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    weekend event planner

    Here are the top 15 things to do in Houston this weekend

    Craig D. Lindsey
    May 1, 2024 | 6:30 pm

    This weekend offers a diverse range of activities. Star Wars fans will find a couple of ways to celebrate May 4, and music fans have a number of opportunities to see performers from across the generations.

    Sweet Beats Music Festival
      
    Photo courtesy of Spectrum Concessions and City of Sugar Land

    The Sweet Beats Music Festival happens this weekend in Sugar Land.

    Elsewhere, businesses in Midtown are teaming up to raise money for a worthy cause. A ranch that’s older than Texas has been a state celebrates an impressive anniversary. The charitably-minded will raise money for a worthy cause.

    With so many establishments celebrating the Kentucky Derby and Cinco de Mayo, we’ll deal with those in separate guides.

    Now, onto the weekend’s best bets.

    Thursday, May 2

    The Holdsworth Center presents Champions of Hope Gala
    The Holdsworth Center Champions of Hope gala celebrates the legacy of Dr. Ruth J. Simmons and shines a spotlight on education leaders who have dedicated their lives to creating positive change in Texas public schools. Community leaders are invited to celebrate Dr. Simmons and learn more about Holdsworth while raising funds to create stronger leaders for Texas’ public school students. All proceeds benefit Holdsworth, a non-profit that builds stronger leaders for Texas public schools through its leadership development programs and services. 6 pm.

    Mid Main Houston First Thursday Block Party
    This month, Mid Main Houston’s First Thursday Block Party benefits The Rose Foundation. Make a $10 donation to this worthy organization for an all access wristband to enjoy complimentary Saint Arnold Brewing beer as well as live music by three DJs: G Funk, Big E, and Hot Rocks. This event features four art shows, performance art by ms. YET, tarot readings, henna art, and local vendors on the Winbern Market. Double Trouble will have specials on Condesa Gin and crafts. Other stores on the block will be open late. 6 pm.

    Evelyn Rubenstein Jewish Community Center presents Ghetto staged reading
    The play Ghetto was written in 1983 by Israeli playwright Joshua Sobol and was an international success. Set in the Jewish ghetto of Vilna, Lithuania in 1942, and based on diaries written during the darkest days of the Holocaust, Ghetto tells of the unlikely flourishing of a theater at the very time the Nazis began their policy of mass extermination. This event is a staged reading, which is a form of theater without sets or full costumes. Actors will be reading from scripts with minimal stage movement. 7:30 pm (12:30 pm Sunday).

    Friday, May 3

    The George Ranch presents 200th Anniversary CPRA Rodeo
    In celebration of their 200th anniversary, The George Ranch is hosting a CPRA Rodeo filled with fan favorites: saddle bronc & bareback riding, tie-down calf roping, team roping, mutton bustin', bull riding, and more. There will be a midway for the kids with a petting zoo, pony rides, longhorn photos, and food trucks, plus a Wine Bar for the adults presented by Japaneiro's. 6 pm.

    Koslov Larsen presents Brenda Biondo: Sun to Earth opening reception
    Sun to Earth, Koslov Larsen’s third solo presentation by artist Brenda Biondo, introduces new ways of looking at common subjects while challenging viewers' perception of color and three-dimensional space. Combining several series of Biondo’s works,the works explored throughout the show focus on atmospheric phenomena and other ephemeral components of the natural world. Through Sunday, July 21. 6 pm.

    Randy Rainbow: The Randy Rainbow for President Tour
    Singer, comedian, and author Randy Rainbow will take on the hottest topics and skewer politicos of the day as only he can, bringing his most viral video song parodies to life onstage. Featuring live accompaniment by Broadway musicians, the show will also include live audience interaction and original songs written by Rainbow with award-winning composers Marc Shaiman and Alan Menken. 7:30 pm.

    Varla Jean Merman: Stand By Your Drag
    Varla Jean Merman is an iconic drag queen who has overcome adversity with glittering resilience. In Stand By Your Drag, Varla shares her journey of triumph following the notorious "Tic-Taccident” incident. Varla takes a stand for life, liberty, and the pursuit of non-skid breath mints. This is the chance to revel in the joy of democracy with sky-high hair, glamorous gowns, and delightfully naughty numbers. 8 pm.

