• Home
  • popular
  • EVENTS
  • submit-new-event
  • CHARITY GUIDE
  • Children
  • Education
  • Health
  • Veterans
  • Social Services
  • Arts + Culture
  • Animals
  • LGBTQ
  • New Charity
  • TRENDING NEWS
  • News
  • City Life
  • Entertainment
  • Sports
  • Home + Design
  • Travel
  • Real Estate
  • Restaurants + Bars
  • Arts
  • Society
  • Innovation
  • Fashion + Beauty
  • subscribe
  • about
  • series
  • Embracing Your Inner Cowboy
  • Green Living
  • Summer Fun
  • Real Estate Confidential
  • RX In the City
  • State of the Arts
  • Fall For Fashion
  • Cai's Odyssey
  • Comforts of Home
  • Good Eats
  • Holiday Gift Guide 2010
  • Holiday Gift Guide 2
  • Good Eats 2
  • HMNS Pirates
  • The Future of Houston
  • We Heart Hou 2
  • Music Inspires
  • True Grit
  • Hoops City
  • Green Living 2011
  • Cruizin for a Cure
  • Summer Fun 2011
  • Just Beat It
  • Real Estate 2011
  • Shelby on the Seine
  • Rx in the City 2011
  • Entrepreneur Video Series
  • Going Wild Zoo
  • State of the Arts 2011
  • Fall for Fashion 2011
  • Elaine Turner 2011
  • Comforts of Home 2011
  • King Tut
  • Chevy Girls
  • Good Eats 2011
  • Ready to Jingle
  • Houston at 175
  • The Love Month
  • Clifford on The Catwalk Htx
  • Let's Go Rodeo 2012
  • King's Harbor
  • FotoFest 2012
  • City Centre
  • Hidden Houston
  • Green Living 2012
  • Summer Fun 2012
  • Bookmark
  • 1987: The year that changed Houston
  • Best of Everything 2012
  • Real Estate 2012
  • Rx in the City 2012
  • Lost Pines Road Trip Houston
  • London Dreams
  • State of the Arts 2012
  • HTX Fall For Fashion 2012
  • HTX Good Eats 2012
  • HTX Contemporary Arts 2012
  • HCC 2012
  • Dine to Donate
  • Tasting Room
  • HTX Comforts of Home 2012
  • Charming Charlie
  • Asia Society
  • HTX Ready to Jingle 2012
  • HTX Mistletoe on the go
  • HTX Sun and Ski
  • HTX Cars in Lifestyle
  • HTX New Beginnings
  • HTX Wonderful Weddings
  • HTX Clifford on the Catwalk 2013
  • Zadok Sparkle into Spring
  • HTX Let's Go Rodeo 2013
  • HCC Passion for Fashion
  • BCAF 2013
  • HTX Best of 2013
  • HTX City Centre 2013
  • HTX Real Estate 2013
  • HTX France 2013
  • Driving in Style
  • HTX Island Time
  • HTX Super Season 2013
  • HTX Music Scene 2013
  • HTX Clifford on the Catwalk 2013 2
  • HTX Baker Institute
  • HTX Comforts of Home 2013
  • Mothers Day Gift Guide 2021 Houston
  • Staying Ahead of the Game
  • Wrangler Houston
  • First-time Homebuyers Guide Houston 2021
  • Visit Frisco Houston
  • promoted
  • eventdetail
  • Greystar Novel River Oaks
  • Thirdhome Go Houston
  • Dogfish Head Houston
  • LovBe Houston
  • Claire St Amant podcast Houston
  • The Listing Firm Houston
  • South Padre Houston
  • NextGen Real Estate Houston
  • Pioneer Houston
  • Collaborative for Children
  • Decorum
  • Bold Rock Cider
  • Nasher Houston
  • Houston Tastemaker Awards 2021
  • CityNorth
  • Urban Office
  • Villa Cotton
