20 June 20 - 26, 2024 dallasobserver.com DALLAS OBSERVER Classified | MusiC | dish | Culture | unfair Park | Contents Paul Wall 9 P.M. THURSDAY, JUNE 20, BILLY BOB’S TEXAS, 2520 RODEO PLAZA. $20+ AT AXS.COM It’s safe to say that the biggest impact Houston rapper Paul Wall left on the hip-hop genre was with his 2005 release, The People’s Champ. The album was released in a moment in music history when the whole country seemed to be obsessed with Houston’s unique car culture, its diamond- studded grills and its chopped and screwed mu- sic. All of these elements were put on full display in Wall’s biggest hit, “Sittin’ Sidewayz,” which fea- tured Big Pokey of the original Screwed Up Click hip-hop collective. Wall’s deep Southern voice and effortless lyrical delivery immediately made him a much-sought-after artist for collaborations and features. As Houston rap fell out of favor in mainstream hip-hop, so too did Paul Wall. But that didn’t mean either went away. Wall has con- tinued to release albums annually, still working with members of that original Screwed Up Click such as Li’l Keke, returning Houston’s under- ground music to the underground. DAVID FLETCHER Foreigner 6:45 P.M. FRIDAY, JUNE 21, DOS EQUIS PAVILION, 1818 FIRST AVE. $41.30+ AT LIVENATION.COM Led by guitarist Mick Jones since 1976, For- eigner was crucial to the development of the arena rock sound that came to define the late 1970s and ‘80s. Its songs were massive both in sound and sales. Fronted by singer Lou Gramm, the band scored massive hits with “Jukebox Hero,” “Cold As Ice” and “Hot Blooded” among others, but it’s perhaps best known for the power ballad, “I Want to Know What Love Is.” The band continued to release material into the ‘90s, but it all came to a halt in 1997 when Gramm underwent surgery to have a brain tu- mor removed — anyone who has seen Foreign- er’s Behind the Music episode on VH1 will remember how close the singer came to dying. Gramm left the band in 2003 after attempting to tour while his medication weakened his sing- ing voice. Since 2005, singer Kelly Hansen of Hurricane has provided vocals for the band. For- eigner will be playing alongside fellow rock icon Styx and British rock singer, John Waite. DF Drive-By Truckers 7 P.M. FRIDAY, JUNE 21, HOUSE OF BLUES, 2200 N. LAMAR ST. $53+ AT LIVENATION.COM Co-founded by Patterson Hood, the son of Da- vid Hood from the highly influential Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section, Drive-By Truckers have created deeply meaningful Southern rock for just under three decades now and have released something in just about every one of those years. This year, however, the Truckers decided to forego the demands of keeping up with its own prolific release schedule and instead revisit one of its greatest albums, Southern Rock Op- era. Originally released in 2001, Drive-By Truck- ers’ Southern Rock Opera examined the beauty and flaws of Southern life and its deeply compli- cated history. The Southern Rock Opera Revis- ited 2024 Tour will feature a full live performance of the band’s magnum opus for what will very likely be the last time, according to the band. The show will also contain a few more of the band’s songs that explore similar themes. No opening act has been announced. DF Melanie Martinez 7 P.M. SATURDAY, JUNE 22, DICKIES ARENA, 1911 MONTGOMERY ST. $94+ AT TICKETMASTER.COM From Queens, New York, Melanie Martinez first came to the public’s attention during Season 3 of The Voice in which singer Adam Levine of Ma- roon 5 served as her coach. Martinez was elimi- nated in the Top 6 competition, but honestly, she has done just fine for herself without the win. In the years following her time on the show, Martinez independently released her first single, “Dollhouse,” and was subsequently signed to Atlantic Records. Since signing to a major label, Martinez has shown great attention to the aes- thetics of her albums, each one carrying a theme that carries over through her music vid- eos and concert performances. On this tour, Martinez is celebrating the trilogy of albums she created during her time with Atlantic. The Tril- ogy Tour will feature opening support from alt- pop singer Sofia Isella and Chicago indie-pop band Beach Bunny. DF blink-182 7 P.M. TUESDAY, JUNE 25, DICKIES ARENA, 1911 MONTGOMERY ST., FORT WORTH. $127+ AT TICKETMASTER.COM The concert of last summer is coming back around one more time this summer. Mark Hop- pus, Tom DeLonge and Travis Barker will all be on a North Texas stage together again as a continua- tion of the band’s first tour since 2011. In Septem- ber of that year, the band co-headlined the 10th Annual Honda Civic Tour at what was then called the Gexa Energy Pavilion with My Chemical Ro- mance — in what turned out to be MCR’s final Dallas date before its reunion tour came through a couple of years ago. This time around, the iconic pop-punk trio will be joined by San Diego post-hardcore band Pierce the Veil and Houston metal band Live Without — which you might know from the “What the fuck is up, Denny’s” meme. DeLonge rejoined blink-182 in late 2022, after nearly a decade away pursuing other music projects and UFOs. Seriously. The band has re- leased one new album, One More Time..., since DeLonge’s return, which came out last fall. DF | LET’S DO THIS | t Music | LET’S DO THIS | t Music Vera “Velma” Hernandez blink182 performs June 25 at Dickies Arena in Fort Worth. T A C O W E E K D A L L A S . C O M
