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    Lend Us Your Ears

    The 5 best live music venues in Dallas-Fort Worth

    Alex Bentley
    Mar 14, 2013 | 11:45 am

    The Dallas-Fort Worth area is certainly not lacking in music venues, from dingy clubs in Deep Ellum to the musician-swallowing Cowboys Stadium in Arlington. But if you truly want to appreciate all a band has to offer, the list of places you should go gets significantly smaller.

    There are many traits an ideal music venue should have, but there are also the ineffable details that make it rise above others. Although the places on this list arguably have individual faults, each has that certain something that keeps crowds coming back time and again

    Bass Performance Hall
    This downtown Fort Worth treasure is known more for the arts than anything else, but that doesn't take away from its ability to host a concert. Bass Hall is equally as good at presenting the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra as it is popular acts like Lyle Lovett or Robert Earl Keen, because it is an engineering miracle.

    No matter where you sit, its amazing acoustics ensure you hear the same thing, which helps keep the 2,000-plus-seat venue relatively intimate. Plus, it also has the attached McDavid Studio, which is good for smaller, acoustic performances. Locals owe it to themselves to attend a concert here at least once.

    Gexa Energy Pavilion
    This venue has had no less than five names in its 25-year existence, and you can generally tell what generation someone belongs to by how they refer to this Fair Park spot. (For the record, it will always be Coca-Cola Starplex to me.) But that factoid tends to overshadow what a fun place the Starplex AmphitheatreSmirnoff Music CentreSuperpages.com Center Gexa Energy Pavilion can be to attend a concert.

    As an outdoor venue, the acoustics and sight lines can vary depending on your location, but that's also part of its charm. Even more charming is its verdant lawn and outdoor setting, with picnic tables and trees for shade. If nothing else, it deserves points for bringing a steady stream of big-name acts — like the country-heavy lineup in 2013 — to Dallas.

    Granada Theater / The Kessler
    The Granada and the Kessler share a spot on this list because if you'd never been to either one, you could easily mistake one for the other. Both are former theaters that have been converted to music venues. Both put on multiple concerts every week that range from local up-and-comers to established bands who haven't quite graduated to arena shows. And both serve up an intimate experience that allows fans to almost feel like they're part of the band.

    Arguments can — and have been — made for the supremacy of one over the other, but the real winners are anybody who wants to experience the true thrill of live music.

    Palladium Ballroom
    The Gilley's complex has three main music venues, but the Palladium Ballroom provides by far the most bang for your buck. It hosts one big-name band after another who want an intimate venue that can still handle a semi-large number of people. Three thousand or so hearty souls can fit in one of the space's four areas, with three bars available to lubricate the masses.

    One downside is the lack of seating for most concerts, leaving those of short stature to jostle for good viewing positions. But if standing shoulder-to-shoulder is the price to pay to get up close to the likes of Alabama Shakes, Ed Sheeran and Morrissey, we'll gladly pony up.

    Verizon Theatre at Grand Prairie
    There are many venues that claim flexibility when it comes to hosting different acts, but Verizon Theatre truly delivers on that promise. It has a variety of panels that can be dropped down to accommodate smaller acts and make the room more intimate.

    But its top capacity of 6,300 fills a great niche for the region, attracting different acts who might not otherwise include Dallas on their tours. From a fan perspective, the sight lines are second-to-none, with the amphitheater-style seating ensuring a great view no matter where you sit.

    The Granada Theater on Greenville Avenue turned 8 last fall.

    Josh Syvrud and Jill Brown at Granada 8th anniversary party in Dallas
      
    Photo by Jerry McClure
    The Granada Theater on Greenville Avenue turned 8 last fall.
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    Weekend Event Planner

    Here's the 15 best things to do in Dallas on this very busy weekend

    Alex Bentley
    May 1, 2025 | 6:00 am
    Dallas Tastemaker Awards 2024
    Photo by Ashley Gongora
    About 750 foodies attended the 2024 CultureMap Tastemaker Awards.

    It's another big weekend in and around Dallas, with events to please a variety of tastes. Choices include the No. 1 event of the week — CultureMap's Tastemaker Awards — plus a big golf tournament, four theater productions, a symphony concert, four other notable concerts, two festivals, a well-known comedian, and a dance troupe.

    Dallas Tastemaker Awards 2024
      
    Photo by Ashley Gongora

    The annual CultureMap Dallas Tastemaker Awards take place on May 1 at Astoria Event Venue in Irving.

    Below are the best ways to spend your free time this weekend. If you want more options, check out the calendar for an even longer list of the city's best events.

    Thursday, May 1

    The CJ Cup Byron Nelson
    The CJ Cup Byron Nelson, the PGA Tour's annual stop in the Dallas area, will feature some of the best pro golfers in the world. Participants include defending champion Taylor Pendrith, World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler, Jordan Spieth, Brandt Snedeker, and more. The tournament takes place through Sunday at TPC Craig Ranch in McKinney.

    2025 CultureMap Dallas Tastemaker Awards
    After months of anticipation, CultureMap's Tastemaker Awards — celebrating Dallas' top restaurant and bar talent for 2025 — have arrived. Winners will be announced in categories such as best restaurant, chef, and bar, as well as the best new restaurant of the year, and there'll be a grand tasting with nearly two dozen chef-prepared bites and specialty drinks. The annual event will take place at a new location: the Astoria Event Venue in Irving.

    Undermain Theatre presents H*llo K*tty Syndrome
    HK is a little lost. They just quit their job as a police officer, broke up with their cowboy-partner, and made a vendetta with their brother-in-law. In Brian Dang’s genre-bending comedy, they find themselves caught in the throes of a family drama, noir, and romance. And worst of all, nobody will stop commenting on the fact that they are wearing a Hello Kitty™ mascot costume - though it’s slightly off because of copyright laws. The production runs through May 25 at Undermain Theatre.