  • Luck Springs Houston
  • EightyTwo
  • Rectanglo.com
  • Silver Eagle Karbach
  • Mirador Group
  • Nirmanz
  • Bandera Houston
  • Milan Laser
  • Lafayette Travel
  • Highland Park Village Houston
  • Proximo Spirits
  • Douglas Elliman Harris Benson
  • Original ChopShop
  • Bordeaux Houston
  • Strike Marketing
  • Rice Village Gift Guide 2021
  • Downtown District
  • Broadstone Memorial Park
  • Gift Guide
  • Music Lane
  • Blue Circle Foods
  • Houston Tastemaker Awards 2022
  • True Rest
  • Lone Star Sports
  • Silver Eagle Hard Soda
  • Modelo recipes
  • Modelo Fighting Spirit
  • Athletic Brewing
  • Rodeo Houston
  • Silver Eagle Bud Light Next
  • Waco CVB
  • EnerGenie
  • HLSR Wine Committee
  • All Hands
  • El Paso
  • Avenida Houston
  • Visit Lubbock Houston
  • JW Marriott San Antonio
  • Silver Eagle Tupps
  • Space Center Houston
  • Central Market Houston
  • Boulevard Realty
  • Travel Texas Houston
  • Alliantgroup
  • Golf Live
  • DC Partners
  • Under the Influencer
  • Blossom Hotel
  • San Marcos Houston
  • Photo Essay: Holiday Gift Guide 2009
  • We Heart Hou
  • Walker House
  • HTX Good Eats 2013
  • HTX Ready to Jingle 2013
  • HTX Culture Motive
  • HTX Auto Awards
  • HTX Ski Magic
  • HTX Wonderful Weddings 2014
  • HTX Texas Traveler
  • HTX Cifford on the Catwalk 2014
  • HTX United Way 2014
  • HTX Up to Speed
  • HTX Rodeo 2014
  • HTX City Centre 2014
  • HTX Dos Equis
  • HTX Tastemakers 2014
  • HTX Reliant
  • HTX Houston Symphony
  • HTX Trailblazers
  • HTX_RealEstateConfidential_2014
  • HTX_IW_Marks_FashionSeries
  • HTX_Green_Street
  • Dating 101
  • HTX_Clifford_on_the_Catwalk_2014
  • FIVE CultureMap 5th Birthday Bash
  • HTX Clifford on the Catwalk 2014 TEST
  • HTX Texans
  • Bergner and Johnson
  • HTX Good Eats 2014
  • United Way 2014-15_Single Promoted Articles
  • Holiday Pop Up Shop Houston
  • Where to Eat Houston
  • Copious Row Single Promoted Articles
  • HTX Ready to Jingle 2014
  • htx woodford reserve manhattans
  • Zadok Swiss Watches
  • HTX Wonderful Weddings 2015
  • HTX Charity Challenge 2015
  • United Way Helpline Promoted Article
  • Boulevard Realty
  • Fusion Academy Promoted Article
  • Clifford on the Catwalk Fall 2015
  • United Way Book Power Promoted Article
  • Jameson HTX
  • Primavera 2015
  • Promenade Place
  • Hotel Galvez
  • Tremont House
  • HTX Tastemakers 2015
  • HTX Digital Graffiti/Alys Beach
  • MD Anderson Breast Cancer Promoted Article
  • HTX RealEstateConfidential 2015
  • HTX Vargos on the Lake
  • Omni Hotel HTX
  • Undies for Everyone
  • Reliant Bright Ideas Houston
  • 2015 Houston Stylemaker
  • HTX Renewable You
  • Urban Flats Builder
  • Urban Flats Builder
  • HTX New York Fashion Week spring 2016
  • Kyrie Massage
  • Red Bull Flying Bach
  • Hotze Health and Wellness
  • ReadFest 2015
  • Alzheimer's Promoted Article
  • Formula 1 Giveaway
  • Professional Skin Treatments by NuMe Express

