North Texas has seen plenty of blockbuster musical performances on stages large and small thus far in 2024 — Elvis Costello, Olivia Rodrigo, Madonna, Bob Dylan, Foo Fighters and Megan Thee Stallion, to name just a few — but the remaining months of the year promise just as many highlights, if not more. Here are a few performances worthy of your attention and your hard-earned concert dollars.
September
Mitski at Texas Trust CU Theatre (Sept. 13–14)
The gap between singer-songwriter Mitski’s breakout album Be the Cowboy and its follow-up Laurel Hell was four years, but she didn’t make her passionate fans wait nearly so long after that: The Land is Inhospitable and So Are We dropped just 18 months after Hell, and serves as the impetus for her ongoing tour, which will bring her to North Texas for a two-night stand.
Los Lobos at Longhorn Ballroom (Sept. 20)
The Grammy-winning Latin rock quintet Los Lobos has endured for more than 50 years, its eclectic sound — even now — feeling ahead of its time. The band’s latest studio album, Native Sons, was released in 2021, and could be considered a retrospective. The project is comprised wholly of covers of bands and songs from and about Los Angeles, the group’s long-time home turf.
Andre 3000 at ATTPAC (Sept. 21)
One half of the dearly departed hip-hop duo Outkast, rapper, singer, songwriter and producer Andre 3000 kept fans waiting nearly 20 years for signs of solo life — a drought which ended late last year when the iconoclastic musician released New Blue Sun, his solo debut. Hotly anticipated though it was, what arrived could have hardly been more surprising: A nearly 90-minute excursion through New Age-flavored jazz, featuring the rapper playing multiple types of flute.
More noteworthy September shows
Sept. 10: Cake at AT&T Performing Arts Center
Sept. 11: Creed at Dos Equis Pavilion; Green Day at Globe Life Field; Keane at Majestic Theatre
Sept. 14-15: Noah Gundersen at Tulips FTW
Sept. 14: Crash Test Dummies at Arlington Music Hall; Dave Mason at Longhorn Ballroom; Cole Swindell at Globe Life Field; Pat Green at Bass Performance Hall; Peter Hook & the Light at House of Blues
Sept. 15: Mk.gee at House of Blues; Snow Tha Product at Factory in Deep Ellum
Sept. 16: Aaron Frazer at Club Dada; The Marley Brothers at Dos Equis Pavilion
Sept. 17: Nicki Minaj at American Airlines Center
Sept. 18: Alice Cooper at Dickies Arena; Built to Spill at Granada Theater; Debbie Gibson at House of Blues; LA LOM at Kessler Theater; Slipknot at Dos Equis Pavilion
Sept. 19: Gracie Abrams at Pavilion at Toyota Music Factory
Sept. 20: Glass Animals at Dos Equis Pavilion; John Early at Club Dada; Joseph at Kessler Theater; Ray LaMontagne at Music Hall at Fair Park
Sept. 21: Chromeo at Factory in Deep Ellum; Cigarettes After Sex at Dickies Arena; Jeezy at Echo Lounge & Music Hall; Sofi Tukker at South Side Ballroom
Sept. 22: Omar Apollo at Pavilion at Toyota Music Factory
Sept. 25-26: Zedd at Factory in Deep Ellum
Sept. 25: Hans Zimmer at Dickies Arena; Tom Jones at Texas Trust CU Theatre
Sept. 26: ERNEST at Billy Bob’s Texas; M. Ward at Kessler Theater
Sept. 27: Clairo at Factory in Deep Ellum; Cure for Paranoia at Kessler Theater; Jo Dee Messina at State Fair of Texas
Sept. 28: Drake Milligan at Billy Bob’s Texas; Future Islands at Longhorn Ballroom
Sept. 29: Weezer at American Airlines Center
Sept. 30: Johnny Marr at Majestic Theatre
October
Charli XCX/Troye Sivan at American Airlines Center (Oct. 9)
We all just lived through “Brat Summer,” a pop cultural phenomenon — or, perhaps more accurately, to quote Chappell Roan, a “feminiomenon” — grown out of British dance-pop dynamo Charli XCX’s sixth studio album, Brat, which dropped earlier this year. Expect this co-headlining jaunt with fellow pop firestarter Troye Sivan to be an ecstatic party from start to finish.
Wyatt Flores at State Fair of Texas (Oct. 11)
A fast-rising country music star hailing from just north of the Red River, in Stillwater, Okla., singer-songwriter Wyatt Flores has captured attention not only on the strength of his vivid songs — the foundation of his debut LP, Welcome to the Plains, out Oct. 18 — but also his candor around mental health and the pressures of fame.
