best february concerts

Olivia Rodrigo, RodeoHouston's return, and The Eagles headline Houston's best February concerts

Cold War Kids are at House of Blues on February 16.

The coldest days of winter seemingly behind us, the Houston live music scene is heating up in February with one sold-old world tour, the kickoff of RodeoHouston, and a number of acclaimed national acts hitting stages across the city.

Although ticket prices are as burning hot as the shows that are coming to Houston this month, they haven’t seemed to put a damper on the appetites of concertgoers, with a huge slate of 2024 show being announced seemingly every week – see Dave Matthews Band, Alice Cooper & Rob Zombie, Bush, and Third Eye Blind this month alone.

Consider these shows appetizers to the entrees on the concert schedule in the months ahead.

Portugal. The Man, February 10, Bayou Mustic Center

Formed in Alaska, alt-rock act Portugal. The Man found a dedicated fan base in Houston early into its career, so much so that Jagi Katial, co-founder of the local venue White Oak Music Hall, appeared in the video for the 2017 Grammy Award winning hit, “Feel It Still.” Woodstock, the album that featured that song, catapulted the band to festival mainstays. The quintet is back in H-town touring last year’s Chris Black Changed My Life – you might have heard lead single, “Dummy,” in a recent Taco Bell commercial. Snacktime opens.

Eagles & Steely Dan, February 16, Toyota Center

Long after hell froze over and seemingly endless final tours, the Eagles – minus deceased original members Glenn Frey and Randy Meisner – are still going strong, almost as if their career is stuck in a “Hotel California” they can never leave. But really, this is it, folks, as this Toyota Center appearance is part of “Long Goodbye” Final Tour with jazzy dad rock legends Steely Dan opening.

No longer the “New Kid in Town,” it feels like the ‘70s hitmakers that sold 200 million albums worldwide are back in Houston almost annually on a tour touted as the end of the line. Maybe this is the tour they “Take It to the Limit.” Plan accordingly.

Cold War Kids, February 16, House of Blues

Indie-rock vets Cold War Kids are on the road following a 2023 opening slot for ’80s New Wave stars Tear for Fears, now headlining shows behind their latest, self-titled release. The Long Beach, California group rose to prominence on alt-rock radio with their hits “First,” “Love is Mystical,” and “Hang Me Up to Dry,” that draws comparisons to later-day Modest Mouse or a poppier version of The Black Keys. To celebrate the start of the tour, they’re releasing their new single, “Heaven In Your Hands.”

Black Violin, February 17, 713 Music Hall

Classical and hip-hop meets with Fort Lauderdale duo Black Violin, comprised of Kev Marcus on violin and Wil B. on viola. First gaining acclaim on the Fox talent competition show, Showtime at the Apollo, which they won, they captured the imagination of string afficionados and rap diehards with their unique take on hip-hop covers. Since the early 2000s, they’ve appeared on stage with Alicia Keys and Wu-Tang Clan and guested on records by Tom Petty and Aerosmith.

Yo La Tengo, February 23, The Heights Theater

For fans of melancholy, melodic indie music heavily indebted to the Velvet Underground, the Kinks, twee and shoegaze, the appearance of Yo La Tengo at the intimate confines of The Heights Theater is a must-attend event. One would be hard-pressed to find an act that has been as consistently great and as influential as the Hoboken, New Jersey trio since they released their debut album in 1986, laying the groundwork for so many independent acts to come. Add 2023’s This Stupid World to the list of listenable gems.

Gov’t Mule, February 25, Bayou Music Center

The hard-touring Gov’t Mule is practically an institution in jam band circles and continues its run with 2023’s Peace…Like a River. Gov’t Mule specializes in easy-going blues riffs as evidenced in their biggest songs, “Thorazine Shuffle” and “Soulshine,” a bit of a throwback to the ‘70s classic rock heyday, not surprising for an act co-founded by Allman Brother Band guitarist Warren Haynes and bassist Allen Woody. Expect a lot of guitar solos and hazy sightlines.

Olivia Rodrigo, February 27, Toyota Center

One of the biggest pop stars going right now, Olivia Rodrigo’s first tour in 2022 saw her selling out 713 Music Hall in mere minutes due to her massive, Grammy Award-winning breakthrough debut, Sour. Three No. 1 songs later, the “Drivers License” songwriter will perform a sell-out show at the much larger Toyota Center as part of her insane, 77-show, globetrotting Guts tour. The ‘90s alt-pop-punk influenced trendsetter will bring songs from that similarly huge second No. 1 album, which features her hella-good, fourth chart-topping song, “Vampire.” The fantastic Chappell Roan opens.

