Last Night: Paul Wall and Lil’ Keke at Meow Wolf

As concert reviews go, this one might be weirder than a distraught poker player whose bad hand has caused her head to literally burst into flames. You may have come here to learn how Paul Wall and Lil’ Keke performed last night but, honestly, you probably already know. They’re Houston rap veterans and as reliable as hydraulics on a SLAB. They kept it movin’ and kept us  bouncin’.

So, if they did the damn thing (and they did), then what’s there to assess, you may ask? There was another Houston star – a rising star – in the house. Actually, it was the house. Part of our interest in last night’s show was hearing iconic H-town classics like “Southside” and “Sittin’ Sidewayz” live, up close and personal, in Radio Tave, Houston’s upstart version of Meow Wolf’s immersive art experiences.

The space has been open since October 2024 and affords fans of the Meow Wolf brand a unique, Texas-flavored adventure where one might see anything, including the aforementioned card player with a conflagration atop her shoulders. Last night’s sold-out show was eye candy meets candy cars. As far as we’re concerned, it was a perfect union.

The concert space in Radio Tave is very intimate, a cap space of about 300 for big shows, and last night’s was the biggest it’s hosted of close to a dozen since launching. Every Meow Wolf permanent exhibit has a theme and Houston’s is centered around a radio station – ETNL (more on those call letters in a minute) – so melding music into the experience is natural, perhaps the only natural thing about the funky, kooky space.

When Paul Wall hit the stage around 11 p.m., we’d already explored a lot of the immersive art space, rooms with turntables, microphones, beat machines and colorful oddities that defy definition and spark imagination. If you attend a live show at Radio Tave in the future, make sure you take time to traverse the entirety of the exhibit. Maybe even take time to fully engage with the interactive storyline. It’s definitely going to enhance your concert experience.

In other words, we were already feeling some kind of way when “The People’s Champ” opened with “Celebrate,” his recent collaboration with Don Louis. The smartphone cameras went up and the audience captured the quirky, close-knit space and a Houston rap icon for those TikTok and IG posts. Wall had been a featured guest of Lizzo at RodeoHouston one night earlier, so he’d gone from one of the city’s oldest, biggest stages to one of its youngest and smallest. (Sorry to report, Lizzo did not appear at Wall’s show, though we kept looking for her).

Watching a live show in Houston’s Meow Wolf building isn’t just incredibly fun, it invites music fans to hear songs they know and love in a different way. Paul Wall and Lil’ Keke delivered the hits, their contributions to the H-town canon like “Chunk Up the Deuce,” “I’m on Patron,” “I’m a G,” and “Break Em Off.” But, they also showed love to Houston’s fallen rap stars and that’s where our concert experience got the full Radio Tave business.

Throughout the night, both rappers interpolated songs and/or shouted out the names of Houston’s dearly departed rap soldiers, like Pimp C, Big Hawk, Big Pokey and hip-hop pioneer, Michael “5000” Watts. Because our imaginations had been properly piqued, portals to other places were opened hearing those names and those songs. We swear we weren’t on that “loud,” but we felt those Houston rap legends might walk onto stage alongside Wall and Keke, like they surely did in days past. Having been challenged by Meow Wolf to expand our minds before the show, we fully gave in to the notion of alternate universes, ones where our favorite musicians never die and the music sounds perfect. And the radio station bringing them to life? The one with the “eternal” call letters – ETNL.

Personal Bias: I am a big fan of all things Meow Wolf, having been to a few of the exhibits now. I really love the Vegas installment and spent too many hours crawling through it with family; but, of course, I now have a new favorite. I’ll surely be returning to allow myself more time to be in awe of the creativity which poured from the hundred Texas artists who built Radio Tave and highly encourage you to visit if you have or haven’t.

One of my favorite places in the building is its bar and restaurant, Cowboix Hevvven. Last night, they poured a special drink for the night’s events, a “Purple Drank,” cocktail, served with a grape Jolly Rancher. That is about as Houston as it gets, y’all.

The Crowd: Diverse. I mean, the show was in Houston. Shout out to my new friend, Alex, who was attending his first (but not last!) Paul Wall show. Alex, don’t forget to do your homework and delve next into the discography of Z-Ro, my personal H-town favorite. I know you were feeling that “Mo City Don” bumping last night.

Good time here also to mention that the concert space has proper lights and brilliant acoustics. The space reminded me of a much smaller version of the performance hall at Paisley Park, Prince’s music lair.

Random Notebook Dump: Right across the street from Meow Wolf, our friends at Saint Arnold Brewing were hosting SpringStock Music Festival, a three-day, free music fest featuring Houston artists. The storms washed out a couple of stages, but we were able to catch some of the music, from bands like Howard & the Nosebleeds and Psychedelic Maggot Engine. The fest concludes today and features some favorites, like Mercutio & the Constantines, Sunrise & Ammunition and India Tigers in Texas.