Weekend Event Planner

These are the 9 best things to do in Dallas this weekend

Weekend two of Austin City Limits Music Festival came and went as quickly as a Polo G set, with cooperative weather and classic festival vibes. Zilker Park held up well after a soggy weekend one, and festival revelers traversed the grounds for three full days of much-needed live music, following the lengthy absence of sounds in the Live Music Capital of the World. --- Notorious for running late, Erykah Badu added an extra 20 minutes to her 10-minute delay from weekend one, but fans were happy with the half-hour set the Dallas native performed from the Miller Lite Stage.

Photo by Daniel Cavazos

For those willing to brave the roads in yet another bitter cold spell this February, there are some fun event options around Dallas this weekend. They include performances by a great comedian, two Scandanavian bands, a legendary hometown singer, and old-school rappers. There will also be a unique opera, two Dallas Symphony Orchestra events, a musician paying tribute to his well-known father, and more.

Below are the best ways to spend your precious free time this weekend.

Thursday, February 24

Dallas Symphony Orchestra presents Brahms' Symphony No. 2
As part of a live recording for a future album release of the complete Brahms Symphonies, the Dallas Symphony Orchestra will present performances of Brahms’ Symphony No. 2. The DSO began this recording project in September 2021 with Brahms’s Symphony No. 1. The concert, which will have two performances on Thursday at Meyerson Symphony Center, will be under the direction of Fabio Luisi.

Friday, February 25

Tig Notaro: "Hello Again"
Stand-up comedian Tig Notaro has been working hard for many years, but she didn't truly come to prominence until 2012, when she performed a now legendary set about her having cancer. Now cancer-free, she's enjoyed a string of successes, including a book, comedy series, and roles in movies like Zack Snyder's Army of the Dead. She'll perform at Majestic Theatre.

Helium Queens: A Space Opera
Space pop trio Helium Queens are back with their original theatrical opera, Helium Queens: A Space Opera. During this three-act new opera, The Queens will take audiences on an intergalactic journey to the moon as they try to find the timeline that will save Planet Earth from imminent destruction. The audience will surround the performers for an in-the-round experience at The Kessler, complete with live music, dancers, and costumes that glow under the ultra-violet lights of the lunar landscape.

Saturday, February 26

An Enchanted Afternoon with Barbra - A Tribute to Barbra Streisand
An Enchanted Afternoon with Barbra is an intimate tribute to Barbra Streisand, with the iconic voice, the songs, and the personality all lovingly recreated by renowned tribute artist Sharon Owens. Owens, who has an uncanny resemblance to Streisand in both voice and looks, has had a decades-long career as a Streisand tribute artist. She'll perform at Eisemann Center for the Performing Arts in Richardson.

Ghost & Volbeat in concert with Twin Temple
Fans of Scandanavian rock will love this pairing of Ghost and Volbeat at Fair Park Coliseum. Ghost is a Swedish hard rock band who's starting to become big in the United States, with their 2018 album, Prequelle, reaching No. 3 on the Billboard 200 charts, and their fourth album, Impera, set for release in March. They'll co-headline this concert with Danish band Volbeat, which had two top 10 albums in the 2010s, and released its eighth album, Servant of the Mind, in December 2021.

Dallas Symphony Orchestra presents Jazz at Symphony Center: Oleta Adams
The Dallas Symphony Orchestra and The Black Academy of Arts and Letters will present the second season of Jazz at Symphony Center. The second concert in the series will feature Oleta Adams, a Grammy-nominated vocalist who has over 45 years in the music industry. Adams has released nine albums, including secular, Gospel, and Christmas albums. The concert will be at Meyerson Symphony Center.

Erykah Badu in concert
Dallas native Erykah Badu has a tradition of performing for her hometown fans on her birthday, and this year will be no different. Best known for her eccentric style and cerebral music, Badu is a four-time Grammy Award-winning American soul singer and songwriter whose sound — a concoction of soul, hip-hop and jazz — cannot be contained to a single genre. She'll perform at The Factory in Deep Ellum.

