creed seems likely

10 Millennial-friendly musical acts that could play RodeoHouston in 2025

As long as we still have millennial nostalgia on the brain, let’s think about who could follow the likes of Nickelback, 50 Cent, and the Jonas Brothers in 2025. The record-breaking crowds for those shows proved that millennials — this writer is an elderly millennial himself — are ready to rodeo with the bands that populated their iPods and burned CDs.

If the crowd for Nickelback is any indication, seeing Creed at RodeoHouston isn’t beyond the realm of possibility. It’s going to happen, so embrace it with arms wide open.

Justin Timberlake would be a great candidate for a sold-out show, but he’s coming through Houston’s Toyota Center at the end of the year. He could always come through in 2026 to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the release of “FutureSex/LoveSounds”. Sometimes chest pains aren’t just chest pains. Be sure and talk to your doctor.

Past appearances by Fall Out Boy (2015), Panic! At The Disco (2019) and blink-182 (2017) proved that even pop-punk has a place at NRG Stadium. Bun B’s All-American Takeover featured hip-hop acts like Rick Ross, Ying Yang Twins, Eve, and Nelly that ably scratched the Y2K-era itch.

Kings of Leon (2019), Gwen Stefani (2022), Bruno Mars (2013) and Maroon 5 (2005, 2006, 2014) have all been through the building and would be welcomed back with a quickness.

With all that in mind, let’s engage in a little idle speculation about which Millennial-friendly musical acts might threaten the Jonas Brothers’ new attendance record of 75,600 for RodeoHouston 2025. Hopefully, at least a couple of them perform on the star-shaped stage next year.

The Killers
No lie, this would be a hugely sought-after ticket across several demographics, not just people who had Friendster accounts. The Killers have international clout to (cowboy) boot. Did you know that “Mr. Brightside” has over 2 billion spins on Spotify?

Weezer
It wasn’t too many album cycles ago that Weezer’s Rivers Cuomo was wearing cowboy hats and pearl snap shirts on album covers and rocking the country boy aesthetic. They also have plenty of hits to keep everyone captivated for an hour, meaning all killer no filler. If their September stop at Toyota Center sells out, it’s a no-brainer to bring them back in March.

Creed
Creed and Nickelback were two of the best-selling rock acts of the late ‘90s and early 2000s even while they were openly reviled by the Pitchfork crowd. A new generation has rediscovered them with a little less seriousness. Creed can play as long as they leave the Texas Rangers gear at home.

Paramore
Paramore are one of the most popular acts of the past 20 years, growing with the Warped Tour audience they came up with to be spin-class icons. Lead singer Hayley Williams is her generation's Debbie Harry. This is Mom Music now, and moms need to party too.

Miley Cyrus
It’s actually highly surprising that Miley Cyrus hasn’t returned to RodeoHouston since her two Hannah Montana shows in the 2000s. A lot has happened in the meantime. And hey, you know the wardrobe would be immaculate.

Korn
As long as we’re booking Creed, let’s bring on the cowboy hats and the dreadlocks. Korn is not the same Korn they were in 1999. These guys are now upstanding citizens with grandkids and church ministries.

Christina Aguilera
She’s been drawing huge crowds at her Las Vegas residency. We might not ever see Britney Spears at the rodeo, sadly, but this would be the next best thing.

Avril Lavigne
“Sk8er Boi” was released 22 years ago. Have you had your cholesterol checked lately? Did you know there are good and bad cholesterol levels? It’s true.

Snoop Dogg
It’s only a matter of time before they start selling THC seltzers at the rodeo.

Rob Zombie
Come on, you know you want to see Rob Zombie’s army of robot monster stage props on the dirt at NRG Stadium.

Photo courtesy of The Killers

The Killers are coming to Austin on October 18.

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Movie Review

Ben Affleck cooks the books in chaotic sequel The Accountant 2

Photo by Warrick Page/Prime

Jon Bernthal and Ben Affleck in The Accountant 2.

In this Hollywood era of franchises, finding one to call their own is a priority for many movie stars. Over 30 years into his career, Ben Affleck had yet to find one; he did star as Batman in multiple movies, but that role has been interchangeable. He seemed to get a prime action hero role with 2016’s The Accountant, but somehow it’s taken nine years for The Accountant 2 to come out.

Affleck’s character of Christian Wolff is a high-functioning autistic man whose abilities to comb through mounds of data quickly and efficiently are matched only by his fighting skills. When Ray King (J.K. Simmons), a former Treasury agent who had previously hunted Christian, is murdered, King’s replacement, Marybeth Medina (Cynthia Addai-Robinson), calls on Christian to help figure out what happened and track down his killer.

The search quickly finds multiple criminal conspiracies, including a hitman ring, a scheme to abduct migrants, and more. Naturally, Wolff claims to need help in the endeavor, so his mercenary brother Braxton (Jon Bernthal) soon joins in on the quest. The two brothers work together to figure out the puzzle while also stopping to have some fun every now and then.

Directed by Gavin O’Connor and written by Bill Dubuque (both returning from the original), the film feels like it is missing many connective scenes. It often starts down one road and seems to be making good progress when it suddenly veers into another storytelling lane with no explanation. This happens multiple times throughout the film, to the point that it becomes almost impossible to tell what the main story is supposed to be.

In the first film, the oddity of having an autistic math genius also being a world-class marksman and fighter somehow made sense. This film leans much more into Christian’s physical skills, with the autistic side of things showing up in his (mostly) emotionless demeanor. While that works to a certain degree, the choppiness of the story undercuts the character traits that Affleck does his best to impart.

The best examples of the messiness of the film come in the multiple scenes that serve as nothing more than comic relief, with not even an attempt at connecting them to the main plot, such as it is. Two of them involve Christian proving himself to be a ladies man despite his lack of conversational skills, both of which fall flat as they seem to be making fun of his autism rather than highlighting positive aspects of it. Each of the comic scenes is so disparate in tone from the rest of the film that they essentially bring the story to a screeching halt.

Affleck is fine in the part, although he’s much better when Christian turns toward action hero mode than when he has to display the character’s autistic traits. Bernthal is great at being an over-the-top macho guy, and he gets to indulge that side of him throughout the film. Addai-Robinson is disserved by a role that doesn’t give her character any autonomy despite her high-powered position.

Affleck’s career has been one of the most up-and-down ones of any supposed A-list actor, and The Accountant 2 marks another down moment for him. He may have finally gotten his first sequel for a film in which he’s the main character, but don’t expect there to be a third installment.

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The Accountant 2 opens in theaters on April 25.

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