18 December 5 - 11, 2024 dallasobserver.com DALLAS OBSERVER Classified | MusiC | dish | Culture | unfair Park | Contents Justin Timberlake 7:30 P.M. FRIDAY, DEC. 6, AMERICAN AIRLINES CENTER, 2500 VICTORY AVE. $61.50+ AT TICKETMASTER.COM It’s been a bumpy few months for Justin Timber- lake. Not long after launching his global “Forget Tomorrow” world tour in support of his latest solo album, Everything I Thought It Was, the 43-year-old superstar was pulled over in the Hamptons, charged with a DWI and gifted the world an instantly classic meme. (“This is going to ruin the tour.”) Still, mixed reviews for the al- bum, middling chart performances for its singles and a spate of bad press after the DWI notwith- standing, Timberlake has been killing it on stage. This show is his second trip through North Texas in less than 12 months — his June appearance in Fort Worth was, if I might shamelessly quote myself, “a breathlessly paced, relentlessly flashy two-plus hours [as] the Grammy-winning singer-songwriter put on a master class in A-list pop craftsmanship.” PRESTON JONES Marc Broussard 8 P.M. FRIDAY, DEC. 6, LONGHORN BALLROOM, 216 CORINTH ST. $26+ AT PREKINDLE.COM Two decades have passed, somehow, since Lou- isiana-bred singer-songwriter Marc Broussard’s scuffed, gritty brand of “bayou soul” first made itself known via his 2004 sophomore LP, Caren- cro, and its hit single “Home.” Although he’s os- tensibly touring behind his most recent project, Time Is a Thief, the 42-year-old musician is also marking that anniversary by playing Carencro from front to back. In the years since its release, Broussard has built a formidable fan base in Eu- rope as well as the States on the strength of his forceful, R&B-tinged catalog. In an interview with Louisiana newspaper The Advocate, Brous- sard said Thief is a pinnacle: “This album is the most me that you can get. In my career, you’ve got flashes of me in every project, but this one, from top to bottom, is fully me.” Chris J. Nor- wood & the Knockdown Dragout will open. PJ Kaitlin Butts 8 P.M. FRIDAY, DEC. 6, GRANADA THEATER, 3524 GREENVILLE AVE. $20+ AT PREKINDLE.COM Our neighbor to the north continues to pump out an incredible quantity of formidable, fasci- nating musicians. The latest of these might be Tulsa native (and current Nashville resident) Kai- tlin Butts, a singer-songwriter whose latest proj- ect, Roadrunner!, takes a run at reimagining Rodgers and Hammerstein’s elemental musical Oklahoma! for the 21st century. “It was a hard thing to sell in the beginning stages,” Butts told the Nashville Scene. “I’m like, ‘I have this idea, no one’s really done this before.’ It’s hard to imag- ine what it can be. … It had to have that same feel [as the source material]. You just hope that it turns out the way you have it in your head.” Butts will be joined on the bill by another enor- mously gifted Oklahoman, singer-songwriter Ken Pomeroy. PJ Fantasia 8 P.M. FRIDAY, DEC. 6, TEXAS TRUST CU THEATRE, 1001 PERFORMANCE PLACE, GRAND PRAIRIE. $59+ AT AXS.COM This year marked a significant milestone for singer Fantasia Barrino: Twenty years since she won the third season of American Idol, launch- ing her career. “I didn’t have anybody on my side,” she told IndieWire earlier this year. “I feel like I was juggled through the industry for a cer- tain period of time, and things were not good, and relationships were not good.” Struggles aside, it’s been a journey with no small number of accolades: Barrino has, to date, won two Grammys and been nominated for a slew of other prizes, including American Music Awards and the Golden Globes. Beyond the recording studio, Barrino has also found success as an ac- tor, including the role of Celie in the 2023 cine- matic adaptation of The Color Purple. Although five years have passed since Barrino’s last studio album (2019’s Sketchbook), she has plenty of hits to pull out for her trip through North Texas, not least of which are chart-topping classics such as “I Believe.” With Avery Sunshine. PJ KINGS ReJOYCE! 7:30 P.M. WEDNESDAY, DEC. 11, MORTON H. MEYERSON SYMPHONY CENTER, 2301 FLORA ST. $29+ AT DALLASSYMPHONY.ORG Technology may have its downsides, but we have it to thank for this performance even exist- ing. In 2021, Grammy-winning mezzo-soprano Joyce DiDonato left a comment on a YouTube clip of Dallas vocal quartet King’s Return per- forming “Ave Maria” a cappella in a stairwell, praising their work, which spurred a brief back- and-forth, resulting in an invitation to collabo- rate. (Comment sections really can be used for good!) Fast forward three years, and here we are — a holiday-themed concert, featuring pianist Craig Terry, which promises, according to press materials, “a delightful blend of sacred and secu- lar repertoire.” In other words, if you don’t leave the gorgeous confines of the Meyerson after this sure-to-be-uniquely beautiful evening ready to dive headlong into holiday festivities, well, some- thing’s gone horribly wrong. PJ Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for Live Nation Justin Timberlake will return to North Texas for the second time in less than a year. | 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
