There is a scene in Mel Brooks’ film Blazing Saddles which shows a gang of bad guys (“rustlers, cut throats, murderers, bounty hunters, desperados, mugs, pugs, thugs, nitwits, halfwits, dimwits, vipers, snipers, con men, Indian agents, Mexican bandits, muggers, buggerers, bushwhackers, hornswogglers, horse thieves, bull dykes, train robbers, bank robbers, ass-kickers, shit-kickers and Methodists!”) on horseback approaching a toll booth sitting in the middle of the desert. Momentarily stymied, the leader of the gang hollers out, “Somebody’s gotta go back and get a shitload of dimes!”

Evidently, someone took Slim Pickens’ line to heart, as evidence has recently been released concerning the theft of over two million dimes in transit from a U.S. mint. Once they had the coins – worth $234,00 – the robbers were faced with the task of converting the dimes into, as my dad used to say, folding money. This task was accomplished with the aid of a shitload of coin machines in Pennsylvania and a few deposits to banks in Maryland, which is how the Hole in the Head Gang was corralled. And now, here are some concerts that they will miss while in jail.

Ticket Alert
When the Eagles decided to call their (allegedly) final tour “The Long Goodbye,” they weren’t kidding.  More and more dates are being announced, including one in Houston on Friday, February 16, at Toyota Center. Steely Dan is slated to open, which will be a nice bonus if it actually happens. Donald Fagen has been dealing with an undisclosed illness over the past month, taking the band off the road and giving Steve Miller the opportunity to slide into Steely Dan’s slot. Presales and VIP package sales start today, with the general ticket sale beginning on Friday. Having said all that, the Eagles do put on one hell of a show, which fortunately includes a number of Joe Walsh songs ("Life's Been Good," "Funk #49," "Rocky Mountain Way").

Gov’t Mule will celebrate its 30th anniversary with a spring tour which will stop in Houston on Sunday, February 25, at the Bayou Music Center. If you have never experienced Gov’t Mule live, don’t miss out. Warren Haynes and company are true musicians, with the ability to stretch out when the spirit moves them and follow the muse wherever it leads. The tickets aren’t pricey, and there will actually be chairs on the floor. Nothing not to like here.

Concerts This Week
Polyphia has taken prog rock to another level. How? By being even proggier than anything that has come before. Extreme virtuosity? Check. Odd time signatures (aka math rock)? Check. Lengthy instrumental passages? Check. But beyond that, Plano’s own Polyphia has kicked things up a notch by incorporating influences from rap and other genres, including bossa nova. Check them out tomorrow night at the Bayou Music Center.
Doug Sahm shuffled off this mortal coil way too soon, so it does the heart good to know that his son Shandon is keeping the flame alive, performing classics like “She’s About a Mover,” “Give Back the Key to My Heart” and “Mendocino.” Head over to the Continental Club on Saturday, grab a Lone Star and enjoy tunes that are as Texas as it gets. The show will take place in the Pachinko Hut (aka the back yard), so that means an early start. Neighbors, doncha know.
When it comes to country and bluegrass, no one can accuse Marty Stuart of being anything less than legit. He began his career as a teenager, playing with Lester Flatt’s band. After that, he apprenticed with Johnny Cash before striking out on his own. If you’re a fan of fast and flashy picking, check out Stuart and his crack backing band, the Fabulous Superlatives, on Saturday at the Stafford Centre.
The Fixx and MTV were a match made in heaven. The band had a sharp look (rather Bowie-esque), a synthy new-wave sound and a bunch of catchy songs (“Saved by Zero,” “One Thing Leads to Another,” “Stand or Fall”). MTV had the means to connect the young Brits with most of the world. And the rest is history. But don’t get the idea that the band is just a nostalgia act. The Fixx is still releasing new music and out on the road, stopping by the House of Blues on Monday.