    Dallas Symphony Orchestra presents "Jaap van Zweden Conducts Shostakovich and Mozart"
    Conductor Jaap van Zweden returns to Dallas to lead Shostakovich’s eloquent Fifth Symphony. Pianist Conrad Tao joins the Conductor Laureate and the orchestra for Mozart’s elegant Piano Concerto No. 23. Opening the concert is Prokofiev’s charming Haydn-inspired “Classical” Symphony. There will be three performances through Saturday at Meyerson Symphony Center.

    Patti LaBelle in concert
    R&B legend Patti LaBelle comes to Dallas as part of her 80/65 tour, a celebration of both her 80th birthday (she turned 80 in 2024) and her 65 years in the music industry, which started with her first singing group, The Ordettes, in 1960. Her long solo career, which began in 1977, has resulted in 18 studio albums, most recently Bel Hommage in 2017 (a new album, 8065, was announced for 2024, but has not yet been released). She'll perform at Majestic Theatre.

    Bishop Arts Theatre Center presents A Dallas Hedda
    A Dallas Hedda is Bishop Arts Theater Center's playwright-in-residence Franky D. Gonzalez's reimagining of Ibsen's Hedda Gabler, which explored the psyche of a woman whose labyrinthine soul and longing for freedom from a world that sought always to control her. Gonzalez's concept will pick up the conversation that Ibsen began and continue to explore freedom through the lens of the conversations that we in the United States have been having around the intersections of race, religion, feminism, and social class. The production runs through May 10 at Bishop Arts Theatre Center.

    Broadway at the Center presents Ain't Too Proud - The Life and Times of the Temptations
    Ain’t Too Proud – The Life and Times of The Temptations is a Broadway musical that follows The Temptations’ journey from the streets of Detroit to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. It's a story of brotherhood, family, loyalty, and betrayal during a decade of civil unrest in America, set to the beat of the group’s hits, including "My Girl," "Just My Imagination," "Get Ready," and "Papa Was a Rolling Stone." The national tour of the production will be at Winspear Opera House through Sunday.

    Friday, May 2

    Dallas International Guitar Festival
    The Dallas International Guitar Festival is the largest and oldest guitar show in the world, blending musicians, fans, collectors, and celebrities together into one huge musical extravaganza. Visitors can buy, sell, trade, or just browse among the thousands upon thousands of new and vintage guitars, basses, amps, banjos, mandolins, and more. There will also be performances by more than 50 local, regional, and national bands, including headliners Ian Moore, Sonny Landreth, and Andy Timmons. The festival takes place through Sunday at Dallas Market Hall.

    Mainstage Irving-Las Colinas presents The Sunshine Boys
    Willie Clark and Al Lewis are an aging vaudeville comedy duo whose partnership ended bitterly after over 40 years. A dozen years later, Willie's nephew tries to reunite them for a TV special. Despite their animosity, they agree to perform together once more. Their rehearsals as they re-stage their classic comedy sketch are fraught with tension and bickering, leading to hilarious situations as they struggle to recapture their former chemistry. The production runs through May 17 at Irving Arts Center.

    Improv Addison presents Maz Jobrani
    Maz Jobrani is a comedian, actor and best-selling author of I'm Not a Terrorist But I've Played One on TV. His latest standup comedy special, 2023's The Birds & the Bees, is now available for streaming on YouTube. He is also a regular panelist on NPR’s Wait Wait Don't Tell Me. He'll perform five times through Sunday at Improv Addison.

    Trisha Yearwood in concert
    Country star Trisha Yearwood has managed to maintain a high profile for over 30 years. The first 10 years of her career, starting in 1991, were marked by a string of top 10 hits, including No. 1 songs like "She's in Love with the Boy," "XXX's and OOO's," and "Perfect Love." While each new album, most recently Every Girl in 2019, has continued to sell well, she's added other ventures like Trisha's Southern Kitchen on Food Network, collaborations with husband Garth Brooks, and more. She'll play at Texas Trust CU Theatre in Grand Prairie.

    TITAS/Dance Unbound presents Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo
    Les Ballet Trockadero de Monte Carlo is the world’s foremost all-male comic ballet company. Famed for hilarious performances en pointe and en travesti, The Trocks will celebrate more than 50 years of artistic hilarity at this performance. They'll perform on both Friday and Saturday at Moody Performance Hall.

    Saturday, May 3

    Cottonwood Art Festival
    Cottonwood Art Festival is a semi-annual event that features works from the nation's top visual artists. Jurors select over 240 artists to exhibit their museum-quality work in a variety of categories. The festival also features local bands performing in genres like rock, country, jazz, blues, swing and folk. It takes place on Saturday and Sunday at Cottonwood Park in Richardson.

    Rauw Alejandro in concert
    Puerto Rican singer Rauw Alejandro is the Latin singer of the moment. He's been at the top of Billboard's Top Latin Albums charts since releasing his debut album in 2020, with two of them going to No. 1. That includes his latest, Cosa Nuestra in 2024, which also almost made it to the top of the overall Billboard 200, maxing out at No. 6. He's had collaborations with fellow Latin stars like Bad Bunny, Romeo Santos, Rosalia, and more. He'll perform at American Airlines Center.

    Sunday, May 4

    Black Violin in concert
    For nearly two decades, Black Violin - comprised of Kev Marcus and Wil Baptiste - has been merging string arrangements with modern beats and vocals and building bridges in communities along the way. They've had a couple of Grammy nominations, including one in 2023 for “The Message,” a collaboration with Blind Boys of Alabama. They have released five albums in their career, most recently Give Thanks in 2020. They'll play at Majestic Theatre.

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