Live Music Now

Garth Brooks and Lorde top the 9 best shows in Houston this week

The sun sets on country music in Houston for the time being with RodeoHouston wrapping up on Sunday, March 18 with a closing set from Garth Brooks. That gives way to an amazing line-up of pop, alternative, hip-hop, and indie shows, strengthened by a SXSW run-off. The quality of offerings are top-notch, and quantity almost irresistible to anyone with even a passing interest in live music. Here are the notable shows coming up.

RodeoHouston's last stand
If there was a belt buckle for best three-show run at RodeoHouston, the closing weekend of the 2018 edition surely would be in the lead, as it goes out with a bang with three of the biggest country performers in the world. Friday, March 16 will see a hotter-than-Hades Chris Stapleton play to what will be close to a sold-out audience with standing room only tickets left. Saturday, March 17 will bring Brad Paisley and his 24 No. 1 hits to the Stars Over Texas stage. And Garth Brooks will return to close out RodeoHouston on Sunday, March 18. Whether he’ll do a repeat performance of his acclaimed opening set a few weeks ago or whether he’ll mix his setlist up, it’s hard to think anyone will leave disappointed, looking forward to what 2019 will bring.

RodeoHouston weekday show times are 6:45 pm with performers going on-stage at 8:45 pm, and 3:45 pm for Saturday and Sunday shows with performers taking the stage at 5:45 pm. Tickets are available through the RodeoHouston website or the resale market. RodeoHouston takes place at NRG Stadium, located on NRG Parkway.

A show for music fans who love to live dangerously (or really bad soda)
If you’re a fan of Faygo soda or odes to the magic of magnets (1.54 - trust me on this), or if you’re a social anthropologist who might be curious as to what a gathering of official FBI gang-members might look like, head down to San Leon Friday for a gathering of the Juggalos and witness the sh**show that will be the Insane Clown Posse live in concert. FYI, Faygo has a cotton candy flavor. You’re welcome.

Insane Clown Posse perform with Attila at 18th Street Pier, 101 18th St., San Leon, TX, as part of SlamFest on Friday, March 16. Lil Toenail, OUIJA, Sylar, LYTE open. Tickets are $27.99 plus fees. Show starts at 8 pm.

Best show of the week
Not sure what we did to deserve this line-up of two acts that could easily headline their own arena show on the same bill, but it means Houston has done something worthy for the music gods to take notice. Kiwi superstar Lorde returns after her ill-fated nixed appearance at last year’s Free Press Summer Fest at the current pinnacle of her pop powers following the release of the exceptional best of 2017 chart-topper Melodrama. She comes to town with one of the best live hip-hop duos as an opener, Run The Jewels, who proved their prowess to Houston music fans twice in the last 15 months with appearances at Day For Night 2016 and a headlining set at Revention Music Center late last year.

Lorde and Run The Jewels perform at the Toyota Center, 1510 Polk St., on Monday, March 19. Tove Stryke opens. Tickets are $39.50-$99.50 plus fees. Doors open at 7 pm.

Best chance to dance away Harvey memories
Fantastic indie-electro duo Sylvan Esso, comprised of singer Amelia Meath and producer Nick Sanborn, were set to play a highly anticipated show back in September before Hurricane Harvey had other plans. Thankfully, they rescheduled, giving all of those fans who lived through the torrential downpour and floods a chance to dance those negative memories away. The band has been rightfully blowing up for their catchy-as-all-get-out mix of beats and melody showcased on their two stellar albums, their 2014 self-titled offering and last year’s What Now. They make the first of two appearances in Houston at an intimate White Oak show on Monday, followed by a slot at In Bloom Festival. They’ll be sweaty, danceable fun.

Sylvan Esso performs at White Oak Music Hall, located at 2915 N. Main St., on Monday, March 19. Suzi Analogue opens. The show is sold out but tickets are available on the resale market. Doors open at 7 pm.

Closest to seeing The Strokes live
For those fortunate enough to see The Strokes on their first headlining U.S. tour at what is now Revention Center back in 2002, it was a revolutionary performance that few of those in attendance have yet to forget. After years of diminishing output, members of that legendary NYC band went their separate ways, working on different projects. Guitarist Albert Hammond Jr.'s music sticks closest to the oft-untouchable source material, the recently released Francis Trouble as close to peak Strokes as anything that has come before, which is code for pretty dang awesome. This show, with tickets at less than $20, is definitely worth checking out.

Albert Hammond Jr. performs at White Oak Music Hall, located at 2915 N. Main St., on Tuesday, March 20. Hinds opens. Tickets are $16 plus fees. Doors open at 7 pm.

Return of an emo icon
Emo-rock fans will be gathering to commune with one of their heroes as Dashboard Confessional is back after a long hiatus. Frontman Chris Carrabba gained fame in the early aughts for his irrepressible good looks and heart-on-sleeve lyrics set to an acoustic soundtrack. To give a sense of his sway over mainstream audiences, his Christian music background made it cool for Jesus loving kids to wear Hot Topic, a pretty impressive feat. For dudes whose girlfriends love this band, expect a lot of singalongs and pining over Carrabba. Fans are still extremely passionate about this band, despite the ho-hum 2018 return album, Crooked Shadows.

Dashboard Confessional pours their heart out at House of Blues, located at 1204 Caroline St., on Tuesday, March 20. Beach Slang opens. Tickets start at $33.60 plus fees. Doors open at 5:30 pm.

Best chance to see a bonifide MTV star
Pat Benatar is proof that a couple of big hits are all an artist needs to build a career on as she is going strong after nearly four decades. Few female artists were bigger than Benatar in the '80s. She capitalized on a then-new music channel, MTV, to rocket to stardom through the relatively new art form of videos. Her hits “Heartbreaker,” “Hit Me with Your Best Shot,” “Love is a Battlefield,” and “We Belong” made her a superstar. She married her guitarist Neil “Spyder” Giraldo, architect of her biggest songs, and they are now billed on this special acoustic tour that will roll through Sugar Land.

Pat Benatar and Neil Giraldo at Smart Financial Center, located at 18111 Lexington Blvd., in Sugar Land, TX, on Wednesday, March 21. Tickets start at $59.50. The show starts at 8 pm.

Pat Benatar and famed '80s guitarist Neil Giraldo perform at the Smart Financial Centre at Sugar Land on Wednesday, March 21.

Photo courtesy of Pat Benatar & Neil Giraldo

Pat Benatar and famed '80s guitarist Neil Giraldo perform at the Smart Financial Centre at Sugar Land on Wednesday, March 21.

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Movie Review

New Superman movie forges into the future while honoring the past

Photo by Jessica Miglio

David Corenswet in Superman.

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.

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Superman is now playing in theaters.

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