This Week's Best Concerts

Producer (he preferred the term “engineer”) and musician Steve Albini passed away last week at the age of 61 after suffering a heart attack. Albini was the man at the recording console for Nirvana’s In Utero, the Pixies’ Surfer Rose and Page and Plant’s Walking into Clarksdale, along with dozens of albums recorded over the past 30 years.

In addition to his musical activities, Albini was an accomplished cook and poker player, not to mention a world-class wiseass. Last year, he took to Twitter in order to share his thoughts on Steely Dan, prefacing his remarks by writing, “I will always be the kind of punk who shits on Steely Dan.” Among the litany of complaints: “‘They spent three weeks on the guitar solo…’ Three weeks of watching guitar players give it their all while doing bumps and hitting the talkback, ‘More Egyptian but keep it in the pocket…’” Followed by: “Music made for the sole purpose of letting the wedding band stretch out a little.” Rest easy, you magnificent bastard.

Ticket Alert

The big news this week is that Childish Gambino (actor / director / writer / comedian / singer Donald Glover’s rap identity) will perform at Toyota Center on Sunday, September 8, in support of his new album Atavista. Presales are in progress, with the general ticket sale beginning on Friday.

Popmeister Marshall Crenshaw (“Someday, Someway”) will be touring this summer to celebrate “40+ Years in Showbiz!” Catch him on Friday, August 23, at the Heights Theater, with Kelly Willis opening.

America (“Sister Golden Hair,” “Horse with No Name”) has just announced its “Ride On” tour, which will make a stop at the Smart Financial Centre on Sunday, September 1. Tickets are on sale now, with VIP / Meet and Greet packages available.

Lyle Lovett and His Large Band will play a concert commemorating the 50th anniversary of the Woodlands at the Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion on Friday, October 18. The show is free, and you can pre-register for “priority access” before the tickets are made available to the general public in August. Fellow north-side native Hayes Carll will open.

This just in: Police guitarist Andy Summers will perform on Wednesday, November 6, at the House of Blues, bringing with him a multimedia extravaganza featuring his music and photography, a production dubbed “The Cracked Lens + A Missing String.” Presales begin today, with the general sale on Friday.

Concerts This Week

The focus is on music from Mexico this week at Toyota Center. International superstar Luis Miguel (“El Sol de México”) will perform for two nights, this evening and Thursday. On Sunday, it’s Pepe Aguilar, who made his first concert appearance when he was three years old, performing at Madison Square Garden with his parents, Antonio Aguilar and Flor Silvestre. Aguilar’s Toyota Center show will continue the family tradition, with his children Leonardo and Ángela joining in an exploration of the clan’s history in Regional Mexican music.

If your boots are itching to scoot, the Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion is the place to be on Friday, when Brooks and Dunn bring their “Reboot” tour to town. The country duo has notched 20 No. 1 hits, so the challenge in assembling the set list will be what to leave out. David Lee Murphy and Ernest (see Clint Hale’s story in the Press) will open.

You’ve gotta love the blueprint for Uli Jon Roth’s show on Saturday at the Dosey Doe. Roth will open the evening with a set of electric guitar versions of classical pieces by Vivaldi and others, plus Roth’s “Metamorphosis Concerto.” That will be followed by a TED talk which presents an overview of his new book, In Search of the Alpha Law, and a set with Roth’s full band. And this will all take place in a 150-year-old barn, with a chicken fried steak available for dinner. No place but Houston, baby!

For over 30 years, Chris Isaak has maintained a career in both music and film, releasing the hit singles “Wicked Game” and “Baby Did a Bad Bad Thing” while appearing in features like Married to the Mob and Silence of the Lambs. Isaak will perform on Tuesday at the House of Blues. ‘Cause Knowledge is Power: Isaak is close friends with singer Stevie Nicks and director David Lynch.