    Saturday, May 4

    The Union Kitchen presents Star Wars Day Brunch
    All five of The Union Kitchen’s Houston-area locations will celebrate all things Star Wars with a specially-themed brunch. Chef James Lundy and general manager Rebekah Vera have created several dishes and cocktails inspired by the expansive Star Wars universe. Hungry Jedis will be able to fuel up with several Star Wars-inspired dishes, including frosted Princess Leia Buns with fresh berries and Vader’s Death Star Pancakes, a chocolate chip pancake stack topped with cinnamon honey butter, glazed with maple syrup. 9 am.

    2024 Soul Flower Music Fest
    Treat your soul to an unforgettable experience at Discovery Green. Touted by organizers as “the most beautiful event in the country,” Soul Flower Music Fest is a one-day music festival featuring national/local soul, R&B, and neo-soul artists. (Don’t ask about the lineup; the fest appears to be tight-lipped on who will be performing.) In addition to great music, there will be food, games, shopping, photobooths, contests, and great vibes. 2 pm.

    Rooftop Cinema Club Uptown presents Star Wars: A New Hope and Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back
    Calling all Star Wars fans! The concept known for providing their guests with the ultimate outdoor cinema experience is gearing up with festive celebrations in honor of Star Wars Day. On May 4, their vibrant LED screen will play the iconic double feature of Star Wars: A New Hope and Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back. Enjoy an evening of all things Star Wars as Rooftop Cinema Club Uptown will be decorated, prizes and the staff dressed up in theme. Costumes are encouraged. 7:15 and 10:15 pm.

    Derek Hough: Symphony of Dance
    Derek Hough, who danced his way into all of our hearts back when he was a winning dance partner on Dancing with the Stars, will present an all-new Symphony of Dance, a live dance show that is Hough's first-ever solo tour. Fans will journey through a true fusion of dance and music, as Hough explores styles ranging from ballroom and tap to salsa and hip-hop and everything in between, featuring choreography by Napoleon and Tabitha Dumo, aka NappyTabs. 8 pm.

    Sunday, May 5

    Spectrum Concessions and City of Sugar Land present Sweet Beats Music Festival
    Sunday’s the last day to catch the Sweet Beats Music Festival, a two-day extravaganza featuring headliners Rebelution and JJ Grey & Mofro, as well as more than 10 other bands. Beyond the music, the festival offers a family-friendly atmosphere with activities that include body marbling, reptile shows, and BMX demonstrations. For food and drink connoisseurs, Sweet Beats will host the region's first-ever drone show alongside the Beats Cantina - offering tequila tastings, live music, and an array of local food options. 9 am.

    Ndadie Begue: Sounds of Africa with Seyba Diouf
    Loosely translated as “fun meeting” from the Wolof language, Ndadie Begue is a musical performance that celebrates West African culture. African folk singer Seyba Diouf will play live with other musicians from Senegal, which matches the Houston Botanic Garden’s ZimSculpt exhibition of hand-carved stone sculptures by Zimbabwean artists. The concert is included in the price of admission to the gardens, which is $15 for adults and $10 for students and kids. 3 pm.

    In This Moment and Motionless in White in concert
    For all you metalcore fans out there, get ready for some hardcore headbanging at White Oak Music Hall this weekend. In This Moment and Motionless in White come to Houston as part of their co-headlining The Dark Horizon tour. In This Moment is touring in support of their 2023 album, Godmode, while Motionless in White has released six albums in their career, most recently Scoring the End of the World in 2022. They will be joined by Kim Dracula and Mike's Dead. 4 pm.

    Joe Satriani and Steve Vai in concert
    Guitar legends Joe Satriani and Steve Vai come to Houston as part of the The Satch-Vai Tour. Satriani has released 18 albums in his career, including 2022's The Elephant of Mars, which is a musical companion to his Crystal Planet comic-book series. (Dude is a hardcore sci-fi nerd.) Meanwhile, Vai — who some of you may know for his wildman antics as David Lee Roth’s main guitarist back in the ‘80s — has released 12 albums in his career, including the new Vai/Gash. 8 pm.

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    Metallica concert review

    Heavy metal legends Metallica roll into Houston with thunderous riffs

    Craig Hlavaty
    Jun 15, 2025 | 12:59 am
    Metallica concert Houston NRG Stadium 2025
    Photo by Brittaney Penney
    Metallica played a career-spanning set on June 14, 2025.

