Live Music Now

These are the 6 best concerts in Houston this week

It wasn't a wardrobe malfunction, but it should have been.

The music world turned on its axis when Maroon 5 frontman and The Voice star Adam Levine made a notably blase set a little less boring during the Super Bowl halftime show this past Sunday. If there was ever a time for a distraction to cover up a generic performance, Levine's "California" stomach tattoo did just the trick. Unfortunately for Levine and company, critics saw through the inked abs and weren't so kind the following day.

We can almost guarantee that this week's Houston live shows will be better than what millions witnessed on Super Bowl Sunday. Call these performances a good palate cleanser.

CultureMap's best, biggest, and most noteworthy shows of the week are:

CultureMap show of the week: Fleetwood Mac
Fleetwood Mac has been on the road steadily since 1997 when the mega-million selling band (100 million and counting) reunited after breaking up in a haze of drugs, booze, and broken hearts, proving that even mountains of cocaine couldn't kill the music. Unfortunately, they'll be without their most versatile member, Lindsey Buckingham, who was recently sacked over the rock cliché "creative differences."

That said, there's no denying the power of the Mac and their decades of hits, including "Landslide," "Gold Dust Woman," "Go Your Own Way," and "Dreams." Those who grew up on the soft-rock behemoths will no doubt turn up in droves to see these legends perform.

Fleetwood Mac will go their own way at Toyota Center, located at 1510 Polk St., on Tuesday, February 5. Tickets start at $69.50 plus fees. Doors open 7 pm.

CultureMap recommends: Neko Case
Neko Case is one of music's best treasures - a master storyteller blessed with the vocals a Greek siren would be envious of. Case is touring behind one of the best albums of 2018 in Hell On, following a string of highly acclaimed shows with master vocalists k.d. lang and Laura Viers.

While she first gained notoriety as the strongest voice in Canadian super-group, The New Pornographers, she has steadily built a following around her stellar solo work. Mixing indie rock with Americana and folk, Case's fiery personality, whip-smart lyrics, and gorgeous voice are a combination not to be missed.

Neko Case is at White Oak Music Hall, located at 2915 N. Main St., on Thursday, February 7. Jennifer Castle opens. Tickets start at $34 plus fees. Doors open at 7 pm.

Samantha Fish at Heights Theater
Blues fans, it's your duty to get to Heights Theater this Friday night to see one of the genre's fastest rising stars in guitarist-vocalist Samantha Fish. She is touring behind her latest album, Belle of the West. While she can wail on electric guitar, the new material incorporates a more rustic acoustic flavor matched with her Southern twang vocals. Regardless of what sound she favors, Fish is simply fire on the live stage for those who like their hooks rugged and raw.

Samantha Fish performs at Heights Theater, located at 339 W 19th St., on Friday, February 8. John Egan opens. Tickets start at $22 plus a $6 service charge. Doors open at 7 pm.

Soccer Mommy at White Oak
The Nashville singer-songwriter Sophie Allison aka Soccer Mommy produced one of last year's best albums in Clean, and is part of a new movement of young female voices making waves on the indie rock circuit (see Snail Mail, Courtney Barnett, Phoebe Bridgers) that draw inspiration from '90s alt-rock. Songs "Your Dog," "Last Girl," and "Cool" are on heavy rotation on college radio and music industry publications have only added to the buzz.

Soccer Mommy is at White Oak Music Hall, located at 2915 North Main St., on Saturday, February 9. Hovvdy opens. Tickets start at $12 plus fees. Doors open at 7 pm.

Marc Anthony
It's a great gig if you can get it. Step 1a: Put out a couple of hit Latin records. Step 1b: Win some Grammy Awards. Step 1c: Marry one of the most beautiful women in the world and then d. Step 2: Tour every major market with a Latin fanbase every single year. Step 3: Rake in the cash.

That seems to be Marc Anthony's business plan. The guy hasn't put out much over the last five years since the 2013 release 3.0 and he's known more in pop culture for being Jennifer Lopez's ex-husband, but he's one of the highest selling Latin artists. For him, there will always be the road, and he'll always be a draw in Houston.

