19 May 18 – 24, 2023 dallasobserver.com DALLAS OBSERVER Classified | MusiC | dish | Culture | unfair Park | Contents Hippo Campus 8 P.M. THURSDAY, MAY 18, SOUTH SIDE BALLROOM, 1135 BOTHAM JEAN BLVD. $30+ AT TICKETMASTER.COM Indie-pop band Hippo Campus amassed a giant collection of singles since breaking through with its first full-length album, Landmark, in 2017. Since then, the band has not let a year go by without introducing something new to indepen- dent radio stations. In 2021, the band’s single “Bad Dream Baby” from its Good Dog, Bad Dream EP became ubiquitous. With the lines “I am worried about Britney Spears / It’s pretty fucked up how her dad runs her life,” “Bad Dream Baby” became inextricably linked to the pop singer’s struggle to end her father’s conservator- ship. Hippo Campus released its third album, LP3, last February and its sixth EP, Wasteland, this past April. For the EP, Hippo Campus shed its synths and keyboards in favor of classic indie band instrumentation plus a trumpet, showing that it doesn’t need all the flash to make a good record. New York singer-songwriter Gus Dapper- ton opens the show. DAVID FLETCHER They Might Be Giants 6:30 P.M. FRIDAY, MAY 19, HOUSE OF BLUES, 2200 N. LAMAR ST. $42+ AT LIVENATION.COM In 1990, art rock band They Might Be Giants re- leased its third album, Flood, and 30 years later, it had every intention of touring the album for the anniversary of classic songs like “Birdhouse in Your Soul,” “Istanbul (Not Constantinople)” and “Particle Man.” COVID had other plans. The tour was postponed twice, but this week finally have a chance to celebrate the 33rd anniversary of the album. An Evening with They Might Be Giants will include two sets with no opening act. One set will be the Flood album played front to back with the other set reserved for greatest hits and fan favor- ites. The band will begin playing about an hour after the doors open, so you’ll want to arrive on time for this one. After watching this tour get postponed twice, the band has also requested that fans wear masks. According to the band’s website, this is “Not a demand. Just a request. Just sayin’. If you are violently opposed to this idea, don’t wear a mask!” DF Dave Matthews Band 7:30 P.M. SATURDAY, MAY 20, DOS EQUIS PAVILION, 1818 FIRST AVE. $135+ AT LIVENATION.COM Singer-songwriter Dave Matthews, drummer Carter Beauford, bassist Stefan Lessard, guitarist Tim Reynolds, trumpeter Rashawn Ross, saxo- phonist and University of North Texas alum Jeff Coffin and pianist Buddy Strong make up the leg- endary Dave Matthews Band. The band returns to North Texas for what seems like its annual summer show at Dos Equis Pavilion touring in support of its 10th studio album, Walk Around the Moon, which will be released the day before the Saturday eve- ning show. Dave Matthews Band is known for play- ing sprawling, three-hour sets filled with deep cuts and extended versions of its songs. Though some may be put off by this practice, it ultimately serves to showcase the massive talent each of the band’s members have beyond DMB’s radio hits. And it’s for this reason that you don’t actually have to be a fan of Dave Matthews Band’s songs to be a fan of Dave Matthews Band’s shows. DF Rodrigo y Gabriela 7:30 P.M. SUNDAY, MAY 21, STRAUSS SQUARE, 2389 FLORA ST. $49.50+ AT ATTPAC.ORG Touring their first new album in four years, acous- tic, flamenco nuevo-meets-heavy metal duo Ro- drigo y Gabriela plays in the open air of the Dallas Arts District Sunday night after a set from indie band Krooked Kings. Rodrigo Sánchez and Ga- briela Quintero grew up in Mexico City listening to their parents’ flamenco and jazz music, but both sneaked away to listen to heavy metal bands like Metallica. With dueling acoustic guitars, the duo does not meet the heavy criteria for a metal band, but the intensity they play with certainly does. Set to the rhythm of flamenco music, that intensity is sure to set the feet of all in attendance in motion. The duo is also known for its ability to build a connection to its audience, making the motion of its music irresistible. The band’s show will be the last of a long weekend tour of shows all around Texas before it takes a short break and heads westward. DF Dermot Kennedy 7:30 P.M. TUESDAY, MAY 23, THE PAVILION AT TOYOTA MUSIC FACTORY, 300 W. LAS COLINAS BLVD. $25+ AT LIVENATION.COM Irish singer-songwriter Dermot Kennedy’s music finds a balance between Irish folk music and rock music through the filter of pop music. His songs are as heartfelt as those of his forebears like Christy Moore or Luka Bloom, but they are ele- vated to new emotional heights with rock instru- mentation and to broader audiences with pop production. Kennedy was only 17 years old when he began busking in Dublin, and he brought his act to the streets of Boston soon thereafter. He would travel back and forth and everywhere in between for nearly a decade before landing a record deal and releasing his first album, Without Fear, in 2019. On the strength of songs such as “Power Over Me” and “Outnumbered,” the album would reach the No. 1 spot on all the U.K. album charts and crack the U.S. Billboard top 20. Kennedy is now touring in support of his sophomore album, Sonder, which was released last November. Indie rapper Mehro opens the show. DF Shorefire Media | LET’S DO THIS | t Music Dave Matthews Band plays Saturday at Dos Equis Pavilion. Emancipation: The Unfinished Project of Liberation is organized by the Amon Carter Museum of American Art and Williams College Museum of Art. The exhibition is co-curated by Maggie Adler, Curator of Paintings, Sculpture, and Works on Paper at the Carter, and Maurita Poole, Executive Director of Newcomb Art Museum, Tulane University. John Quincy Adams Ward (1830-1910), The Freedman (detail), 1863, Amon Carter Museum of American Art, Fort Worth, Texas, 2000.15 THE UNFINISHED PROJECT OF LIBERATION Through July 9, 2023 Seven Black contemporary artists explore ideas of emancipation from 160 years ago to today.
