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Music

Concerts to See in Dallas This Week: May 27–June 2

A week of great hip-hop shows, along with concerts from Neil Diamond, George Clinton, Steve Miller, and more.
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Welcome to Dallas Week, a phrase some promoters cooked up when they realized there were a handful of relatively high-profile rap shows in town this week. I’m skeptical that slapping the words “Dallas Week” on a few shows will signal some kind of rap music renaissance in North Texas, but it’s a solid idea for people to collaborate and think about the state of local hip-hop.

Also, while we’re on the subject of Dallas hip-hop, you should definitely listen to the new Lord Byron album, which topped our May picks for best local music. And there are indeed some great hip-hop concerts ahead this week, including performances from Bishop Nehru and Post Malone.

If you don’t give a fig about any of that, there are plenty of other shows to look forward to. We’ve got Neil Diamond, George Clinton, Jimmy Buffett, and Steve Miller all rolling through in the next seven days. Here are our picks to help you put together your concert calendar for the next week.

Wednesday (05/27)

1. Hiatus Kaiyote sounds like a name spit out of a bad band name generator, which is a shame, because this “future R&B” act actually has a pretty compelling sound. You can catch them at Trees.

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2. The prolific Todd Rundgren, of “I Saw The Light” fame and a lot of other songs he’d probably rather you shout requests for, is at the Prophet Bar.

Thursday (05/28)

3. Sparkly shirts and an easy smile have always kept Neil Diamond from catching on with those audiences who prefer their rock stars scowling and wearing blue jeans. Fortunately, more people recognize that he has one of the deepest and most rewarding discographies in pop music. Diamond’s first greatest hits compilation was released in 1968, and since then, the “Red, Red Wine” and “Kentucky Woman” singer has penned enough popular songs to play a 14-hour set without losing anyone in the crowd. He’ll probably do a slightly shorter show at American Airlines Center.

4. Bishop Nehru has got a Nas stamp of approval and has opened for Wu-Tang Clan, which is certainly more than I’d done with my life by the time I was 18. The young New York MC  is joined by local favorites The Outfit, TX and Buffalo Black for this hip-hop heavy Sound Select showcase curated by Central Track at Club Dada. Tickets are only $3 if you RSVP online ahead of time.

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Friday (05/29)

5. It’s safe to say most artists go through their careers without putting down the blueprint for a new musical style. George Clinton has done it twice, first as the mad scientist behind Parliament and Funkadelic, and again when Dr. Dre flipped old P-Funk samples into the sound that came to define West Coast hip hop in the 1990s. Clinton remains in high demand today, appearing for a track on one of this year’s most critically acclaimed albums, Kendrick Lamar’s To Pimp a Butterfly. His fashion and his credo–PG version: “Free your mind, and the rest will follow”–have only contributed to his reputation as the funkiest man on the planet. The legend is at House of Blues.

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6. Train and The Fray occasionally break through and reach seemingly everyone’s ears with ubiquitous hits like “Drops of Jupiter” (courtesy of Train) or “How To Save a Life” (courtesy of The Fray), but consistency and reliability — both acts know what they’re good at and stick with it — ensure there will be plenty of fans to pack Gexa Energy Pavilion for this one. If you only know the hits, you’re still not taking much of a risk buy getting some tickets here. The soft-rock formula is strong, and no one is immune to the charms of the quiet storm done correctly. You’ll still catch me humming “Drops Of Jupiter” every now and then.

Saturday (05/30)

7. Margaritaville is coming to Frisco. Jimmy Buffett seems like the type of performer whose concerts immediately transform a room into a beachside bar, complete with tacky faux-bamboo and little pink umbrellas in all the drinks. It’s that kind of summer party, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Join the rest of the tourists and walking midlife crises at Toyota Stadium.

8. The viral hit “White Iverson” turned Post Malone, an artist with Dallas ties who has since relocated to the West Coast, into the talk of hip-hop heads across the Internet. It remains to be seen whether the rapper has the songs to justify the hype, but if he’s got a few more like “Iverson” — a blunted track with the swagger of someone who’s already sold a million records — the excitement might be a little (emphasis on a little) justified.

This show at Trees is getting billed as Post Malone’s triumphant “Dallas debut” and getting tied into this loose Dallas Week concept. It seems a little disingenuous for this city to try and claim a guy who was raised here but doesn’t seem to have made any noteworthy music until he bailed for Los Angeles, but, again, I’m all for Dallas Week if it motivates people to think and talk about about the state of hip-hop in North Texas. I’m just not sure Post Malone should be a part of that that discussion. So I’m not buying into the hype yet. Even at his best, he’s basically just doing a tame imitation of Young Thug.

Having said all that, a bunch of local opening acts that are well worth your time will also be at this thing. Now let’s listen to “White Iverson” again.

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Sunday (05/31)

9. 97.1 The Eagle is throwing this metal-tinged bash at Gexa, which boasts a lineup of comfortably heavy acts, but nothing too scary — You can probably bring the family along, despite what I think “BFD” is short for. Rob Zombie‘s taking a break from directing horror films to put on a musical horrorshow, with Breaking Benjamin and Halestrom a little down the bill.

Monday (06/01)

10. Action Bronson serves up more curse words and culinary metaphors than Gordon Ramsay at a restaurant opening. “Mr. Wonderful” even hosts his own online cooking show. The Queens rapper born Arian Arslani is a man of many talents, but Bronsolino is still at his best with a microphone, rather than a skillet, in hand.

Yes, he sounds a lot like Ghostface Killah (something Ghostface is aware of) but Ghostface Killah is awesome. I wish everybody sounded like Ghostface. The world’s greatest Ghostface impersonator is at House of Blues.

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11. The ineffable Steve Miller has songs that epitomized classic rock before that became a catch-all label for radio program directors to use and abuse. “The Joker,” “Take The Money And Run,” and “Fly Like An Eagle” are all totally undeniable tunes that you seem to know by heart the first time you hear them. You can hear them one more time at Verizon.

12. Northern Faces‘ glossy rock is a little too sanitized for my tastes, and while the sheen will be off-putting to those looking for a less polished rock and roll band, the group’s tunes are good, harmless fun. They’re at Three Links.

13. Many people know Tech N9ne as a great evangelist for Caribou Lou, a 151-heavy alcoholic concoction that got me into trouble in college and made me swear off pineapple juice forever. “Tekkanina” (I may be spelling that wrong) is a hip-hop oddball, a cult figure who’s too obstinately, weirdly aggressive to ever enter anything resembling the mainstream. That stance, along with a rapid-fire delivery and rowdy stage presence, has won over a ton of fans, though. He’s playing at Gas Monkey Bar and Grill.

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