best october concerts

Lizzo, Post Malone, and Chris Stapleton headline Houston's hottest October concerts

October continues the hot streak for major stars hitting the stages in the Bayou City just as the weather is getting tolerable.

This month features a number of performances in the largest spaces the city has to offer with the cool fall air threatening to cut down the sweatiness concert-goers endured the last few months.

While this may be one of the best runs for live music in recent years, it begs a question as to how much this longer it will hold up. The sheer amount of shows after the pandemic, the cost of tickets, and inflation affecting budgets doesn’t seem like a sustainable model for touring acts to maintain. In fact, cancellations aren’t uncommon among lesser-known acts who simply can’t afford to tour.

For paying customers, it’s often a choice of where to spend money and generally the bigger acts will win out. One of the few benefits of the current musical climate is these larger acts are stepping up their game to produce mind-bending performances. In other words, you’re more likely to get more bang for your buck.

Here are the biggest shows – and hopefully, biggest spectacles — in the Houston area this October.

Mary J. Blige with Ella Mai, Queen Naija
Saturday, October 1
Toyota Center, 1510 Polk St.

The groundbreaking Super Bowl LVI half-time show featured a number of hip-hop stars, led by super-producer and headphones entrepreneur, Dr. Dre. But rather than Snoop Dogg and Eminem stealing the show, that honor went to the immaculate Mary J. Blige. The Queen of Hip-Hop Soul absolutely crushed it, showcasing her untouchable pipes and bumping catalog of chart-topping hits. Now she’s on the road with the critically acclaimed album, Good Morning Gorgeous.

Tickets start at $69.50 plus fees. Doors open at 7 pm.

Smashing Pumpkins with Jane’s Addiction, and Poppy
Monday, October 3
Toyota Center, 1510 Polk St.

One of the better lineups this year for alt-rock fans, the 30-million-album-selling Smashing Pumpkins bring together another storied group, Jane’s Addiction, joining them for their promo run for 2020’s Cyr. It’s one of Billy Corgan and company’s better efforts in some time. The Pumpkins last played a less-than-full Toyota Center back in 2019, so the added firepower will bring some needed muscle and butts in seats. Expect to hear the hits, “Today,” “Cherub Rock,” “1979,” and “Bullet with Butterfly Wings.”

Tickets start at $33 plus fees. Doors open at 5:30 pm.

Post Malone with Roddy Ricch
Tuesday, October 25
Toyota Center, 1510 Polk St.

The tattoo-faced, mega-selling superstar rapper and actor Post Malone returns to Houston, where he’s played multiple sold-out shows. He comes to town following a disastrous fall during a show in St. Louis, walking into a hole on stage and damaging his ribs that forced a few show cancellations and time in the hospital.

Thankfully, signs point to Post being okay for his Toyota Center headlining show. The “Rockstar,” “Psycho” and “Sunflower” artist is supporting another hit album, Twelve Carat Toothache.

Tickets start at $39.50 plus fees. Doors open at 7 pm.

The Chicks with Patty Griffin
Saturday, October 8
Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion, 2005 Lake Robbins Dr., The Woodlands

Texas’ finest and maybe most controversial country gals, The Chicks, are now performing under a new name, (rightfully) dropping the Dixie for its historical connotations. The rabble-rousers are back after a long 14-year hiatus, but the time off hasn’t left them any less relaxed.

Always a group to stand up for themselves in a fight (“Goodbye Earl” from 1999’s Fly is a good example), 2020’s Gaslighter draws heavily on some old school country themes, most especially infidelity, with the namesake single spitting straight fire towards the ex of lead singer Natalie Maines for their best hit in years.

Tickets start at $79.50 plus fees. Gates open at 6 pm.

Stevie Nicks with Vanessa Carlton
Sunday, October 9
Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion, 2005 Lake Robbins Dr, The Woodlands

Two-time Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Stevie Nicks takes a break from her regular gig in the biggest classic rock act of all time, Fleetwood Mac, for a run of solo shows. Make no mistake, Nicks is just as fierce as a lone performer, putting together a string of radio hits, such as “Edge of Seventeen” and “Stop Dragging My Heart Around.”

If we’re lucky, we’ll get a few songs from her other band, including an unofficial cranberry juice theme song.

Tickets are available on the resale market. Gates open at 6:30 pm.

CultureMap Recommends: Carly Rae Jepsen
Sunday, October 9
713 Music Hall, 401 Franklin St., Suite 1600

Canadian pop star Carly Rae Jepsen won our pop-loving hearts back in 2012 with the timeless single, “Call Me Maybe” that perfectly encapsulated a teenage crush.

After that song blew up thanks to a Justin Bieber lip-synch video, Jepsen went on to produce the fantastic 2015 album, E-MO-TION, seen by critics as a trailblazing progression of pop sounds pulling from the past and updating them for the future. She’ll hit 713 Music Hall behind her soon-to-be-released 2022 album, The Loneliest Time.

Tickets start at $43.50 plus fees. Show starts at 8 pm.

Lil Nas X
Tuesday, October 11
713 Music Hall, 401 Franklin St., Suite 1600

The No. 1-charting provocateur Lil Nas X will light up the stage with what will sure to be eye-popping visuals and unchecked inhibition as part of his Long Live Montero tour. The groundbreaking genre-bender first shot to stardom with the inescapable Billy Ray Cyrus-meets-Nine Inch Nails remix, “Old Town Road,” the longest charting No. 1 in the history if the U.S. Not too shabby.

He struck gold again with “Montero (Call Me by Your Name),” raising the eyebrows of squares everywhere with it’s unabashed queerness. This one is going to get wild, y’all.

