April's Best Concerts

Rolling Stones and Bad Bunny headline Houston's 8 best concerts in April

After a thrilling, record-setting RodeoHouston season, we get back to our regularly scheduled programming of top-tier shows as the 2024 concert year heats up with marquee names gracing Bayou City stages.

National and international touring artists are back on the road with gusto, ticket prices showing no signs of abating from their post-pandemic inflation highs, forcing music fans to either take out another mortgage or get very selective as to how they spend their entertainment dollars. Whether its legacy acts squeezing out a few more tours before they call it a day or performers working at their peak with multiple headline shows in each city, it’s a multitude of riches for those who enjoy live music.

The following are the biggest and best concerts taking place in Houston this April.

The Black Crowes, April 5, 713 Music Hall
The brothers Robinson, Craig and Rich, aka The Black Crowes are celebrating 40 years as a band when they bring their Happiness Bastards tour to town. The tour moniker may be a sly nod to the issues the siblings faced over the years, reuniting in 2019 following a long hiatus fueled by bad blood between the two. But there is no denying the power of their blues-fueled American rock that produced a number of hits and made them stars in the ‘90s, such as “Remedy,” “Jealous Again,” and “She Talks to Angels,” selling over 30 million albums in the process. Amplified Heat opens.

Lauren Daigle, April 11, Toyota Center
Simply put, Lauren Daigle is one of the biggest Christian artists in the game right now, as evidenced by a headlining RodeoHouston in 2023. She burst onto the scene in 2015 with the crossover smash album, How Can It Be, which achieved platinum status, followed by two more hit records, the two-time platinum, No. 3 charting Look Up Child, and last year’s self-titled album. Her high-energy shows and positive message have earned her a devout following across the U.S.

Jade Bird, April 11, Heights Theater
A supremely talented British singer-songwriter, Jade Bird recently moved to Austin to pursue her career further after garnering critical and commercial acclaim across the pond with her self-titled debut in 2019, released at the tender age of 21. Her follow-up, Different Kinds of Light, only strengthened her songwriting prowess, calling on alt-rock, Britpop, indie and folk sounds with a fierce, heartfelt vocal delivery. She’ll be celebrating her latest EP, Burn the Hard Drive, out on April 10.

Adam Ant and The English Beat, April 20, Bayou Music Center
U.K. New Wave legend Adam Ant and ska-influenced The English Beat recall a time of eye-catching outfits, art school cool, synth-heavy melodies and inescapable hooks that ruled MTV and pop radio. Adam Ant broke huge around the world with “Goody Two Shoes” and “Stand and Deliver.” The English Beat, while not as high-profile as Adam Ant, had their fair share of hits as a beloved cult act behind songs such as “Mirror in the Bathroom” and “Save it for Later,” garnering radio-friendly popularity in their ‘80s heyday.

Social Distortion and Bad Religion, April 22, Bayou Music Center
Two of the best bands of their genre, SoCal punks Social Distortion and Bad Religion are a big reason that punk crossed over to the mainstream in the ‘90s, paving the way for countless acts such as Green Day, Offspring, Rancid, and Blink-182. Social D’s early ‘90s output, their 1990 self-titled album and 1992’s Somewhere Between Heaven and Hell, next to Bad Religion’s No Control (1989) and Against the Grain (1990), are high-water marks, injecting socially progressive songwriting smarts on top of three-chord guitar assaults. It was only time before alt-rock radio came calling, transforming music forever.

Kane Brown, April 27, Toyota Center
A five-time American Music Award winner and rising country star, Tennessee-raised Kane Brown is riding a wave right now, with three Top 5 albums under his belt and number No. 1 country singles, including “What Ifs,” “Thank God,” “Heaven,” and “I Can Feel It.” The two-time RodeoHouston headliner is a steady presence on the country touring circuit whose spotlight and pop chart appeal seemingly grows with each successive year. Tyler Hubbard and Parmalee open.

