RodeoHouston

RodeoHouston reveals genres for highly anticipated 2019 concert calendar

Let the speculation commence.

RodeoHouston gave fans a sneak-peek at concert calendar lineup today, announcing which genres will be featured throughout the 2019 season, which runs from Monday, February 25 through Sunday, March 17. It already has been announced that country legend George Strait will close out RodeoHouston on the final day. Now we have an idea of what to expect on the other days. The full lineup will be announced on January 3, 2019.

As always, country music will be front on center, on tap for 13 of the 20 nights, including opening night. Organizers have always attracted the biggest, best, and buzziest upcoming country acts to the Stars Over Texas stage, so expect a massive roster with some major home runs as well as a few up-and-comers once the final line-up is announced.

Most interestingly, the rave will return to NRG Stadium when EDM will get a chance to wave its glowsticks on Friday, March 8. This is a smart choice following the success of The Chainsmokers two years ago and a Friday night makes it an attractive family draw. CultureMap predicts Martin Garrix, Diplo, or Marshmello in this slot, but this one is a toss up and hardest to speculate on.

After last year's controversial decision to give the lone hip-hop slot to Leon Bridges, who is definitely not hip-hop (but still great), will organizers give an actual hip-hop performer a shot on Friday, March 1 or will it be an R&B act that lives in that music sphere? There are a multitude of acts that could fill this role, clean enough to live up to the rodeo's standards, from The Weeknd, Migos, Post Malone, or DJ Khaled. Hint-hint to the powers-that-be: Rhianna has a huge catalog of hits, the cred, and would bring in fans in droves.

Other nights include Spanish pop on Tuesday, February 26; pop-rock on Sunday, March 3 (almost always a family-friendly, Top 40 artist); pop on Tuesday, March 5 (think a young performer making waves); norteño on Sunday, March 10; rock on Tuesday, March 12 (Maroon 5 or Imagine Dragons would make sense and both don't have shows booked on these dates); and classic rock on Wednesday, March 13 (Def Leppard? Bon Jovi? Journey?).

Visit the RodeoHouston website for a full rundown of the genre calendar.

CultureMap's predictions for country performers at RodeoHouston 2019 include the following:

Carrie Underwood
We would be shocked if Underwood didn't appear on the Stars Over Texas stage this year. The massive star just released her latest album, Cry Pretty, and back to performing live after a horrific accident. She'd make a great RodeoHouston 2019 opener.

Kasey Musgraves
She's been everywhere with her album Golden Hour, including Saturday Night Live, and is a contender for the biggest music awards this year.

Eric Church
His album, Desperate Man, is a 2018 critical and commercial smash and he's been headlining festivals. He has big gaps in his early-2019 tour schedule and no Texas dates currently booked. He also played RodeoHouston in 2015. Call this prediction a shoo-in.

Sam Hunt
He's about to release new album and opened for Luke Bryan this summer.

A miscellaneous country legend
RodeoHouston always books one or two favorites to perform. Take your pick of Wille Nelson, Kris Kristofferson, Travis Tritt, Vince Gill, or Reba McIntire to run through their hits.

Return performers
Repeat performances are not uncommon. Acts that played last year that would be welcomed back include Keith Urban, Luke Bryan, and Chris Stapleton.

Dolly Parton
Okay, this is a long shot, but she would be a much-talked-about, instant sell-out and would attract a wide range of music fans. Make this happen RodeoHouston.

Of course, guessing who will play is part of the fun.

Country legend George Strait will close RodeoHouston 2019 on Sunday, March 17,

Photo by Michelle Watson/CultureMapSnap

Country legend George Strait will close RodeoHouston 2019 on Sunday, March 17,

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Movie Review

Billie Eilish takes fans behind the scenes in immersive 3D tour film

Photo by Henry Hwu/courtesy of Paramount Pictures

Billie Eilish in Billie Eilish: Hit Me Hard and Soft - The Tour Live in 3D.

In 2021, at the tender age of 19, singer Billie Eilish was already the subject of a documentary, The World’s a Little Blurry. At that point, she had only released one album, so the film threatened to feel too early for such treatment. The ensuing five years have only made her a bigger star, though, so in many ways that movie now feels prescient for the person on display in the new concert documentary with the unwieldy title of Billie Eilish: Hit Me Hard and Soft - The Tour Live in 3D.

Directed by Eilish and blockbuster filmmaker James Cameron, the film takes viewers inside Eilish’s 2024-2025 tour in support of her latest album, 2023’s Hit Me Hard and Soft. Filmed mostly at her series of shows in Manchester, England, the movie is a showcase for Eilish’s music, but it also serves as a smaller exploration of the type of person she is, as well as the impact she has had on her legion of fans.

The draw of the film is the use of Cameron’s beloved 3D technology, which he has employed in each of the three Avatar films. Unlike in those films, where the 3D has the odd effect of making the visuals too realistic for their own good, the technique brings an intimacy to the large-scale show that underscores the unique bond the singer has with her supporters.

Eilish and Cameron go back and forth between performances at the concert to behind-the-scenes sequences, detailing the enormous effort it takes to put on a show like that and how Eilish spends her time getting ready for it. As in The World’s a Little Blurry, this film continues to portray the singer as down-to-Earth, someone who yearns to maintain the connection to her fans that she’s had since she released her first single, “Ocean Eyes,” 10 years ago.

And as the many emotional songs in Eilish’s concert playlist prove, the feeling from the crowd is mutual. While Eilish has multiple bangers like “Bad Guy,” “Therefore I Am,” and the Charli XCX collaboration “Guess,” it’s the sad songs like “Everything I Wanted,” “Happier Than Ever,” and the Oscar-winning Barbie anthem, “What Was I Made For?” that hit the hardest. The depth of feeling emanating from her many sobbing fans singing along to crushing songs cannot be understated.

For audiences of the film, though, it’s the breadth of camera angles and shot choices that make it truly dynamic. There are cameras everywhere, including in the crowd, inside a cube at the center of the stage that rises and descends, following Eilish as she traipses every inch of the long, rectangular stage, and even a small one Eilish uses to bring an extra personal touch to the in-arena screen. Combined, they capture the complete energy of the concert, something that is not always the case in a film of this type.

Eilish has almost as many movies — two — as she does albums — three — which borders on overkill for a singer of her age. But both her music and the movies show her to be a person who knows the responsibility of being a celebrity, someone who understands that her fans are the reason she’s famous at all. Her career may go up or down from here, but it’s clear she’s already made a huge impact on those who love her most.

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Billie Eilish: Hit Me Hard and Soft - The Tour Live in 3D opens in theaters on May 8.

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