22 August 1 -7, 2024 dallasobserver.com DALLAS OBSERVER Classified | MusiC | dish | Culture | unfair Park | Contents FOLLOW US TO FIND OUT WHAT’S HAPPENING LET’S GET SOCIAL /DallasObserver @DallasObserver @Dallas_Observer @ObserverMktg Niall Horan 7:30 P.M. FRIDAY, AUG. 2, DOS EQUIS PAVILION, 1818 1ST AVE. $32.55+ AT LIVENATION.COM Nearly a decade has passed since One Direction took what it called “an indefinite hiatus,” and the fortunes of the five lads in the Simon Cowell-as- sembled pop behemoth have, to say the least, diverged wildly. At one end of the spectrum, there’s the world-swallowing success of Harry Styles, whose solo career has yielded an abun- dance of cash, trophies and cultural cachet. At the other end, you’ve got whatever the hell it is Louis Tomlinson is up to these days. Somewhere in between sits Niall Horan, whose own post-1D experience has hewed a little closer to the Styles end of things. Horan has logged time as a coach on NBC’s The Voice, and his solo catalog has grown to three albums, the latest of which, The Show, brings him to town for a headlining gig. Del Water Gap will open. PRESTON JONES Dave Alvin & Jimmie Dale Gilmore with the Guilty Ones 8 P.M. SATURDAY, AUG. 3, KESSLER THEATER, 1230 W. DAVIS ST. $30+ AT PREKINDLE.COM Separately, singer-songwriters Dave Alvin and Jimmie Dale Gilmore have more than secured their individual legacies — Alvin as part of the seminal punk acts The Blasters and X; Gilmore as a co-founder of The Flatlanders — so when the pair first teamed up in 2017 to release a joint LP, Downey to Lubbock, it was more a lark than anything else. The musicians discovered a par- ticular alchemy, however, and in the wake of Al- vin’s diagnosis of prostate, colon and lung cancer, they were motivated to reunite for fur- ther sonic explorations (Alvin, it should be noted, is in remission after several surgeries). The just-released TexiCali is the fruit of that re- newed bond and backed by the Austin-based band the Guilty Ones, the duo will bring their eclectic songs to life. J. Isaiah Evans and the Boss Tweed will kick off the evening with an opening set. PJ Iron & Wine 8 P.M. SATURDAY, AUG. 3, MAJESTIC THEATRE, 1925 ELM ST. $39.50+ AT AXS.COM Steady as he goes, South Carolina singer-song- writer Sam Beam has quietly amassed a formi- dable following and considerable critical acclaim throughout his two-decade (and counting) ca- reer. Patience is a feature of Iron & Wine fandom — Beam takes his time releasing new music into the world, as evidenced by the thoughtful run- up to his seventh studio effort, the just-released Light Verse. Emerging from the COVID-19 pan- demic, Beam, who found himself unable to write for more than two years, was rejuvenated by a series of shows he booked in 2022. The press materials for Verse, which features a cameo from Fiona Apple, describe it as “equal parts el- egy, kaleidoscope, truth and dare,” suggesting his Dallas show will be as much a celebration as a mourning. Altogether fitting, if you ask us. PJ The Pretenders 8:30 P.M. TUESDAY, AUG. 6, THE PAVILION AT TOYOTA MUSIC FACTORY, 300 W. LAS COLINAS BLVD. $75+ AT LIVENATION.COM Sometimes, accolades aren’t all they’re cracked up to be — just ask Chrissie Hynde. In 2023, fol- lowing a rather scabrous Courtney Love op-ed about the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame’s lack of “fe- male representation,” Hynde, a RRHOF inductee in 2005 as the founder of the Pretenders, held nothing back on how she felt about the honor: “I don’t even wanna be associated with it,” she wrote on her Facebook page. “It’s just more es- tablishment backslapping.” Maybe the contin- ued vibrancy of a career is a more fitting reward. For much of the early 2000s, the Pretenders were dormant, coinciding with lead vocalist-gui- tarist-songwriter Hynde’s exploration of a solo career (she dropped her solo debut, Stockholm, in 2014). The pause ended in 2016, when the Pretenders released Alone. Hynde has since struck a balance between solo ventures and the band, with the Pretenders taking precedence. The band’s latest, Relentless, arrived last year. PJ 4Batz 8 P.M. WEDNESDAY, AUG. 7, THE ECHO LOUNGE & MUSIC HALL, 1323 N. STEMMONS FREEWAY. $53+ AT LIVENATION.COM Dallas hip-hop is a continually renewed (if crimi- nally overlooked) resource, as fresh young talent materializes on stage and on record, often be- fore vaulting to national attention and record la- bel attention, with still-startling regularity. The latest such example of a rapper exploding out of the 214 and into the larger consciousness is Dal- las native Neko Bennett, better known to his rapidly growing fanbase as 4Batz. The 20-year- old singer, rapper and songwriter first went viral on TikTok with singles such as “Act II: Date @ 8,” which earned attention from A-listers like Drake and Kanye West. He unveiled his debut mixtape, U Made Me a St4r, earlier this year, an arresting excavation of a failed relationship with his for- mer romantic partner, Jada (who also lends her name to his current tour — its title: “THANK U, JADA”). Wolfacejoeyy will provide support. PJ Rachel Parker Niall Horan returns to North Texas in support of his third solo album. | LET’S DO THIS | t Music