    Heavy metal is a baton that has been passed on for generations now. Now, more than ever, metal has turned into family entertainment. On Saturday night at NRG Stadium, the Metallica family reunion left ears ringing and hearts full, with a few scorch marks from hellacious pyro.

    Metallica — 44 years into this — is a frenetic, multigenerational machine. Four gray hairs from San Francisco that can still pack out a football stadium. The current lineup of James Hetfield, Lars Ulrich, Kirk Hammett, and Robert Trujillo is the longest-running one in the band’s history.

    Hetfield’s frenzied screech from 1981 is now a smoky, barrel-chested growl. Hammett’s metallic, exploratory guitar lines are a part of the metal vocabulary, and Trujillo — still the new guy — has been the sturdy thunder below it all. Urlich’s reliable drumming is its stadium-honed heart.

    Openers Suicidal Tendencies and Pantera provided direct support, with ST serving as a bracing thrash appetizer. Keeping it all in the family, Trujillo’s 21-year-old son Tye is now playing bass for ST, just as Robert did in the ‘90s. The band’s set whizzed by before most fans were able to enter the building, but those who arrived early witnessed a masterclass in ‘80s hardcore thrash.

    Texas sludge legends Pantera have been celebrating the lives of departed brothers Dimebag Darrell and Vinnie Paul since the group reformed in 2022. Collapsing in acrimony in 2001, the band and its fans never got a proper sendoff, and, with the violent shooting death of Dimebag and Paul’s death due to heart disease, the current lineup only features two original members in lead singer Phil Anselmo and bassist Rex Brown. Guitar hero Zakk Wyle, stepping into Dimebag’s shoes, is a Hall Of Fame avatar for Dimebag, perhaps the only living human that could have delivered the appropriate riffs. Anthrax’s Charlie Benante now handles drumming duties.

    It’s 2025, and I’m watching a Pantera pit on the floor of NRG Stadium from a comfortable seat in the end zone. Anselmo, seemingly ageless, stalked Metallica’s sprawling, jaggedly circular stage barefoot and howling, splitting the difference between Henry Rollins and Rob Halford. Heathen anthems “Walk” and “Cowboys from Hell” still slice with precision, just as they sounded in the adjacent Astroarena in 1995.

    Before Metallica hit the stage around 9 pm, bored fans passed the time by doing the wave in NRG Stadium, but it only made a few laps before fizzling out.

    Kicking off with “Creeping Death” from 1984’s Ride The Lightning, Metallica reveled in rumbling NRG Stadium’s foundations.

    “For Whom The Bell Tolls” sounds as apocalyptic as ever, one of the early highlights of the night. The band has embraced it’s Load and Reload era recently, with the latter’s “The Memory Remains” and “Fuel” making setlist appearances. The crowd deftly filled in for the late Marianne Faithfull during the former. There’s still a lot of love for ‘90s eyeliner Metallica.

    Metallica’s 2023 album 72 Seasons saw the quartet reconvening for a loose and unrelenting collection of songs. “Lux Æterna” and “If Darkness Had a Son” have a slithery swing to them, borne from those famous Metallica jam sessions that sometimes appear on YouTube.

    1991’s “Nothing Else Matters” is still a romantic ballad for metalheads, a Gen X wedding staple.

    Few hard rock bands can still pack a football stadium in 2025, which makes Metallica among the last of a dying breed. All in their early ‘60s, they’re not unlike a performance hot rod team with 30 or so souped-up machines in the garage that only they know how to drive. They just have to take a few more breaks than they used to in between laps. Those four guys together still make magic via extremely loud noises.

    Closing out with “Master of Puppets and “Enter Sandman,” Metallica pushed Houstonians out into a humid Saturday night, covered in each other’s sweat, looking forward to the next Metallica family reunion.

    Setlist

    Creeping Death
    For Whom the Bell Tolls
    Ride the Lightning
    The Memory Remains
    Lux Æterna
    If Darkness Had a Son
    Kirk and Rob Doodle ("Hit the Lights" and ZZ Top's "La Grange")
    The Day That Never Comes
    Fuel
    Orion
    Nothing Else Matters
    Sad but True
    One
    Seek & Destroy
    Master of Puppets
    Enter Sandman

    Metallica concert Houston NRG Stadium 2025
      

    Photo by Brittaney Penney

    Metallica played a career-spanning set on June 14, 2025.

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