RodeoHouston

RodeoHouston reveals genres for highly anticipated 2019 concert calendar

Let the speculation commence.

RodeoHouston gave fans a sneak-peek at concert calendar lineup today, announcing which genres will be featured throughout the 2019 season, which runs from Monday, February 25 through Sunday, March 17. It already has been announced that country legend George Strait will close out RodeoHouston on the final day. Now we have an idea of what to expect on the other days. The full lineup will be announced on January 3, 2019.

As always, country music will be front on center, on tap for 13 of the 20 nights, including opening night. Organizers have always attracted the biggest, best, and buzziest upcoming country acts to the Stars Over Texas stage, so expect a massive roster with some major home runs as well as a few up-and-comers once the final line-up is announced.

Most interestingly, the rave will return to NRG Stadium when EDM will get a chance to wave its glowsticks on Friday, March 8. This is a smart choice following the success of The Chainsmokers two years ago and a Friday night makes it an attractive family draw. CultureMap predicts Martin Garrix, Diplo, or Marshmello in this slot, but this one is a toss up and hardest to speculate on.

After last year's controversial decision to give the lone hip-hop slot to Leon Bridges, who is definitely not hip-hop (but still great), will organizers give an actual hip-hop performer a shot on Friday, March 1 or will it be an R&B act that lives in that music sphere? There are a multitude of acts that could fill this role, clean enough to live up to the rodeo's standards, from The Weeknd, Migos, Post Malone, or DJ Khaled. Hint-hint to the powers-that-be: Rhianna has a huge catalog of hits, the cred, and would bring in fans in droves.

Other nights include Spanish pop on Tuesday, February 26; pop-rock on Sunday, March 3 (almost always a family-friendly, Top 40 artist); pop on Tuesday, March 5 (think a young performer making waves); norteño on Sunday, March 10; rock on Tuesday, March 12 (Maroon 5 or Imagine Dragons would make sense and both don't have shows booked on these dates); and classic rock on Wednesday, March 13 (Def Leppard? Bon Jovi? Journey?).

Visit the RodeoHouston website for a full rundown of the genre calendar.

CultureMap's predictions for country performers at RodeoHouston 2019 include the following:

Carrie Underwood
We would be shocked if Underwood didn't appear on the Stars Over Texas stage this year. The massive star just released her latest album, Cry Pretty, and back to performing live after a horrific accident. She'd make a great RodeoHouston 2019 opener.

Kasey Musgraves
She's been everywhere with her album Golden Hour, including Saturday Night Live, and is a contender for the biggest music awards this year.

Eric Church
His album, Desperate Man, is a 2018 critical and commercial smash and he's been headlining festivals. He has big gaps in his early-2019 tour schedule and no Texas dates currently booked. He also played RodeoHouston in 2015. Call this prediction a shoo-in.

Sam Hunt
He's about to release new album and opened for Luke Bryan this summer.

A miscellaneous country legend
RodeoHouston always books one or two favorites to perform. Take your pick of Wille Nelson, Kris Kristofferson, Travis Tritt, Vince Gill, or Reba McIntire to run through their hits.

Return performers
Repeat performances are not uncommon. Acts that played last year that would be welcomed back include Keith Urban, Luke Bryan, and Chris Stapleton.

Dolly Parton
Okay, this is a long shot, but she would be a much-talked-about, instant sell-out and would attract a wide range of music fans. Make this happen RodeoHouston.

Of course, guessing who will play is part of the fun.

Country star Carrie Underwood released an album this year - will she be announced as a performer at RodeoHouston 2019?

Photo by Randee St. Nicholas

Country star Carrie Underwood released an album this year - will she be announced as a performer at RodeoHouston 2019?

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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.

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The Plague is now playing in theaters.

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