Weekend Event Planner

Aerosmith and One Direction headline best weekend events in Dallas

Based on the sheer number of events, this is a big weekend in Dallas-Fort Worth. But you'll have a quandary when it comes to your Friday night plans, as there are five — count 'em, five — separate events that are more than worth your time and hard-earned money.

Below are the best options for your precious free time Thursday through Sunday. Don't like what you see? Lucky for you, we have a much longer list of the city's best events.

Thursday, August 21

Circle Theatre presents Stella & Lou
The second-to-last production of Circle Theatre's 2014 season is Stella & Lou, a romantic comedy that proves that love is still possible even for those getting on in years. The play, running through September 20 in Fort Worth, features John S. Davies, one of the most seasoned actors in the area and recent subject of our Actor Spotlight, as Lou.

Friday, August 22

Aerosmith in concert with Slash and Myles Kennedy and the Conspirators
Depending on your age, the appearance of Aerosmith at American Airlines Center either inspires a reaction of "Awesome!" or "Who?" Although they're undeniably legends, as they celebrated their 40th anniversary in 2013, the band hasn't had a hit since 2001. But their back catalog is more than enough to keep fans entertained, along with the presence of guitarist Slash and his band, Myles Kennedy & the Conspirators.

Panic! at the Disco in concert with Walk the Moon and Youngblood Hawke
Speaking of anniversaries, the pop punk group Panic! at the Disco is celebrating their 10th year as a band. Best known for the 2006 hit "I Write Sins Not Tragedies," they come back to Dallas in support of their 2013 album, Too Weird to Live, Too Rare to Die! They are joined at South Side Ballroom by Walk the Moon and Youngblood Hawke.

Nickel Creek in concert with Sarah Jarosz
One of the more popular bluegrass bands of the early 2000s, Nickel Creek has been on an extended break the past seven years so that individual band members could pursue other opportunities. But they're finally back together, playing at the Majestic Theatre in support of their new album, A Dotted Line, with Sarah Jarosz as opening act.

Garfunkel and Oates in concert
If you aren't already on the Garfunkel and Oates bandwagon, it's time to make the jump. The comedy duo of Riki Lindhome and Kate Micucci, who named their band after famous musical second bananas, have been making hilarious folk songs since 2009 and just started their own show on IFC at the beginning of August. They play at House of Blues Dallas.

Upstart Productions presents Year of the Rooster
The AT&T Performing Arts Center is helping a handful of small arts groups get more notice with the Elevator Project, letting the groups stage shows at Wyly Theatre over the next year. The first group is Upstart Productions, putting on Year of the Rooster, about a man who uses a rooster to get back at those who've wronged him. The play runs through September 6.

Saturday, August 23

Sarah Jaffe in concert
Denton native Sarah Jaffe has received more and more attention over the past few years, opening for Norah Jones, recording a song with Eminem and being the first performer ever at Dallas City Performance Hall. She celebrates the release of her third full album, Don't Disconnect, with this show at the Majestic Theatre featuring Josh T. Pearson as opening act.

Colt and the Old 45s in concert
The 1960s provided some of the best music ever made, and with the 2010s being the 50th anniversary of that monumental decade, nostalgia for it is at an all-time high. The 11-piece Colt and the Old 45s, playing at the Wyly Theatre, cover myriad rock songs from the '60s, with a few '50s and '70s tunes thrown in.

Sunday, August 24

One Direction in concert
Niall, Zayn, Liam, Harry and Louis, aka British boy band One Direction, take over AT&T Stadium in Arlington, their second move up in venues after playing at Gexa Energy Pavilion in 2012 and American Airlines Center in 2013. Their original opening act, 5 Seconds of Summer, will be off playing at the MTV Video Music Awards, so 1D will be joined by Jamie Scott instead.

Aerosmith plays at American Airlines Center on August 22 alongside Slash and Myles Kennedy & the Conspirators.

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Movie Review

Shaun the Sheep gets PG-spooky in new movie for the Halloween season

Photo courtesy of Aardman / Sky UK LTD / StudioCanal 2026

Shaun the Sheep in Shaun the Sheep: The Beast of Mossy Bottom.

Since his introduction over 30 years ago, the Aardman Animations character Shaun the Sheep has been almost as popular as the studio’s flagship characters, Wallace and Gromit. There is never a shortage of trouble Shaun can get into as he leads his flock and proves to be a thorn in the side of his farmer and Bitzer, the farmer’s loyal sheepdog.

His antics lead everyone down some slightly spooky roads in the new film, Shaun the Sheep: The Beast of Mossy Bottom. At first, things are only slightly awry as Shaun and the flock are growing a secret pumpkin patch to have their own jack-o-lanterns. But when the farmer accidentally destroys the pumpkin patch, Shaun tries to regrow it quickly with a Frankenstein-esque experiment.

However, disaster looms when Shaun uses an old bottle of Hair-Gro as the container for the serum he creates. Naturally, the balding farmer uses it on his head, and everyone soon discovers how truly successful it is, with pumpkins growing out of control and the farmer sprouting hair all over his body. Through a series of mishaps, the farmer becomes the titular beast, creating mayhem while Shaun and others try to stop him.

Directed by Steve Cox and Matthew Walker, and written by Mark Burton and Giles Pilbrow, the film goes down just as easy as every other Aardman project has. They get the Halloween vibes started from the opening credits, with things like the sheep doing the “Thriller” dance, and continue the fun throughout, referencing everything from Psycho to Friday the 13th in a nice, PG way.

With no script — every character is mute save for reaction noises — the movie relies on sight gags for its humor, and the Aardman team is endlessly inventive in that respect. Sometimes it’s small things like a sheep using toilet paper rolls as binoculars, and sometimes it’s something like forcing the Bigfoot-like farmer to be shaped into a rectangle as he escapes through a window. But there’s a never-ending stream of such moments, so even if one doesn’t tickle your funny bone, chances are the next one will.

The biggest benefit of the characters not talking is that there’s no need for deep character development. The filmmakers do a great job of giving the basic traits of each character, and then use those attributes to color everyone’s actions for the rest of the film. Shaun is the troublemaker, the farmer is a bumbling fool, Bitzer is preternaturally smart, and the town’s vet is empathetic, and the combination of those characters and others makes for a highly entertaining blend.

Like all Aardman creations, Shaun the Sheep: The Beast of Mossy Bottom is a fun lark that doesn’t make its audience think too hard. With just enough references to keep viewers engaged but not so many as to be overbearing, the film puts its well-worn characters to good use once again, delivering a Halloween season story that can be enjoyed by people of all ages.

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Shaun the Sheep: The Beast of Mossy Bottom is now playing in theaters.

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