Mary J. Blige

Friday Night: Mary J. Blige at Reliant Stadium

Mary J. Blige Reliant Stadium March 1, 2013 Watching Mary J. Blige's bravura Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo performance Friday night brought to mind the old, old Hollywood saying about Ginger Rogers doing everything Fred Astaire did, except in high heels and backwards. (Kids, ask grandma or just Go ... More >>

Rocks Off's Rodeo Concert Guide for "Bros":
Mary J. Blige

Date: March 1 Name: Mary J. Blige AKA: "Damn, we sure have a lot of white men on the concert calendar this year."

Match the Anticipated Crowds For Selected RodeoHouston Concerts

This week's RodeoHouston lineup announcement officially kicked off 2013 for Houston's party people and rodeo fans. The lineup is dependable as always, with your standard country acts, classic-rockers, kiddie-pop acts, R&B, and norteño offerings making up the month of music. Sadly, once again this ... More >>

Rodeo Touches Every Corner of Pop Universe, Almost Misses Texas

I live too far away from the coasts to care about Coachella all that much, and have done far too much time in both the ACL and SXSW trenches to get too excited about anything that happens in far west Houston anymore. So instead, I have started looking forward to the Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo's ... More >>

Rockin' the Rodeo: Pitbull, Bruno Mars, The Band Perry, Mary J. Blige Lead 2013 Names

Pop stars of both the R&B and Latin persuasions, Bruno Mars and Pitbull, join new country favorites Brantley Gilbert, The Band Perry and the Zac Brown Band in the Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo's 2013 entertainer lineup, the rodeo announced this morning. Rodeo veterans Alan Jackson, Tim McGraw, Dier ... More >>

Who Should Play RodeoHouston In 2013?

On October 30, just a few days from now, RodeoHouston will announce its first round of performers for the 2013 edition of the star-studded, yeehawin', nearly three-week event at Reliant Park. The booking the last few years has been getting more adventurous, with the likes of Kid Rock, KISS, Mary J. ... More >>

Friday Night: The Weeknd at Bayou Music Center

Note: Due to computer difficulties, the photos from Friday were lost. Also, After Friday night's show, The Weeknd canceled his scheduled performance Sunday at the Austin City Limits Music Festival, issuing this statement on his Web site: I'm really disappointed and embarrassed that I can't make it t ... More >>

Last Night: Mary J. Blige & D'Angelo at Toyota Center

Mary J. Blige, D'Angelo Toyota Center September 2, 2012 There's a wildly popular scene in comedian/actor Jamie Foxx's hit late 90s television show, The Jamie Foxx Show, in which he dresses up -- or undresses, actually -- as funk singer D'Angelo in penance for some slight done to his girlfriend. In ... More >>

The Tontons Are Deemed Buzzworthy By MTV, Playing PopMontreal

Just this morning, MTV's Buzzworthy site decided to show the world the Tontons and their track "Golden", which was easily one of the best things about 2011. Bun B and myself decided it one night at a food truck. That's how things happen in Houston. Great, now these guys and girl will never play ... More >>

Burger King: The Prince of Ad Campaigns

Burger King recently announced a new ad campaign supporting the chain's "Fresh Offers" menu items. The ads feature celebrity spokespeople ordering off of the new, supposedly fresher and healthier menu. One of the ads featuring Mary J. Blige singing about fried chicken was quickly pulled because so ... More >>

20 Years of Hip-Hop Soul Hits: Happy Birthday, Mary J. Blige

Photo by Marco Torres​Every time we hear a new Mary J. Blige single on the radio, we ask ourselves, "REALLY, MJB? Again? OK, girl." We literally said that in the car last week when we heard her new single "Mr. Wrong." Of course, the proclaimed "Queen of Hip-Hop Soul" has never given us reaso ... More >>

Father Figures: 100 Famous Musicians' Paternal Professions

If you're a Texan of a certain age, this week you've probably spent some time mourning the death of Jerry Haynes, the children's TV host better known as Mr. Peppermint. Haynes' show on WFAA-TV in Dallas, Peppermint Place, ran from the '60s to the '90s and was widely syndicated across the state, incl ... More >>

What's The Best Rap Song About A Girlfriend, Wife Or Side Chick?

Photo illustration by John Seaborn Gray​For shame. Generally, the way Rap Round Table works is Rocks Off sends out a question of varying importance each week to rappers for them to discuss. About two years of doing this column has taught us that the best way to get responses is to do it on T ... More >>

The 2011 BET Awards, Or The Vindication Of Chris Brown

​6:58: High-five to the Houston Press for flying us out to Los Angeles to cover the BET Awards. Cool move. Thus far, it's been extra fun. We ran into Kobe and, um, saw some people filming a movie, and... uh... there were some angels or something, and... there... there was... eh, shit. We're n ... More >>

Top 10 Super Bowl Halftime Shows

idontlikeyouinthatway.com​This Sunday, Rocks Off will be live-blogging and tweeting this year's Super Bowl halftime show, which will feature noted scholars The Black Eyed Peas. We are diligently studying the entire BEP canon and that of all of their solo members, like the dedicated pop histori ... More >>

KISS, Kid Rock, Janet Jackson Head 2011 Rodeo Lineup

​KISS, Janet Jackson and Kid Rock head the Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo's 2011 concert schedule, which the rodeo announced earlier Monday morning. Among the other 13 entertainers rounding out this year's lineup are recent rodeo stalwarts Alan Jackson, Keith Urban, Tim McGraw and Lady Antebe ... More >>

Rocks Off's Favorite Shows Of 2010

Marco Torres​Editor's Picks: Mary J. Blige, Reliant Stadium (RodeoHouston), March: Exquisite. Beach House, Walter's on Washington, April: Can't hate on this one either. Magical. Wu-Tang Clan, Numbers, December: Against all odds, they brought the motherfuckin' ruckus.

