As a pusher of things to do in Dallas, I’m particularly impressed with the variety of ways to get your entertainment fix this weekend. Whatever you want, whatever you need, is here: sports, music, film, art, theater, dance, and a little fashion thrown in for good measure. Diversify your cultural intake this weekend, and try some of these things on for size.
Friday (02/20)
1. A leader in the niche field of sports radio festivals, Ticketstock kicks off today, broadcasting from the Irving Convention Center. Being a fan of 1310 The Ticket helps, but you don’t have to be a P1 or even a sports fan to appreciate live music from the Old 97’s, funny guys cracking jokes into microphones, and a ping pong battle featuring Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle.
2. Lights has abandoned the acoustic singer-songwriter shtick for catchy electro-pop anthems, which has led to fuller dance floors and songs that are more fun to sing along to. The Canadian singer is at the Granada. For more shows to see this weekend, go here.
3. The Thin Line Fest is underway in Denton. A bevy of fascinating documentaries are screening, and it wouldn’t really be a Denton festival without live music, of which there is plenty. Head right down the street from the Campus Theatre to catch local and national acts like Devin the Dude and Blue, the Misfit at Hailey’s or Dan’s Silverleaf.
Saturday (02/21)
1. The Pin Show’s annual fashion blowout isn’t for another couple of months, but look at Saturday’s SCENE fashion concert at Trees as something of a warm-up, with French 75 and Diamond Age performing during a behind-the-scenes photo shoot with Dallas’ top hair and makeup teams, models, and photographers.
2. Earlie Hudnall, Jr. spent years documenting life on the streets of Houston, focusing on African American neighborhoods with an eye for the community’s youngest and oldest members. The photographer’s work is featured in an exhibition at the Photographs Do Not Bend Gallery. The Hudnall exhibit is a highlight of a number of gallery openings this weekend.
3. The roving Vice Palace music venue is setting up shop at Josey Records on Saturday afternoon ahead of a second show at Pariah, a re-purposed warehouse just south of downtown, later that night. The double-header is heavy on dark electronic music, with Hex Cult offshoot Teen Slut, CYGNUS vs. Wanz Dover, iiill, and ABACABA.
4. Mike Adams is the hardest working man in power pop and something of an institution in Indiana, where he hosts a cable access-style show and manages a podcast. We talked with Adams ahead of his show at the Crown and Harp on Saturday night about humor in music and his first visit to Dallas.
Sunday (02/22)
1. Dallas Black Dance Theatre’s Cultural Awareness Series is running all weekend at the Wyly Theatre, with a final matinee performance set for Sunday. A new piece by a member of the company is set to debut, and the performance will also feature some of the biggest numbers in modern dance.
2. Closing out the Thin Line Fest, Seryn, the progressive folk sextet that incubated in Denton before packing up for Nashville last year, plays a homecoming show at Dan’s Silverleaf.
3. Jonathan Norton’s new play, Mississippi Goddam, is based on the real-life story of civil rights activists Myrlie and Medgar Evars, and Medgar’s death at the hands of a white supremacist. It’s showing at the South Dallas Cultural Center.
For more to do this weekend, go here.