Music is a big theme for events in and around Dallas this weekend. You can celebrate the songs of a late, great singer, watch some phenomenal dancing, enjoy a two-day festival, attend two big-name concerts, or run to the tune of multiple bands. Also on tap will be a water circus, new art, and the continuation of a growing activism movement.
Below are the best ways to spend your free time this weekend. Want more options? Lucky for you, we have a much longer list of the city's best events.
Thursday, March 22
Eisemann Center presents Sweet Dreams: The Music of Patsy Cline
Performer Mandy Barnett, who originated the role of “Patsy Cline” in the theatrical production Always… Patsy Cline, will take audiences on a sparkling musical journey performing an evening of Cline’s hits. The concert, taking place at Eisemann Center for the Performing Arts in Richardson on Thursday and Friday, will include "Sweet Dreams," "Crazy," "I Fall to Pieces," and more, along with other classic country and pop standards, and selections from Barnett's own albums.
AT&T Performing Arts Center Broadway Series: Riverdance: The 20th Anniversary World Tour
Celebrating its 20th anniversary, Riverdance draws on Irish traditions as the performers propel Irish dancing and music into the present day, capturing the imagination of audiences across all ages and cultures in an innovative and exciting blend of dance, music, and song. The production will run through Sunday at Winspear Opera House.
Friday, March 23
Toyota Texas Music Revolution
The 2018 edition of Toyota Texas Music Revolution is a two-day festival featuring great music from multiple genres. The festival, taking place at Oak Point Park and Nature Preserve in Plano, will include performances by Ryan Bingham, Margo Price, Ray Wylie Hubbard, Gary P. Nunn, Two Tons Of Steel, The Texas Gentlemen, The Buffalo Ruckus, Drew Kennedy, Austin Cunningham, Jesse Dayton, The Bird Dogs, and The O's.
Cirque Italia Aquatic Spectacular
Cirque Italia's Aquatic Spectacular, which was in Hurst the past couple of weeks, will feature aerialists dazzling and shimmering on a chandelier high above the ground, contortion in a bubble, a Venetian aerial duo, and even someone hula hooping while in the air. The event will take place in a tent in the parking lot of Grapevine Mills through April 1.
Alabama in concert
There was no bigger country band in the 1980s than Alabama. They racked up nine consecutive No. 1 albums thanks to an unprecedented run in which 27 out of their 28 singles went to No. 1. That level of success earned them a hall pass for the rest of their lives, allowing them to release only two albums in the 21st century, including Southern Drawl in 2015. They'll play at Verizon Theatre at Grand Prairie.
Beck in concert
Beck has had one of the oddest careers of any rock musician. He's arguably best known for his first official single, 1994's "Loser," but it wasn't until 2002's Sea Change that one of his albums hit the top 10 on the Billboard charts. He's had a steady run of top-selling albums ever since, including his latest, 2017's Colors. He'll play at the Pavilion at Toyota Music Factory, with Twin Shadow as opening act.
Saturday, March 24
March for Our Lives
The school shooting in Parkland, Florida on February 14 has led to an unprecedented call for gun control from high school students and others. As part of the growing movement, the March for Our Lives will take place in Washington, D.C. and hundreds of other cities around the world, including sister marches in Dallas, McKinney, and Denton.
Sunday, March 25
Toyota Rock n’ Roll Dallas Half Marathon
The musically themed Toyota Rock ‘n’ Roll Dallas Half Marathon is expected to draw 13,000 runners. The 13.1-mile race will start near the Omni Dallas Hotel on Young St. and Lamar St. and will take runners on a tour of downtown and the Dallas skyline, including Deep Ellum, Margaret Hunt Hill Bridge, the Bishop Arts District, and Houston Street Bridge. Live bands will be performing along the course, while Hayes Carll will perform at the finish at The Lawn at Reunion.
Dallas Museum of Art presents "Laura Owens" opening day
For more than 20 years, artist Laura Owens has pioneered an innovative, and at times controversial, approach to painting, challenging traditional assumptions about figuration and abstraction, as well as the relationships among avant-garde art, craft, pop culture, and technology. This exhibit at the Dallas Museum of Art is the most comprehensive exhibition of her 20-year career, featuring over 60 paintings and objects from the mid-1990s until today. The exhibition will be on display through July 29.
Riverdance will take the stage at Winspear Opera House through March 25.
