21 May 1 - 7, 2025 dallasobserver.com DALLAS OBSERVER Classified | MusiC | dish | Culture | unfair Park | Contents Bartees Strange 8 P.M. TUESDAY, MAY 6, CLUB DADA, 2720 ELM ST. $20+ AT SEETICKETS.US Singer-songwriter Bartees Strange, a native Brit by way of Oklahoma and Maryland, has demon- strated a scary range in the span of his career to date. Having only pursued a solo career for the last five years, it’s remarkable how quickly his eclectic sound has evolved to what’s found on his striking third studio album, the just-released Horror. It’s a record, produced in part by go-to pop impresario Jack Antonoff, which fuses a riot of influences — Parliament Funkadelic, Fleet- wood Mac and Neil Young are cited, alongside a stew of hip-hop, indie rock and house flourishes — to create what press materials describe as “an album about facing ... fears and growing to be- come someone to be feared.” Put another way: Bartees Strange sounds like few other artists and ranks as a can’t-miss live act. With Tre Burt and Darling Farm. PRESTON JONES Jack White 8 P.M. TUESDAY, MAY 6, SOUTH SIDE BALLROOM, 1135 BOTHAM JEAN BLVD. $145+ AT TICKETMASTER.COM Six months ago, Jack White was barnstorming his way through the nation’s club scene, an- nouncing pop-up gigs with little notice and seis- mic impact. He passed through Deep Ellum in November and shook Trees to its roots, deliver- ing what the Observer called “nothing short of amazing: Dirty, gritty, sweaty, frenetic guitar- driven rock ‘n’ roll.” White’s still tearing through a global run in support of his surprise-released sixth studio album No Name, which dropped last summer, and features some of his strongest work in years (try not to fist-pump to “That’s How I’m Feeling”). While this trip through town will feature the Grammy winner headlining a room about six times the size of last year’s guer- rilla gig, expect no less of a ferocious showcase — White is incapable of giving less than every- thing when he plugs in. PJ Julien Baker & Torres 8 P.M. TUESDAY, MAY 6, LONGHORN BALLROOM, 216 CORINTH ST. $25+ AT PREKINDLE.COM Julien Baker and Torres (the nom de tune of Mackenzie Scott) arrived at the notion of mak- ing a country album gradually and then sud- denly. Torres had the initial impulse, texting Baker in 2019 to inquire about her interest in col- laborating on some country tunes. Fast forward five years, as Baker brought Torres out as an opening act, where the pair casually debuted a Nashville-worthy banger, “Sugar in the Tank.” It’s one of a dozen songs on Send a Prayer My Way, the duo’s studio debut laid down in Marfa (a record which, as a bonus, features North Texas talent Sarah Jaffe on bass; she’s also tour- ing with Baker and Torres). “I recognize in Julien that thing that I have, which is always sort of try- ing to carve out a different way of doing things,” Torres told Garden & Gun magazine earlier this year. With Ali Macofsky. PJ Wilco 7:30 P.M. WEDNESDAY, MAY 7, THE PAVILION AT TOYOTA MUSIC FACTORY, 300 W. LAS COLINAS BLVD. $53+ AT LIVENATION.COM It’s faintly odd to think of Wilco as elder states- men. Still, the Chicago-based sextet has en- dured for three decades, and its lead vocalist, Jeff Tweedy, has grown into something resem- bling an avuncular indie rock grandpa. That lon- gevity is doubtless due in large part to the band’s particular alchemy, splicing avant-garde impulses into jangling, widescreen country- flecked rock songs — narrowing down Wilco’s sound to a simple, straightforward description is an exercise in futility. The band, which has been a steady presence on area stages (though we’re a long way from those Gypsy Tea Room and Granada Theater gigs), is back for its first head- lining performance in two years, supporting its 13th and most recent studio album, 2023’s Cousin. Waxahatchee will kick off the evening with an opening set. PJ Paul Simon 8 P.M. WEDNESDAY, MAY 7, WINSPEAR OPERA HOUSE, 2403 FLORA ST. $194.35+ AT TICKETS.ATTPAC.ORG Let’s not dance around the truth here: If you’re even remotely on the fence about going to see Paul Simon, one of modern music’s most gifted, influential singer-songwriters, perform again af- ter very publicly stepping away from touring seven years ago and enduring a nearly career- ending bout of hearing loss — do not hesitate. The 83-year-old icon had a change of heart and hit the road to support his exquisite 2024 re- cord, Seven Psalms, which reckons with faith and mortality in bracing fashion. Billed as “A Quiet Celebration,” the night will be split be- tween Psalms in full and a second set of more familiar material. It will doubtless be unforgetta- ble, an opportunity which should be unques- tionably seized. They don’t make ‘em like Simon anymore, and any chance to bear witness must be taken. (Simon will also play the Winspear on May 8.) PJ Mike Brooks Wilco, seen here at the Music Hall at Fair Park, has endured for 30 years. | LET’S DO THIS | t Music Hand built not bougHt. Franklins TaTToo and supply TWo loCaTions: 469-904-2665 • 4910 Columbia ave, dallas, TX 75214 903-710-2028 • 17581 old Jacksonville hwy, flint tx 75762 proFessional TaTToo supply For pros only Call for your appointment or design commissions today!
