Loud Music News

Extra-loud tour with Coheed and Cambria and Mastodon hits Irving venue

Behold the Coheed.

Photo by Brandi Schulz

Two of the most popular loud music bands will join forces in summer 2019 on an epic cross-country tour, with a stop in the Dallas area: Coheed and Cambria, the modern progressive rock band, and heavy rock titans Mastodon will embark on The Unheavenly Skye Tour, making a stop on July 3 at Toyota Music Factory in Irving.

The 26-city trek will see the bands perform across a range of venues, from theaters to larger outdoor amphitheaters.

Coheed and Cambria will be performing in support of their new album, The Unheavenly Creatures. Possibly even better: Mastodon will perform their renowned 2009 album Crack the Skye in its entirety.

Hardcore band Every Time I Die will support on all dates.

Mastodon is considered one of the most respected and influential bands of their generation. The Atlanta quartet formed in 2000 and is known for intricate lyrical conceptual odyssies interwoven with dynamic virtuosity. Emperor Of Sand, their eighth and current studio album marks their fourth consecutive album to enter the Billboard Top 200 Album charts in the Top Ten.

They received Grammy nominations in 2007, 2014, and 2015. They've dabbled in film music including songs for Academy Award-winning comedy The Big Short, animated blockbuster Monsters University, and sci-fi western Jonah Hex for which the group composed the score.

After contributing a song to HBO's Game of Thrones, drummer Brann Dailor, guitarist Brent Hinds, and guitarist Bill Kelliher appeared as wildlings in two episodes of the show.

The Heavenly Skye tour kicks off in Louisville on May 28, and will make stops in Boston, Chicago, Denver, Los Angeles, and more.

The Irving date will be the final stop on the tour.

Tickets go on sale to the general public beginning February 15 at 10 am at LiveNation.com. An artist presale will be available from February 13 at 10 am through February 14th at 10 pm. Like a little Valentine's Day gift.

Tour dates are as follows:

May 28, Louisville, Iroquois Amphitheater
May 29, Columbus, Ohio, Express Live! Outdoor Amphitheatre
May 31, Atlanta, Coca-Cola Roxy
June 01, Simpsonville, South Carolina, CCNB Amphitheatre at Heritage Park Simpsonville
June 02, Baltimore, MECU Pavilion
June 04, Asbury Park, New Jersey, Stone Pony Summer Stage
June 06, Boston, Rockland Trust Bank Pavilion
June 07, New York, Ford Amphitheater at Coney Island Boardwalk
June 08, Camden, New Jersey, BB&T Pavilion
June 10, Pittsburgh, Stage AE – Outdoors
June 11, Detroit, Michigan Lottery Amphitheatre at Freedom Hill
June 13, Council Bluffs, Iowa, Harrah's Council Bluffs - Stir Cove
June 14, Chicago, Huntington Bank Pavilion at Northerly Island
June 15, Minneapolis, The Armory
June 18, Kansas City, Missouri, Starlight Theatre
June 19, Denver, Fillmore Auditorium
June 20, Salt Lake City, The Great Saltair
June 22, Seattle, Marymoor
June 23, Portland, Theater of the Clouds at Moda Center
June 25, San Francisco, The Masonic
June 26, San Diego, Petco Park - Park at the Park
June 28, Las Vegas, The Joint at Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Las Vegas
June 29, Los Angeles, Greek Theatre
June 30, Phoenix, Nevada, Comerica Theatre
July 02, Austin, Austin360 Amphitheater
July 03, Irving, The Pavilion at Toyota Music Factory

Coheed and Cambria's The Unheavenly Creatures came out in October 2018, and debuted at #1 on Billboard's Hard Rock Albums chart, as well as the Top 15 on the Billboard 200 chart. Boasting 15 songs over 78 minutes, the album marked Coheed and Cambria's return to concept albums.

concerts

Movie Review

Michelle Pfeiffer is an unappreciated mom in Oh. What. Fun.

Photo courtesy of Amazon MGM Studios

Michelle Pfeiffer in Oh. What. Fun.

Of all the formulaic movie genres, Christmas/holiday movies are among the most predictable. No matter what the problem is that arises between family members, friends, or potential romantic partners, the stories in holiday movies are designed to give viewers a feel-good ending even if the majority of the movie makes you feel pretty bad.

That’s certainly the case in Oh. What. Fun., in which Michelle Pfeiffer plays Claire, an underappreciated mom living in Houston with her inattentive husband, Nick (Denis Leary). As the film begins, her three children are arriving back home for Christmas: The high-strung Channing (Felicity Jones) is married to the milquetoast Doug (Jason Schwartzman); the aloof Taylor (Chloë Grace Moretz) brings home yet another new girlfriend; and the perpetual child Sammy (Dominic Sessa) has just broken up with his girlfriend.

Each of the family members seems to be oblivious to everything Claire does for them, especially when it comes to what she really wants: For them to nominate her to win a trip to see a talk show in L.A. hosted by Zazzy Tims (Eva Longoria). When she accidentally gets left behind on a planned outing to see a show, Claire reaches her breaking point and — in a kind of Home Alone in reverse — she decides to drive across the country to get to the show herself.

Written and directed by Michael Showalter (The Idea of You), and co-written by Chandler Baker (who wrote the short story on which the film is based), the movie never establishes any kind of enjoyable rhythm. Each of the characters, including competitive neighbor Jeanne (Joan Chen), is assigned a character trait that becomes their entire personality, with none of them allowed to evolve into something deeper.

The filmmakers lean hard into the idea that Claire is a person who always puts her family first and receives very little in return, but the evidence presented in the story is sketchy at best. Every situation shown in the film is so superficial that tension barely exists, and the (over)reactions by Claire give her family members few opportunities to make up for their failings.

The most interesting part of the movie comes when Claire actually makes it to the Zazzy Sims show. Even though what happens there is just as unbelievable as anything else presented in the story, Showalter and Baker concoct a scene that allows Claire and others to fully express the central theme of the film, and for a few minutes the movie actually lives up to its title.

Pfeiffer, given her first leading role since 2020’s French Exit, is a somewhat manic presence, and her thick Texas accent and unnecessary voiceover don’t do her any favors. It seems weird to have such a strong supporting cast with almost nothing of substance to do, but almost all of them are wasted, including Danielle Brooks in a blink-and-you'll-miss-it cameo. The lone exception is Longoria, who is a blast in the few scenes she gets.

Oh. What. Fun. is far from the first movie to try and fail at becoming a new holiday classic, but the pedigree of Showalter and the cast make this dismal viewing experience extra disappointing. Ironically, overworked and underappreciated moms deserve a much better story than the one this movie delivers.

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Oh. What. Fun. is now streaming on Prime Video.

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Movie Review

Michelle Pfeiffer is an unappreciated mom in Oh. What. Fun.