all along the watchtower

From the observation deck: A sneak peek at artist James Turrell's mysterious newlight installation at Rice University

Turrell noted that the light show is nearly impossible to capture on film . . .Starting in mid-June, however, Houstonians will be able to catch the twice-dailyLED performances on a regular schedule.
Photo by Tyler Rudick
View from second-story viewing area with Shepherd School of Music in thebackground. Note the LED arrays at the bottom of the image.
Photo by Tyler Rudick
In a purple light, the sky appears somewhat green . . . Unfortunately, thecolors are difficult to render correctly on camera.
Photo by Tyler Rudick
Granite seating in the first floor observation area is slightly inclined towardsthe oculus at the center of the roof.
Photo by Tyler Rudick
Looking down the central axis with a view of the central opening in the roof.
Photo by Tyler Rudick

Well, it's totally true. The sky really does change color in James Turrell's new Twilight Epiphany skyspace at Rice University.

During a preview of the installation’s much-anticipated light show, CultureMap was lucky enough to experience the piece’s skyward alchemy firsthand.

News writers and photographers arrived just before sunset to take our places inside the mysterious two-story structure next to the Shepherd School of Music. From a distance, the skyspace resembles a sort of modernist walk-in burial mound topped with an elevated flat white roof.

"Since this is your first visit, we usually suggest starting in the enclosed first floor viewing area," explained Rice Public Art director Molly Hubbard as the group stepped into the ground floor observation room. Directly overhead, a 14-foot square oculus looked to the sky.

A fter staring at the opening in the roof for at least 10 minutes, the oculus appeared completely flat — a crisp dark square on a mustard-colored backdrop.

"Each level offers a completely different experience, though, so feel free to walk up to the second floor," she added as we made our way to the granite seats along the wall.

As the sun started to set, LED lights on the upper floor projected a wash of pale orange onto the ceiling. When the light sequence shifted to a pinkish hue, Hubbard noted that the 35-minute show had started.

When the lights slowly turned a deep shade of purple, something clearly was starting to happen. Through the opening above, the darkening evening sky was becoming a blue-green. Even the brighter strips of sky visible below the roofline were taking on a greenish cast.

Moments later, purple changed to pink and then to yellow. The sky was a dark navy now, and after staring at the opening in the roof for at least 10 minutes, the oculus appeared completely flat — a crisp dark square on a mustard-colored backdrop.

Then the magic started. (Spoiler alert!)

While the yellow LED lights gradually turned blue, the navy square appears to brighten and, for a few seconds, it actually disappears before settling on gray.

Needing a point of comparison, I took Hubbard's advice and stepped outside the installation to climb the stairs to the second floor observatory.

From the upper level, the sky through the oculus and beneath the roofline appeared an even darker gray under the blue LEDs, which changed back to purple to return the sky to its previous blue-green shade.

As the purple lights turned white, Turrell’s light show had one more trick up its sleeve . . . which Houstonians can see for themselves starting June 14, when Twilight Epiphany begins its regular schedule of dawn and dusk performances. Stay tuned for details.

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Concert News

Chris Brown and Usher team up on 2026 tour headed to Houston

Photo by Julian Buchan

Chris Brown and Usher will perform at NRG Stadium in Houston on October 9, 2026.

R&B stars Usher and Chris Brown will co-headline the appropriately-titled The R&B Tour in 2026, an all-stadium journey which will include a stop at NRG Stadium in Houston on Friday, October 9.

The tour, which has a double meaning of "Raymond and Brown," the singers' last names, will include 33 dates over almost six months, starting in Denver, Colorado on June 26.

In addition to Houston, other Texas stops will include Dallas on September 10, El Paso on October 3, and San Antonio on October 5.

Both artists are coming off of recent solo tours, as Usher toured in 2024 in support of his latest album, Coming Home, while Brown's Breezy Bowl XX tour, celebrating the 20th anniversary of his debut album, took place over three months in 2025.

Brown and Usher have each been at or near the top of their genre for a long time, with Brown going to either No. 1 or No. 2 on Billboard's R&B/Hip Hop chart with each of his 11 albums, and Usher doing same with seven of his nine albums.

Tickets for the tour will be available starting with Citi presale beginning Tuesday, April 21 followed by The R&B Tour Presale on Thursday, April 23.

Fans must sign up for The R&B Tour Presale by April 21 at 9 pm. Anyone who signs up for the presale can join, no code needed.

To sign up for the The R&B Tour Presale, fans must be a Live Nation All Access member, which they can join for free when signing up at signup.livenation.com/therandbtour.

Additional presales will run throughout the week ahead of the general on sale beginning Monday, April 27 at 12 pm at RaymondAndBrownTour.com.

The tour will also partner with Global Citizen to provide access to quality education for children around the world by donating $1 for every ticket sold to the FIFA Global Citizen Education Fund.

THE RAYMOND & BROWN TOUR 2026 DATES

Fri, Jun 26 | Denver, CO | Empower Field at Mile High
Tue, Jun 30 | Minneapolis, MN | U.S. Bank Stadium
Thu, Jul 2 | Detroit, MI | Ford Field
Fri, Jul 3 | Detroit, MI | Ford Field
Tue, Jul 7 | Cleveland, OH | Huntington Bank Field
Fri, Jul 10 | Washington, DC | Northwest Stadium
Sat, Jul 11 | Washington, DC | Northwest Stadium
Fri, Jul 17 | Charlotte, NC | Bank of America Stadium
Tue, Jul 21 | St. Louis, MO | The Dome at America’s Center
Sat, Jul 25 | Nashville, TN | Nissan Stadium
Tue, Jul 28 | Birmingham, AL | Protective Stadium
Sat, Aug 1 | Syracuse, NY | JMA Wireless Dome
Fri, Aug 7 | East Rutherford, NJ | MetLife Stadium
Sat, Aug 8 | East Rutherford, NJ | MetLife Stadium
Tue, Aug 11 | Toronto, ON | Rogers Stadium
Wed, Aug 12 | Toronto, ON | Rogers Stadium
Mon, Aug 17 | Boston, MA | Gillette Stadium
Fri, Aug 21 | Chicago, IL | Soldier Field
Fri, Aug 28 | San Francisco, CA | Levi's Stadium
Sat, Sep 5 | Las Vegas, NV | Allegiant Stadium
Sun, Sep 6 | Las Vegas, NV | Allegiant Stadium
Thu, Sep 10 | Arlington, TX | AT&T Stadium
Fri, Sep 25 | Los Angeles, CA | SoFi Stadium
Sat, Sep 26 | Los Angeles, CA | SoFi Stadium
Tue, Sep 29 | Glendale, AZ | State Farm Stadium
Sat, Oct 3 | El Paso, TX | Sun Bowl Stadium
Mon, Oct 5 | San Antonio, TX | Alamodome
Fri, Oct 9 | Houston, TX | NRG Stadium
Sat, Nov 7 | Atlanta, GA | Mercedes-Benz Stadium
Sun, Nov 8 | Atlanta, GA | Mercedes-Benz Stadium
Fri, Nov 20 | New Orleans, LA | Caesars Superdome
Thu, Dec 3 | Miami, FL | Hard Rock Stadium
Fri, Dec 11 | Tampa, FL | Raymond James Stadium

arlington att stadium concerts music tours

all along the watchtower

From the observation deck: A sneak peek at artist James Turrell's mysterious newlight installation at Rice University

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