This will be the last run of "10 Best Concerts of the Week." Look for our top five next week and every week thereafter in "The Best Things To Do in Dallas," and in the print edition.
Hayes & The Heathens
6:30 p.m., Thursday, May 16, Lexus Box Garden at Legacy Hall, 7800 Windrose Ave., Plano. $34+ at prekindle.comThis show is called “Hayes & The Heathens,” but that doesn't mean that The Band of Heathens will be opening for Hayes Carll. Instead, this concert will put Carll on stage together with The Heathens’ Ed Jurdi and Gordy Quist for a good ol' family-style jam. Carll and The Heathens decided to join in 2014 for a holiday show in Little Rock after years of mutual respect for each other's work. The two musical acts have continued to get together for select dates like their jam in Luckenbach in October. This week, Plano has been selected for this musical treat. For these shows, Hayes & The Heathens play song-swap style, literally taking turns playing each other's songs alongside some covers and even a couple of originals. Be sure to stick around after the show for the no-cover Late Night in the UABC Taproom, on the third floor of Legacy Hall.
Steel Panther
9 p.m., Thursday, May 16, Tannahill's Tavern and Music Hall, 122 E. Exchange Ave., Ste. 200, Fort Worth. $35 at ticketmaster.comBeing a glam metal band from LA used to mean something in the '80s, and for the guys in Steel Panther, it still does. Formed in 2000 under the name Metal Shop, long after the demise of the genre's popularity, singer "Michael Starr," guitarist "Satchel," bassist "Lexxi Foxx" and drummer "Stix Zadiniaguys" got together to bring back all the party-rock fun for which bands like Mötley Crüe, Poison, Ratt and Quiet Riot were known in their prime. The band's lyrics are intentionally profane, mimicking the not-so-tongue-in-cheek lyrics of the its '80s counterparts, and its stage shows parody the hard-partying lifestyles of everyone featured in Penelope Spheeris's The Decline of Western Civilization Part II: The Metal Years. So, is the band serious? Is it just a joke? Well, it's a seriously good joke. The band's On The Prowl World Tour comes through Fort Worth on Thursday with Stitched Up Heart.
Wildflower! Arts & Music Festival
6 p.m., Friday, May 17, and 11 a.m., Saturday and Sunday, May 18 and 19, Galatyn Park Urban Center, 2351 Performance Drive, Richardson. $20+ at wildflowerfestival.com/ticketsThe Wildflower! Arts & Music Festival in Richardson never fails to impress, and really, you have to look beyond the headliners to see it. The festival will offer performances from GROUPLOVE, Nile Rogers & CHIC, AWOLNATION and Sister Sledge, but one should also note that on Saturday, Mark Farner's American Band is playing. That name should sound familiar to any Simpsons fan who remembers Homer Simpson's puzzlement when nobody in the carpool responded to, "You kids don't know Grand Funk [Railroad]? The wild shirtless lyrics of Mark Farner?" On Saturday, look for a set from disco legends KC & The Sunshine Band and get ready to put on your boogie shoes. And that really is just scratching the surface. Check the website for full details on everything you're missing out in the suburbs.
Hot Water Music
7 p.m., Friday, May 17, South Side Music Hall, 1135 Botham Jean Blvd. $37 at seetickets.usHot Water Music is really tough to classify. One could call it post-hardcore, but that's really just a catchall term for anything that almost sounds like hardcore music but isn't. The band draws from hardcore in its raspy vocals and aggressive guitars, but even the most casual listener will notice that the lyrics are more in line with Midwest emo than anything out of the hardcore world. But it wouldn't be right to call Hot Water Music an emo band, either. Rites of Spring and Embrace played hardcore arrangements with emo lyrics, and Sunny Day Real Estate and The Get Up Kids played slower, complicated arrangements with emo lyrics. Hot Water Music plays those slower arrangements hard, with hard vocals as a way to almost mask the emotionality of its lyrics. Whatever you call it, it's sure to be a gripping Friday night with opening acts Quicksand and Off With Their Heads.
John Fullbright
7:30 p.m., Friday, May 17, Poor David's Pub, 1313 Botham Jean Blvd. $25+ at prekindle.comJohn Fullbright may not be the most recognizable name in country music, but he should be. This former member of the Turnpike Troubadours has laid down deeply emotional and introspective songs on country music's large underground circuit for about 15 years. Fullbright came out swinging with a debut live album in 2009, but it was his first studio effort, From the Ground Up, that caught the attention of critics outside the country world. With songs such as "Jericho" and "Satan & St. Paul" sending listeners soaring through biblical allusions and the search for new meaning, Fullbright showed that Oklahoma farm boys could get emo too. Though 2014's Songs may have gotten more attention than its predecessor, Fullbright all but disappeared after the tour, popping up for short tours here and there. In 2022, the singer-songwriter released his first album in eight years, The Liar, which showed no letdown in his songwriting.
