october's best concerts

Foo Fighters, Depeche Mode, Jonas Brothers, and John Mayer headline October's coolest concerts in Houston

This month’s crop of concerts brings a lot of alt-rock and pop-rock nostalgia on tour for all those ’80s and ’90s babies. It’s almost like all those bands from our childhoods know that we now have babysitters we can hire and disposable income to spend on $12 boozy seltzers and $25 parking spaces.

The Foo Fighters invade the 713 Music Hall on October 10, one of the biggest marquee acts to grace one of the newest large-scale stages in Houston since it opened in late 2021. Since its grand debut its played host to Oliva Rodrigo, HAIM, Maña, New Order, and Billy Strings just to name a few.

Elsewhere, Peter Gabriel is celebrating nearly seven decades of crafting enigmatic soundscapes on October 21 at Toyota Center. He’s packing as much as he can into two sets for those who can't wait for “Sledgehammer” or “Solsbury Hill.”

But it's not all old-school jams. This month sees pop sensations like Janelle Monae, Jonas Brothers, SZA, and John Mayer hitting town for some can't-miss fun. Here are our can't-miss concerts for October.

Depeche Mode, October 4, Toyota Center

Goth rockers and New Wavers, it seems, age a sight more graceful than most of their contemporaries in other genres. Maybe its aversion to sunlight? Better moisturizing routines? No band of its kind has aged better than Depeche Mode, with lead singer Dave Gahan now a black-clad velvet crooner of the goth-est and New-Waviest order. Pour out a glass of red wine in the Toyota Center concourse for late keyboardist Andy Fletcher who passed away in May 2022.

Foo Fighters, October 10, 713 Music Hall

One of the last modern rock bands standing, Foo Fighters freaked out the neighborhood when they announced a show at 713 Music Hall (our announcement story pretty much broke the local interwebs). It’s not often that a bonafide stadium act like Dave Grohl’s Foos blesses a city with a show at a venue the size of this downtown gem but we’ll take it. The band’s coming to town touring behind ‘But Here We Are’, its first since the passing of titanic drummer Taylor Hawkins. Tickets are sold out officially via Live Nation, so head to those third-party vendors for coveted tix.

Photo courtesy of Foo Fighters

Rock gods Foo Fighters descend on Houston on October 10.

Janelle Monae, October 10, Bayou Music Center

When Janelle Monae debuted in 2007 with Metropolis, she wasn’t predicting the future, she was actively dragging a sagging music industry into her vision of it. Since then, we’ve all been witnessing an artist recoding her image in real-time, like if David Bowie had 5G in 1975. She’s just comfortable collaborating with Brian Wilson as she is with Big Boi. Prince didn’t really die, his musical brain was just uploaded into Monae’s.

Chris Stapleton, Charley Crockett and Nikki Lane, October 13, Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion

A Chris Stapleton show away from the friendly yet cavernous confines of NRG Stadium during RodeoHouston is a magnificent treat. Not only do you get to see one of the best modern guitarists of any genre do his thing, you get extended jams and a few jaw-dropping covers. Get here early for openers Nikki Lane and Charley Crockett, who represent the best of the current crop of country stalwarts. If we’re lucky, Charley and Nikki will sit in for some magic with Stapes.

SZA, October 14, Toyota Center

SZA SZA season is October 14 in Houston.Photo via SZA Official

Freshly anointed neo-soul queen SZA was seemingly born straight into arenas, instantly captivating ears from the jump. 2022’s blockbuster ‘SOS’ has been cemented at the top albums chart for nearly the last calendar year, no small feat in this streaming times. In concert, her raw confessionals come with the kind of mind-bending light shows you’d see at an arthouse installation.

Sting, October 15, Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion

Seeing Sting live sans law enforcement is always a pleasure, and this tour sees Ace Face on the road unleashing his biggest hits, solo and otherwise. Recent set lists lean heavy into his work away from vaunted The Police, long defunct after an epic reunion run in the late 2000s. It’s perfectly OK to admit that you still get “Brand New Day” stuck in your head every once in a while. Don’t worry, Sting knows you want to hear “Message In A Bottle”.

Peter Gabriel, October 21, Toyota Center

The former Genesis frontman and solo powerhouse is back on the road playing his hits proper. An artist as monumental as Peter Gabriel doesn’t tour without intention and this current jaunt feels like a victory lap of sorts. At a spry 73 years, here’s hoping he’s just cranking up for a late-career heater.

Jonas Brothers, October 23, Toyota Center

One of the biggest teen pop acts of the 2010s, the brothers Jonas are back on the road firmly ensconced in their 30s with a few divorces and children under their white belts, just like their fans. As if we didn’t need anymore reminders of the passage of time, some of those fans will probably have their own kids in tow this time.

Parker McCollum, October 28, Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion

Conroe-native Parker McCollum grew up going to concerts at the deluxe shed in The Woodlands, and like most area kids, he dreamed of playing that very stage himself. Now making his second annual homecoming stop up north, McCollum is a certified pop country star. This year’s Never Enough LP saw McCollum mixing up some sultry ‘80s country drama into ‘Gold Chain George Strait’ persona.