Thee Sacred Souls at South Side Ballroom (Oct. 26)
Soulful California R&B trio Thee Sacred Souls has made a big impression in a short time. Formed in 2019, the group — vocalist Josh Lane, drummer/guitarist Alex Garcia and bassist Sal Samano — is hitting the road this fall behind its latest album, Got a Story to Tell, which drops Oct. 4.
More noteworthy October shows
Oct. 1: Bowling for Soup at State Fair of Texas
Oct. 2: Marcus King at South Side Ballroom
Oct. 3-5: Usher at American Airlines Center
Oct. 4: Maverick City Music at Dickies Arena; Mickey Guyton at Strauss Square; Shakey Graves at State Fair of Texas
Oct. 5: Joshua Ray Walker and Grace Potter at State Fair of Texas
Oct. 7: The Fray at Echo Lounge & Music Hall
Oct. 9: Benson Boone at Pavilion at Toyota Music Factory; The Heavy Heavy at Kessler Theater; Santigold at Factory in Deep Ellum
Oct. 10: Carin Leon at Dickies Arena; Men at Work at Longhorn Ballroom
Oct. 11: Avett Brothers at Texas Trust CU Theatre; Kehlani at Pavilion at Toyota Music Factory; Lucinda Williams at Tannahill’s Tavern & Music Hall; Paul Oakenfold at Granada Theater; Wyatt Flores at State Fair of Texas
Oct. 12: Great Western Festival at Dickies Arena; Hayes Carll at Tannahill’s Tavern & Music Hall; Meghan Trainor at Pavilion at Toyota Music Factory; St. Paul and the Broken Bones at State Fair of Texas
Oct. 13-14: Fred again … at Dickies Arena
Oct. 14: Norah Jones at Pavilion at Toyota Music Factory
Oct. 15-16: Lyle Lovett & His Large Band at Majestic Theatre
Oct. 17: Kaytranada at Pavilion at Toyota Music Factory; Orquesta Buena Vista Social Club at Majestic Theatre; Sierra Hull at Tulips FTW; Sixpence None the Richer at Kessler Theater
Oct. 18: Jeff Lynne’s ELO at American Airlines Center; The National Parks at Kessler Theater
Oct. 19: Jimmie Vaughan at Longhorn Ballroom; Suki Waterhouse at Factory in Deep Ellum
Oct. 20: Maxwell at American Airlines Center
Oct. 22: Lyle Lovett at Bass Performance Hall
Oct. 25-27: Marc Rebillet at the Studio at the Factory
Oct. 24: The Lemon Twigs at Deep Ellum Art Company
Oct. 25: Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons at Texas Trust CU Theatre; KXT Get Loud with Abraham Alexander at Ferris Wheelers Backyard & BBQ; Leela James at Pavilion at Toyota Music Factory
Oct. 26: Conan Gray at Dickies Arena; Guided by Voices at Ferris Wheelers Backyard & BBQ; Judas Priest at Pavilion at Toyota Music Factory
Oct. 27: Dashboard Confessional at Pavilion at Toyota Music Factory; Don Toliver at American Airlines Center; Kirk Franklin at Dickies Arena; Zara Larsson at House of Blues
Oct. 29: Air at Music Hall at Fair Park; Boris at Granada Theater; Sabrina Carpenter at American Airlines Center
Oct. 31: The Jesus Lizard at Longhorn Ballroom; Marc Anthony at Dickies Arena; Wale at House of Blues
November
T Bone Burnett at Kessler Theater (Nov. 14)
The Fort Worth-raised producer, singer and songwriter hasn’t been on a North Texas stage in nearly two decades, but he’ll return to his old stomping grounds this fall, songs from The Other Side, his first solo album in 16 years. The 76-year-old Burnett will likely pull from across his eclectic catalog, which has touched on everything from sun-dappled folk rock to abrasive, almost avant garde compositions.
Leon Bridges at Dickies Arena (Nov. 15)
Another beloved son of Fort Worth will conclude the national tour for his fourth studio album with a hometown blow-out on the biggest stage he’s yet played in North Texas. Singer-songwriter Leon Bridges is gearing up to drop the introspective new LP Leon in early October, and he’ll bring those songs and more home, with a special appearance by fellow North Texan-made-good Charley Crockett.
Kacey Musgraves at American Airlines Center (Nov. 22–23)
After purging the heartbreak of her divorce with 2021’s pop-glossed Star-Crossed, Golden native Kacey Musgraves — who took home the Grammy for album of the year in 2019 for its predecessor, Golden Hour. Now she’s turned inward, and plunged herself into songs that would become her sixth studio album, the folk-pop-flavored Deeper Well, released earlier this year.
