If you have attended a concert over the past several years, you have heard the thud of f-bombs being dropped. Going back to the ‘60s, the MC5 hollered, “Kick out the jams, motherfuckers!” and Country Joe and the Fish led the audience at Woodstock in the infamous “Fish Cheer” (“Gimme an ‘F’….”). These days, it’s unusual not hear a “fuck” or two during the course of a concert. At a Slipknot show a couple of years ago at the Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion, front man Corey Taylor dropped 15 f-bombs between the first two songs.
So it was a bit of a surprise when news began to spread after Jelly Roll’s appearance last week at Rodeo Houston that the singer would be banned from future rodeo performances after his wife, podcaster Bunnie XO, was invited onstage and said, “Houston, what the fuck is up?”
As it turns out, there is in fact no official Rodeo Houston policy that excommunicates artists who let slip a profanity during their performances. I would venture to say that rodeo management probably prefers that the acts keep it clean (kids, family-friendly, all that), but rest assured that Jelly Roll is – at the least not officially – on the rodeo’s shit list. Sorry, that’s shoot list.
Ticket Alert
Nostalgic Gen-Xers will no doubt rejoice at this week’s announcement of upcoming shows by ‘90s alt-rockers Weezer. The band will perform at Toyota Center on Saturday, September 28, with major support from the Flaming Lips and Dinosaur, Jr. as opening acts. Aside from the strong lineup, the drawing card here is that Weezer will perform its debut album, the “blue album,” in its entirety. Presales are in progress, with the general sale on Friday.
Feeling the need to get metallic? Five Finger Death Punch will be at the Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion on Thursday, September 19, with Marilyn Manson and Slaughter to Prevail opening. That’s some serious metal right there. There are plenty of presale opportunities right now (including a Manson meet-and-greet), with a Friday official on-sale date.
Also coming to the Way Out in the Woods Pavilion is Breaking Benjamin, co-headlining a hard rocking bill with Staind on Thursday, October 24. Daughtry, led by former “American Idol” finalist Chris Daughtry, will open. Presales are in up now, and the general sale starts on Friday morning..
Concerts This Week
Country artists have a well-deserved reputation for generously repaying fans’ loyalty, but this one takes the deep-fried cake. Eric Church, who will close out Rodeo Houston on Sunday at NRG Stadium, has announced that he is giving parts of his new Nashville bar to some of his most hardcore supporters.
Specifically, some megafans will receive deeds for individual bricks that comprise the structure of Church’s new watering hole Chief’s, located in Music City’s historical district. That’s cool and all, but it makes me wonder if Brad Paisley might be giving away guitars when he plays the rodeo on Saturday. Come on, pardner, let’s up the stakes!
Here is the rodeo lineup for this week:
Nickelback – Wednesday, March 13
Zac Brown Band – Thursday, March 14
Jonas Brothers – Friday, March 15
Brad Paisley – Saturday, March 16
Eric Church – Sunday, March 17
Over a two-year period, from late 1967 through 1969, the flame of Gary Puckett and the Union Gap burned brightly. The band scored five top 10 hits, including “Lady Willpower,” and performed at a White House reception for (then) Prince Charles and Princess Anne. And suddenly, it was all over. But in the early’80s, Puckett went back on the road, and he’s been there ever since. Catch him at Main Street Crossing on Friday and Saturday, and check out Bob Ruggiero’s recent Press interview with Puckett for a deeper dive.
You gotta feel for John Oates. Despite cowriting and playing on dozens of hit records with Darryl Hall in Hall and Oates, he is sometimes (incorrectly) perceived as just “the short guy with the mustache.” A few years ago on April Fools’ Day, the Ultimate Classic Rock website did a ranking of the members of Hall and Oates. He came in at number two. So if you want to show Oates some love, check out his solo show on Saturday at the Heights Theater. All Oates, all the time.
If you are looking for a bunch of old-school punk rockers, try the House of Blues on Tuesday night, when the Circle Jerks will be performing on a bill with fellow hardcore California band Descendents. ‘Cause Knowledge is Power: Circle Jerks vocalist Keith Morris was the original singer in Black Flag, departing in 1979 and eventually replaced in 1981 by Henry Rollins. One-two-three-four!
This article appears in Jan 1 – Dec 31, 2024.
