Things To Do: Houston's Best Concerts for the Week of 11/14

There’s a chill in our bones this week, but the good news is that it’s only temporary. The better news is that most of our concert picks this week are indoors. Enjoy the cold for what it is, and try not to be jealous of our neighbors across the state that are getting snow. You wouldn’t want to drive on it if you were there.

Pick of the Week: Astroworld Festival
11/14 – NRG Park

Nothing says “Houston festival” like the lingering threat of disaster. With days to go before the festival takes place, no much is really known about Travis Scott’s Astroworld Festival other than that it’s a thing that is happening at NRG Park and Scott himself will perform. Everything else is a mystery. That they’ve sold thousands and thousands of tickets to this thing with almost no information available shows, at the very least, how much of a moment Scott is having. If the fest happens and if he shows up, well, at the very least “Sicko Mode” will be good.

The Best of the Rest

The Ataris
11/14 – Satellite Bar

Is “San Dimas High School Football Rules” the greatest pop-punk song of all time? It’s an opinion I’m willing to not only entertain but occasionally argue from time to time. If there was a Pop-Punk Song Hall of Fame it would very much be a first ballot honoree. Sure, Kris Roe hasn’t written other songs I enjoy quite a bit, but sometimes you write a song so exceptional everything else lives in its shadow. This tour is celebrating So Long, Astoria, so get ready to scream out “In This Diary” the way you did when you were 17.

Walk Off the Earth
11/16 – House of Blues

Walk Off the Earth’s brand of indie rock is not everyone’s cup of tea, but I don’t think anyone can deny that they’ve got hustle for days. Back in the day, the Great Rock Origin Story featured young rockers coming together to tour week in and week out, grinding out shows in any place they could find a stage until they got the attention of the labels; now you just have to have a good viral video. You probably remember WOTE’s cover of “Somebody That I Used to Know” even if you haven’t seen it in years. That’s the power of going viral.

VNV Nation
11/17 – White Oak Music Hall

For those of you who like to throw on your dancing shoes (or boots) for music that exists to do more than just pummel your eardrums, you might consider making this part of your weekend. VNV have been doing their thing for more than two decades, and this year’s Noire is a fine entry into their discography. You know the drill: check out the new stuff, enjoy the classics, dance with a bunch of strangers. It’ll be the moodiest fun you can have.

The Internet
11/18 – House of Blues

With all due respect to Tyler, Earl and the rest of the Odd Future crew, The Internet is the best thing to come out of that particular collective. The Internet is a really good example of a band that’s too good for the industry. Their songs are catchy and so well put together than they should be bigger than they are, but the industry is fickle about what it throws its weight behind. Still, better to enjoy their greatness than to not have access to it at all.

Bonus Roadtrip Option: Drive-By Truckers
11/16-17 – Austin

You’ve got two shots to head west this weekend and see one of the best southern bands in history, The Drive-By Truckers. Southern rock is, in my best estimation, the form of rock that doesn’t get the amount of love it should, but at least DBT gives fans of that particular outshoot something to celebrate whenever they roll into our (if our includes a three-hour radius around Houston) neck of the woods.