John Mayer, October 30, Toyota Center

John Mayer concert Dreamy John Mayer closes October with a big show on the 30th. Photo via John Mayer

Fresh off a near-decade stint acting as the stylish avatar for Jerry Garcia in Dead & Company, John Mayer hits Toyota Center by his lonesome with a truckful of guitars and a collection of radio hits. His recent solo tours have seen Mayer reclaiming his original singer-songwriter tag, years removed from his reign of polite terror in the tabloids.

lizzo concert review

Lizzo makes Houston feel 'Good as Hell' at sold-out Rodeo concert

Photo courtesy of Lizzo/Facebook

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Much like Mayor of Trill Town Bun B’s past rodeo shows, Lizzo’s sold-out Friday night show, closing out Black Heritage Day, was a rapturous celebration of Houston pride with a live jukebox.

[Editor's note: As of 12 am on Saturday, March 7, the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo had yet to release official photos from Friday night's Lizzo concert. We will update this article when they are available. Back to the review]

The best rodeo shows are when no one sits down, even if their boots make their dogs holler, and when the show ends, everyone spills out of the stadium barefoot, or the menfolk carry the heels. No other city would allow you to eat chicken fried lobster, drink award-winning wine by the bottle, watch teenagers wrestle calves for cash, see kindergartens hold on to a sheep with a death grip, and stomp your Ariats to “Still Tippin’” with 70,000 other people within the span of six hours.

Along with Go Tejano Day, Black Heritage Day (which became a part of the RodeoHouston DNA in 1993) showcases the diversity found on the concrete and the hay off Kirby Drive every year. It’s a whole day of celebration on the grounds, including field trips, art installations, traveling museum exhibits, and an unofficial HBCU reunion event. As cowpokes in cowboy hats battled various beasts before the show, the big screen highlighted roving bands of women dressed in their finest rodeo attire. The sidewalks around NRG Stadium were a Friday night fashion show. Friday was also the kickoff of spring break for most Houston-area school districts, meaning the grounds will be insanely busy over the next week.

Proud Alief Elsik High School alum and University of Houston product Lizzo was supposed to have made her triumphant hometown rodeo debut back in 2020, but Covid-19 scuttled the second half of that season, including her appearance. Just a few weeks ago, she gushed on Late Night with Seth Meyers about how important the show would be to her, mentioning seeing John Mayer and Beyoncé during her teen years in town.

At 9:15 pm, just next door to the 8th Wonder of the World the “9th Wonder of the World” — Texas Southern University’s Ocean of Soul Marching Band — made its way onto the show floor to massive applause as a hype video of Houston landmarks played on the show screens. If RodeoHouston needs a house band — founded in 1969 — this is it. In fact, it should be legally mandated that they appear every year.

Before Lizzo even appeared, the show felt like a Super Bowl halftime show, with three SLABs driving out into the dirt, with the woman herself kicking off “About Damn Time” from the back seat of a fourth SLAB, clad in a black leather studded duster, surrounded by TSU dancers. This is the kind of big-budget spectacle that the rodeo salivates for. Backed by a mostly-female band onstage, the Ocean of Soul provided a constant brassy, bassy undercurrent.

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“This is the city that raised me,” Lizzo said, taking in the 69,362 souls in her midst.

She was met with a hurricane-force wall of screams as she launched into “Cuz I Love You,” ditching her black leather duster for a white tank top.

Houston’s own gospel pop quartet The Walls Group appeared just then for the Black National Anthem, “Lift Every Voice And Sing.” Lizzo and the Walls siblings then wove “Special” into “Total Praise.” We’d all buy a Lizzo gospel album, and you know it.

Her collaboration with Cardi B “Rumors” — flaunting rodeo lyrical standards — gave way to her own rendition 4 Non Blondes’ “What’s Up,” giving Linda Perry’s grunge pop classic a torch song glow-up.

Lizzo got back into her custom SLAB for her own “Yitty On Yo Tittys” from last summer’s My Face Hurts From Smiling album, complete with a human-sized dancing Labubu. The Ocean of Soul got its own interlude while keen eyes could see Lizzo side stage, tuning up her famous flute with a familiar line.

Wait, is that? Yes, by God, that’s Houston’s national anthem.

Soon Slim Thug, Mike Jones, and Paul Wall sauntered out for “Still Tippin’” as city pride began to sweat from the stadium walls, all while the Ocean of Soul kept strutting along. The professor emeritus’ of Houston's 2000s rap explosion, you look up from your phone and realize all these Houston rap standards are all over 20 years old now. Paul is a silver fox, Slim is a real estate magnate, and even people in Japan know Jones’ personal phone number.

“At the end of the day, I just want Houston to feel good as hell,” Lizzo said, tapping directly into “Good As Hell.” Was that a pregnant lady in a cowboy hat dancing on the big screen? How much more Houston can a fetus be?

The only truly Houston things left to do tonight were to sweat through your Wranglers in the parking lot, gaze at the Astrodome, sit in standstill traffic, and join the drive-thru parade at the closest Whataburger.

Setlist

With Texas Southern University’s Ocean Of Soul

About Damn Time
Juice
2 Be Loved (Am I Ready)
Soulmate
Cuz I Love You

With The Walls Group

Lift Every Voice And Sing
Special > Total Praise
Rumors > What’s Up

Tempo > Wobble
Boys (with Ocean Of Soul)
Mo City Don (Z-Ro Cover)
Yitty On Yo Tittys
Screwed (with Ocean Of Soul)
Still Tippin’ (with Slim Thug, Mike Jones, and Paul Wall)
Truth Hurts
Good As Hell (with Ocean Of Soul)

rodeohouston concert review lizzo