best february concerts

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

Photo by Colin Brennan

Black Violin heads to 713 Music Hall on February 17.

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.

can't stop the rock

Houston musicians rally around rockin' couple after brain cancer scare

Photo by Sam Colvin

Charles and Lauren Eddy of Raudiver.

Husband-and-wife musicians Charles and Lauren Eddy were looking forward to starting a new chapter in their lives as a rock duo.

After doing time in Houston rock bands El Lago and Young Mammals, the couple began composing music as goth rock/darkwave duo Raudiver, naming the band after Latvian writer/parapsychologist/electronic voice phenomena investigator Konstantīns Raudive. Last September, they released their debut album Leave Before Dark, which got some critical love from the local press, including ranking No. 6 on the Houston Chronicle’s “10 Best Albums from Local Houston Artists of 2024” list.)

The Eddys were ready to start off the new year by performing live shows around Texas. But, in February, it was announced on their Instagram page that shows would be canceled due to a medical emergency.

“[Charles] always would get migraines,” says vocalist/keyboardist Lauren, 38, during a Zoom call with her guitarist husband. “He would have, like, nausea. He'd have to sleep it off. He wouldn't want to eat. And it was just becoming more frequent, more severe.”

On the morning of February 5, Charles had a seizure that prompted Lauren to call 911. “It was a really scary experience,” she remembers. “We went to the hospital, the emergency room, and they did the initial CAT scan and found a mass. And the bad news just kept going from there.”

Scans revealed Charles had a brain tumor two inches in size — a malignant, aggressive, grade 4 glioblastoma. The survival rate for this cancer is very low; the median survival time is 12-15 months with treatment, and the five-year survival rate is less than 5 percent.

After spending a week in ICU, he was transferred to MD Anderson Cancer Center for “awake surgery.” “They woke him up in the middle of it and had him do some exercises to make sure that they weren't bagging something important,” says Lauren.

For Charles, it was a three-hour process of answering simple questions. “They have you cut open and it didn't hurt or anything — just, every once in a while, some weird pressure,” says Charles, 34.

“And it's like somebody you've already talked to a few times – the speech pathologist. They have an iPad over here that you can see, and they'll say, ‘What animal is this?’ And it'll be a dog or a cat or whatever, and it's a sketch of the animal. And then they'll say, ‘Okay, what kind of tree is this? What kind of flower is this? What kind of bird is this?’ The whole time, they're feeding you one ice cube at a time, because you can’t move and your mouth gets dry.”

According to Lauren, doctors took most of the tumor out. Charles is currently going through chemotherapy and radiation therapy to get rid of the rest, which is still in a very sensitive part of his brain. Along with consuming several meds (which he carries in a fanny pack wrapped around his chest) on the daily, Charles is doing physical and occupational therapy just to get back to the simple things, like writing a song.

“I do have a problem with reading now,” he says. “I have to exercise that muscle. ! get a stutter and, even in my writing, I'll have sentences where I'm like, ‘Oh, God, what is that letter?’ And it just gets stuck sometimes.”

Thankfully, they have friends and family ready to help them. The former Galveston residents have been living at the home of Jacob Villarreal, Lauren’s brother, while he’s out of town. Villarreal also launched a GoFundMe page for medical costs, recovery expenses, and financial backup. With a $60,000 goal, as of this writing, the campaign has raised over $55,000.

People in Houston’s music community have also stepped up. Earlier this year, Cactus Music held a Record Store Day raffle that raised $1,500 for the Eddys. Last month, Axelrad held a “For the Love of Charlie” benefit concert where limited-edition, seven-inch remixes of Raudiver songs were sold with other merch. And there’s another benefit show happening August 30 at Old Quarter Acoustic Cafe in Galveston. Says Charles, “I don't know what we would have done without all the support.”

At the moment, the Eddys don’t see live performances happening in the foreseeable future. “I'm worried about just taking him to a restaurant,” says Lauren. “He had a seizure at dinner at a restaurant and it was a 911 call and we shut down the whole restaurant. My anxiety is always so high with him.”

But the music of Raudiver is still available at your nearest record store or streaming platform. Even though they haven’t had a smooth, painless 2025 so far (and, honestly, who has?), they’re still proud of the work they made as a rock-and-roll couple.

“I hope that it’s something that maybe gives other people inspiration to do that thing that they're curious about trying creatively or taking a step in their life personally,” says Lauren. “Maybe take a risk that they hesitate to take and maybe give a little inspiration to do that, because you never know what's going to happen next.”

concerts fundraisers raudiver cancer treatment