    taylor's grand opening night

    Fearless Taylor Swift takes more than 62,000 Houston Swifties on 3-hour journey through all her Eras at NRG Stadium

    Craig Hlavaty
    Apr 22, 2023 | 2:19 am

    Megastar Taylor Swift began a three-night run in Houston on Friday, April 22, the first of three monstrously sold-out shows inside the cavernous NRG Stadium, or as it's known this weekend, "NRG Stadium (Taylor's Version)."

    She's the first artist to play three straight shows inside the stadium. The crowd was estimated at 62,690.

    Earlier this week, Swift merch trucks arrived on site, quickly mobbed by fans and families who couldn't afford tickets to the shows proper or wanted to get first crack at the wares before they went up for sale in the concourses. You will be seeing this merch for the rest of the year. The shirts. The bracelets. The branded everything.

    This 52-date tour comes with all the religiosity and thrill of a big tent revival. It's a traveling affirmation of her legacy, running through the past two decades of her discography, with accompanying costume changes. If she ever hits her Vegas Residency Era, they might build a hotel and casino for the occasion.

    Imagine revisiting all of your personal eras over the course of three hours every night. It's not quite a greatest hits show, but a greatest weird vibes tour. It's been constructed with enough flashbacks and callbacks to tell a cohesive story. Each of those cuts is there for a specific reason, and Swifties can deduce the why and how for each song's inclusion.

    Some acts find it hard to rectify their past personas, preferring to throw them in the mental and physical junk drawers, but Swift's had an open diary of a career. She's made it okay to look back with a touch of anger to find a common thread because she's been methodical enough to leave plenty of connective tissue.

    Swift's tour is easily the biggest of the post-COVID era, with demand and thirst for tickets reaching biblical levels of frustration and triumph. In the long term, it may change how concert tickets are sold now that the government has seen enough. In the short term, millions of credit scores will take a hit.

    There is no past analog for what Swift currently holds in her hands. Her only true, current-day peer is Beyoncé regarding the devotion and mania she's commanded. Even Beyoncé seems to have backed away from the kind of exposure that Swift enjoys for queenly applause and cathartic, culture-defining tours. Beyoncé doesn't have eras as much as she has had a veritable planetary reign since the first George W. Bush administration.

    Plop Swift in the '80s, and she would be the equivalent of Madonna and Michael Jackson combined, with a dash of Stevie Nicks, Carole King, and Siouxsie Sioux thrown in for zest. Lately, she's been closer to her namesake, James Taylor, in introspection and wordplay.

    Opening night

    On Friday night, the streets around NRG were closed except for roving multigenerational bands of sequined dresses, handcrafted jackets, and the occasional dad already in earplugs, ears girded for screams. Every sequined dress in the Gulf Coast area was at NRG Stadium on Friday and will be in residency until Sunday. Houston Texans head coach Demeco Ryans and his squad will be breathing in glitter dust all Texans season long inside NRG Stadium, no doubt.

    Just before 8 pm, Swift hit the stage and embarked on a three-hour tour through the various eras of her career in a non-linear format, preferring to tell her story in vignettes of pop fire of multiple hues. Compartmentalizing a nearly 20-year career is no tall order, especially for a 33-year-old alone at the top of a mountain.

    Luckily, she's the master of recasting even the messier bits as lessons, not misfires. As she's begun to diversify her creative output and get more pastoral with her last three albums, it's hard not to see an era-spanning tour like this as a polite form of setting some of those former faces on a shelf for the next decade.

    Showcasing her "Lover" era -- centered around the 2019 album -- allowed the material that never made it to tour (thanks to COVID) to get its long-awaited live due. The "Lover Tour" was one of the most significant pandemic-era casualties of the music world, a surefire hit with a solid set of new songs to showcase. "The Man" and "You Need to Calm Down" finally got the stage set adulation they deserved.

    The "Fearless" era is the glue of sorts to this whole thing, as it's where a great deal of the crowd will be stepping inside NRG this weekend, fully invested in Swift as she teetered over from country to power-pop. A song like "You Belong With Me" can exist on several plains, which speaks to Swift's songwriting prowess. Later in the wildcard portion of the set, she played a wizened and poisonous take on "You're Not Sorry" alone on the piano.

    It was on the "Evermore" and "Folklore" portions of the night where things got interesting, with Swift casting herself as a very Stevie witchy woodland fairy, swathed in soft-goth finery surrounded by a dramatic, moss-covered set design. She seemed to be the most comfortable in a flowing cream-colored dress and ballet flats than any other part of the night, acting out the emotions of the characters she conjured across those two albums. "Tolerate It" came with Swift and a male dancer in an emotional chess match at a kitchen table.