RodeoHouston, February 27-March 17, NRG Stadium

The annual Bayou City tradition is back! RodeoHouston kicks off its 2024 slate of diverse musical acts doing what it does best: showcasing country stars and a final installment of Bun B’s historic Takeovers. Chart-topping country singer and former judge on The Voice, Blake Shelton, will serve as the season opener on February 27, making his sixth appearance and the first since his wife, Gwen Stefani, put on a RodeoHouston show for the ages in 2022. No pressure, Blake.

Fast-rising female artist, the Kentucky-born Carly Pearce, brings her classic Faith Hill sound to her first appearance on the star-shaped stage on February 29, hot off releasing her single, “We Don’t Fight Anymore” with another repeat RodeoHouston performer, Chris Stapleton. The month is capped off by the Australian duo King & Country, which made history as the first Christian pop band to play on the NRG Stadium dirt and dust in 2022, drawing a praise-worthy 50,000+ ticket holders.

††† (Crosses), February 27, House of Blues

The decidedly non-Christian but Christian-monikered ††† (Crosses) is the cult-act side project of Deftones lead singer Chino Moreno and multi-instrumentalist Shaun Lopez. Whereas Deftones offers a more straight-ahead approach to hard rock and melodic metal, Crosses dives hard into the synths with a delicious mix of dark wave and goth soundscapes. They are currently promoting the 2023 release, Goodnight, God Bless, I Love U, Delete which featured contributions from the Cure's Robert Smith.

Movie Review

Scarlett Johansson makes her directorial debut with Eleanor the Great

Photo courtesy of Sony Pictures Classics

June Squibb in Eleanor the Great.

One of the more remarkable stories in recent movie history is the very late rise of actor June Squibb. Although not an unknown, having appeared in supporting roles in the 1990s and 2000s, Squibb became a sensation after earning an Oscar nomination for her role in Nebraska in 2013 at the age of 84. She has remained in demand ever since, even playing the lead role in Thelma in 2024 and now Eleanor the Great.

Eleanor (Squibb) is a long-retired woman living in Florida with her best friend, Bessie (Rita Zohar). When Bessie dies, Eleanor’s daughter Lisa (Jessica Hecht) insists she move back to New York to be closer to her family. With no other connections, Eleanor takes Lisa’s suggestion to go to her local Jewish community center to see if she can make some friends there.

Eleanor inadvertently gets pulled into a Holocaust survivor group, where everyone there assumes she shares their history. Out of embarrassment and a love for Bessie, who was a Holocaust survivor, Eleanor starts sharing Bessie’s stories as if they were her own. Nina (Erin Kellyman), an NYU student, happens to be at the meeting and takes a shine to Eleanor. Soon, the two of them are spending lots of time together, with Nina hoping to use Eleanor’s stories for a piece she’s writing for her journalism class.

Scarlett Johansson, making her directing debut, and writer Tory Kamen give Squibb a light-yet-dramatic showcase that plays directly to her strengths. Many films that focus on elderly characters use their age as a joke, pointing out how they don’t mesh well with modern times. The filmmakers mostly eschew that kind of storytelling, instead allowing Eleanor to be a full human being who gets caught up in a lie that she can’t seem to shake.

They also make the wise decision to give Eleanor a compelling foil in Nina, who’s dealing with her own trauma following the recent death of her mother. The grief that Nina and her father, Roger (Chiwetel Ejiofor), are experiencing adds a dimension to the story that that expands its emotional depth. Eleanor and Nina’s growing friendship is portrayed so believably that the inevitable reveal of Eleanor’s deception grows more heartbreaking by the minute.

Johansson has a few minor missteps in her first attempt as a feature filmmaker, but overall she demonstrates an ability to juggle a variety of characters and situations without losing the thread of the plot. The story is a familiar one that’s been done in different ways before, but Johansson and her team keep it engaging throughout despite its predictable beats.

Squibb, who is 95 years old (!!), is yet again a wonder in the role. While her and her character’s age are a big part of the story, that fact never overshadows her acting ability. She’s able to find nuances that make Eleanor into a large presence, proving she is a star through and through. The rest of the cast is also great, especially Kellyman and Ejiofor, who inhabit their storyline well without taking away from the main plot.

There are not many actors who still have the ability to carry an entire movie on their back in their nineties, but Squibb is a delightful exception. The fact that Eleanor the Great is not some disposable trifle makes her continued late-career renaissance all the more impressive, and even more reason to respect her and everyone involved in the film.

---

Eleanor the Great is now playing in theaters.

movies film