10 Best Concerts of the Week: Muse, Carrie Underwood, Buddy Guy and More

Though we have yet to reach the official start date, spring is in the air and there’s new music to celebrate. This week we can look forward to new releases by hip-hop collective Cure for Paranoia and hard rock band Temptress. North Texans can also get a head start celebrating International Women’s Day with a two-day, woman-led music festival in Denton. As far as this week’s touring acts go, the week begins on a note of peace when Stephen Marley brings his acoustic tour through Victory Park. On Friday, audiences can go big with Steve Aoki in Deep Ellum or Muse in Fort Worth, or they can go small with a pair of shows from Bob Schneider in Oak Cliff. Saturday, the music gets heavy and emotional with co-headliners PUP and Joyce Manor in Dallas. Things slow down early next week, but heat right back up with Carrie Underwood’s arena tour and Buddy Guy’s farewell.

Stephen Marley
7 p.m. Thursday, March 2, House of Blues, 2200 N. Lamar St. $30+ at livenation.com

The second son and third and last child born to Bob and Rita Marley, Stephen Marley was just 7 years old when he began singing with his older siblings in Ziggy Marley and the Melody Makers in 1979. Unlike many of Marley’s children from other relationships, Stephen, along with his brother David (nicknamed “Ziggy”) were directly mentored in music by their legendary father, and while Ziggy has gone on to achieve worldwide acclaim, Stephen spent the majority of his music career behind the dials as a producer for artists such as Erykah Badu, Busta Rhymes, Steven Tyler and The Roots. It wasn’t until 2007 that Stephen decided to record music as a solo artist, going on to release four albums, three of which received Grammy Awards for “Best Reggae Album.” Marley’s Old Soul Unplugged tour will have opening support from reggae musician (not Beach Boy) Mike Love.

She Rock 2023
6 p.m. Friday and Saturday, March 3–4, Rubber Gloves, 411 E. Sycamore St., Denton. $17.55+ at eventbrite.com

Friends With Benefits benefits North Texas’ charities improving local communities, schools and neighborhoods. Among the many events the organization puts together in Denton is its crown jewel, the annual She-Rock festival. Now in its fourth year, the festival will be raising funds for Denton County Friends of the Family Survivors Advocacy Team program, which provides support to victims of domestic and sexual violence, and Chhaupadi Inc., a nonprofit that provides free period products to those in need in Texas along with education on reproductive health and hygiene. This two-day, three-stage, all female-led, 100%-for-charity event will be held on Friday and Saturday nights in celebration of International Women’s Day. The event will include performances by local and regional female-led bands, artists and comedians.
Steve Aoki
6:30 p.m. Friday, March 3, The Factory in Deep Ellum, 2713 Canton St. $39.50+ at axs.com

Once celebrated as the highest-grossing electronic dance musician on the planet and recently ranked No. 9 on DJ Magazine‘s list of the Top 100 DJs in the world, Steve Aoki brings his HiROQUEST: Genesis Tour through The Factory in Deep Ellum Friday night. Joining Aoki on the tour Australian musician, DJ, songwriter and record producer Timmy Trumpet, DJ/Producer RemK and Philadelphia rapper, DJ, and songwriter BOK NERO. Aoki followed the release of the fourth volume of his Neon Future series with his seventh album HiROQUEST: Genesis last fall, a five-chapter, 26-track record written and produced through the pandemic. Aoki’s music has always been about connecting people and with his latest album, he shows just how diverse that group of people can be. Collaborations include musicians Travis Barker, Sting, will.i.am, the Backstreet Boys and many others.
Muse
6:30 p.m. Friday, March 3, Dickies Arena, 1911 Montgomery St., Fort Worth, $95.50+ at ticketmaster.com

English rock band Muse has been nothing if not broad in its approach to modern rock. Founded in 1994, Muse built a solid fanbase in Manchester and London before taking its sound international at the turn of the century. Never a band to be pinned down, Muse pulled away from the pack of alternative rock bands emerging in the ’00s by using heavy instrumentation, incorporating Wurlitzer pianos and harmoniums into heavier spaces. The band’s love of technology grew through the years as it introduced elements of electronic music in the early ’10s and continued to revisit electronica throughout the years. On the band’s ninth album, 2022’s Will of the People, Muse showcased its talent for playing multiple genres, which is sure to make for a great show. In a nod to that eclecticism, alt-metal band Evanescence and Japanese pop punk band ONE OK ROCK are set to open the show.
Bob Schneider
6:30 and 9:15 p.m. Friday, March 3, The Kessler, 1230 W. Davis St. $24+ at prekindle.com

