weekend event planner

Here are the top 8 things to do in Houston this weekend

Expect a hot party happenin' at Friday's Mixed Media bash.

The bad news: It's gonna be a scorching week. The good news: no more ominous African dust storms to stifle the already stifled air. With that in mind, we've rounded up your top events for this now-fresh-air weekend.

Thursday, July 19

Jericho Jackson brings artful hip-hop to Duvin Pintor Gallery
For true hip-hop fans, there’s nothing more enjoyable and exciting than when two acclaimed, well-known artists in the rap game come together and drop a new album outta nowhere. That happened earlier this year when Detroit rapper Elzhi and North Carolina producer Khrysis formed the supergorup Jericho Jackson and released Khrysis & Elzhi Are Jericho Jackson. This project, released on Grammy-winning producer 9th Wonder’s Jamla Records, is over a decade in the making and is also pure, hip-hop fire. Even better, they’ll be in town on this evening to perform tracks from the album. 8 pm.

Comedian Chris D’Elia mocks alpha males at Improv Houston
Chris D’Elia is not a d-bag, but he plays one on TV. He’s played several of them, actually. Ever since he starred as insecure stud Danny on the short-lived NBC sitcom Undateable, he’s been the go-to guy whenever a movie or TV show needs a prototypical horndog. Ironically, when he does stand-up — his day job — his comedy usually consists of him regularly mocking and decimating alpha-male a-holes. He’s already done a couple of Netflix specials, and he’ll be in H-Town doing a four-night stint at the Improv. 8 pm (7:30 and 9:45 pm Friday; 7 and 9:30 pm Saturday; 7:30 pm Sunday).

Friday, July 20

Enjoy the great outdoors at The 2018 Sportsman Channel Outdoor Show
If you’re someone who had a subscription to Sports Afield back in the day, you’re a person who obviously has an interest in the great outdoors. And starting on Friday, the worldwide leaders in outdoor entertainment — Sportsman Channel, Outdoor Channel, World Fishing Network and MyOutdoorTV — will bring the 2018 Sportsman Channel Outdoor Fest here, for all those local lovers of outdoor stuff. There will be hunting, fishing, firearms, archery, and a whole lot of other things that’ll make feel like you’re one with nature. 3 pm (9 am Saturday; 10 am Sunday).

Mix it up at The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston’s Mixed Media party
It’s time for the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston to once again merge exquisite art with live music with their latest MFAH Mixed Media party. For this one, the fun will go down across the entire campus of the new Glassell School of Art. Nine artists will perform on four stages, including West Coast funkmaster Dam-Funk, Austin indie-pop band Wild Child, Houston folk duo Say Girl Say, and a bunch of local DJs (DJ Sun, Dj Melodic and Gracie Chavez). There will also be a roof-garden music session with singers Hailey Knox and Tyler Dial. Basically, all kinds of music will be all in your ear on this night. 8 pm.

Saturday, July 21

Get your kicks at “Kick-A-Thon”
Whenever local, mixed martial arts school Elite MMA wants to raise money for a good cause, the school puts on a “Kick-A-Thon.” This is where registrants will have 15 minutes to earn their pledges by kicking bags as many times as they can. (People can also just donate money, if they don't feel like going Van Damme on a punching bag.) This time around, Elite will be benefitting the Barbara Bush Houston Literacy Foundation. All funds raised will go to the Foundation’s My Home Library program, which provides books for underserved students in the surrounding area. 10 am.

The Houston Area Gay Prom toasts the LGBTQIA community
A high-school prom can be a magical time for those who attend: getting decked out in a tuxedo or a luxurious dress, dancing the night away, and maybe even sharing a kiss on the dance floor before you head off to a new college life. But there is a local organization — known as The Prom People — whose sole mission is to provide a yearly prom for those grown, LGBTQIA folk who may not have gone to their proms for whatever reason. (Or, they may just want to attend a prom again.) This year, the prom's theme is “A Night in China," so expect this prom to be both enchanting and exotic. 8 pm.

Sunday, July 22

Shop for fresh produce and enjoy a brew at the Urban Harvest Farmers Market at Saint Arnold
Before you head to Karbach for family fun, stop by Saint Arnold for this month's Urban Harvest Farmers Market. Consider this your chance to peruse fresh produce and gourmet goods in air-conditioned comfort — as opposed to sweating for your asparagus — while sipping on a craft beer. With food vendors like El Topo, Breaking Bao, and Dumpling Haus, the market offers plenty to eat, too. 11 am-4 pm.

Kids can play (and parents can get tipsy) at Karbach Brewing Co.’s first Family Field Day
Karbach Brewing Co. already makes people happy with their fine line of brews, like Staycation Session Ale, Lemon and Ginger Radler and the forever-popular Hopadillo IPA. But, this weekend, the ale factory will open its doors to families for its first-ever Family Field Day. Of course, there will be games, beer, food, etc, but there will be an amazing prize given to a very lucky clan. The first 25 families to enter can compete to win a free family reunion hosted at Karbach Brewery, complete with free beer and appetizers. The runners-up will still get free beer for their next family reunion. Visit the invite site to pre-register. 5 pm.

event-planner

lizzo concert review

Lizzo makes Houston feel 'Good as Hell' at sold-out Rodeo concert

Courtesy of Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo

Lizzo entered the rodeo in a tricked out SLAB.

