Cory Graves
Remember When Rock Was Young.
Before you go out tonight, you might want to set your DVRs to record The Late Show with David Letterman. Why? Well, because Dave's musical guest tonight is none other than Le1f, the groundbreaking New York rapper that'll be headlining our very own Red Bull Sound Select event one week from tonight.
In the meantime, here's a bunch of other stuff in town also worth checking out.
Elton John at American Airlines Center
At previous stops on this greatest hits tour, John has been playing around 30 songs, roughly half of which have appeared in the Top 40. Expect to also hear plenty of cuts from Goodbye Yellow Brick Road, which is about to get the 40th anniversary reissue treatment. Really, our only remaining question is whether or not he'll get a backstage visit from his old pal The Butter Queen after the show. — Cory Graves
2 Chainz, Pusha T and August Alsina at South Side Ballroom
Between his revered work alongside No Malice in the Virginia Beach duo Clipse and his more recent efforts as part of Kanye West's G.O.O.D. Music collective, Pusha T's name as a respected wordsmith has long been established. But, much as he's treasured in certain circles — a lyrical mercenary seemingly constantly on the brink of even greater acclaim — he remains largely under-appreciated and, worse, unknown in other ones. So, yes, it's been abundantly clear for some time now that, with the release of Pusha's solo major label debut LP, the The Wire-referencing My Name Is My Name, the rapper seems intent on introducing a new side of himself to the world. And, really, MNIMN does exactly what it sets out to do. It's a strong portrayal of an artist with something to prove — a surprisingly cohesive, unrelenting and sometimes even ballsy offering. And, at this show, he'll have plenty to prove, too, as he's sharing a bill with a rapper whose name is 2 Chainz, regardless of the fact that he has a few on. — Pete Freedman
Boyfriend at Verizon Theatre
Earlier this week, this Korean boy band became the first K-Pop act to ever perform in Puerto Rico. Also interesting: Unlike most other bands from that genre, which tend to make their U.S. debuts on the coasts, Boyfriend's only two continental U.S. dates lined up so far are in Dallas and Chicago. Maybe that has something to do with the (fun) fact that Dallas is home to the largest Korean community in Texas and the second in the entire South behind only Atlanta. — CG
The Fleshtones at Double Wide
How many buzz bands these days could be rightfully accused of trying to sound like a New York garage band from the '60s or '70s? The Fleshtones, meanwhile, are actually a garage band from Queens that has been playing together since '76. Why settle for a cheap imitation? — CG
BYOB Art History at Kettle Art
Rockwall High School art teacher Justin Clumpner — whose work is part of the current three-man “Love, Death + Desert” exhibition at the gallery — will be dropping his knowledge of art history as part of the Deep Ellum gallery's newest series. The initial installment will give a broad overview of the entire series, including topics from pre-history to post-modernism. Bringing your own beers — and chairs — is recommended. — CG
Harland Williams at Addison Improv
The guy that drank Jim Carey's piss in Dumb & Dumber will be doing stand-up sets at the Improv chain's Addison location all weekend long! — CG
Beer and Cupcake Pairing at Craft & Growler
Maxine's Killer Creations is teaming up with Craft & Growler to put on this local beer and cupcake pairing event, in which you'll get to try four 5-ounce beers and four cupcakes. Last time they did this sort of thing, Maxine even worked local brews into her list of ingredients. No word on what tricks she's got up her sleeve this go around, but we do know seats are extremely limited and you should probably go ahead and reserve your spot ASAP. — CG
To find out what else is going on today, this week and beyond, check out our events page.
