21 Jun 29 - July 5, 2023 dallasobserver.com DALLAS OBSERVER Classified | MusiC | dish | Culture | unfair Park | Contents Matchbox Twenty 7:30 P.M. THURSDAY, JUNE 29, DOS EQUIS PAVILION, 1818 FIRST AVE. $40.50+ AT LIVENATION.COM It was fall 1996 when Matchbox Twenty’s first single hit the airwaves, the first lines of which in- troduced the world to the thoughtful lyricism of singer-songwriter Rob Thomas: “It’s sitting by the overcoat / The second shelf, the note she wrote / That I can’t bring myself to throw away.” “Long Day” came out on alternative radio at a time when grunge was moving out of style and nü metal hadn’t yet taken its place. It was a time when rock was showing its softer side with art- ists like Goo Goo Dolls and Alanis Morissette singing songs with emotional depth. Matchbox Twenty’s music may not get the crowd all fired up, but it has the power to heal. The band comes to town promoting its latest album, Where the Light Goes, which came out in May. Matt Na- thanson opens. DAVID FLETCHER Willie Nelson 4:35 P.M. FRIDAY, JUNE 30, DOS EQUIS PAVILION, 1818 FIRST AVE. $35+ AT LIVENATION.COM Texas country legend Willie Nelson makes his annual summer appearance in North Texas early this year at the Outlaw Music Festival on Friday evening after sets from Whiskey Myers, Flatland Cavalry and Particle Kid. Now 90 years old, Nel- son has been writing and recording music for nearly 70 years. Nelson recorded his first singles, “The Storm Has Just Begun” and “When I’ve Sung My Last Hillbilly Song,” while working for KBOP in Pleasanton, Texas, in 1955, but they weren’t released until four years later after many stops and starts in the music business. Nelson spent the 1960s as more of a straight-laced country artist before he became associated with the outlaw country movement with Waylon Jen- nings, Kris Kristofferson and Johnny Cash. Nel- son will release his 74th solo album, Bluegrass, on Sept. 15, but you can hear the album’s re- cently released first single, “You Left Me a Long, Long Time Ago.” DF TLC 7 P.M. FRIDAY, JUNE 30, THE PAVILION AT TOYOTA MUSIC FACTORY, 300 W. LAS COLINAS BLVD. $29.50+ AT LIVENATION.COM A quick look at the Hot Summer Nights tour lineup might have you think you traveled back in time. With headliners TLC and Shaggy sup- ported by En Vogue, the only name that doesn’t quite fit the format is mid-aughts Jamaican singer Sean Kingston — but his dancehall tracks are a good pick to get the party going. TLC comes to town hot off the release of TLC For- ever, the Lifetime channel’s documentary chron- icling the highs and lows of the group’s incredible music career. The group released its only album without member Lisa “Left-Eye” Lopes, TLC, in 2017, calling it their final album. TLC has continued to tour since the lead-up to that album’s release, letting the late Lopes’ voice be heard and image be seen in concert halls around the world. No matter how hard you try, it will be hard to not get emotional when you hear Lopes rap, “I seen a rainbow yesterday ... ” The show in Irving will be one of the last on the tour to feature all four acts. DF Cheap Trick 4 P.M. MONDAY, JULY 3, PECAN GROVE PARK WEST, 3200 CANYON CREEK DRIVE, SHERMAN. FREE. If you’re trying to get a little bit out of town for the Fourth, consider making the drive up for the city of Sherman’s 14th Annual Lights on the Lake at Pecan Grove West Park. This is a free and fam- ily-friendly event complete with food vendors and an area for children called Kids Alley. At- tendees can also pack their own picnic. DJ Jackie VanZant will be kicking the party off until Cheap Trick takes the stage. Still performing with three- fourths of its classic lineup, Cheap Trick comes to Sherman two years after the release of its 20th studio album, In Another World. This will be the band’s third appearance in North Texas in pro- motion of the album’s release — a show that has yet to hit Dallas proper. While Cheap Trick might not exactly be on your concert radar, there are very few chances to see Rock ‘n’ Roll Hall of Fame inductees in a small-town show for free. The event will conclude with a fireworks display starting at around 9:30 p.m. DF blink-182 7:30 P.M. WEDNESDAY, JULY 5, AMERICAN AIRLINES CENTER, 2500 VICTORY AVE. $102+ AT TICKETMASTER.COM The concert of the summer is finally happening. Mark Hoppus, Tom DeLonge and Travis Barker will all be on a North Texas stage together for the first time since September 2011 when the band co-headlined the 10th Annual Honda Civic Tour at what was then called the Gexa Energy Pavilion with My Chemical Romance — in what turned out to be MCR’s final Dallas date before its re- union tour came through last year. This time around, the iconic pop punk trio will be joined by Sacramento riot grrrl band Destroy Boys and breakthrough hardcore band Turnstile, which is still out there promoting its phenomenal 2021 re- lease Glow On. DeLonge rejoined blink-182 last year after nearly a decade away pursuing other music projects and UFOs. Seriously. The band has released one new single with DeLonge, “EDGING,” but have yet to announce any further plans beyond this world tour. DF | LET’S DO THIS | t Music Kevin Winter/Getty Catch blink-182 July 5 at American Airlines Center.