    The "Reputation"-era material has aged incredibly well for an album that at the time confused everyone but Swifties, who completely bought into the cryptic industrial pop collection. During this era, Swift was finally able to respond to what had been a hellacious set of years in the tabloids with the proportional amount of venom in from her glittered fangs.

    The catharsis of Swift returning to the touring stage was laid bare during "Look What You Made Me Do" for both the artist and the audience. Swift commented on the pandemic's influence on her relationship with her fans and career. Fans had been waiting to sing these songs at a concert for five years, and she had spent just as long working back to the stage.

    Looking back at the "1989" era in a new context alongside the collected other eras, the songs acquire a sly bitterness that went unnoticed the first time. "1989" was a monster of a shout-laden pop album, a party thrown in defiance of haters. All Swift had to do was reorder these songs during a three-hour to show off new colors we hadn't seen before. "Wildest Dreams" remains a modern torch song stunner.

    Throughout the night, Swift would always return to the tools of her trade, the piano or the guitar, to give songs on the setlist the emphasis she thought they deserved. Even her most playful hits began as an idea on a guitar. Imagine a solo Swift acoustic tour, with our heroine captivating an 80,000-seat stadium.

    By the time we got to the final leg of the night — the current "Midnights" era — both "Lavender Haze" and "Anti-Hero" felt like summations of the night. Swift made an excellent after-hours album for ruminating to, combining her newfound character-driven songwriting style with a lo-fi skitter that throbs and rumbles inside a stadium.

    Being able to intellectually redesign and recast even the messiest pieces of your past as an artist is something we've only seen the likes of Dylan and Bowie having the latitude to do. Most artists stay in the same gear for decades out of financial necessity. There's a long game shaping up. Whatever era awaits us after this or the next Swift persona we've yet to meet will be in great company.

    "Strategy," sings Swift, "sets the scene for the tale."

    Setlist 

    Lover

    Miss Americana & the Heartbreak Prince

    Cruel Summer

    The Man

    You Need to Calm Down

    Lover

    The Archer

    Fearless

    Fearless

    You Belong With Me

    Love Story

    evermore

    'tis the damn season

    willow

    marjorie

    champagne problems

    tolerate it

    reputation

    ...Ready for It?

    Delicate

    Don't Blame Me

    Look What You Made Me Do

    Speak Now

    Enchanted

    Red

    22

    We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together

    I Knew You Were Trouble

    All Too Well

    folklore

    seven

    the 1

    betty

    the last great American dynasty

    august

    illicit affairs

    my tears ricochet

    cardigan

    1989

    Style

    Blank Space

    Shake It Off

    Wildest Dreams

    Bad Blood

    Surprise Songs

    Wonderland

    You’re Not Sorry (Taylor’s Version)

    Midnights

    Lavender Haze

    Anti‐Hero

    Midnight Rain

    Vigilante Shit

    Bejeweled

    Mastermind

    Karma




    Taylor Swift Houston 2023 Eras Tour
      

    Photo by Marco Torres/Marco from Houston

    An iconic pose for every Era.

    news/entertainment
    popular

    weekend event planner

    Here are the 15 best things to do in Houston this 4th of July weekend

    Craig D. Lindsey
    Jul 2, 2025 | 6:30 pm
    Shell Freedom Over Texas
    Courtesy of Shell Freedom Over Texas
    The city has revealed the performers for its July 4 celebration.

    The 4th of July lands on a Friday this year, which means things will get especially patriotic this weekend.

    We’ve already listed all the fireworks celebrations and restaurant specials that’ll be popping off on Friday. (Don’t forget about the screenings of Independence Day at River Oaks Theatre, Rooftop Cinema Club and Marriott Marquis Houston.) But there are also other must-see events happening this weekend, including a LEGO convention, the second anniversary of a Third Ward eatery, the return of a Stanley Kubrick classic, and an outlaw music festival featuring Willie Freakin’ Nelson and Bob Freakin’ Dylan!