More noteworthy November shows
Nov. 1: Washed Out at Longhorn Ballroom
Nov. 2: Morrissey at Music Hall at Fair Park
Nov. 6: Local Natives at Tannahill’s Tavern & Music Hall; Pink at Globe Life Field; Pokey LaFarge at Kessler Theater
Nov. 7: Tokyo Police Club at Echo Lounge & Music Hall
Nov. 8: Chief Keef at South Side Ballroom; Crystal Gayle at Arlington Music Hall; JD McPherson at Kessler Theater; Old 97’s at Longhorn Ballroom
Nov. 9: Cody Johnson at Globe Life Field; Paul Cauthen at Factory in Deep Ellum; John Oates at Arlington Music Hall; Rainbow Kitten Surprise at Pavilion at Toyota Music Factory; Robert Earl Keen at Billy Bob’s Texas
Nov. 10: For King & Country at American Airlines Center
Nov. 12: Cyndi Lauper at American Airlines Center
Nov. 13: Creed at Dickies Arena
Nov. 14: Sampha at Granada Theater
Nov. 15: GWAR at Studio at the Factory; Latto at South Side Ballroom
Nov. 16: Allison Russell at Tannahill’s Tavern & Music Hall; JD Souther at Arlington Music Hall
Nov. 17: Shakira at American Airlines Center
Nov. 19: Manchester Orchestra at South Side Ballroom
Nov. 21: Mariah Carey at American Airlines Center; Dwight Yoakam at Texas Trust CU Theatre; Sam Barber at Studio at the Factory
Nov. 22: Joshua Radin at Kessler Theater; Little Big Town at Dickies Arena
Nov. 25: The Staves at Kessler Theater
Nov. 29: BigXthaPlug at South Side Ballroom; The Front Bottoms at House of Blues
Nov. 30: Los Tigres Del Norte at Dickies Arena; Midland at Pavilion at Toyota Music Factory; Reverend Horton Heat at Longhorn Ballroom
December
Justin Timberlake at AAC (Dec. 6)
Pop superstar and former boy band member Justin Timberlake has already passed through North Texas once this year, playing Fort Worth in May as part of his “Forget Tomorrow” world tour. He’ll hit the other side of the Metroplex this fall, as he continues to crisscross the globe in support of his sixth studio album, Everything I Thought It Was.
Gregory Porter at Winspear Opera House (Dec. 16)
Ease into the holiday spirit with a little help from jazz-inclined singer-songwriter Gregory Porter, who is touring behind his seasonally themed record, 2023’s Christmas Wish, which features his sophisticated takes on staples like “Silent Night,” “What Are You Doing New Year’s Eve?” and “Do You Hear What I Hear?”
The Polyphonic Spree Holiday Extravaganza at Majestic Theatre (Dec. 21)
It’s not the holidays in North Texas without a dose of choral pop-rock from homegrown heroes the Polyphonic Spree — the Tim DeLaughter-led ensemble will mark the 21th anniversary of its “holiday extravaganza” by spreading the cheer in its inimitable way. Expect Santa Claus, Nutcrackers on stilts, balloon animals and real live reindeer.
More noteworthy December shows
Dec. 1: Juvenile at Tannahill’s Tavern & Music Hall
Dec. 6: Marc Broussard at Longhorn Ballroom
Dec. 7: Shemekia Copeland at Kessler Theater
Dec. 12: Ben Folds at Majestic Theatre; Billy Strings at Dickies Arena; Sara Evans at Texas Trust CU Theatre
Dec. 13: Emma Ruth Rundle at Rubber Gloves Rehearsal Studios
Dec. 14: Mason Ramsey at Studio at the Factory; The Wood Brothers at Longhorn Ballroom
Dec. 15: Richard Marx at Billy Bob’s Texas
Dec. 21: Colter Wall at Texas Trust CU Theatre; Deadmau5 at SILO Dallas; Pentatonix at Dickies Arena
Dec. 22: Pentatonix at American Airlines Center
Dec. 27: Wyatt Flores at Billy Bob’s Texas
Dec. 28: Trans-Siberian Orchestra at American Airlines Center
Dec. 29: Lights All Night at Dallas Market Hall
Dec. 30: Diplo at SILO Dallas
Preston Jones is a North Texas freelance writer and regular contributor to KXT. Email him at [email protected] or find him on X (@prestonjones). Our work is made possible by our generous, music-loving members. If you like how we lift up local music, consider becoming a KXT sustaining member right here.
