Pete Freedman
Get Some Clarity with Zedd.
Growing up, Super Mario Bros. was a big deal in my family. My sisters and I would play it incessantly, and my parents, bless 'em, didn't really disapprove.
And why would they? It was one of the few things that all three of their kids agreed upon. So we'd sit together, taking turns playing that game for hours on end. My mom's only rule: Instead of shouting out in anger when Mario or Luigi's characters would die, we had to say that the characters instead “malfunctioned.” She thought that saying it the other way was too morbid. Which was whatever; we were fine with that rule so long as we could keep playing the game.
Here's how obsessed we were as a family: My sisters even came up with lyrics for the game's main theme, turning the song into a ditty about their friends. I don't know how that started, really, but I do know this: I could call up any member of my family right now and ask them to sing my sisters' Mario Bros. song, and they'd be able to do so, word for word.
But, crazed as we were, we weren't nearly as into the game as this guy, who turned his daughter's bedroom into a veritable Super Mario Bros. playground for $700. It's an amazing room.
Here's the thing about bedrooms, though: They're still there when you get home. So hit the town tonight, folks. And don't fret: Bowser won't get you.
Zedd, Oliver, Alex Metric at South Side Ballroom
After accumulating multiple production credits and collaborations with big-name artists and amplifying numerous festivals with his diverse electronic sound, Zedd has become something of a revered name in the EDM sphere. And he'll look to further endear himself to that set tonight as his Moment of Clarity Tour hits the South Side Ballroom with Oliver and Alex Metric in tow. — Jordyn Walters
ZZ Ward (Sold Out) at Cambridge Room
The Pennsylvania native has gained nationwide success with her album Til the Casket Drops, which found Ward performing on morning and late night shows alike, as well as various TV show soundtracks. With a tone and stage presence similar to Etta James and Tina Turner, this harmonic and bluesy blonde is bound to stop some hearts this evening. — JW
ON AN ON, Hands, Zhora at Three Links
If it feels like its been a while since we last heard from Zhora, the intriguing electro-pop outfit fronted by Dallas' Taylor Rea, well, that's because it has been a while. But that's been by design. Rea's group underwent some fairly sweeping lineup changes back in May after she linked up with area producer Adam Pickrell, whom Dallas music fans may recall from, among other things, his former role as the co-host of Tony Schwa's Cool Out Mondays. And, since his pairing up with Rea, the two have retooled the band and taken its sound in something of an even glossier direction. Fittingly enough, tonight's first look at the new look Zhora, with the band opening for the Chicago/Minneapolis-based indie upstart ON AN ON, comes on the same stage the band played its first show upon back in February 2012. — Pete Freedman
Krill, Sealion, Drug Animal at Bryan Street Tavern
The members of Boston indie trio Krill have a thing for animals: Their name itself a kind of tongue-in-cheek reference to guitarist Aaron Ratoff's previous band Sea Monsters. Perhaps that helps explain why Dallas bands Sealion and Drug Animal are tonight's openers. Head to Bryan Street to have a $3 Texas pint and groove out all animal-style. — JW
Sick Puppies at House of Blues
Sick Puppies' first taste of fame came after its song “All the Same” became synonymous with Australia's controversial random acts of kindness movement — the noted Free Hugs campaign — back in 2006. Since then, the band has produced four studio albums and completed various tours across the world. Audiences are consistently said to be steadily enchanted by the energetic trio, so there's no reason to believe tonight's audience will come away from this show feeling any differently. —JW
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