An easy 11-hour labor

New baby elephant "Baylor" is on his feet at the Houston Zoo

A little over two days after being born at the Houston Zoo, a new baby elephant named Baylor was able to stand up on its own today and tentatively walk. The 348-pound male calf was born Tuesday morning at the zoo's McNair Asian Elephant Habitat. Zoo officials had delayed releasing news of the birth to make sure that the elephant was healthy.

"He's doing well and is with his mother," Zoo President and CEO Deborah Cannon told CultureMap. "He's a little unsure, which is normal. But he is getting up on his own and laying down. He's got a lot to get control of after 48 hours."

Baylor's mother, Shanti, a 19-year-old Asian elephant, is also doing fine after a pregnancy of almost 23 months. Zoo officials said the delivery was "quick and easy." The elephant was in labor for abour 11 hours before delivering the calf at 9:32 a.m. Tuesday morning. The baby started nursing around three hours later.

The Zoo named the calf in recognition of Baylor College of Medicine’s research team, which has worked to significantly reduce the threat of a potentially lethal elephant herpes virus. Animal rights groups have criticized the Houston Zoo's breeding efforts because all 14 elephants bred in captivity in the last 25 years have died at birth or soon afterwards.

If all goes well, they plan to reopen the elephant house next week, so the public can view Shanti and Baylor. "We want them to have some time together before we exhibit him," Cannon said.

Check out the first video of Baylor below. And let us know if you'll be going out to see the zoo's newest star or not.

unspecified

Concert News

The Fray and Dashboard Confessional include Houston on new summer tour

Photo courtesy of The Fray

undefined

Rock band The Fray will travel across North America in 2026 with their Summer of Light Tour, a journey that will include a stop at 713 Music Hall in Houston on Friday, July 31.

Joined on all dates by special guest Dashboard Confessional, the band will start the tour in Moncton, New Brunswick, Canada on May 11, hitting 36 cities over the course of almost three months.

In addition to Houston, The Fray will play in Austin on July 29 and the Dallas suburb of Irving on August 1.

The tour is in support of the band's new album, A Light That Waits, which is scheduled for release on March 13. It is the band's first full album in 12 years following a hiatus and departure of original lead vocalist Isaac Slade.

The Fray were a top selling band in the 2000s and 2010s, notching three top 10 albums on the Billboard 200, including the No. 1 The Fray in 2009. Among their hit songs are "Over My Head (Cable Car)," "How to Save a Life," and "You Found Me."

With guitarist Joe King now also serving as lead vocalist, the band embarked on a 20th anniversary tour for their debut album, How to Save a Life, in 2025, which also included stops in Dallas, Austin, Houston.

Tickets for the tour will first be available via a Citi presale from Tuesday, January 27 at 10 am to Thursday, January 29 at 10 pm.

Fans can also sign up at TheFray.com to access the Seated registration presale beginning on Wednesday, January 28 at 10 am.

Additional pre-sales will run throughout the week ahead of the general on sale beginning on Friday, January 30 at 10 am.

SUMMER OF LIGHT TOUR DATES

May 11 — Moncton, NB — Casino New Brunswick
May 13 — Montreal, QC — MTELUS
May 15 — London, ON — Centennial Hall
May 16 — Ottawa, ON — Hard Rock Hotel and Casino
May 19 — Winnipeg, MB — Centennial Concert Hall
May 21 — Saskatoon, SK — TCU Place
May 22 — Edmonton, AB — Northern Alberta Jubilee Auditorium
May 24 — Calgary, AB — MacEwan Hall
May 26 — Vancouver, BC — Orpheum
July 10 — Indianapolis, IN — Everwise Amphitheater at White River State Park
July 11 — Maryland Heights, MO — Saint Louis Music Park
July 14 — Kansas City, MO — Starlight Theatre
July 16 — Milwaukee, WI — Landmark Credit Union Live
July 19 — Great Falls, MT — Voyagers Stadium
July 23 — Berkeley, CA — The Greek Theatre
July 24 — Los Angeles, CA — YouTube Theater
July 25 — San Diego, CA — Cal Coast Credit Union Open Air Theatre
July 27 — Phoenix, AZ — Arizona Financial Theatre
July 29 — Austin, TX — Moody Amphitheater
July 31 — Houston, TX — 713 Music Hall
August 1 — Irving, TX — The Pavilion at Toyota Music Factory
August 4 — Franklin, TN — FirstBank Amphitheater
August 5 — Atlanta, GA — Synovus Bank Amphitheater at Chastain Park
August 7 — Charlotte, NC — Skyla Credit Union Amphitheatre
August 8 — St. Augustine, FL — St. Augustine Amphitheatre
August 10 — Selbyville, DE — Freeman Arts Pavilion
August 12 — Cleveland, OH — Jacobs Pavilion
August 14 — Columbia, MD — Merriweather Post Pavilion
August 15 — Boston, MA — Leader Bank Pavilion
August 19 — Asbury Park, NJ — The Stone Pony Summer Stage
August 20 — Gilford, NH — BankNH Pavilion
August 22 — Wantagh, NY — Northwell at Jones Beach Theater
August 23 — Bridgeport, CT — Hartford HealthCare Amphitheater
August 26 — Toronto, ON — RBC Amphitheatre
August 28 — Detroit, MI — Michigan Lottery Amphitheatre
August 29 — Chicago, IL — Huntington Bank Pavilion at Northerly Island

concerts music