Winner of 55 Austin Music Awards from 1992 to 2017, Bob Schneider has woven himself into the fabric of Texas music with a blend of pop, country, folk and rock. Schneider has played in an array of projects ranging from funk band Joe Rockhead to rock band Ugly Americans, the latter of which opened for Dave Matthews Band on its 1997 tour. A prolific songwriter, Schneider has released either an album or an EP every year since 1998. He received his first radio play in 2001 with “Big Blue Sea” and again in 2004 with “Come With Me Tonight.” It was in 2009, however, that Schneider made it to No. 14 on Billboard‘s AAA Radio Chart with his sweet, talk-singing single “40 Dogs (Like Romeo & Juliet).” Schneider will perform an early and late set Friday night in Oak Cliff.
Cure for Paranoia
7 p.m. Friday, March 3, Club Dada, 2720 Elm St. $10 at prekindle.com

Cure for Paranoia has, for nearly a decade now, been known as Dallas’ premiere hip-hop band, blending together hip-hop, funk and jazz in a cocktail that always gets the crowd moving. The band has released material here and there throughout its existence, but last week, just in time for the weather to start warming up, Cure for Paranoia released its first proper full-length album, Center of the Maze. It is, in a word, incredible. Not only is the album as sonically pleasing through headphones as the band is live, but conceptually, it’s just well-written. A journey through life’s maze led by Philonious Funk, Center of the Maze rewards its audience for listening close, but it’s also just a great album to play in the background at your next barbecue. Cure for Paranoia headlines a night celebrating the sounds of Deep Ellum after sets by Dezi 5 and Chilldren of Indigo.
PUP & Joyce Manor
7 p.m. Saturday, March 4, Amplified Live, 10261 Technology Blvd. E. $30 at seetickets.us

Joining forces on a 2023 tour are Canadian punk band PUP and California emo-revival band Joyce Manor. It’s a pairing that makes a lot of sense. While these two bands hail from different scenes playing different takes on independent, underground rock, they share a striking similarity in terms of songwriting. That is not to say that they write the same songs or even necessarily share the same subject matter. What they do share, however, is a simplicity in their approach. While PUP may rely more on humor, and Joyce Manor may rely more on emotion, they both look at life directly, fully embracing its pains and its joys. Both bands are also known for putting out short albums. No telling how long the concert will be, but you’re sure to hear a lot of songs.
Temptress
7 p.m. Saturday, March 4, Three Links, 2704 Elm St. $15 at seetickets.us

Dallas’ female-fronted, heavy psych-rock band Temptress plays Three Links in Deep Ellum Saturday night, kicking off an exciting year for the band. Though Temptress has not put out a new release since its self-titled, three-track demo in 2019, the group has been hard at work in the studio preparing a debut album for Metal Assault Records. That album is finally seeing the light of day this weekend with an album release show. Next week, the band will be hitting the road for a month-and-a-half long tour, playing across Texas and the South, the Northeast and parts of the Midwest. Here at home, Temptress is known to absolutely bring it with heavy licks and heady lyrics. Opening for the band are homegrown rock bands The Angelus and Stress Palace, as well as Medicine Horse from Tulsa.
Buddy Guy
7 p.m. Wednesday, March 8, Majestic Theatre, 1925 Elm St. $69.50+ at ticketmaster.com

At the age of 86, blues legend Buddy Guy will be retiring from touring this year on his Damn Right Farewell Tour with opening act Eric Gales and Ally Venable. Guy moved from his home state of Louisiana to Chicago at the moment electric blues gained steam, and he learned to play it from the father of the electric blues, Muddy Waters. Waters himself had learned to play the blues alongside Delta blues icons Son House and Robert Johnson. Guy’s enduring legacy lives on in the fingertips of guitar gods from across the generations. Jimi Hendrix, Stevie Ray Vaughan, John Mayer and Gary Clark Jr. have all cited Guy as an influence. Guy released his 19th official solo studio album, The Blues Don’t Lie, last September, and though he may be retiring from touring, more blues are sure to come.
Carrie Underwood
7:30 p.m. Wednesday, March 8, American Airlines Center, 2500 Victory Ave. $79.50+ at ticketmaster.com

Winding down her The Denim & Rhinestones Tour, Carrie Underwood returns to North Texas next week for a show that celebrates the singer’s nearly 20-year music career. Underwood got her start on the fourth season of American Idol and quickly took the country music world by storm after winning the competition. While other Idol winners, and contestants for that matter, went on to have successful careers after the show, Underwood stands out as an artist who has transcended the trappings of reality TV and become a superstar in her own right. Her latest album, Denim & Rhinestones, is Underwood’s 10th Top 10 album on the Billboard 200 chart and 10th Top 3 Billboard Country album — an amazing feat for an artist who has released only nine albums and a greatest hits compilation. Country music singer-songwriter and American Idol 10th-season auditioner Jimmie Allen opens the show.