Real Estate
8 p.m., Saturday, May 18, Tannahill's Tavern and Music Hall, 122 E. Exchange Ave., Ste. 200, Fort Worth. $25 at ticketmaster.comFormed in New Jersey in 2008, indie rock band Real Estate has never really been the biggest name in the genre, but it has always been one of its most consistently good bands. You've never seen a Real Estate album climb the charts, though 2014's Atlas did receive broader attention on the strength of its single "Talking Backwards." That song is truly representative of the band's whole approach to music. It's jangly, almost childlike in its sing-song chorus. However, the intricate guitar work and intelligent wordplay show that the band has much more going on beneath the surface, and as the band's fans know, audiences are rewarded for listening closely. Real Estate comes to town on its Infinite Jangle Tour in support of its new album, Daniel. The album fared well among critics, and though It's another one that may not climb the charts, it's sure to be pleasing to your ears.
Sean Paul
8 p.m., Saturday, May 18, The Pavilion at Toyota Music Factory, 300 W. Las Colinas Blvd., Irving. $60+ at stubhub.comThe year was 2002, and the album was Dutty Rock. Out of nowhere, this thick Jamaican dancehall voice took over hip-hop and pop radio with a string of undeniably catchy singles. First, there was the car radio jam "Gimme the Light" that took its beat from the Knight Rider theme, then there was the sweaty dance floor hit "Get Busy," the playful "Like Glue" and the sweet summer vibes of "I'm Still In Love." There was also that song "Baby Boy" that featured a collaboration with Beyoncé right after she had put out her first solo album but before she left Destiny's Child completely. That became one of the biggest hits of 2003, and the album eventually peaked at No. 9 on the Billboard 200. All of this solidified Sean Paul's place in the annals of music history, and the hits just kept coming. Paul's mainstream success has passed, but his albums continue to break the top five on Billboard's reggae chart.
Wicca Phase Springs Eternal
9 p.m., Saturday, May 18, Tulips, 112 St. Louis Ave., Fort Worth. $22 at seetickets.usRapper Adam McIlwee (aka Wicca Phase Springs Eternal) got his start as a singer and guitarist in a Scranton, Pennsylvania, rock band called Tigers Jaw. After several years in the scene, McIlwee began experimenting with a sound based in hip-hop, emo and witch house music, donning the name Wicca Phase Springs Eternal as a way to capture all of those sounds in a single (mouthful of a) name. A member of several hip-hop collectives, McIlwee is probably best known for his time as a member of GothBoiClique, whose membership included the likes of emo rap superstars Døves, Mackned and the late rapper Lil Peep. McIlwee was certainly an innovator in the genre, and his music has been cited as an influence by musicians such as Dallas-born rapper Lil Lotus. White Ring will open the show.
State Fair Records Songwriters Round
3 p.m., Sunday, May 19, The Kessler Green, 1230 W. Davis St. Free.If you're looking for something local, fun and free this weekend, head down to Oak Cliff for a matinee song swap with the voices of State Fair Records. A local label, State Fair Records has brought many North Texas favorites to the fore — Joshua Ray Walker, The 40 Acre Mule, Ottoman Turks, honky-tonk Tex-Mex band Squeezebox Bandits — becoming a label that one can confidently support. In addition to its tireless dedication to finding the best Americana talent the area has to offer, State Fair Records has also shown its commitment to its fanbase by hosting listening parties, songwriter nights and free shows on The Kessler Green like this Sunday's with solo artists David Forsyth, Nathan Mongol Wells and Billy Law. The show is free but space is limited.
Chris Isaak
8 p.m., Sunday, May 19, Tannahill's Tavern and Music Hall, 122 E. Exchange Ave., Ste. 200, Fort Worth. $169.50+ at ticketmaster.comIt may have been a while since you thought about Chris Isaak. His best-known song, "Wicked Game," dominated airwaves and film scores in the late '90s, but his heyday came in the mid-'90s with a string of hits from his 1995 album, Forever Blue. That album gave the world the songs "Baby Did a Bad Bad Thing" and "Somebody's Crying," both of which found their way to alternative and adult contemporary radio stations. Isaak has since become just as well-known for his acting as for his music, having played Phoebe's love interest on Friends in a 1996 episode and appearing in the shows American Dreams and Hot in Cleveland. Most recently, Isaak recorded an album of Christmas standards, Everybody Knows It's Christmas. What brings him to town this weekend is just a love of music and playing for fans, so expect to hear all your favorites.