    Thursday, July 3

    Brick Rodeo
    Brick Rodeo is a family-friendly event that features hundreds of custom models and displays made from LEGO bricks. Creators from Texas and around the country will be available to talk about their creations. Fans who want to display their own creations, attend workshops, and participate in all the activities should purchase an All Access Pass. Families and individuals who want to spend a day viewing incredible custom creations, talking with builders, and shopping with vendors should purchase a public exhibition ticket. 9 am (8:30 am Friday-Sunday).

    City Place presents Young Audiences of Houston: Painting with Watercolor Pencils Art Workshop
    This free art workshop, hosted by Young Audiences of Houston teaching artist Judy Malone Stein, transforms City Place’s central waterfront plaza into a classical art studio with easels and other essential supplies. Participants are introduced to the medium of watercolor pencils and will learn basic color theory which includes the color wheel and primary and secondary colors, along with complimentary colors. They will also focus on creating compositions, using traditional visions (portraits, landscapes, still life) as their subject matter. 9:30 am.

    Improv Houston presents Dustin Ross
    Dustin Ross is a NAACP Image Award-winning host, writer, and producer. Fans of The Read podcast may know him as a longtime guest/friend to the show. These days, you can hear him on two pods: The Friend Zone, with co-hosts Hey Fran Hey and Assante; and Holding Court, with Eboni K. Williams. He has also hosted seasons of Bet on Black, REVOLT TV’s competition series, Bet On Black. As an on-air contributor, Ross has appeared on multiple platforms, including MTV, BET, Bravo TV, HBO, FUSE TV, GLAAD, Fox Soul, and more. 7:30 pm.

    Friday, July 4

    Freedom Over Texas
    With an average of 50,000 people in attendance, Freedom Over Texas has become Houston’s annual, signature July 4th celebration. The live, televised event will feature local, regional, and national entertainment, headlined by Ashley McBryde and Lee Brice, and will be capped off with a musically choreographed, “Texas-sized” fireworks finale. It also features a unique non-profit component, as the event will donate a percentage of food and beverage sales to the Houston Food Bank. 4 pm.

    Ensemble Theatre presents The Tap Dance Kid
    Over at The Ensemble Theatre, The Tap Dance Kid is about a 10-year-old African-American kid named Willie who doesn’t want to be a lawyer like his well-to-do strict father, and dreams of becoming a dancer like his talented Uncle Dipsey, an aspiring Broadway choreographer. The final production in the theater’s 2024-25 season, this musical is filled with imaginations of stardom that keep us tapping along. Through Sunday, July 27. 7:30 pm (2 and 7:30 pm Saturday; 3 pm Sunday).

    Dan Electro’s presents The Broken Spokes & Oliver Penn 4th of July Party
    Freedom, music, and a 4th of July Party will be going down at Dan Electros. The show will feature a performance from traditional Texas country band The Broken Spokes, a well-seasoned outfit that’s put in the time honing their craft in honky tonks across Texas,. Also performing will be Rhode Island-born, Houston-based country singer Oliver Penn, who has shared the stage with Charley Crockett, Shakey Graves, Randall King, The California Honeydrops, and Shinyribs. 9 pm.

    Alamo Drafthouse LaCenterra presents Graveyard Shift: Attack the Block
    Guy Fawkes Night in London is a time for fireworks, fooling around, and an occasional surprise or two. But when vicious extraterrestrials decide to crash the hellraisers’ holiday, a time for making merry quickly turns scary. Writer-director Joe Cornish also ensures it’s frequently humorous as well. This frisky, vigorous 2011 spoof — propelled by an insistent electronic score by Steven Price & Basement Jaxx and a star-making lead turn from John Boyega — shows a similar sensibility in its breezy blending of goofiness and gruesomeness. 10 pm.

    Saturday, July 5

    Rado Market 2 Year Anniversary Celebration
    Chef Chris Williams’ market and cafe at the historic Eldorado Ballroom will celebrate its two-year anniversary with a celebration that’s free and open to the public. The event will include complimentary champagne during the first hour, food specials from chef Jaden Gaines, and live music from a DJ for the first two hours. Guests can also browse and shop from a curated lineup of local vendors offering various products for sale, including Posh Body, Ambrosia Nectar, 77 Stash, and Juxx. Patrons can also enter two raffles featuring Radiant Aura samples and other giveaways. Noon.


