Bun B Concert Review

Bun B, Ludacris, Keith Sweat, and more throw epic birthday bonanza at RodeoHouston

Although his birthday isn’t for a couple more weeks, Houston rapper/burger slinger Bun B used his fourth time as the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo’s resident Black Heritage Day music curator to throw himself a Birthday Bonanza concert on Friday, March 7 — and it was an odd lineup with some awkward technical glitches.

Before the show started, tributes were given to Sylvester Turner and Sheila Jackson Lee. Then, TSU’s Ocean of Soul and Prairie View A&M’s Marching Storm bands teamed up and gave dual, thundering sets before joining forces and performing together for the announced crowd of 69,667.

After a bunch of fireworks and pyrotechnics went off a few minutes before 9:30 pm, a clip package of celebs giving Bun birthday wishes played on the screens. This package included comedians (Cedric the Entertainer, Gary Owen), rappers (Slim Thug, Paul Wall) and a predictably creepy message from wrestling legend The Undertaker. Then, Ennio Morricone’s “Man with No Name” theme started playing and Bun came out rocking a long leather coat with fringes and a cowboy hat that once again had the Monster Energy Drink logo on the front. He and his band started things off with “Get Throwed.”

Bun B Birthday Bonanza RodeoHouston 2025

Photo by Marco Torres

Bun B closed the show with Int'l Players Anthem.

Unlike his previous “Takeover” shows, the concert didn’t have a clear musical theme. For the past few weeks, Bun has gotten clowned on social media for his all-over-the-place lineup. (Facebook trolls were mocking up flyers announcing other possible artists, including Ice JJ Fish and Milli Vanilli.)

However, the lineup did give off a Black dad’s Spotify playlist kind of energy, and it did seem like Bun (soon to be 52) booked a lot of favorites from his library. First up was So So Def’s resident boy band Jagged Edge, who did a medley of their late ‘90s/early 2000s hits. After that was a surprise performance from Do or Die, a Chicago rap group who was signed to Houston's Rap-A-Lot Records back in the day. They performed their hit tune “Po Pimp,” which Bun said he often performed during sound checks. Both acts dressed Black-dad casual, like they were going to their kids’ soccer game after this.

If there was one artist people were truly anticipating, it was R&B temptress Coco Jones. Coming out in an all-white ensemble, including shiny cargo pants and a cowboy hat, she led the crowd with a couple bars of “Here We Go (Uh Oh)” before doing “Taste,” from her upcoming album Why Not More? Jones was the first of several artists who had audio problems during the show, switching mics halfway through when her voice wasn’t picking up all over the stadium.

At this point in this show, Bun B came back out in a beige waistcoat with the UGK logo bedazzled on the back, looking like a land baron on Gunsmoke. “I believe I look like a million dollars in here,” he said, before introducing surprise performer Tommy Richman. Richman, who had a show earlier that evening at White Oak Music Hall, stopped by to do his TikTok hit “Million Dollar Baby.”

Local gospel great Yolanda Adams came out next, in a white zip-up and spangly jeans, singing during an In Memoriam package of Black people who died recently (like Turner) and who’ve been dead for a while now (like DMX). During this performance, one of the background singers’ mics was louder than Adams’s, something she appeared to pick up on.

After performing a couple of her peppier gospel numbers, Adams asked Bun, “Don’t you think it’s time to bring out the slabs?” A quartet of slabs rolled up next to the stage, carrying some local rap legends, as Bun performed a couple UGK tunes. Then, Bun brought out Houston MC Don Toliver, who arrived in a red Ferrari. Once he hopped out (wearing what looked like a black leather tracksuit with fringes and a blue handkerchief around his face), he performed several songs but also struggled with microphone problems.

Next, Bun introduced another surprise performer: T.I. All dreaded up and wearing what looked like a pleather outfit, the Atlanta vet did a boisterous set, pulling out a lot of his 2000s hits and saying, “I’m the king, bitch!” every once in a while.

Keith Sweat was next, giving the right amount of old school energy as he sang hits from his New Jack Swing heyday. Sweat prematurely left the stage at one point, thinking his set was over. But when the music for “How Deep Is Your Love?” began playing, he returned. He saved face by asking the crowd, “You thought I was finished?”

An Ali Siddiq video appeared once as Bun introduced Ludacris, the final performer of the night. Just like his fellow ATL rap god T.I., Luda gave an energetic performance (in cowhide-looking shorts!). He pulled out all the classics, including “Stand Up” and “Move B***h,” before leading the entire audience in singing “Happy Birthday” to Bun. Bun closed it out as always with UGK’s “Int’l Players Anthem.”

