Cory Graves
Be On Your Suit and Tie Shit.
In a talk with a working class parish in Rome earlier this week, Pope Francis revealed that, when he was much younger, he worked as a bouncer at a bar. Picture that for a moment: the Pope, in all his pointy hat-wearing glory, tossing sauced-up drinkers out onto the streets after they've gotten a bit too rowdy.
Just something to keep in mind tonight as you hit the town. Oh, and remember to be extra nice to the door guys and other service industry folks you come across as you do. You never know who might end up in a position of power someday — or which ones have a higher power on their side, for that matter.
Justin Timberlake at American Airlines Center
You know him, you love him — and so does your grandmother for that matter — and, tonight, JT will bring his 20/20 Experience tour to the AAC. After setting all kinds of sales records this year (becoming just the 20th artist to release two No. 1 albums in a 12-month span, spending more time at No. 1 than any other artist this year, and owning the year's largest sales week when The 20/20 Experience, 1 of 2 debuted back in March) Timberlake comes to town to do his song-and-dance routine for the Dallas crowds. — Cory Graves
Rick Steves at Winspear Opera House
In the past year, it seems like the host of every PBS/NPR radio program has rolled through town either for a special talk or a live broadcast. This evening, travel guide writer/international vacation extraordinaire Rick Steves will speak to audiences at the Winspear about the ways in which 30 years of “thoughtful” world travel has broadened his perspectives. — CG
Monster Magnet at Trees
Though frontman Dave Wyndorf is reluctant to refer to it as much, The Last Patrol, the band's 10th album, is very much a throwback to the psych-tinged space rock of Monster Magnet's earliest material. Still, the bulk of the material performed tonight most likely won't come from that October release. In total, the band has released four albums since its last North American tour back in 2003. — CG
The Devil Wears Prada at House of Blues
Metalcore bands take over the House of Blues tonight, so grab some tight jeans, a worn-in black tee and prepare to head bang in the name of Hot Topic. Also on this bill: The Ghost Inside, Volumes and Texas in July. — Erika Lambreton
Dovetail at Renfield's Corner
The free, Jameson-sponsored, Wednesday night fall concert series at Renfield's comes to a close this evening with a performance from the ever-sweeping area rock outfit Dovetail, whose music is very much dramatic enough to deserve being presented on an album called Mount Karma, which the band initially released last year and then re-released in October through Ok! Good Records, which is a label based in New York City and isn't to be confused with Dallas' own Good Records. — Pete Freedman
Sixpence None the Richer at Kessler Theater
Tonight, these Nashville-based religious soft-rockers and '90s rom-com soundtrack darlings perform as part of a bigger benefit at the venue on behalf of local non-profit The Well Community, which provides services to individuals described as having severe mental illnesses. — CG
Nightlands at City Tavern
OK, first things first: The Secretly Canadian-signed Nightlands sounds nowhere near as scary as its name somewhat implies upon first blush. Rather, this more-personal project from War on Drugs bassist and sometime NBA columnist Dave Hartley comes across mostly warm with its layered, acoustic sheen. Waterfalls opens, as does a locally based performer also looking to showcase his own solo offerings, Spoon multi-instrumentalist Eric Harvey. — PF
Bad Santa Quote-a-Long at Alamo Drafthouse
Last week, Billy Bob Thornton confirmed that, after two-plus years of contract negations and script rewrites, a sequel to 2003's Bad Santa will finally go into production in early 2014. That's good news for those who enjoy seeing jolly cultural icons such as Santa and/or Lorelei Gilmore eschewing common perception. Until then, enjoy the film you know so well that you'll have no problem shouting out all of the characters' lines in unison with a theater full of your fellow miscreants. — CG
John Fullbright at Poor David's Pub
Fullbright's no household name, but, with his 2012 From the Ground Up LP earning a Grammy nomination in the Best Americana category earlier this year, he's certainly deserving of a little recognition. The Academy seems to have gotten his nomination right, too: This Oklahoma-sprung pianist and guitarist has weathered vocals, a fine ear for late 1800s aesthetics and a clear talent for storytelling. Check out his song “Fat Man” here and try to tell me he wouldn't be an ideal performer to catch in some dingy bar while you're drowning your sorrows and searching for answers at the bottom of the bottle. — PF
The Soil and the Sun at Three Links
The self-proclaimed “corn-fed, Michigan-made, New Mexican space music/experiential spiritual orchestral rock” of Grand Rapids' eight-piece The Soil and The Sun is more or less Michigan's equivalent of our own Seryn, which makes us wonder what the Denton outfit is up to tonight. Not playing this show, we know that. Instead, this bill is rounded out with Fort Worth shoegazers Slumberbuzz and Denton “danger folk” collective Hares on the Mountain. — CG
To find out what else is going on today, this week and beyond, check out our events page.
