Fleetwood Mac Toyota Center, December 15
Fleetwood Mac will be playing a very special show in Houston on Monday night, because it will be Christine McVie first performance with the group here since at least the '90s. For many younger fans, this is their first opportunity to see the band's full classic lineup performing together. And those younger fans? Well, there's a lot of them -- maybe more than ever. Against all odds, Fleetwood Mac has gone from a classic-rock band relegated to bargain bins to a thriving, still-relevant enterprise.
Monday night's show will be a celebration of that fact; and Monday morning (10 a.m.) tickets go on sale for their return on the second leg of the "On With the Show" tour, scheduled for March 3 at the very same arena. COREY DEITERMAN
[jump]Elle Varner House of Blues, December 15
Elle Varner gives great "over it." On this summer's "Don't Wanna Dance" (featuring A$AP Ferg) and her self-explanatory new single "Fuck It All," the L.A. native sings with an up-to-here edge that usually takes many more years than 25 to acquire, as well as the old-soul wisdom of a second-generation musician who cites Ella Fitzgerald as an inspiration. But she has a playful side, too; Varner's 2012 breakout single was "Only Want to Give It to You," a playful duet with rapper J. Cole. CHRIS GRAY
Paul Ramirez Band Continental Club, December 17
Versatile Houston blues-rockers the Paul Ramirez Band's sets are mellow enough for a late-night lounge vibe, only pocked with heavier, Cream-like moments of pure jam and sometimes a cover of Pink Floyd's "Another Brick In the Wall, Part 2" that heads straight to the planetarium.
In progress is a followup to Sex With a Dragon, their 2012 debut featuring Santana-esque highlight "Gypsy Woman" where Ramirez and company balance a keyboard-heavy Latin-jazz groove with their leader's probing guitar solos, some of which can get pretty far out there. CHRIS GRAY
More shows on the next page.
