Concert News

Keyshia Cole shows the way it is on 2025 tour with stop in Houston

Keyshia Cole will perform at Toyota Center on July 25.

Photo by Tayo Kuku Jr.

Keyshia Cole, the Grammy-nominated singer, songwriter, and “Princess of Hip-Hop and R&B,” will go on the road in summer 2025 with The Way It Is 20th Anniversary Tour, stopping in Houston at Toyota Center on Friday, July 25.

The tour will celebrate the milestone anniversary of Cole's 2005 debut album, which immediately put her at the top of the R&B genre. It was the first of six straight top 10 albums on the Billboard 200 for the singer.

The all-arena tour, presented by AEG Presents and Free Lunch, will kick off on July 1 in Baltimore, Maryland, traveling to 20 cities in just over a month.

In addition to Houston, Cole will also perform in Fort Worth on July 26. She'll be joined by special guests Tink and Wale at both Texas concerts.

The concert will be a retrospective of Cole's career as, after releasing seven albums in 12 years, she has not put out any new work since 11:11 Reset in 2017.

“I’m so grateful to be celebrating The Way It Is 20 years later with the fans who have been with me since day one,” said Cole in a statement. “This album changed my life, and being able to take it on the road — from city to city, country to country — is truly a full circle moment, and blessing.”

The Way It Is will be released on vinyl for the first time since its original 2005 release as a 20th anniversary edition double LP on black vinyl and also on limited edition Rose Garden Pink Translucent color vinyl via A&M/UMe on June 20, the day before the album’s 20th anniversary.

Fans can purchase tickets early during the venue presale happening Thursday, April 24 from 10 am to 10 pm CST via Ticketmaster.com. Tickets go on sale Friday, April 25, at 10 am.

The Way It Is 20th Anniversary Tour dates

Jul 01: Baltimore, MD - CFG Bank Arena
Jul 02: Philadelphia, PA - Wells Fargo Center
Jul 05: Chicago, IL - United Center
Jul 06: Cleveland, OH - Rocket Arena
Jul 09: Toronto, ON - Coca-Cola Coliseum
Jul 10: Detroit, MI - Little Caesars Arena
Jul 12: Brooklyn, NY - Barclays Center
Jul 13: Newark, NJ - Prudential Center
Jul 16: Greensboro, NC - Greensboro Coliseum Complex
Jul 17: Birmingham, AL - Legacy Arena at the BJCC
Jul 19: Tampa, FL - Amalie Arena
Jul 20: Hollywood, FL - Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino
Jul 22: Atlanta, GA - State Farm Arena
Jul 23: New Orleans, LA - Smoothie King Center
Jul 25: Houston, TX - Toyota Center
Jul 26: Fort Worth, TX - Dickies Arena
Jul 31: Oakland, CA - Oakland Arena
Aug 01: Las Vegas, NV - T-Mobile Arena
Aug 02: Sacramento, CA - Thunder Valley Casino Resort
Aug 08: Los Angeles, CA - Crypto.com Arena

concerts music

a sort of homecoming

Houston director Wes Anderson headlines fundraiser for historic theater

Photo by Lars Niki/Getty Images for The Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences

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Acclaimed Houston-born filmmaker Wes Anderson may call Paris his home these days, but he’s always ready and willing to come back home to support a worthy cause.

The Oscar-winning auteur will attend an evening celebrating his 30-year career in filmmaking, presented by Arthouse Houston. Titled “Wes Anderson Homecoming Soiree,” the event takes place at the Hobby Center for the Performing Arts’ Zilkha Hall on Friday, July 17. It will also benefit the preservation of the historic Garden Oaks Theater and founding of a new Arts & Film Center.

The evening will include a “Founders Experience,” followed by a reception with food and drinks, live music by the Kelly Doyle Trio, and a silent auction. After that, Anderson will introduce a quintet of his short films he selected for the occasion. These shorts include Bottle Rocket (which he later expanded into his 1996 feature-film debut), and The Swan, one of the shorts from The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar and Three More, his only-on-Netflix collection of mini-Roald Dahl adaptations.

Donors at the Founders level will be treated to a meet-and-greet and Q&A with Anderson and friends prior to the show, including a celebratory toast, and a signed show poster. Top-tier donors (starting at $100,000) will have naming rights within the new Arts & Film Center and four complimentary tickets to the event. Proceeds will directly help the effort to preserve one of the city’s few remaining historic cinemas, as well as create a new cultural hub where cinema, live performance, production, and education converge.

Houston won’t be Anderson’s only American stop next month. From Friday, July 10, to Sunday, July 12, he’ll be in Los Angeles for the Hollywood Bowl’s “Music from the Films of Wes Anderson” concert series, featuring performances from Beck, Jackson Browne, Devo, Bill Murray, and others.

For tickets and more info on the event, go here.

wes anderson houston fundraisers preservation