This Week's Best Concerts

You may have read that, last week, The Who fired Zak Starkey (son of Ringo Starr), who had been drumming with the band for 29 years. This action came after Who singer Roger Daltrey stopped a March performance at the Royal Albert Hall, complaining that he could not hear well enough to sing properly because of the volume of Starkey’s drums.

So, let me get this straight. Daltrey, a man who fronts one of the world’s loudest bands ever, a singer who performed for over a decade with Keith Moon, has a problem with volume? I understand that he may be experiencing difficulties with his hearing connected to aging (Daltrey is 81), but to give Starkey the boot for (allegedly) playing too loud seems absurd. Sounds to me like Daltrey was looking for someone to blame for a poor performance on his part. And it’s not like he can fire Pete Townshend.

If the sound emanating from Starkey’s drums was too loud onstage (and that can happen), why not address the problem in a reasonable fashion? Maybe place plexiglass shields in front of the drums. Maybe tweak Daltrey’s in-ear monitors by turning down the drums and boosting the vocals in his mix. Yes, Daltrey may have (we don’t know) previously asked Starkey to play more quietly, but the music of The Who requires a heavy hand. It would be like shushing a jack hammer while it is breaking up a concrete sidewalk.

Fortunately, cooler heads have prevailed, and The Who just announced the Starkey has been un-fired and welcomed back into the fold. Still, it seems like shabby treatment for a bandmate who has been around for almost three decades. It leaves a bad taste in my mouth, reminiscent of an incident that occurred a few years ago when Daltrey abruptly stopped a Houston Who show, complaining of allergies. Townshend smoothed things over with the crowd that night, but the promised rescheduling never occurred, nor were refunds issued. I love The Who’s music, but I may be through with them as people.

Ticket Alert

Houston’s own King’s X will perform on Friday, May 23, at Warehouse Live Midtown. The band hasn’t released any new material since 2022’s Three Sides of One, but it will be swell to have the homies back in town and rocking on stage. Tickets are on sale now.

Rapper / actor / commercial pitchman Ice Cube will roll into Toyota Center on Saturday, September 13, as part of his “Truth to Power: Four Decades of Attitude” tour. We can only assume that the tour’s name has to do with Cube’s work as a member of N.W.A. (“Fuck Tha Police”) as opposed to his work as a shill for Jack in the Box (the Munchie Meal). Tickets are on sale now, with several VIP options available.

To be clear, there is a singer, Vince Furnier, who goes by the name of Alice Cooper. But once upon a time, he sang with a band called Alice Cooper, and that’s where he copped his stage name. I take pains to explain the semantics involved because Alice Cooper – the band – has announced the forthcoming release of The Revenge of Alice Cooper, its first album in 50 years. The record features all of the original members, save for the late guitarist Glen Buxton. This fall, Alice Cooper will launch a co-headlining tour with Judas Priest, and the jaunt will make a stop at the Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion on Sunday, October 26. Tickets are on sale now, so grab them while you can, and don’t forget the runny mascara!

Concerts This Week

Pulitzer Prize-winning rapper (and who else can we say that about?) Kendrick Lamar and frequent collaborator SZA will perform at NRG Stadium tonight, the second show of the pair’s co-headlining “Grand National” tour. Lamar and SZA will receive equal time on stage, with the two artists performing separate solo sets and combining forces on several songs. Scattered seats remain on the floor and in the upper sections, but a good selection of tickets is still available on the 100 level.

If you read Bob Ruggiero’s Houston Press interview with Carlos Santana, you know that the San Francisco musician hasn’t really changed much since, as a 22-year-old, he played a career-defining set at Woodstock while tripping balls, convinced that his guitar was a writhing snake that he had to subdue. As Santana told Ruggiero, “I’m a hippie.” Santana is on the road in support of a new release, Sentient, which features a number of musical collaborations, including two songs that he recorded with Miles Davis. There are not many guitar players who can be identified after hearing just a few notes, but Santana is one of them. Check him out tonight at the Smart Financial Centre.

It’s a busy week for the Heights Theater, with shows from OG outlaw Ray Wylie Hubbard on Thursday, alt-rockers Nada Surf on Friday, indie rockers Yo La Tengo on Saturday and acoustic guitar badass Leo Kottke on Sunday. You might just want to bring a sleeping bag and crash at the Heights for a couple of nights.

Rock and roll has always been about rebellion, and the really good stuff has often created some outrage. So I get it when musicians select names for their bands like Dying Fetus and Cradle of Filth, both of whom will perform on Sunday at the House of Blues. But what I find amusing is that, right below the area on the HOB website where tickets for the show can be purchased, there is an message inviting attendees to “bring the whole family and join in the Foundation Room dining room for your official pre-show fuel.” Now those would be some cool parents!

Jazz pianist / vocalist Diana Krall will be at the Smart Financial Center on Sunday, the same night as the Dead Fetus / Cradle of Filth show, but there probably won’t be too many music fans facing the dilemma of which concert to attend. Yet another option for live music on Sunday night is a show by Lil’ Ed and the Blues Imperials at the Big Easy. See – there’s something for everyone in H-Town.