This Week In Music

Motorcycles and hip-hop: Lone Star Rally, Fall Out Boy, Jay-Z highlight championship week of concerts

The Black Album and black leather highlight the week ahead for music in and around Houston as the city celebrates a world championship with world-class talent and events. From hogs on the historic Strand in Galveston and Mr. Carter visiting the in-laws to a big Party on the Plaza, the stars have aligned for Astros fans to let loose as they are set to toast their team in style over the next week.

Best Show of the Week
At this point does Jay-Z, producer of said Black Album, have to tour anymore? The guy is closing in on billionaire status and he's achieved almost everything a musician and businessman can accomplish, so the only reasons for touring his latest album is either to maintain his profile as the Merriam-Webster dictionary definition of the American dream or because he really loves his fans. No matter the reason, droves of hip-hop fans will be at his Toyota Center stop of the 4:44 Tour on Wednesday, November 8, because very few rapper/producers are making impactful music at this level, not to mention, he has a catalogue of hits dating back almost 20 years to pull from.

The biggest question is, will the Queen Bey herself, Beyonce Knowles, make an appearance in her hometown to perform a few songs alongside her world-beating partner? If there’s any stop on this tour where it would happen, this would have to be the one where we get a duet from the power couple who have done a tour together in the past. Fast-rising, 24-year-old Chicago rapper Vic Mensa and Jay-Z protege will open. Tickets start at $39.50, but checking the Toyota Center site, the only seats still available start at $199.50 plus service charges. Doors open at 7 pm.

Biggest Show of the Week
As a former Galveston resident, there are three type of island residents when nearly 600,000 visitors and nearly 300,000 motorcycles descend on the Island throughout the weekend as part of the immense Lone Star Rally. The first type of resident will get out of town, the constant roar too much for them to take; the second will live for three days with earplugs firmly implanted in their skulls; the third will bust out their leather and denim and embrace the sheer madness for what the Lone Star Rally is, which is a really great party with a couple of dozen of bands playing over the course of the weekend.

The Lone Star Rally is one of, if not the biggest (there’s always been arguments over whether the Sturgis, South Dakota rally is bigger), motorcycle enthusiast gatherings in the world. A surprisingly safe and fun event, bikers bust out their tricked out rides and showcase them along The Strand throughout the day, riders filling the bars and cheering on a strong line-up of bands that cater to this sort of crowd. It’s so huge, the City of Galveston commissioned its own economic impact study and the results are impressive.

Performers through Sunday, November 2 include Vanilla Ice, David Allen Coe, Shallow Side, the Zach Tate Band, Tom Keifer and many more. Admission is free.

Best Free Show of the Week
Respect has to be given to The Old 97’s for the sheer longevity of their career. Releasing their first album in 1994, the quartet that got its start in Dallas has produced one of the most respected catalogues of Americana-based rock music, making friends of Hollywood along the way, in no small part due to lead singer Rhett Miller’s good looks, charm and strong songwriting. The band continues to churn out new music, the latest being this year’s Graveyard Whistling.

The band is set to play the Party on the Plaza concert series on Wednesday, November 8, a great venue just outside the George R. Brown Convention Center for any Astros fans that can’t get the celebration out of their system. The best part? The show is free. The Seratones will open.

Other Shows of Note
Friday, November 3
Iron & Wine with John Moreland at the Heights Theater. Tickets are sold out. Doors open at 7 pm.

Sunday, November 5
The Guess Who at Dosey Doe, tickets start at $118 , doors open at 7:30 pm.

Monday, November 6
Toad the Wet Sprocket at the House of Blues, tickets start at $40, doors open at 7 p.m.

Tuesday, November 7
Fall Out Boy with blackbear and Jaden Smith at the Toyota Center, tickets start at $30.50, doors open at 6 p.m.

Wednesday, Nov. 8
The Jesus and Mary Chain at White Oak Music Hall, tickets are $30 in advance, doors open at 7 p.m.

The Last Bandoleros at the House of Blues Bronze Peacock Room, tickets start at $13, doors open at 7 p.m.

Hip-hop mogul Jay-Z brings his 4:44 Tour to Toyota Center on Wednesday, November 8.

WENN.com

Hip-hop mogul Jay-Z brings his 4:44 Tour to Toyota Center on Wednesday, November 8.

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Movie Review

Shaun the Sheep welcomes spooky season with PG-scary new movie

Photo courtesy of Aardman / Sky UK LTD / StudioCanal 2026

Shaun the Sheep in Shaun the Sheep: The Beast of Mossy Bottom.

Since his introduction over 30 years ago, the Aardman Animations character Shaun the Sheep has been almost as popular as the studio’s flagship characters, Wallace and Gromit. There is never a shortage of trouble Shaun can get into as he leads his flock and proves to be a thorn in the side of his farmer and Bitzer, the farmer’s loyal sheepdog.

His antics lead everyone down some slightly spooky roads in the new film, Shaun the Sheep: The Beast of Mossy Bottom. At first, things are only slightly awry as Shaun and the flock are growing a secret pumpkin patch to have their own jack-o-lanterns. But when the farmer accidentally destroys the pumpkin patch, Shaun tries to regrow it quickly with a Frankenstein-esque experiment.

However, disaster looms when Shaun uses an old bottle of Hair-Gro as the container for the serum he creates. Naturally, the balding farmer uses it on his head, and everyone soon discovers how truly successful it is, with pumpkins growing out of control and the farmer sprouting hair all over his body. Through a series of mishaps, the farmer becomes the titular beast, creating mayhem while Shaun and others try to stop him.

Directed by Steve Cox and Matthew Walker, and written by Mark Burton and Giles Pilbrow, the film goes down just as easy as every other Aardman project has. They get the Halloween vibes started from the opening credits, with things like the sheep doing the “Thriller” dance, and continue the fun throughout, referencing everything from Psycho to Friday the 13th in a nice, PG way.

With no script — every character is mute save for reaction noises — the movie relies on sight gags for its humor, and the Aardman team is endlessly inventive in that respect. Sometimes it’s small things like a sheep using toilet paper rolls as binoculars, and sometimes it’s something like forcing the Bigfoot-like farmer to be shaped into a rectangle as he escapes through a window. But there’s a never-ending stream of such moments, so even if one doesn’t tickle your funny bone, chances are the next one will.

The biggest benefit of the characters not talking is that there’s no need for deep character development. The filmmakers do a great job of giving the basic traits of each character, and then use those attributes to color everyone’s actions for the rest of the film. Shaun is the troublemaker, the farmer is a bumbling fool, Bitzer is preternaturally smart, and the town’s vet is empathetic, and the combination of those characters and others makes for a highly entertaining blend.

Like all Aardman creations, Shaun the Sheep: The Beast of Mossy Bottom is a fun lark that doesn’t make its audience think too hard. With just enough references to keep viewers engaged but not so many as to be overbearing, the film puts its well-worn characters to good use once again, delivering a Halloween season story that can be enjoyed by people of all ages.

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Shaun the Sheep: The Beast of Mossy Bottom is now playing in theaters.

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