21 September 26 - OctOber 2, 2024 dallasobserver.com DALLAS OBSERVER Classified | MusiC | dish | Culture | unfair Park | Contents M. Ward 8 P.M. THURSDAY, SEPT. 26, KESSLER THEATER, 1230 W. DAVIS ST. $28+ AT PREKINDLE.COM Portland-based indie-folk troubadour M. Ward has steadily built a career over the last quarter century by taking paths expected and not in near equal measure. His lo-fi approach to his solo career — spread over a dozen albums to date, the most recent of which is 2023’s Super- natural Thing, featuring a fistful of cameos, in- cluding First Aid Kit, Gabriel Kahane and Shovels & Rope — has been balanced out by starrier collaborations, including pairing up with actress-singer Zooey Deschanel as one-half of She & Him, and joining the ranks of supergroup Monsters of Folk, which counts Jim James, Conor Oberst and Mike Mogis among its mem- bership. In between those gigs, Ward has also contributed guitar work to a host of artists’ re- cords, including Cat Power, Beth Orton, Brian Wilson, Neko Case and Kim Deal, among others. Folk Bitch Trio will open. PRESTON JONES Clairo 8 P.M. SATURDAY, SEPT. 27, THE FACTORY IN DEEP ELLUM, 2713 CANTON ST. $45+ AT AXS.COM From the margins of the internet to the main- stream, the woman born Claire Elizabeth Cottrill has steadily drifted into the spotlight over the last decade. As singer-songwriter Clairo, she be- gan uploading songs on social media and Band- camp while she was a teenager, progressing from covers of Maroon 5 and Frank Ocean to her own original material. She went viral in 2017 with her single “Pretty Girl,” and signed a label deal the following year. Cottrill is now three stu- dio albums in, the latest of which, Charm, she self-released this summer. The 26-year-old’s sonic style is a pleasurable smear of disco-adja- cent pop, feathery vocals and mood to burn. On this night, the vibes should be, as the kids are fond of saying, immaculate. With Alice Phoebe Lou. PJ Jo Dee Messina 8:30 P.M. FRIDAY, SEPT. 27, THE STATE FAIR OF TEXAS CHEVROLET MAIN STAGE, 3809 GRAND AVE. $10+ AT BIGTEX.COM Dust off your corny dogs and prepare your throwing arms for the midway games of chance — it is State Fair of Texas time once again. Over the next four weeks, hundreds of thousands of folks will pour into Fair Park, basking in the grub, the games and high-profile musical acts passing across the Chevrolet Main Stage. The 2024 edi- tion of the State Fair of Texas kicks off with a (checks notes) Massachusetts native, singer- songwriter Jo Dee Messina, whose three-de- cade country music career has spawned a half-dozen No. 1 singles, including “Bye Bye,” “I’m Alright” and “Stand Beside Me.” As always, admission to these concerts is free with your ticket to the fair itself, and a whole host of genres will be featured in the coming weeks, from hip-hop and pop-punk to jazz and country. Save us a funnel cake, will ya? PJ Weezer 7 P.M. SUNDAY, SEPT. 29, AMERICAN AIRLINES CENTER, 2500 VICTORY AVE. $39.50+ AT TICKETMASTER.COM For those of us who came of age during Wee- zer’s ascent, it’s downright odd to consider the band something of an alt-rock legacy act, but time passes whether you like it or not. The Riv- ers Cuomo-led collective has ridden the many waves of the pop music mainstream over its three decades of existence, navigating some shifts (early 2000s) better than others (what- ever weirdness was going on in the mid-2010s). It’s hard to overstate how seismic the whip- smart power-pop of the quartet’s 1994 debut felt at a moment consumed by grim, gritty grunge rock — the incandescent peculiarity of the “Buddy Holly” video was like a lighthouse on MTV at the time — and the 10 songs on what’s since been dubbed The Blue Album have aged spectacularly well. The fellas will play the record through to mark its 30th anniversary; expect a great many joyful elder millennial tears to be shed. With the Flaming Lips and Dinosaur Jr. PJ Johnny Marr 7:30 P.M. MONDAY, SEPT. 30, MAJESTIC THEATRE, 1925 ELM ST. $39+ AT AXS.COM To borrow a Smiths song title, “Stop Me If You Think You’ve Heard This One Before.” As surely as the sun rises in the east, Morrissey and Johnny Marr have been quasi-feuding again. It’s perhaps more accurate to describe it as Mor- rissey grousing in the press for weeks. Marr had shot down a potential (and doubtless insanely lucrative) Smiths reunion, as well as snatched back the copyrighted name for himself. Marr bade his time and refuted every last one of his former frontman’s claims in a single social media post (Marr didn’t offer a reason for declining to reunite the Smiths). The acclaimed guitarist and songwriter is focused forward, touring behind his solo catalog — and yes, probably tossing in a few Smiths tunes — as well as probably feeling relief he can have some distance from the past, however badly fans (and former bandmates) may want him to take one more trip back. With James. PJ Carly May Gravley Clairo will headline at the Factory in Deep Ellum on Saturday. | LET’S DO THIS | t Music Hottest Latin aduLt CLub in daLLas! Free Menudo all day sunday Happy Hour everyday 11aM-7PM open 11am-2am everyday 11044 Harry Hines boulevard // (214) 206-3820 scan for more info
