Is the ticket price boom finally starting to bust?
High profile tours from The Black Keys and Jennifer Lopez, both with shows booked at Toyota Center later this year, recently cancelled their runs before they even started with widely reported poor ticket sales as the cause. The simple reason is easy – ticket costs are higher than ever, and fans are tired of it.
Whether the trend of cancelled shows will bring a respite to Bayou City music fans remains to be seen, but in the meantime, there are plenty of gigs still drawing major interest to choose from in July.
This month’s concert listings include a Texas-sized Independence Day celebration, Canadian female pop stars young and old, and arena-sized lineups from an ascendent indie rock act and a soon-to-be Rock and Roll Hall of Famer. Here are the dozen best shows for the month ahead.
Freedom Over Texas, July 4, Eleanor Tinsley and Sam Houston Parks
One of the best family-friendly options for Houstonians to celebrate the Fourth of July, Freedom Over Texas takes place along Buffalo Bayou, a short walk from downtown Houston and the best part: it’s free. The event draws an average of 50,000 with activities, food trucks, and more, before culminating in a fireworks display. It also comes with a broad lineup of music acts, including country singer Russell Dickerson, six-time No. 1 charting country artist Jo Dee Messina, and America’s Got Talent contestants Chapel Hart, among others.
Tribeville Music Festival, July 5, White Oak Music Hall Lawn
Headlined by Afrobeats king Davido, who recently played Madison Square Garden, the Tribeville Music Festival is a "celebration of Black music from around the world united under one tribe," according to a statement from festival organizers. Tribeville will host fellow Nigerian acts Wande Coal and Young Jonn, Grenadian singer V’ghn, Trinidadian soca artist Preedy, Nigerian singer-songwriter Chike, Afrorap act Bils, Alté group The Compozers, and South African rapper Focalistic, along with DJ sets by Skyla Tylaa, Babygirl The DJ, DJ Mobu, DJ Obi & DJ Big N, and many more.
Sarah McLachlan with Feist, July 6, Smart Financial Centre at Sugar Land
The last time Canadian chanteuse and Lilith Fair founder Sarah McLachlan played Houston, it was a few weeks before the world shut down due to the pandemic, cancelling most of her tour. Those who witnessed the “Angel” songwriter that night saw a musician who hadn’t lost a bit of the magic that made her a multiplatinum-selling Grammy winner. Thankfully, she’s back on the road with a full band this time around, celebrating the 30th anniversary of what is considered her strongest record — the breakthrough, star-making Fumbling Towards Ecstasy — bringing along another Canadian award-winning artist in Feist to open.
Sir Mix-A-Lot, July 7, House of Blues
Sir Mix-A-Lot gained notoriety for the inescapable hip-hop earworm, “Baby Got Back” in 1992 when it hit No. 1 on the Billboard Top 100 for five weeks, causing moms across the nation to clutch their pearls while their kids celebrated its message of loving “thick soul sisters.” Since reaching that, ahem, mountaintop, the Seattle-based hip-hop artist continued as a cult act, but he foreshadowed sexed-up hip-hop in the decades to come. If nostalgia sells, the groundbreaking Sir Mix-A-Lot has plenty to offer.
AJR, July 9, Toyota Center
What is it about brothers becoming chart-toppers? New York City’s AJR (Adam, Jack, and Ryan) won their fame like a lot of musicians these days – with social media savvy. Starting as buskers, their YouTube videos of cover songs garnered such a dedicated following that their first original recordings caught the attention of Sia. Since then, they’ve released several platinum singles and albums, including the huge, indie flavored “The Good Part,” “Weak,” “Bang!” and “Burn the House Down.” Mxtmoon And Almost Monday open.
Totally Tubular Festival, July 10, 713 Music Hall
Bright neon clothing, leg warmers and sweatbands will make a comeback for one night when the Totally Tubular Festival hits town. A number of big ‘80s hitmakers — including Thomas Dolby (“She Blinded Me With Science”), Thompson Twins (“Hold Me Now”), Modern English (“I Melt With You”), Men Without Hats (“The Safety Dance”), The Tubes (“She’s a Beauty”), and Bow Wow Wow (“I Want Candy”) — will showcase the tunes that helped launch MTV. Many still hold a permanent place on radio airwaves as well as in a certain age group’s hearts.
