This Week's Best Concerts

Since the dawn of American politics, candidates have used music as a part of their campaigns. In the early 19th century, popular songs like “Yankee Doodle” were given new lyrics to reflect a candidate and his policies. Later, chants were used to fire up the faithful. The best example of this trend occurred during the infamously dirty campaign of 1884, when opponents of Grover Cleveland seized upon rumors that he had fathered an illegitimate child, shouting, “Ma, Ma, where’s my pa?” Cleveland’s supporters had the last laugh after his election, when they were able to respond, “Gone to the White House, haw haw haw!”

In the current presidential campaign, Beyonce has granted permission for Kamala Harris to use her song “Freedom.” Donald Trump has been favoring the Sam and Dave classic “Hold On, I’m Comin’.” Unfortunately for Trump, the family of the late Isaac Hayes (who composed the song with David Porter) has threatened to sue him for unauthorized use of the music at his campaign rallies. Additionally, the Hayes family is demanding retroactive licensing fees to the tune (sorry, couldn’t help myself) of $3 million. However, it occurs to me that there is an obvious solution to this current contretemps. Instead of “Hold On,” why not use the song “Salty Chocolate Balls,” which was performed by Hayes in the role of Chef on an episode of “South Park”? And then, said balls could be packaged and passed out as treats at campaign events, with the crowds singing along. Truly a win for everybody.

Ticket Alert

If you are the type of person who loves the holiday season and just can’t get enough of Mariah Carey’s “All I Want for Christmas is You,” you are in luck, my friend. Tickets are on sale now for “Mariah Carey’s Christmas Time,” coming up on Tuesday, November 19, at Toyota Center. ‘Cause Knowledge is Power: “All I Want for Christmas is You” was first recorded in 1989 by Vince Vance and the Valiants, the same outfit that had a hit with “Bomb Iran” (sung to the tune of “Barbara Ann”) in 1981.

Tickets are on sale for jazz diva Norah Jones’ appearance at the 713 Music Hall on Tuesday, October 15. Jones is touring this fall in support of her recent release Visions, with singer-songwriter Emily King opening.

Concerts This Week

One of the summer’s biggest stadium tours comes to Houston tonight, with Def Leppard, Journey and Steve Miller performing at Minute Maid Park. As mentioned in this space last week, Journey’s Neil Schon and Jonathan Cain are currently involved in litigation over alleged financial improprieties, so don’t expect those guys to even make eye contact onstage, except maybe to glare at each other periodically. Here’s an idea: construct a boxing ring, or maybe one of those mixed martial arts cages in front of the stage and let the guys settle things with their fists. It would certainly give fans more value for their concert dollar.

Toyota Center will be busy this weekend, with Kings of Leon playing on Friday and Santana taking the stage on Saturday. The Leon boys have a tumultuous history, perhaps reflected in the title of their latest album, Can We Please Have Fun? Santana is celebrating the 25th anniversary of the Supernatural album, which contained the hit “Smooth,” but the band will also reach back to the early part of its catalog, breaking out “Black Magic Woman” and “Soul Survivor,” which, according to documented accounts, Carlos Santana played at Woodstock while tripping balls, convinced that his guitar was a snake that he had to wrestle.

Many adjectives have been used to describe ‘90s alt-rockers Jane’s Addiction, among them eccentric, surreal and weird. But never “dull.” To the band’s credit, the current tour features all members from the original / classic lineup, and a single, “Imminent Redemption,” was released last month. Check out the revitalized Jane’s Addiction on Monday at the 713 Music Hall, with Love and Rockets opening.

While a number of classic rock bands have been taking victory laps in the form of “farewell” tours, Deep Purple is not among them. In a recent radio interview, lead singer Ian Gillan called any talk of Purple’s retirement “rubbish” (gotta love the Brits). The band is on the road this summer for a brief tour, which will land at the Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion on Saturday. OG prog veterans Yes will open, along with (relatively speaking) youngster Hannah Wicklund, a singer-songwriter who also plays some mean guitar.

Friday presents an embarrassment of riches for connoisseurs of western swing. Keepers of the flame Ray Benson and Asleep at the Wheel will play at the Heights Theater, and Bob Wills’ Texas Playboys will perform at Main Street Crossing. The latter venerable Texas institution is now led by fiddle player Jason Roberts, an AATW alum, and the band couldn’t be in better hands. Roberts knows every fiddle lick from every Playboys classic, and he has mastered Wills’ signature “a-ha.” Either way, get ready to scoot your boots, or, if you don’t have a dance partner at the moment, take a seat at the bar and contemplate the “Bubbles in [Your] Beer.”