Live Music Now

These are the 6 best concerts in Houston this week

Is Houston a bad live music city?

The uglier side of local audiences reared its head again this weekend at the Raconteurs show at Revention Music Center with several complaints coming from crowd members on social media that accused others of being discourteous and loud during a show by a band that's known for being, well, loud.

What's even stranger is that the show was a no-phones space, meaning that the band's management required every ticket holder to place their cell phone in a lockable pouch, which only unlocked if the patron moved to a designated area. Maybe it was a case of everyone discovering the joys of no screen time and felt inclined to share their every waking thoughts with those around them.

Let's practice a little common courtesy, folks. A concert space should be like going to the movies — keep the speaking to a soft whisper and let people through if they are trying to get to their friends/significant others if they had to use the restroom or refill their beverages.

CultureMap's biggest, best, and most notable shows of the week are as follows:

CultureMap recommends: Mumford & Sons at Toyota Center
You can thank Mumford & Sons for the popularization of "whoa-oh-ohs" that have pervaded pop and rock music like an invasive species. Arcade Fire may have started the current trend on their debut album Funeral, but it was the London act that brought it to the mainstream with their huge first album Sigh No More that produced the inescapable singles, "Little Lion Man," and "The Cave," which mixed Arcade Fire's driving rhythms with furious acoustic folk strums. They rode those "whoa-oh-ohs" to international fame and celebrity wives (lead singer Marcus Mumford is married to actress Carey Mulligan).

Their latest is the experimental Delta, which seems to be less of the "whoa-oh-ohs" and has been seen as a critical misstep. Go figure. But this band has too many hit songs to discount and it will surely pack out the Toyota Center this Tuesday night.

Mumford and Sons perform at Toyota Center, located at 1510 Polk St., on Tuesday, October 8. Gang of Youths open. Tickets start at $29 plus service fees. Doors open at 6 pm.

Great Van Fleet at Smart Financial
Greta Van Fleet, the second coming of Led Zeppelin comes to Houston promoting the release of their second album, Anthem of the Peaceful Army. While universally panned for their output due to its die-hard allegiance to the House of Plant and Page, the Michigan based act found an audience early on with their Zep-aping debut From the Fires, landing on the covers of music magazines and even a slot on Saturday Night Live.

It could have been a case of young musicians playing to their influences, but Anthem... was more of the same. These guys have talent, to be sure, let's hope that they find their own sound as they grow as musicians.

Greta Van Fleet headlines Smart Financial Centre at Sugar Land, located at 18111 Lexington Blvd. in Sugar Land, on Wednesday, October 9. Shannon and the Clams open. Tickets start at $39.50 plus fees. Show starts at 8 pm.

CultureMap show of the week: Billie Eilish at Toyota Center
Not since Nirvana have we seen an artist or group touch a cultural nerve like Los Angeles native Billie Eilish. Starting at a grassroots level, releasing singles sporadically, all produced by her brother in his bedroom, Eilish grew her audience through smart marketing in a digital sphere. Her sound incorporates dark elements and skittering pop beats, a mix of Nine Inch Nails, and Ariana Grande that sits comfortably on the Billboard Top 100 as it does on alternative radio.

Did we mention she's only 18 years old and she holds the record as the first artist born in the 2000s with a No. 1 song ("Bad Guy")? And that she forgoes any sense of sex appeal, wearing ultra baggy clothing to place the focus on her music? Celebrities and teenagers alike are flocking to her shows, she's selling out tours, defying gravity on Saturday Night Live in a clip that will go down in music history, and she has one of the biggest albums in recent memory with When We Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go? What were you doing when you were 18?

Billie Eilish performs at Toyota Center, located at 1510 Polk St., on Thursday, October 10. Duckwrth opens. Tickets start at $39.50 plus service fees. Doors open at 6:30 pm.

Banks at HOB
Like James Blake, who played House of Blues last Sunday, Banks plies her trade in alternative pop and R&B with heavy emphasis on synths and manipulated vocals. Like Billie Eilish, the California native used the power of the internet to rise to fame, attracting pop, R&B, EDM, and indie fans alike, her first album, 2014's Goddess landing high on the Billboard charts. Her progressive pop adventures continue on the critically acclaimed third album, aptly named III, which features the killer dance-inflected first single, "Gimme."

Banks plays House of Blues, located at 1204 Caroline St., on Thursday, October 10. Kevin Garrett opens. Tickets start at $26.50 plus fees. Doors open at 8 pm.

Jon Pardi at White Oak Music Hall
Fast-rising country singer Jon Pardi rolls into Houston armed with a new album that includes some well known credits. First single from his new album Heartache Medication, "Don't Blame it on the Whiskey," features the songwriting talents of Eric Church and Miranda Lambert among other Nashville hitmakers.

The California native — it seems to be California week on Houston stages — made significant inroads with his second album, California Sunrise, which earned No. 1 status on country charts and No. 1 singles "Head Over Boots," "Dirt On My Boots" and "Heartache on the Dancefloor." Expect big things from Pardi in the future, who is now playing to mid-sized venues across the country.

Jon Pardi plays the White Oak Music Hall lawn, located at 2915 N. Main St., on Friday, October 11. Riley Green opens. Tickets start at $39.50 plus fees. Doors open at 7 pm.

Judah and the Lion
Nashville band Judah and the Lion hit the mainstream in 2017 with the widely heard No. 1 alt-rock single "Take It All Back" before releasing this year's Pep Talks. The album's material is a classic look at the attempt of handling success through the viewpoint of lead singer Judah Akers. It also helps that the No. 2 alt-rock album features chanteuse du jour Kacey Musgraves. They're on a headlining tour following opening slots with Twenty One Pilots, Incubus, and Jimmy Eat World.

Judah and the Lion are at the Revention Music Center, located at 520 Texas Ave., on Friday, October 11. Tickets start at $35 plus fees. Doors open at 7 pm.

CultureMap show of the week: Billie Eilish performs at Toyota Center on Thursday, October 10.

Photo courtesy of Billie Eilish

CultureMap show of the week: Billie Eilish performs at Toyota Center on Thursday, October 10.

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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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