Much like Mayor of Trill Town Bun B’s past rodeo shows, Lizzo’s sold-out Friday night show, closing out Black Heritage Day, was a rapturous celebration of Houston pride with a live jukebox.

The best rodeo shows are when no one sits down, even if their boots make their dogs holler, and when the show ends, everyone spills out of the stadium barefoot, or the menfolk carry the heels. No other city would allow you to eat chicken fried lobster, drink award-winning wine by the bottle, watch teenagers wrestle calves for cash, see kindergartens hold on to a sheep with a death grip, and stomp your Ariats to “Still Tippin’” with 70,000 other people within the span of six hours.

Along with Go Tejano Day, Black Heritage Day (which became a part of the RodeoHouston DNA in 1993) showcases the diversity found on the concrete and the hay off Kirby Drive every year. It’s a whole day of celebration on the grounds, including field trips, art installations, traveling museum exhibits, and an unofficial HBCU reunion event. As cowpokes in cowboy hats battled various beasts before the show, the big screen highlighted roving bands of women dressed in their finest rodeo attire. The sidewalks around NRG Stadium were a Friday night fashion show. Friday was also the kickoff of spring break for most Houston-area school districts, meaning the grounds will be insanely busy over the next week.

Proud Alief Elsik High School alum and University of Houston product Lizzo was supposed to have made her triumphant hometown rodeo debut back in 2020, but Covid-19 scuttled the second half of that season, including her appearance. Just a few weeks ago, she gushed on Late Night with Seth Meyers about how important the show would be to her, mentioning seeing John Mayer and Beyoncé during her teen years in town.

At 9:15 pm, just next door to the 8th Wonder of the World the “9th Wonder of the World” — Texas Southern University’s Ocean of Soul Marching Band — made its way onto the show floor to massive applause as a hype video of Houston landmarks played on the show screens. If RodeoHouston needs a house band — founded in 1969 — this is it. In fact, it should be legally mandated that they appear every year.

Before Lizzo even appeared, the show felt like a Super Bowl halftime show, with three SLABs driving out into the dirt, with the woman herself kicking off “About Damn Time” from the back seat of a fourth SLAB, clad in a black leather studded duster, surrounded by TSU dancers. This is the kind of big-budget spectacle that the rodeo salivates for. Backed by a mostly-female band onstage, the Ocean of Soul provided a constant brassy, bassy undercurrent.

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“This is the city that raised me,” Lizzo said, taking in the 69,362 souls in her midst.

She was met with a hurricane-force wall of screams as she launched into “Cuz I Love You,” ditching her black leather duster for a white tank top.

Houston’s own gospel pop quartet The Walls Group appeared just then for the Black National Anthem, “Lift Every Voice And Sing.” Lizzo and the Walls siblings then wove “Special” into “Total Praise.” We’d all buy a Lizzo gospel album, and you know it.

Her collaboration with Cardi B “Rumors” — flaunting rodeo lyrical standards — gave way to her own rendition 4 Non Blondes’ “What’s Up,” giving Linda Perry’s grunge pop classic a torch song glow-up.

Lizzo got back into her custom SLAB for her own “Yitty On Yo Tittys” from last summer’s My Face Hurts From Smiling album, complete with a human-sized dancing Labubu. The Ocean of Soul got its own interlude while keen eyes could see Lizzo side stage, tuning up her famous flute with a familiar line.

Wait, is that? Yes, by God, that’s Houston’s national anthem.

Soon Slim Thug, Mike Jones, and Paul Wall sauntered out for “Still Tippin’” as city pride began to sweat from the stadium walls, all while the Ocean of Soul kept strutting along. The professor emeritus’ of Houston's 2000s rap explosion, you look up from your phone and realize all these Houston rap standards are all over 20 years old now. Paul is a silver fox, Slim is a real estate magnate, and even people in Japan know Jones’ personal phone number.

“At the end of the day, I just want Houston to feel good as hell,” Lizzo said, tapping directly into “Good As Hell.” Was that a pregnant lady in a cowboy hat dancing on the big screen? How much more Houston can a fetus be?

The only truly Houston things left to do tonight were to sweat through your Wranglers in the parking lot, gaze at the Astrodome, sit in standstill traffic, and join the drive-thru parade at the closest Whataburger.

Setlist

With Texas Southern University’s Ocean Of Soul

About Damn Time
Juice
2 Be Loved (Am I Ready)
Soulmate
Cuz I Love You

With The Walls Group

Lift Every Voice And Sing
Special > Total Praise
Rumors > What’s Up

Tempo > Wobble
Boys (with Ocean Of Soul)
Mo City Don (Z-Ro Cover)
Yitty On Yo Tittys
Screwed (with Ocean Of Soul)
Still Tippin’ (with Slim Thug, Mike Jones, and Paul Wall)
Truth Hurts
Good As Hell (with Ocean Of Soul)

rodeohouston concert review lizzo