Best December Concerts

10 under-the-radar concerts rocking intimate Houston clubs in December

The concert schedule generally follows the weather forecast.

Once the chill sets in around the holiday season, national and international artists slow their touring schedule as ticket buyers are more excited about Santa Claus coming to town. However, this gives Houston’s many local venues a chance to spotlight a seemingly bottomless magical sack of talented musical acts from across the region.

For those who need a break from the bustling Christmas shopping crowds or stressful family gatherings, these upcoming performances are worth checking out at some of the Bayou City’s more intimate and classic clubs, bars, and theaters.

Girl in a Coma, December 6, Last Concert Café
Inspired by The Smiths’ song “Girlfriend in a Coma,” San Antonio rock trio Girl in a Coma – frontwoman/guitarist Nina Diaz, sister Phanie Diaz (drums) and Jenn Alva (bass) – recently returned from an extended hiatus and are back on the road. They first got their big break when they were discovered by Joan Jett, who signed them to her Blackheart Records label in the late-aughts. A mix of riot girl attitude and undeniable hooks led to acclaimed albums such as their debut, Both Before I'm Gone, building a devoted cult following with Sia, Tegan and Sara, and the original Smith, Morrissey, among their champions.

Hayes Carll & Band of Heathens, December 7 & 8, The Heights Theater
Two acclaimed Texas favorites, The Woodlands-raised Hayes Carll and Austin’s Band of Heathens, join forces for two shows at the intimate Heights Theater. For fans of rock, folk, country, and soulful blues anthems, this supergroup built their relationship by sharing stages across the course of a decade. The idea to team up came back in October 2023, when the musicians got together for a “freewheeling family jam” in Luckenbach, Texas, culminating in plans to bring their musical union to the masses.

Hey Thanks! with Holy Worm, Letrainiump, December 7, 1810 Ojeman
The expressively named New Orleans band Hey Thanks! made waves in 2022 with their debut album, Start/Living, recalling upbeat pop, emo, and indie acts like Fall Out Boy, Walk the Moon, and a dash of My Chemical Romance. The former Warped Tour vets are covering the indie circuit having just released the chillwave-sounding single, “Forward,” with surely more music on the horizon.

Troller, Gleaming, Monochrome Lover, December 7, Axelrad
[Update: This concert has been postponed.] For those who prefer Krampus to Santa Claus, Dark Entries heralds in a black Christmas at the monthly goth, post-punk, new wave, and synth night at Axelrad. This month’s edition features Austin darkwave and shoegaze-indebted trio Troller, who recently released a synth-drenched cover of the Smashing Pumpkins’ “Today,” following their 2023 album, Drain. Austin's Gleaming and Houston’s Monochrome Lover opens.

Tomar and the FCs with Tweed Smith and The Internationals, December 14, Dan Electro’s
An Austin band and Houston favorite, Tomar and the FCs are a soul group that brings the requisite passion to their live performances. In a special treat, they’ll be joined at Dan Electro’s by the legendary Tweed Smith, former backup singer to the band WAR, who knows a thing or two about the world of funk and soul music. With a reputation as a fiery live presence, expect a show with an unmeasurable amount of Yuletide joy.

Dawes, December 14, Heights Theater
Although not from the Bayou City, the Los Angeles group Dawes has a strong following here due to their critically acclaimed Laurel Canyon-influenced Americana and folk rock. Led by the buttery-voiced Taylor Goldsmith, they’ve just released another great album in Oh Brother. Prepare for the show by watching Goldsmith perform this stripped back, acoustic version of the quintessential Britpop anthem, Pulp’s “Common People,” for AVClub.com. Winnetka Bowling League opens.

Robert Glasper, December 17, House of Blues
One of the best parts about the holidays is when some of our finest talent performs in their hometown. A man with more creativity in his pinky finger than a roomful of musicians combined, Mo City-raised genius Robert Glasper is a five-time Grammy Award-winning jazz pianist, producer, and songwriter who has worked with a who’s-who across the worlds of jazz, pop, R&B, and hip-hop, including Kendrick Lamar, H.E.R., Norah Jones, Herbie Hancock, and Talib Kweli. Taking a break from his many projects for this solo gig, the vibes will go hard.

A Fistful of Soul, December 21, The Continental Club
Get on those dancing shoes. Once a long-running monthly series, the DJs behind A Fistful of Soul return to the Continental Club for one special night to celebrate their 15th anniversary as arguably the best Motown-era soul, old school R&B, funk dance party in Houston, mixed and spun on vinyl records. Over the course of its run, the night attracted international soul night DJs from as far away as Mexico City, Scotland, and England to participate in one of the most unique – and fun! – dance nights in the region.

Tony Kamel, December 26, McGonigel’s Mucky Duck
Another in a long line of talented local singer-songwriters, Tony Kamel will play up close and personal at the famed Mucky Duck, a mix of bluegrass, country, rock, and soul in his repertoire. Need proof of this his chops? His 2019 album, North of Despair, was nominated for a Best Bluegrass Album Grammy. If you like your music gritty but clever – think Jason Isbell and Sturgill Simpson – Kamel delivers it in spades with a wink and a grin.

Toadies, House of Blues, December 29
Despite being 30 years since their groundbreaking alt-rock smash record, Rubberneck, this ain’t no nostalgia gig. Fort Worth’s Toadies still go hard in a live setting, and Houston’s House of Blues has been playing host to the quartet at the end of every year from recent memory, give or take a pandemic. Not that we’re complaining – a group that releases bangers such as “Possum Kingdom,” “Tyler,” and “I Come From the Water,” deserves to celebrate the oncoming new year with us as long as they like.

Girl in a Coma/Facebook

San Antonio rock band Girl in a Coma returns to Houston at the Last Concert Café on December 6.

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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