10 Best June Concerts

Presenting the 10 best concerts happening in Houston this month

May showers give way to hot summer concerts.

Houston’s rainy season almost always leads to issues with the live music schedule, especially for outdoor shows, and each year there seems to be a few gigs that either get cancelled or rescheduled due to a strong Mother Nature flex. However, this year, the city’s concert venues came out of the deluge relatively unscathed, only to set up the next big challenge for the ticket buying masses – the heat.

It takes a hearty sort to be a Bayou City music fan. The June concert slate includes numerous big shows set at open-air lawns and amphitheaters. That means knowing to apply copious amounts of sunscreen, dressing appropriately, and hydrating enough to make Aquaman nod in approval.

But for those who can hack the aggressive temperatures and insane humidity, plenty of shows ahead will make the effort worth it. Here are 10 shows for the month of June that offer ample rewards for live music lovers.

The Kid Laroi, June 4, 713 Music Hall
Following the career path of none other than Canadian pop sensation, Justin Beiber, the young Australian rapper The Kid Laroi found a receptive American audience with his No. 1 hit collaboration, “Stay.” His 2020 mix-tape, F*ck Love, also hit the top of the charts, and he found himself firmly in the center of the cultural zeitgeist last summer when his track, “Forever & Again” made it’s way onto the soundtrack for the biggest movie of the year, Barbie. Glaive and Chase Shakur take on the early slots.

Vampire Weekend, June 6, 713 Music Hall
The debate as to whether wearing shorts on stage is cool or not cool rages on when the New York City indie darlings Vampire Weekend return to Houston. They are back after an extended hiatus with the critically acclaimed Only God Was Above Us, years after they became Pitchfork heroes with their 2008 self-titled debut and 2010’s Contra. They’ll be headlining festivals for the near future, so seeing them at 713 Music Hall will be as intimate as it gets for their legion of fans. La Lom opens.

Saint Arnold Brewing Company 30th Anniversary, June 8, Saint Arnold Brewery
The granddaddy of independently-owned, Texas craft breweries, Saint Arnold is celebrating its 30th Anniversary in style with a blow out party at its downtown campus, featuring a who’s-who of Houston musical talent. Aside from rivers of tasty beer, what makes the party a must-attend is the lineup, including The Suffers lead singer Kam Franklin, rapper Devin the Dude, singer-songwriter Robert Ellis, hip-hop artist Fat Tony, and Splice Records’ R&B house band Bayou City Funk, who will all come together to perform, superjam-style, as The Houston Super Group. DJ Shante and the Blue Heron Yacht Club are also on tap.

Silversun Pickups, June 11, House of Blues
One of the better live acts in the alternative rock world over the last 15 years, the Los Angeles-based Siliversun Pickups got there with a healthy dose of peak-era Smashing Pumpkins hooks and a bit of shoegaze – see “Lazy Eye” and “Panic Switch” for proof. They’re back with their new album, Physical Thrills, produced by peak-era Pumpkins producer, Butch Vig. Coincidence? We think not. Hello Mary opens.

Megan Thee Stallion, June 14 & 15, Toyota Center
She left the Bayou City, conquered the world, and now she’s back to celebrate with some of her biggest headline gigs yet. The Texas Southern grad, massive hip-hop star, Megan Thee Stallion, blew up in 2018 with the then-inescapable smash singles “Hot Girl Summer” and “Cash Sh*t,” later winning Grammys in a guest-starring role on Cardi B’s raunchy send up, “WAP.” Since then, she’s won countless more awards, released chart-topping singles and albums, and now she’s playing two nights at one of the biggest venues in town. GloRilla opens.

Alanis Morissette, June 16, Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion
One of Canada’s most important and successful musical exports, Alanis Morrisette’s cultural caché recently received a much-deserved boost from the new wave of ‘90s-influenced female pop stars, including Olivia Rodrigo, that cite her as a major influence on their confessional, angst-driven hits. While her commercial peak is long past the days when Jagged Little Pill produced a number of radio smashes (“You Oughta Know,” “Ironic,” “Hand in My Pocket”) en route to selling 33 million copies, Morissette transcends the nostalgia circuit due to the massive cultural impact left in her wake. The immortal rock legends Joan Jett & The Blackhearts open along with Morgan Wade.

DIIV, June 19, White Oak Music Hall
Recently handpicked to open a portion of Depeche Mode’s recent North American leg of their Momento Mori tour, Brooklyn post-punk band DIIV is now playing the headliner, a gift to anyone that saw them crush it at Toyota Center last October. They're on the road supporting their new album, the dark and moody Frog In Boiling Water, which continues a string of fantastic records dating back to the excellent 2012 offering, Oshin. They Are Gutting a Body of Water and untitled (halo) open.

Styx & Foreigner, June 22, Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion
Don’t worry, dads, there’s plenty of shows for you to enjoy during Father’s Day month, as the nostalgia circuit revs up with classic rockers Styx and Foreigner. Styx, led by guitarist Tommy Shaw, found fame in the ‘70s, racking up 20 million album sales and eight top ten singles, including “Come Sail Away,” “Renegade,” and “Blue Collar Man.” Foreigner is one of the best selling bands of all time with over 80 million albums sold (“I Want to Know What Love Is,” “Cold As Ice”), receiving a nod to the 2024 class of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. John Waite opens.

Mother Mother, June 25, 713 Music Hall
Like many acts today, the Vancouver-based Mother Mother grew their audience via social media, long-dormant songs finding new life during the pandemic on TikTok. Once a modest band only known to Canadian audiences, their song “Hayloft” blew up in excess of hundreds of million streams and they found themselves playing 12,500-capacity venues in music capitals such as London. The tour will be co-headlined by Cavetown; Meet Me @ the Altar starts the night.

Doobie Brothers, June 30, Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion
A powerhouse of the '70s, the Doobie Brothers brings decades of hits and millions of albums sold, following a successful 50th anniversary tour. That jaunt saw famed member Michael McDonald (the source of an excellent gag in The 40-Year-Old Virgin) come back to the fold after a 25-year break, his buttery vocals a much-welcomed return to the band that saw success with radio-friendly singles such as “What a Fool Believes” and “Long Train Runnin.’” Grammy Award-winning jazz-blue-rock act The Robert Cray Band opens.

Photo courtesy of The Doobie Brothers

Classic rock act the Doobie Brothers are back at The Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion on June 30.

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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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