Rolling Stones, April 28, NRG Stadium
Down to two original members following the sad passing of steady drummer Charlie Watts in 2021, The Rolling Stones – rock icons Mick Jagger, Keith Richards and gang – continue their seemingly non-stop touring to sold out stadiums worldwide, this time touring their pretty-good 31st studio album, Hackney Diamonds. While they have nothing left to prove, the now-octogenarians remain a huge draw because they have countless hit songs to pull from and they still bring the heat in a live setting, showing up bands 50 years their junior with insane energy and live visuals. Every time might be the last time we see them perform, so make plans accordingly.

Bad Bunny, April 30 and May 1, Toyota Center
After two sold-out shows at Minute Maid Park in late-2022, Latin superstar Bad Bunny will get comparably intimate with his rabid fanbase at two headline shows at Toyota Center for his Most Wanted tour. The prolific, Puerto Rican King of Trap is touring behind his 2023 album, Nadie Sabe Lo Que Va a Pasar Mañana, another offering of Latin soul, pop, R&B, trap, and reggaeton. It’s hard to state how much Bad Bunny has done for popularizing Latin music in the last decade, but it’s safe to say this is an opportunity to see a game-changing artist at his peak.

Photo courtesy of Social Distortion

Social Distortion and Bad Religion perform at Bayou Music Center on April 22.

concerts live music

Movie Review

George Clooney shines in Jay Kelly, a sharp and heartfelt look at fame

Photo by Peter Mountain/Netflix

George Clooney in Jay Kelly.

The life of a celebrity is paradoxical in that your life is lived in the public eye, yet who you really are is almost unknowable. Movie history is littered with films that try to dig into the private lives of real and fictional actors, with varying results. The latest film to try to unearth what it means to be famous is Jay Kelly.

In a perfect bit of casting, George Clooney stars in the title role as an actor who’s still world famous even if he’s edging toward the downside of his career. His coterie of helpers, including manager Ron (Adam Sandler) and publicist Liz (Laura Dern), make sure he is taken care of at every turn, often anticipating his needs before he realizes it.

A run-in with an old friend, Timothy (Billy Crudup), sends Jay spiraling, questioning not just the meaning of his 35-plus year career, but also his relationships with his two daughters, Jessica (Riley Keough) and Daisy (Grace Edwards). Jay’s attempt to manage the crisis pits his identity as a celebrity and as a father and friend against each other.

Written and directed by Noah Baumbach, and co-written by Emily Mortimer (who has a small role), the film has to walk the tightrope of making the audience like Jay even as he does and says things that might make him unlikable. There’s a very thin line between the character of Jay Kelly and the real life George Clooney; each is seemingly infinitely charming when dealing with the public, but they lead very different private lives.

Baumbach takes a light approach to the story, occasionally dipping into more serious territory but never going too deep. For some, this may seem like a copout, as if he’s merely pretending to want to explore what celebrity truly is. But as you see Jay navigate his way between his work, his family, and being out among the public, little details emerge that make him increasingly complex.

A lot of the film’s pleasure comes from the strong actors cast in relatively minor roles. There are not enough words to express what it means to have actors like Jim Broadbent as Jay’s mentor, or Greta Gerwig as Ron’s wife, or Stacy Keach as Jay’s father, or Patrick Wilson as a fellow longtime actor. Each of them and more lend an instant air of excellence to the film that elevates the story beyond its simple premise.

Clooney may be playing a version of himself, but as the film notes on multiple occasions, playing yourself is more difficult than it seems. He is deserving of an Oscar nomination, as is Sandler, who doesn’t give off even a whiff of insincerity as a man who has given perhaps a bit too much of himself in aid of another man’s career.

Jay Kelly is not a world-changing film, and some may accuse it of being another navel-gazing Hollywood story. But the forcefulness of Clooney’s performance, the long line of strong supporting actors, and the subtly effective storytelling by Baumbach and Mortimer (making her feature screenwriting debut) help it become much more than might be expected.

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Jay Kelly is now playing in select theaters. It debuts on Netflix on December 5.

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