The Pogues and Justin Townes EarleThe House of BluesFriday, October 30, 2009Better than: any other pretense for self-destruction this Halloween weekend. For most of the show, the argument behind me simmered at a level of quiet disagreement–a nudge into the crowd, a quick tug of restraint and a few words…
Mutemath, As Tall As LionsPalladium BallroomOctober 29, 2009Better than: Watching Spinal Tap’s Experimental Jazz Odyssey… well, almost better. It was clear that when Mutemath started its set that it would be playing new songs–lots of ’em. And it was clear that the band was going to have to work hard…
Alice in Chains, Puddle of Mudd, Chevelle Nokia Theatre, Grand Prairie October 23, 2009 Better than: your lame family reunion. After five hours of mind-numbing, mediocre music at Friday’s Freakers Ball at Nokia Theatre, the night’s redeeming moment came when Alice in Chains guitarist Jerry Cantrell invited his dad, Jerry…
Built to Spill, Dinosaur Jr., Lou Barlow & The Missing Men, Disco DoomGranada TheaterOctober 22, 2009 Better Than: a Thursday evening at home in your rocking chair. At his Good Records performance held earlier last night, Lou Barlow expressed his love for playing in the endangered venue of the record…
Rodrigo y GabrielaHouse of BluesOctober 19, 2009 Better than: anything else in the flamenco-meets-rock-meets-mariachi wheelhouse I’d heard about Rodrigo y Gabriela’s ability to harness the power of a six-piece band with just two acoustic guitars, but seeing the phenomenon live was nothing short of spellbinding. The duo–originally from Mexico and…
Hope Sandoval & The Warm InventionsSons of Hermann HallOctober 19, 2009Better than: having to tell everyone to shut up myself. Hope gets what Hope wants. And, four songs into Hope her Sons of Hermann Hall performance with the Warm Inventions, Hope Sandoval had had enough of some of the relatively…
Daniel Folmer, Dust Congress, Glen Farris, and Sabra Laval J&J’s Pizza, Denton October 17, 2009 Better than: watching OU-TX fans yell at one another on the parking lot that was I-35E. Were it not a music venue, the dirty basement at J&J’s Pizza would be the kind of place you…
The Cannabinoids feat. Erykah Badu and Shiny Toy GunsVictory PlazaOctober 16, 2009Better Than: a Texas-OU tennis match. Check out photos from the show here in our slideshow. Continuing the time-honored tradition of competition between Texas and Oklahoma, fans at Victory Plaza were treated once again to a duel between the…
Har Mar SuperstarThe Lounge on Elm StreetOctober 16, 2009Better than: watching the Sooners get beat again.From the time Har Mar Superstar strolled onto stage with his Lone Star tallboy, it was clear he was there to party. The bad part? There were only 50 or so people there to party…
Vivian Girls, True Widow, The Uptown BumsThe CavernOctober 15, 2009 Better Than: flying around in my mom and dad’s homemade hot air balloon… Vivian Girls started its first ever Dallas set Thursday night at the Cavern with a song consisting of four words: “Sound check one two.” Ah yes, the…
Buddy GuyHouse of BluesOctober 15, 2009 Better than: hob-nobbing at the foundation room bar upstairs. “Hi, can I ask you a question?” your author said to the sound engineer at the front of the house. “Yes?” “I’m a journalist for the Dallas Observer, here to cover the show. I was…
SlowrideElm Street TattooOctober 14, 2009Better than: going under the needle. It’d been some time since the fellas in Slowride had played an actual show together–but with an upcoming gig slated at local tattoo artist Oliver Peck’s annual Christmas party and with all members in town (thanks to bassist Rob Marchant’s…
U2, MuseCowboys StadiumOctober 12, 2009Better than: Half-time at the proper name spelling bee. The first thing everyone noticed, of course, was the much ballyhooed stage, a spider-looking contraption that house a circular inner stage, an outer-ring walkway, movable bridges that connected the two, and a 360-degree, high-definition screen suspended above…
Maxwell, CommonAmerican Airlines CenterOctober 12, 2009 Better than: Relying on your weak-ass game to get some action tonight. It goes without saying that the majority of the crowd that gathered at the American Airlines Center to witness Maxwell in his crooning, shuffling, smiling greatness were women.The sprinkling of men who…
Wavves, Ganglians, El Paso Hot ButtonThe Lounge on Elm StreetOctober 9, 2009Better than: a show where you can hear every note played with precision. There was a definite, palpable energy flowing through The Lounge on Elm Street on Friday night. Maybe it was just all the booze; this show, after…
HYMNS, OK Sweetheart, My Empty PhantomHailey’s ClubOctober 9, 2009Better Than: sitting at home on a Friday night Playing to an unfortunately minuscule but, nonetheless, quite enthusiastic crowd on Friday night at Hailey’s, HYMNS proved it knows how to have a good time. Even after a 10-day tour through Texas, the…
WilcoPalladium BallroomOctober 9, 2009Better Than: Anything? Two songs into the set came the climactic moment: “A Shot in the Arm,” off 1999’s Summerteeth. Pure rumble and all rapture, the sound of a band falling apart as it comes together. Melody melts into noise–music as mercury–but nobody ever loses their place,…
David Bazan, Say HiDan’s Silverleaf, DentonOctober 8, 2009Better Than: trying to drive home in the rain. Even before the storm rolled in and David Bazan finally lumbered on stage at Dan’s Silverleaf, last night’s elbow-to-elbow capacity crowd had to know that it was in for an unforgettable night. After all,…
Kings of LeonAmerican Airlines CenterOctober 7, 2009 Better than: spending a nice evening listening to top 40 radio? By the box office, before last night’s Kings of Leon performance began at the American Airlines Center, there seemed some doubt as to whether the late arrivers would be able to buy their way…
The Dead WeatherHouse of BluesOctober 5, 2009Better Than: Sunny Day Real Estate, Rob Thomas, and Arctic Monkeys combined. Yeah, I said it. As far as rock ‘n’ roll supergroups are concerned, there are two main varieties: those comprised of members of formerly great bands, reeking of late career desperation (see:…
Sunny Day Real Estate, The Jealous Sound Granada TheaterOctober 5, 2009Better than: seeing 10 crappy bands that cite Sunny Day as an influence. Sunny Day Real Estate returned to Dallas with such a rush that you couldn’t help be deeply moved. Yup, they were that good last night.There was definitely…
Thievery CorporationHouse of BluesOctober 5, 2009Better than: Staying at home and watching Mad Men. Fresh off back-to-back appearances at Austin City Limits and Stubbs, Thievery Corporation was still bright-eyed for its third show in as many days late Sunday night at House of Blues in Dallas.Inside, the sweaty and expectant…
