing an artist can do.

Ely got his local start at One Knight Tavern, which later became Stubb's BBQ — the artist and the famous venue share a hometown of Lubbock. He alternated nights with emerging guitar great Stevie Ray Vaughn. He built his own recording studio in Dripping Springs, and kept close relationships with other Texas musicians. Later in his career, Ely brought fans into the live music experience, publishing excerpts from his journal and musings on the road in Bonfire of Roadmaps (2010), and was inducted into the Austin City Limits Hall of Fame in 2022. Austin blues icon Marcia Ball was among Ely's friends who played the induction show.

"Joe Ely performed American roots music with the fervor of a true believer who knew music could transport souls," said Kyle Young, CEO of the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum.

In the 1970s, Ely signed with MCA Records, launching a career that included decades of recording and touring around the world. His work and performances left a lasting impact on the music scene and influenced a wide range of artists, including the Clash and Bruce Springsteen, according to Rolling Stone.

"His distinctive musical style could only have emerged from Texas, with its southwestern blend of honky-tonk, rock & roll, roadhouse blues, western swing, and conjunto. He began his career in the Flatlanders, with fellow Lubbock natives Jimmie Dale Gilmore and Butch Hancock, and he would mix their songs with his through 50 years of critically acclaimed recordings. [...]"

Read the full story at KVUE.com. CultureMap has added two paragraphs of context about the Austin portion of Ely's career.

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