      
     
     
     
     
     
     
    View this post on Instagram
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
    A post shared by Winnie's Real Deal (@winnieshouston)


    Winnie’s presents Labubu Face Tattoo Korean Corn Dog Karaoke Party
    Never has an event’s name been a more complete description of what’s happening at the Midtown sandwich shop/cocktail bar on Saturday. Artists from Rodeo Tiger will be tattooing Labubu, the must-have accessory that feels destined to become the Beanie Babies of 2025 ($25 minimum, $50 for both sides, and $100 for full face custom work). While you wait, snack on a Korean corn dog created by chef Jennifer Hoffman. Karaoke starts at 8 pm. 1 pm.

    The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston presents Barry Lyndon
    This weekend, catch the 50th anniversary screening (in glorious 35mm!) of Stanley Kubrick’s lavish, Oscar-winning 1975 adaptation of William Makepeace Thackeray’s 18th-century novel. Forced to leave Ireland after killing an English officer in a duel, young Redmond Barry (Ryan O’Neal) seeks his fortune as a soldier in Prussia, as a spy, and then as a gambler living among the elite of Europe. He changes his name and marries an aristocrat (Marisa Berenson) for her wealth, but will he finally gain the acceptance he seeks? 5 pm (2 pm Sunday).

    Kings Harbor Waterfront Village presents “Fireworks on the Pier”
    Looking for a post-4th of July throwdown this weekend? Kings Harbor Waterfront Village in Kingwood will have its annual “Fireworks on the Pier” celebration, a patriotic evening of family fun, live entertainment and a spectacular fireworks display. Festivities include family-friendly games like Connect Four, a balloon artist, face painting and bubble stations for kids. Local restaurants will be serving up a variety of delicious food and drink options throughout the evening. A dazzling fireworks show over the pier will begin around 10 pm. 7 pm.

    Movies at Miller: Wicked
    We know there is a lot of y’all who can’t wait for Wicked: For Good to drop in multiplexes this winter. Before that happens, head over to Miller Outdoor Theatre and revisit the Oscar-winning Broadway musical adaptation that set it all off. In the magical Land of Oz, Wicked covers the first act, following Elphaba (Cynthia Erivo), the future Wicked Witch of the West, and her friendship with Galinda (Ariana Grande), the future Glinda the Good Witch. The audience is encouraged to come in costume. 8:30 pm.

    Sunday, July 6

    Eldorado Ballroom presents Ball N’ Parlay
    Dubbed “A 1st Sunday Vibeout,” Ball N’ Parlay is a vibrant, Third Ward day party that’s going to be held outside the legendary Eldorado Ballroom. They’re really hyping this one up, calling it “the Sunday you’ve been waiting for, where music, community, and culture meet.” We’re just psyched that some of our favorite DJs will be doing live sets, including DJ Elevated, Maiya Papaya, Alist, and DJ Bloom. 3 pm.

    Outlaw Music Festival
    If you grew up going to Cactus Music and picking up the latest issue of No Depression, looking for the latest in outlaw country releases to scoop up, a fest full of iconic, guitar-strumming banditos will be making a stop at the Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion this weekend. The 10th anniversary tour of the Outlaw Music Festival will feature an unparalleled lineup of legends and superstars, including Willie Nelson & Family, Bob Dylan, The Avett Brothers, The Mavericks, and Tami Neilson. 4:05 pm.

    CONCACAF Gold Cup Final
    As of this writing, we don’t know who will be playing in the final match of the soccer championship known as the 2025 CONCACAF Gold Cup, going down this weekend at NRG Stadium. What we do now is that the winners will be determined on Wednesday night, when the semifinal matchups – the USMNT vs. Guatemala and Mexico vs. Honduras – will take place. This also marks the first time the Gold Cup Final will be held in the state of Texas. 6 pm.

    Freedom Over Texas
      
    Courtesy of Freedom Over Texas
    The Freedom Over Texas celebration takes place on the Fourth of July.
    event-plannerweekend events
    news/entertainment
    popular
    Loading...