“Holy moly.”
That’s the first thing we said when we perused the breadth of artists headed to North Texas this September. From blues icons and piano gurus, to alt-country staples and synthy sentimentals — trust us when we say there will be no shortage of great live music this month. Buckle up, folks:
Sturgill Simpson
Fri, September 8
Verizon Theatre at Grand Prairie
Get tickets here.
With three universally-acclaimed albums under his belt, Sturgill Simpson is practically a household name at this point. The genre-bending roots rocker kicks off a concert-heavy month with a stop at Verizon Theatre at Grand Prairie. Simpson would be draw enough, but there’s an added bonus — KXT Sun Sets veteran Fantastic Negrito will open the show.
KXT 91.7 Presents Manchester Orchestra
Sun, September 10
House of Blues
Get tickets here.
Manchester Orchestra has always been a band of surprises and detours, ever since their debut in 2006. On their most recent album, A Black Mile To The Surface, the Atlanta indie rockers take a quieter, more subdued approach — and we’re not complaining. Hear some of those new tracks for yourself when they hit up House of Blues on the 10th.
One Republic with Fitz and the Tantrums
Mon, September 11
Starplex Pavilion
Get tickets here.
We’ve been enjoying the heck out of that catchy summer track “Hand Clap” from Fitz and the Tantrums. And although summer may be in our rear view mirror, we’ll be clapping away when the L.A.-based neo-soul outfit plays with One Republic at Starplex Pavilion on September 11.
KXT 91.7 Presents Future Islands
Wed, September 13
The Bomb Factory
Get tickets here.
Future Islands have been stealing our hearts, ears and just about all of our emotions since 2006. Of course, it was that gem of a single “Seasons (Waiting On You)” in 2014 that put them on the map of critical acclaim. And in our book, their latest single, “Ran,” receives just as many A stars. The Baltimore synthpop band heads to The Bomb Factory on September 13.
’til Midnight at the Nasher: Walker Lukens, Catch Me If You Can
Fri, September 15
Nasher Sculpture Center
Free!
If you haven’t had the chance to check out ’til Midnight at The Nasher this season, you’ve been missing out. This month, guests of this free music and film series will enjoy a performance by Austin’s Walker Lukens, followed by a screening of Catch Me If You Can — all in the gorgeous backdrop of the Nasher Sculpture Garden.
Kevin Morby
Fri, September 15
Granada Theater
Get tickets here.
Kevin Morby may be best known for his work in the bands Woods and The Babies, but the Kansas City native is without a doubt a powerful folk-based artist in his own right. His acoustic craftsmanship was on full display at his NPR Tiny Desk Concert last year (watch above), and he no doubt will be, too, this September 15 at Granada Theater.
KXT 91.7 Presents Ben Folds
Fri, September 15
House of Blues
Get tickets here.
The Lord of the Keys returns. Hard to believe it’s been over two decades since Ben Folds first emerged onto the airwaves with his original band Ben Folds Five. Since then, it’s been a wild ride of successful solo albums, collaborations, photography and even an advisory role with the National Symphony Orchestra. We’re thanking our lucky stars for this Dallas stop — see you soon, Ben!
Trombone Shorty
Sat, September 16
The Pavilion at Irving Music Factory
Get tickets here.
Question: Does it count as a Trombone Shorty concert if you’re not dancing? Answer: No. The New Orleans musician’s brassy funk sound is unparalleled, which shouldn’t come as a surprise considering the artist, aka Troy Andrews, has been playing on stage and in brass bands since the age of four. This booty-shaking, toe-tapping performance takes place at The Pavilion at Irving Music Factory on September 16.
KXT 91.7 Presents TajMo
Wed, September 20
AT&T Performing Arts Center
Get tickets here.
Not many people can boast a critically-acclaimed career that’s spanned as many decades as it has genres. But Taj Mahal can. On September 20, he’ll be joining forces with three-time Grammy Award-winning blues musician Keb’ Mo’ — under the name TajMo — at AT&T Performing Arts Center. It’s almost too much talent for one stage to handle. Almost.
KXT 91.7 Presents Bleachers
Wed, September 20
House of Blues
Get tickets here.
You may know Jack Antonoff as the former lead singer of the band Fun. Or frontman of the indie rock group Steel Train. Or as the one-man act Bleachers, which is out with its sophomore album Gone Now. OR you may know him as actress Lena Dunham’s boyfriend. Well. However you know him, this one-man act always puts on a dynamic, fun show, so we recommend hiking it down to House of Blues this month.
KXT 91.7 Presents Overcoats
Thu, September 21
Three Links
Get tickets here.
Listen to just one track from the duo Overcoats — aka Hana Elion and JJ Mitchell — and you’ll be shocked to find out you’re not listening to a sister duo, or even relatives for that matter. With their beautifully synced harmonies, these two Wesleyan graduates are making quite the name for themselves in the indie-electro scene. Catch them in Deep Ellum this month, and don’t skimp on their recent World Cafe interview.
Depeche Mode
Fri, September 22
Starplex Pavilion
Get tickets here.
Um. Depeche Mode is coming to Dallas. Need we say more? Enjoy the silence show.
Kaleo
Wed, September 27
South Side Ballroom
Get tickets here.
Wasn’t all that long ago that we had Kaleo’s lead singer, J.J., in our studios chatting to us about volcanoes, moving from Iceland to Austin and more during a KXT Live Session. The blues-rock band is back, and this time they’ll be playing for a much larger crowd at South Side Ballroom on September 27.
KXT 91.7 Presents The War on Drugs
Thu, September 28
The Bomb Factory
Get tickets here.
The internet can be a contentious place, but it seems the blogosphere is in agreement about one thing, at least — The War on Drugs is a band that doesn’t get nearly as much headlining credit as it should. Lucky for us then, North Texas, that we’ll be privy to a performance from the Philly indie rockers at The Bomb Factory on September 28.
Ms. Lauryn Hill & Nas
Thu, September 28
The Pavilion at Irving Music Factory
Get tickets here.
There are co-headliners, and then there are CO-HEADLINERS, y’all. When Ms. Lauryn Hill and Nas share the stage at The Pavilion at Irving Music Factory this month, it will be the latter. It’s been some time since either hip-hop icon has been around these parts, so to see them both in one unforgettable night is going to be…*sigh*…is it September 28 yet?
Young The Giant
Fri, September 29
The Pavilion at Irving Music Factory
Get tickets here.
From Irvine to Irving — Young the Giant is headed our way. They’re touring for their latest album, Home of the Strange, which by the way brought with it that synth-happy track we’ve been spinning, “Something To Believe In.” Catch the So-Cal quintet in Irving on September 29.
The Flaming Lips & Mac DeMarco
Sat, September 30
The Pavilion at Irving Music Factory
Get tickets here.
If Willy Wonka and Lisa Frank had a baby, it would probably want to go to a Flaming Lips concert. Colors, magic, flower power, balloons and confetti for days are just a few things avid TFL fans have come to expect over the years. Pair that with Canadian multi-instrumentalist Mac DeMarco? Yeah, we’ll go ahead and jot this one down as another successful, not-to-be-missed booking by Irving’s newest music venue.
KXT 91.7 Presents Father John Misty
Sat, September 30
The Bomb Factory
Get tickets here.
Our favorite talented, witty, sharp-tongued misanthrope is headed back to Dallas, this time on tour for his latest album Pure Comedy. Last time Father John Misty, aka Josh Tillman, came to town he stopped by our studios to play a few songs for us. You can watch that KXT Live Session here.
Happy concerting, North Texas!
— Lauren Menking