American Idol: The Tumor is Removed...Eventually

​This is my first season of American Idol, and thus my first brush with the behemoth that is "Idol Gives Back." This is the third time the show has staged its charity event, and there were far fewer celebrities this year. The goal was ostensibly to educate viewers about the plight of the needy ... More >>

American Idol: The Tumor is Removed... Eventually

​This is my first season of American Idol, and thus my first brush with the behemoth that is "Idol Gives Back." This is the third time the show has staged its charity event, and there were far fewer celebrities this year. The goal was ostensibly to educate viewers about the plight of the needy ... More >>

Communication Breakdown

Local music writers and online commenters discuss how musicians might draw media attention.

Most Downloaded "Hope For Haiti" Texan? Although She Killed, Not Beyonce

Between fighting crime, reducing global warming, mending our socks and, you know, everything else Rocks Off does when we're away from the office, we caught a good bit of Friday evening's "Hope for Haiti" telethon. We didn't have much choice, because the George Clooney-organized, celebrity-packed fu ... More >>

Idol Beat: Tryouts Burn Atlanta All Over Again

We're all in our happy places... Keep smiling.... The day is almost over...​Going into the second audition episode of American Idol, I worried that it might not be any different from the first one. And while the bottom line is that I was right on a technical level -- it was 90 minutes of good ... More >>

American Idol: Pants On The Ground

We're all in our happy places... Keep smiling.... The day is almost over...​Going into the second audition episode of American Idol, I worried that it might not be any different from the first one. And while the bottom line is that I was right on a technical level -- it was 90 minutes of good ... More >>

RodeoHouston 2010 Entertainer Lineup Includes Mary J. Blige, Black Eyed Peas, Justin Bieber and Some Country Folks You Can Probably Guess

​Monday morning, the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo announced the remainder of its Reliant Stadium entertainment calendar for this year's rodeo, which begins March 2. Debuting on Reliant's revolving stage this year are Jason Aldean (March 6) and Texans the Eli Young Band (March 19). Returning fr ... More >>

Hit the Road, Jack: 10 More Notable Musical Deaths From the Past Decade

​ Looking back, this past decade wasn't too kind to rock and roll as a whole. We lost plenty of people who weren't exactly disgustingly huge as Michael Jackson or as monolithic as Johnny Cash. This decade took its share of people who were massively influential and iconic, but not on the grand worl ... More >>

Turning the Screw: Slim Thug, KRS-One, Robin Thicke, B.o.B., The Renaldo The Ensemble, Joe Budden, Slaughterhouse, Mary J., Scarface & Tupac, etc.

Welcome back to Turning the Screw, Rocks Off's weekly rap post. It probably won't rhyme, at least most of the time. E-mail tips to introducingliston@gmail.com. Thanks, homies. Single of the Week: "Thug," Slim Thug Wire To Wire KRS-One is going to be helping out the homeless on Thanksgiving. What's ... More >>

Leela James: Let's Do It Again

Industrial Icon Martin Atkins Knows From Touring

Road Warrior

Idol Beat: The Top 11

Photo by Ray Mickshaw / FOXPictured: Matt Giraud, exquisite gumline Traditionally, I've concluded the first Idol Beat of any given week with predictions as to who the American Idol judges or viewing public will send home the next night. This week I'm upending that, and predicting that no one will go ... More >>

U2 Lace Up Their Dirty "Boots"

Among, you know, a few other things, the past 24 hours have been the start of a very, very big year for the band Rocks Off affectionately refers to as the Best Band Ever. U2 appeared alongside Bruce Springsteen, Stevie Wonder, "One" pal Mary J. Blige and many more as Barack Obama's opening acts at ... More >>

Single File

Soul and Blues Festival

Betty Wright, Bobby “Blue” Bland and Willie Clayton headline a mega-jam

Kanye, Jay-Z, Mary J. and Rihanna Clamor for Diva Status

Last Night: Jay-Z and Mary J. Blige at Toyota Center

Mary J. Blige: Growing Pains

Miss Pop Rocks: The Head-On People Need to Check Themselves

Little Brother

Little Brother performs Friday, June 29, at Warehouse Live, 813 St. Emanuel, 713-225-5483. Orgone and DJ Haul also perform.

Song Title Scrabble

Mixed-up monikers

The Essence of Soul

Jamie Foxx, Mary J. Blige and more hit H-town

Mary J. Blige

The Breakthrough

Jamie Foxx

Unpredictable

The Chocolate Bayou Festival, Featuring Angie Stone

Saturday, September 3, and Sunday, September 4, at Sunnyside Park, 3502 Bellfort. Step Rideau, Sherman Robertson, Rick Marcel, Kyle Turner, Bridgette Taylor, Michael Ward, Werner Richard, Rayvon Foster, Caliente and Ernest Walkerd are also on the bill.

John Legend, with De La Soul and Rahzel

Saturday, August 13, at HUSH, 15625 Katy Freeway, 713-330-HUSH.

Who's Your Diddy?

It's Cristal and basketball with Coach Combs

On Da Lingo

Tracing Houston roots in three omnipresent hip-hop terms

Cruel Summer

Are we hearing the death rattle of the sheds?

Mary J. Blige with Musiq and Glenn Lewis

Sunday, May 16

Real & Bold

Mary J. Blige

Symphony of Setbacks

Rotation