Marc Anthony brings the heat to Toyota Center, located at 1510 Polk St., on Sunday, February 10. Tickets start at $61 plus fees. Doors open 7 pm.

Vince Staples at HOB
Fast-rising Vince Staples may just be the future of hip-hop, having had a remarkable run the last few years of working with a who's-who in music, including Mac Miller, who produced his mixtape, Stolen Youth, appeared on the song "Ascension" by Gorillaz, had his song "BagBak" featured on the trailer for the cultural phenomenon, Black Panther, and even scored a Sprite endorsement.

Whether he can turn these opportunities into real cultural and commercial currency remains to be seen, but we're betting our money that this will be a show that we can all look back on as the beginning of something bigger.

Vince Staples performs at House of Blues, located at 1204 Caroline St., on Sunday, February 10. Tickets start at $35 plus fees. Doors open at 7 pm.

Blues performer Samantha Fish is at Heights Theater on Friday, February 8.

Photo courtesy of Samantha Fish

Blues performer Samantha Fish is at Heights Theater on Friday, February 8.

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Movie Review

Matt Damon and Ben Affleck square off in Netflix crime thriller The Rip

Photo by Claire Folger/Netflix

Ben Affleck and Matt Damon in The Rip.

For as closely tied together as Matt Damon and Ben Affleck are, it might come as a surprise how few times they’ve led a movie together. They’ve appeared alongside each other in Good Will Hunting, The Last Duel, and Air, but the only time they were on equal footing in a story was Kevin Smith’s Dogma. So the fact that they are the two true stars of the new Netflix movie The Rip makes it a rare opportunity for the longtime friends to square off against each other.

Damon and Affleck play Lt. Dane Dumars and Detective Sgt. J.D Byrne, respectively, the two highest ranking members of a Miami police department squad that specializes in drug and drug money raids. A tragedy to begin the film already has the team — which includes Detectives Mike Ro (Steven Yeun), Numa Baptiste (Teyana Taylor), and Lolo Salazar (Catalina Sandina Moreno) — on edge, with the FBI and DEA breathing down their neck.

Going off a tip, Dumars gathers the team to raid a house in nearby Hialeah that is supposed to have a stash of a relatively small amount of money. But when they get to the house occupied only by Desiree Molina (Sasha Calle), they discover close to $20 million. The team, required by law to count the money on site, must not only fight the urge to skim a little off the top for themselves, but also worry about the Cartel and other agencies that might want a slice of the pie.

Written and directed by Joe Carnahan, the film is a surprisingly effective crime thriller made even better by its high-quality cast, which also includes Kyle Chandler as a DEA agent. The story is designed for the audience to not know who’s trustworthy until the last possible second, and the various twists and turns it takes are well done, with barely a hint of narrative cheating.

Taking place entirely at night, the mood is set right from the start, with the only surprise being that Carnahan didn’t add in rain for extra effect. He keeps things tense with a number of subtle elements, including having the house located in a seemingly deserted cul-de-sac. This allows for the characters to remain on high alert at all times, with anything out of the ordinary — an unexpected noise, a flashing light, etc. — adding to the stress of the situation.

The only element that could have used a bit more of a punch-up is the characterization. The story is set up to cast suspicion on almost everybody, making it tougher to understand exactly what type of person each of them is. As the two leads, more time is spent with Dumars and Byrne, leaving everyone else with slightly underwhelming arcs. It’s to the credit of the actors that everyone else below Damon and Affleck is still compelling.

Damon and Affleck play their sometimes friendly, sometimes adversarial roles well, showing an ease together that’s a result of their friendship and the acting skills they’ve honed over 30+ years. Taylor, an Oscar hopeful for One Battle After Another, and Oscar nominee/Emmy winner Yeun have a pedigree that elevates their supporting roles. Chandler, Moreno, and Calle each get just enough to demonstrate why they were cast in their respective roles.

Damon and Affleck have had their individual ups and downs throughout their careers, but when they choose to work together, the results are usually good-to-great, as they are in The Rip. It’s a different take on a crime thriller that features a story that will keep viewers guessing until the very end.

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The Rip is now streaming on Netflix.

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