Coppell Arts Center presents "Croce Plays Croce"
After more than 25 years making his own musical mark, A.J. Croce began performing some of his dad’s songs live and forming a special show out of it. In "Croce Plays Croce," A.J. performs Jim Croce songs, his own tunes, and songs that influenced the two of them. The concert will take place at Coppell Arts Center.

All-Star Legends of Hip Hop
As the overwhelmingly positive reaction to this year's Super Bowl halftime show indicates, there's still a big appetite for the elder statesmen of the hip hop genre. This concert at the Music Hall at Fair Park concert will feature performances by rappers who mostly had their biggest successes in the 1990s and 2000s, including Juvenile, Too Short, Scarface, 8ball & MJG, Trina, and Trick Daddy.

Erykah Badu will play her annual hometown birthday show at The Factory in Deep Ellum on February 26.

Photo by Daniel Cavazos

Erykah Badu will play her annual hometown birthday show at The Factory in Deep Ellum on February 26.

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Movie Review

The Invite delivers smart, sexy laughs with an all-star cast

Photo courtesy of A24

Olivia Wilde, Seth Rogen, Penelope Cruz, and Edward Norton in The Invite.

Once upon a time, well before scandal embroiled him, Woody Allen made great comedies aimed at adults. That type of film - which is different from the raunchy, R-rated comedies of the 21st century - has fallen out of favor in Hollywood, but as the new film The Invite proves, when done well it can be as funny as anything else out there.

Joe (Seth Rogen) and Angela (Olivia Wilde) are an unhappily married couple living in San Francisco. As we meet them, Joe has arrived home to Angela preparing for a visit from their upstairs neighbors, Hawk (Edward Norton) and Piña (Penélope Cruz), who have moved in relatively recently. Their impending arrival starts a new round of arguing between Joe and Angela, something they can barely contain once the other couple comes to their door.

What proceeds is a getting-to-know-you process that is mostly awkward as Joe and Angela continue sniping at each other while Hawk and Piña put in their two cents in a much calmer manner. A sticking point between the two couples - the loud sex Hawk and Piña have on an almost nightly basis - turns the film on its head with an unexpected invitation.

Directed by Wilde and written by Will McCormack and Rashida Jones, the film is a fast-paced chamber piece that takes place almost entirely in Joe and Angela’s apartment. Wilde, the writers, and the actors speed the story along not with action but through almost non-stop dialogue that often has the characters overlapping each other’s lines. The rapidity of the speech fuels the humor of the situation and establishes the differing personalities of each person.

Sex is very much top of mind for each of the characters for most of the film, but the filmmakers approach the topic in such a way that it never feels salacious. Each of the characters is a rational adult who can talk about sex in a mature manner while also acknowledging their unique feelings on the matter. And it’s the discoveries each of them makes along the way that brings about the most comedy.

But, like any comedy for adults, the film also has a dramatic tilt to it, and Wilde edges the story back-and-forth between the two tones extremely well. Joe and Angela fighting is played for laughs at times, but the sadness of their relationship comes through loud and clear. Hawk and Piña are much more intimate with each other, but the funniness of their openness is juxtaposed with a depth that arises through their conversations.

In the 2020s, Rogen has managed to make the transition from goofy stoner to stoner with real acting chops. In a stacked cast, he is the one who sells every moment the best. That’s not to say that Wilde, Norton, and Cruz don’t measure up, though; each of them inhabits their respective roles magnificently. The four actors play off each other as if they had been working together for years.

While The Invite will likely play better to those who have experience with long term relationships, its insights - and occasional bawdiness - make it a comedy that can be appreciated universally. With four actors at the top of their games and a razor-sharp script made even better by some well-done improv, it proves that you don’t need to go low to get great laughs.

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The Invite is now playing in theaters.

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