Cage The Elephant, July 12, The Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion
With the release of this year’s Neon Pill,the Cage The Elephant comeback is in full effect. Things looked dire for the Kentucky-bred alternative rock act after lead singer Matt Shultz was arrested in New York City in 2022 with unlicensed handguns, but he fortunately avoided jail time and received help for mental health issues. That’s good news for the “No Rest for the Wicked” and “Cigarettes and Daydreams” band and their fans as this is a stacked lineup of radio friendly acts, including Young the Giant, Bakar, and Willow Avalon.
New Kids On The Block, July 13, The Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion
Step by step, New Kids On The Block continues their run as a massive ticket-selling ’80s boy band act, hitting every major city, every year with a different lineup of chart-topping pop artists from the late ‘80s. They got the right stuff with this year’s roster that includes former American Idol judge and former megastar, Paula Abdul, who had a crazy run of singles such as “Straight Up,” “Cold Hearted,” “Forever Your Girl,” and “Head Over Heels.” They’ll be joined by DJ Jazzy Jeff, who found fame with Will Smith aka The Fresh Prince on the early hip-hop hits, “Summertime” and “Parents Just Don’t Understand,” before landing on the huge NBC sitcom, Fresh Prince of Bel-Air.
Tate McRae, July 19, 713 Music Hall
The next artist in the history of commercially successful Canadian pop stars, Calgary’s Tate McRae levels up to the large-sized theater 713 Music Hall after playing Bayou Music Center in 2023 and House of Blues in 2022. McRae has been steadily growing a legion of fans with her heart-on-sleeve, lyrical and synth-driven pop over the last few years, her hockey-themed image buoyed by successful releases in 2022’s I Used to Think I Could Fly and Think Later coming in the U.S. Top 5 late last year. The path is like those followed by her luminaries, including Olivia Rodrigo and Ariana Grande, with no limit on where she could go next. Presley Regier opens.
Missy Elliott, July 20, Toyota Center
A member of the 2024 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame class, Missy Elliott broke down barriers, becoming an in-demand producer and performer during the high-water mark of commercially successful rap in the late ‘90s, early 2000s. Her hella catchy songs (“Get Ur Freak On,” “Work It,” “She’s a Bitch”) and unique visual style, not to mention her collaborations with luminaries like Eminem, Aaliyah, and Pharrell Williams, simply changed the game, melding pop, hip hop, and R&B into a cultural force. A victory lap of sorts, her Out of This World tour is a well-deserved return to the live stage, bringing with her a talented who’s-who in the hip-hop world including Ciara, Busta Rhymes, and Timbaland in what has a good shot at being the show of the year.
The Aquabats, July 22, House of Blues
For pure entertainment value, few bands bring it as hard as the Californian ska band The Aquabats. Coming up during the ‘90s third wave ska movement that also birthed bands like No Doubt, the superhero-themed group makes music for those happy to leave their egos at the door – parlaying their colorful image into an Emmy-nominated kids show, The Aquabats! Super Show!, whose corresponding soundtrack found its way onto the Billboard pop charts. With song titles such as “Super Rad!,” “Pool Party,” and “Pizza Day,” you simply can’t go wrong in purchasing a ticket. Left Alone and The Aggrolites open.
The Struts and Barns Courtney, July 23, House of Blues
Taking from theatrical British acts dating back to T. Rex and Queen, The Struts are rock ‘n roll purists devoted to hooks and meaty riffage, fronted by an electric lead singer in Luke Spiller, with some heavy Freddie Mercury vibes. Hit songs “It Could Have Been Me” and “Too Good at Raising Hell” received some decent airplay in the U.S., and they’ve opened for big rock bands such as Foo Fighters and Guns N’ Roses over the last decade. Meanwhile, solo U.K. artist Barns Courtney opens, celebrating the release of his new album, Supernatural, on July 19.
New Kids on the Block are back in Houston at the Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion on July 12.
