Things To Do on Thursday, October 3.

Kick Off The 2013 Hockey Season.

Given that she's 111 years old, Dorothy Peel sure seems to have figured out the key to living a long life. A very long life.

But, see, here's the thing about Peel: When asked the secret to her longevity, Peel didn't attribute her long life to such things as running after work, settling for a salad over fried chicken or getting enough sleep.

Quite the opposite, really. According to Peel, the recipe for a long life is simple, and it involves lots of booze and cigarettes.

Play into your vices, she says. It's good for you.

She would know. Peel has lived through two world wars and remembers the Titanic sinking (the real one, you guys). She's seen her neighbors' houses and her own bombed. And what was she doing before, during and after all of this hoopla? Smoking a pack a day and sipping alcohol for breakfast, lunch and dinner — like the rock star that she is.

You know what else is good for you? Music. And there's certainly a lot of that going on tonight.

Don't worry. We're sure there'll be plenty of cigarette-smoking and booze-swilling at tonight's shows, too. Y'know, for your health.

Martina McBride at Verizon Theatre
Often described as “the Celine Dion of country music,” Martina McBride is a well-known name in the genre. But the beginnings of her career are actually rather humble. While helping to seel Garth Brooks merchandise back when her husband was a part of his sound crew, Brooks noticed McBride singing along to his songs and was so impressed with her talent that he told her, if she could obtain a record deal, he'd have her open with him on his tour. The ploy totally worked, too, because in 1991 her demos were approved by RCA Records and the kick off of her career was that opening position on Brook's tour. Since then, she's seen seven out of her 16 albums go gold, won copious music awards and firmly cemented her position as a big, tour-headlining performer. — Jordyn Walters

Hank III at Gas Monkey Bar & Grill
When asked why he drank, “rolled smokes,” and “lived out the songs that he wrote,” Hank Williams Jr. once sang that those things were simply his family's tradition. And while his son Hank III certainly enjoys his share of booze and revelry, too, his own prolific output of outlaw country, doomgaze, punk and metal does anything but follow the path of his legendary father and grandfather. And while it would make the most sense for Hank III to stick mostly to the country-leaning portion of his catalog while helping to break in this still-new venue, one can never really be too sure about these things where an artist like Williams is concerned. Hell, when he was in the region a few weeks ago, he did an all-metal set at Fort Worth's Rail Club. — Cory Graves

Richard Buckner at Rubber Gloves
Buckner's first album was recorded in Lubbock, and rightly so: His lyrics are extremely close-set and dense, which follows the trends of Lubbock's country music scene (read: Townes Van Zandt). Though Bucker has received mainstream recognition here and there, appearing in commercials for Volkswagen and in the film The Strangers, his fandom remains something of a cult following more than anything else. His latest record, Surrounded, was just released last month, so expect to hear plenty of new material tonight. Brent Best and Ralph White open. — JW

Dallas Stars vs. Florida Panthers at American Airlines Center
Hockey fans rejoice! The start of the season kicks off tonight, and there are a lot of good reasons to be excited about this year's new-look team. While the playoffs aren't necessarily a guarantee this year, thanks to the new CBA signed back in January, w'’ll at least have the pleasure of enjoying a full 82-game schedule for years to come. — JW

A Benefit for Girls Rock Dallas featuring Amanda Palmer at eM The Venue
Girls Rock Dallas, the notable local organization which seeks to “empower girls and women through the use of music education to promote self-esteem and confidence by providing the opportunity to learn and express creativity,” has positively influenced dozens of girls since its inaugural camp last summer. And a big part of the cash that keeps the nonprofit organization up and running comes from donations and fundraising events that the organization holds throughout the year. Speaking of: Not only will the group's next such event will take place tonight at eM The Venue (1500 Dragon Street), but it will feature longtime Girls Rock supporter Amanda Palmer performing with some Girls Rock Dallas alumni. Palmer, you may remember, made a donation to the organization last spring during an eventful trip to town which also saw the former Dresden Doll wrapping work on a solo album with John Congleton, recording a Violitionist Session, and dropping by Good Records for an impromptu in-store performance. — CG

AT&T Patio Sessions with Somebody’s Darling and Ryan Thomas Becker at Sammons Park
Between the band's 2010 self-titled debut and last year’s well-received Jank City Shakedown, Somebody’s Darling's sound and stage presence have evolved tremendously in recent years. Several hundred live shows between releases will do that. What's more, the addition of keys in the interim has allowed the band to incorporate several more styles, such as Texas blues and gospel, into its already heavily-influenced sound. And no matter how many times you might've seen them previously, tonight's mostly acoustic showing from Becker should still manage to offer up at least a few surprises. — CG

Cas Haley at Dan's Silverleaf
The Arlington-based and America's Got Talent-approved reggae performer celebrates the release of his new full-length, LA SI DAH, with a show opened by Collin Hauser and the David Willingham Project. — Stephen Young

The Artist Collective's One-Year Anniversary Soiree at Dada
In the past year, the booking efforts of Charlsie Grace and her Artist Collective brand has almost singlehandedly help put Lower Greenville's Crown and Harp back on the local music radar. It's crazy to think that the entity's become such a force in the community in less than a year's time, though. And, if we'd been asked how long the company had been around prior to us hearing about tonight's one-year anniversary shindig, we probably would have told you it had been at this for much longer than 12 months. Anyhow, raise a toast with local acts Goodnight Ned, Foxtrot Uniform, The Birds of Night, The Venetian Sailors ad DJ Mr. Rid at tonight’s soiree. — CG

An Evening of Soul Happy Hour with DJ Lo Down Loretta Brown at Monroe Lounge
Tonight's Erykah Badu-DJed happy hour will benefit host Tom Joyner's Foundation's School of the Month Campaign for Grambling State University and Badu's own B.L.I.N.D. non-profit foundation. — CG

To find out what else is going on today, this week and beyond, check out our events page.