21 July 25 - 31, 2024 dallasobserver.com DALLAS OBSERVER Classified | MusiC | dish | Culture | unfair Park | Contents Janet Jackson 8 P.M. THURSDAY, JULY 25, DICKIES ARENA, 1911 MONTGOMERY ST. $55.95+ AT TICKETMASTER.COM There is just so much that didn’t happen in 2020, especially for pop legend Janet Jackson. The singer had announced her 12th album, Black Diamond, which was going to be accompanied by a world tour. Because of the pandemic, nei- ther happened. The tour was scrapped and the new album’s future was thrown into uncertainty. Well, at least one of those two wrongs is being corrected, as Jackson brings her Together Again Tour to Fort Worth on Thursday night. There is still no clear word on the future of the Black Dia- mond album, however. Jackson’s most recent release was the single “Made For Now,” a non- album collaboration with the King of Reggaeton Daddy Yankee in 2018. After a short set of hits from rapper Nelly, Ms. Jackson’s fans can look forward to a four-act show with 40 songs span- ning her entire 40-year career. DAVID FLETCHER James McMurtry 7 P.M. FRIDAY, JULY 26, GRANADA THEATER, 3524 GREENVILLE AVE. $22+ AT PREKINDLE.COM James McMurtry’s sardonic voice has been wel- comed in country music for more than 30 years with songs such as “Levelland” and “We Can’t Make It Here” standing as time-tested anthems of dissatisfaction with country life, told with wit, wis- dom and wry humor. In August 2021, McMurtry re- leased his 10th studio album, The Horses and the Hounds, which was met with universal acclaim and heralded for its three-dimensional characters and thoroughly engaging storytelling. McMurtry writes lyrics that reward those who listen closely for the punchline, which shouldn’t be difficult with the singer’s crisp (albeit misanthropic) delivery. That’s not to say that McMurtry is a misanthrope, but it’s transparently clear that some people really draw the singer’s ire. We’re still waiting for his next set of songs, but until then you can see him on Greenville Avenue. Austin singer-songwriter BettySoo opens the show. DF Exciter 6 P.M. SATURDAY, JULY 27, THE ECHO LOUNGE & MUSIC HALL, 1323 N. STEMMONS FREEWAY. $35.25+ AT LIVENATION.COM Taking its name from a song on Judas Priest’s 1978 album Stained Class, Exciter formed the same year and has since been recognized as the first speed metal band and highly influential on the thrash metal subgenre that developed shortly afterward. While the band has been around since the late ’70s, it has gone through two breakups and several lineup changes with drummer and vocalist Dan Beehler being the only member to stay with the group throughout all of its stages. These days, original bass player Allan James Johnson is back after many years focusing on other projects. Exciter has not re- leased a new album since 2010’s Death Machine, but it has maintained a small but rabid following that is sure to be in attendance Saturday night. Exciter will have opening support from Mid- night, The Wraith and Hellwitch. DF Nitty Gritty Dirt Band 7:30 P.M. SATURDAY, JULY 27, BASS PERFORMANCE HALL, 525 COMMERCE ST. $44+ AT BASSHALL.COM Formed in 1965, the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band has gone through many changes over nearly six de- cades. The two constants in the legendary coun- try band’s existence have been singer and multi-instrumentalist Jeff Hanna, who helped form the band, and percussionist Jimmie Fad- den, who joined the band in 1966 and has played on every Nitty Gritty Dirt Band release since 1967. Two dozen other musicians have passed through the ranks of the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, including a very young Jackson Browne and Bernie Leadon, who would go on to help found the Eagles. The band has put out 24 albums; its most recent is last year’s collection of Bob Dylan covers, Dirt Does Dylan. The band comes to Fort Worth for the last time on its All The Good Times: The Farewell Tour. DF Winger 7 P.M. WEDNESDAY, JULY 31, LAVA CANTINA, 5805 GRANDSCAPE BLVD. $30+ AT EVENTBRITE.COM Winger was a victim of its times. Making its de- but just as ’80s hair metal was on its way out, Winger managed to score some big hits with “Seventeen,” “Headed for a Heartbreak” and “Miles Away.” But by the time Winger’s third al- bum, Pull, came out in 1993, grunge was the music du jour, and the band faded into obscu- rity and broke up just as it was becoming the butt of jokes on MTV’s Beavis and Butt-head. Once grunge, too, became more nostalgic than it was current, Winger returned in 2008 and has remained on a steady touring and release schedule. The band’s seventh album, appropri- ately titled Seven, was released last summer, hitting the No. 21 position on the Billboard chart and earning praise from critics and fans alike. Lynch Mob, formed in 1989 by former Dokken guitarist George Lynch in 1989, opens the show. DF Mike Brooks Janet Jackson returns to North Texas for a Thursday night show at Dickies Arena in Fort Worth. | LET’S DO THIS | t Music Hottest Latin aduLt CLub in daLLas! Free Menudo all day sunday Happy Hour everyday 11aM-7PM hours: sun-thur 11aM-2aM // Fri-sat 11aM-4aM 11044 Harry Hines boulevard // (214) 206-3820 chicasbonitas.business.site