Yeah, it was a weird night. There were audio and visual glitches, a lineup that had everything from Dirty South legends to quiet-storm mainstays to one-hit wonders to gospel singers making a joyful noise. Bun took an ambitious swing with this one, assembling a grab bag of his favorite artists for a freewheeling show that appealed to many demographics. I wouldn’t mind if he did it again — but those mics better be sorted out next time.

Setlist

Get Throwed, Bun B

Let’s Get Married (Remix), Jagged Edge
Promise, Jagged Edge
Where the Party At, Jagged Edge

Po Pimp, Do or Die

Here We Go (Uh Oh), Coco Jones
Taste, Coco Jones
ICU, Coco Jones

Million Dollar Baby, Tommy Richman

The Battle Is the Lord’s, Yolanda Adams
Church Doors (Remix), Yolanda Adams

Diamonds & Wood, Bun B
Murder, Bun B

BANDIT, Don Toliver
After Party, Don Toliver
Lemonade, Don Toliver

Rubber Band Man, T.I.
24’s, T.I.
U Don’t Know Me, T.I.
Whatever You Like, T.I.
Bring Em Out, T.I.
Live Your Life, T.I.
What You Know, T.I.
About the Money, T.I.

I Want Her, Keith Sweat
Make It Last Forever, Keith Sweat
Twisted, Keith Sweat
Nobody, Keith Sweat
How Deep Is Your Love, Keith Sweat

All I Do is Win, Ludacris
Stand Up, Ludacris
Yeah, Ludacris
How Low, Ludacris
What’s Your Fantasy, Ludacris
Move B***h, Ludacris

Int’l Players Anthem, Bun B with group

Movie Review

Sheriff Bob Odenkirk is back in over-the-top new action movie 'Normal'

Photo courtesy of Magnolia Pictures

Bob Odenkirk in Normal.

Screenwriter Derek Kolstad, who wrote the first three John Wick movies, has essentially had a blank check to do what he wants in the movie landscape since 2014. In recent years that has meant writing the action series Nobody for Bob Odenkirk, who has turned from a comedian into an unlikely action star in his sixties. Kolstad and Odenkirk are teaming up again in Normal.

A film that tries to evoke Fargo in multiple ways, Normal finds Ulysses Richardson (Odenkirk) serving as a temporary sheriff for the small town of Normal, Minnesota after the previous sheriff died. Knowing he’s just a steward until a new sheriff is elected, Ulysses takes a live-and-let-live approach to the job, letting the deputies (Ryan Allen and Billy MacLellan) do the grunt work and trying to stay out of everyone’s way, including Mayor Kibner (Henry Winkler).

A bank robbery attempt by two non-citizens upsets his best-laid plans in more ways than he can imagine. Not only is he forced to confront a crime not often seen in a town like Normal, but the robbery uncovers secrets that turn the film into an all-out bloodbath. Soon, almost everyone in town becomes involved in what comes to resemble a war, along with — you guessed it — Yakuza henchmen from Japan.

Directed by Ben Wheatley and written by Kolstad, the film is a slight twist on the everyman-turned-hero character Odenkirk played in the two Nobody films. While Ulysses is in law enforcement, he prefers to use words instead of weapons, and it’s only when he’s pushed to the brink that he crosses that line. Naturally, his skills are beyond what anyone would expect of him, allowing him to match up well with people half his age.

The film is not a comedy in the traditional sense, but instead aims for laughs by catching the audience off-guard with its ultraviolence. Some characters are dispatched in shockingly unexpected ways, with one of the only natural reactions to the jarring nature of their deaths being laughter. That’s not necessarily the case for other killings, which range from blasé to sadistic, and the only reason they count as entertainment is because the filmmakers have primed the audience to accept them as such.

After a relatively solid setup, where Wheatley and Kolstad seem to take their time getting to know the main characters, the second half of the film is pure action that dispenses with good storytelling. Like many action movies, there are double crosses, surprise revelations, and more, but the filmmakers don’t seem to care about making sense of any character arcs. All they care about is delivering mayhem, and they succeed on that front.

Odenkirk has perfected the mild-yet-intimidating nature of his action characters, and it is satisfying to see him get the better of those who have done him wrong. He doesn’t run or jump like fellow 63-year-old Tom Cruise, but — with the help of fast-paced editing — he still makes for a credible action hero. The only other actors of any note in the film are Winkler, who’s a nice presence with his sardonic personality, and Lena Headey, whose small role doesn't match up with her experience.

You have to have a certain mindset to enjoy a film like Normal, but if you can abide its over-the-top bloodiness, it’s a serviceable action film. Few would have expected Odenkirk to take on these kinds of roles at this late stage of his career, but he’s making the most of his opportunities.

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Normal opens in theaters on April 17.

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