Tickets start at $29.95 plus fees. Show starts at 8 pm.

The Black Keys with Band of Horses and The Velveteers
Saturday, October 15
Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion, 2005 Lake Robbins Dr., The Woodlands

Recently making news for marriage troubles between drummer Patrick Carney and singer-songwriter Michelle Branch, The Black Keys will try to find some semblance of normalcy outside the tabloids when they get back to their fiery blues-rock performances. This year’s Dropout Boogie is their latest.

Head’s up: catch the fantastic opening Seattle band, Band of Horses, for a dose of alt-rock-country majesty.

Tickets start at $39.50 plus fees. Gates open at 5:30 pm.

CultureMap Show of the Month: Lizzo with Latto and Saucy Santana
Monday, October 26
Toyota Center, 1510 Polk St.

A Houston-bred success story, Aldine’s Lizzo is finally home, playing her biggest show yet in the city, headlining the Toyota Center. One of the more disappointing storylines arising from the pandemic, the “Juice” star’s slot at RodeoHouston in 2020 was cancelled much to the dismay of her fast-growing fanbase.

Now an Emmy-winner for her series, Lizzo's Watch Out for the Big Grrrls, and lover of really old flutes, she’ll be bringing her new album, Special, to life for her adoring hometown crowd.

Tickets start at $39.50 plus fees. Doors open at 6:30 pm.

Chris Stapleton with Elle King and Morgan Wade
Friday, October 28
Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion, 2005 Lake Robbins Dr., The Woodlands

Country crooner Chris Stapleton is, well, a staple of the local live music scene, performing seemingly every year at RodeoHouston in addition to regular shows at the Pavilion. If he’s not a Texan (he’s from Kentucky), then he sure feels like one.

Not that anyone minds, as the award-winning “Tennessee Whiskey,” “Broken Halos,” and “You Should Probably Leave” songwriter plays classic country that invites mass singalongs and pulls at heartstrings, steeped in Americana-influenced storytelling.

Tickets are available on the resale market. Gates open at 6 pm.

Lizzo Facebook

Lizzo returns to her hometown on October 26 at Toyota Center.

Movie Review

Avatar: Fire and Ash returns to Pandora with big action and bold visuals

Photo courtesy of 20th Century Studios

Oona Chaplin in Avatar: Fire and Ash.

For a series whose first two films made over $5 billion combined worldwide, Avatar has a curious lack of widespread cultural impact. The films seem to exist in a sort of vacuum, popping up for their run in theaters and then almost as quickly disappearing from the larger movie landscape. The third of five planned movies, Avatar: Fire and Ash, is finally being released three years after its predecessor, Avatar: The Way of Water.

The new film finds the main duo, human-turned-Na’vi Jake Sully (Sam Worthington) and his native Na’vi wife, Neytiri (Zoë Saldaña), still living with the water-loving Metkayina clan led by Ronal (Kate Winslet) and Tonowari (Cliff Curtis). While Jake and Neytiri still play a big part, the focus shifts significantly to their two surviving children, Lo’ak (Britain Dalton) and Tuk (Trinity Jo-Li Bliss), as well as two they’ve essentially adopted, Kiri (Sigourney Weaver) and Spider (Jack Champion).

Miles Quaritch (Stephen Lang), who lives on in a fabricated Na’vi body, is still looking for revenge on Jake, and he finds help in the form of the Mangkwan Clan (aka the Ash People), led by Varang (Oona Chaplin). Quaritch’s access to human weapons and the Mangkwan’s desire for more power on the moon known as Pandora make them a nice match, and they team up to try to dominate the other tribes.

Aside from the story, the main point of making the films for writer/director James Cameron is showing off his considerable technical filmmaking prowess, and that is on full display right from the start. The characters zoom around both the air and sea on various creatures with which they’ve bonded, providing Cameron and his team with plenty of opportunities to put the audience right there with them. Cameron’s preferred viewing method of 3D makes the experience even more immersive, even if the high frame rate he uses makes some scenes look too realistic for their own good.

The story, as it has been in the first two films, is a mixed bag. Cameron and co-writers Rick Jaffa and Amanda Silver start off well, having Jake, Neytiri, and their kids continue mourning the death of Neteyam (Jamie Flatters) in the previous film. The struggle for power provides an interesting setup, but Cameron and his team seem to drag out the conflict for much too long. This is the longest Avatar film yet, and you really start to feel it in the back half as the filmmakers add on a bunch of unnecessary elements.

Worse than the elongated story, though, is the hackneyed dialogue that Cameron, Jaffa, and Silver have come up with. Almost every main character is forced to spout lines that diminish the importance of the events around them. The writers seemingly couldn’t resist trying to throw in jokes despite them clashing with the tone of the scenes in which they’re said. Combined with the somewhat goofy nature of the Na’vi themselves (not to mention talking whales), the eye-rolling words detract from any excitement or emotion the story builds up.

A pre-movie behind-the-scenes short film shows how the actors act out every scene in performance capture suits, lending an authenticity to their performances. Still, some performers are better than others, with Saldaña, Worthington, and Lang standing out. It’s more than a little weird having Weaver play a 14-year-old girl, but it works relatively well. Those who actually get to show their real faces are collectively fine, but none of them elevate the film overall.

There are undoubtedly some Avatar superfans for which Fire and Ash will move the larger story forward in significant ways. For anyone else, though, the film is a demonstration of both the good and bad sides of Cameron. As he’s proven for 40 years, his visuals are (almost) beyond reproach, but the lack of a story that sticks with you long after you’ve left the theater keeps the film from being truly memorable.

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Avatar: Fire and Ash opens in theaters on December 19.

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