Weekend Event Planner

Jonas Brothers top the 13 best events in Dallas on Labor Day weekend

Labor Day weekend is often a chance for people to get away one last time for the summer before work and school take over, but those who stay home will be rewarded with a lot of great events in and around Dallas. Choices include seven concerts featuring a number of big names, a music festival, four local theater productions, and the final days of a cool exhibition.

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, August 28

The Weeknd in concert
Enigmatic singer The Weeknd has a style that's all his own, putting a spin on R&B and pop music that sounds like almost nothing else out there. That uniqueness has translated into a degree of popularity that few other artists enjoy, with each of his six albums - including his most recent, Hurry Up Tomorrow - landing at either No. 1 or No. 2 on the Billboard 200. He also headlined the halftime show at Super Bowl LV in 2021. He'll play the second of two shows at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, joined by Playboi Carti and Mike Dean.

Jeezy presents…TM:101 LIVE with Color of Noize Orchestra
Rapper Jeezy has been releasing music for almost 25 years, and as any artist who has lasted that long in the industry knows, it can be tough coming up with new ways to entertain fans. To that point, Jeezy is commemorating the 20th anniversary of his breakthrough album, Let’s Get It: Thug Motivation 101, by reimagining it with a full symphony orchestra. He'll play at the Music Hall at Fair Park.

Friday, August 29

The Black Academy of Arts and Letters presents 8th Riverfront Jazz Festival
The Black Academy of Arts and Letters' 8th Annual Riverfront Jazz Festival will feature a lineup of performers spanning the gamut from jazz to pop, soul, R&B, blues, and neo-soul music. Performers on the two main stages will include Anthony Hamilton, Peabo Bryson, Doreen Ketchens, Tank and the Bangas, Kirk Whalum, and more. There will also be a stage featuring promising young artists. Performances will take place through Sunday in the Automobile Building and Centennial Building at Fair Park.

Garland Civic Theatre presents Always…Patsy Cline
Always...Patsy Cline is based on the real-life friendship between Patsy Cline and Louise Seger, a fan from Houston who became close to the singer after meeting her in a Texas honky-tonk in 1961. The show features 27 of Patsy Cline's biggest hits, providing a musical journey through her career and life. The production runs through September 14 at Granville Arts Center.

Rob Thomas in concert
Singer Rob Thomas first came to fame as part of the band Matchbox Twenty, which hit it big in the late 1990s/early 2000s with a string of hits and top-selling albums. Since 2005, Thomas has been making his way as a solo artist while also recording the occasional Matchbox Twenty album. Thomas will play at The Pavilion At Toyota Music Factory in Irving in support of his new album, All Night Days, and to celebrate the 20th anniversary of his first solo album, …Something To Be.

Theatre Denton presents Native Gardens
Native Gardens is a clever comedy where neighbors clash over their gardens and culture differences, leading to a border dispute and a war of class, privilege, and entitlement. The production runs through September 7 at Theatre Denton.

Pocket Sandwich Theatre presents The 39 Steps
The 39 Steps is a fast-paced, comedic thriller based on the Alfred Hitchcock film and novel by John Buchan. The story follows Richard Hannay, a regular guy who gets caught up in a web of spies, murder, and mystery after a chance encounter with a mysterious woman. On the run and trying to clear his name, Hannay races across the country, encountering oddball characters, daring escapes, and hilarious situations - all brought to life by just a few actors playing dozens of roles. The production runs through September 26 at Pocket Sandwich Theatre in Carrollton.

The Core Theatre presents Of Mice and Men
Of Mice and Men tells the tale of two great friends and their struggle to live the American dream. George and Lennie have been traveling together from ranch to ranch for years, working hard to make ends meet and save enough for a place of their own. The two are polar opposites: George is intelligent, quick, and small, while Lennie is slow-minded, childlike, and giant. When they are both hired to a new job, trouble begins to brew when one of the bosses’ wife becomes too interested in the infatuated Lennie. The production runs through September 14 at The Core Theatre in Richardson.

Saturday, August 30

Plano Symphony Orchestra presents An Evening with Bernadette Peters
An Evening with Bernadette Peters and the Plano Symphony Orchestra will be a one-of-a-kind night of songs with selections from great music masters like Rodgers and Hammerstein, Stephen Sondheim, Jerry Herman, and more. Peters has garnered numerous accolades, including three Tony Awards, a Golden Globe, four Emmy and four Grammy Award nominations, and a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. The concert takes place at Meyerson Symphony Center in Dallas.

Kali Uchis in concert
Kali Uchis is a new type of R&B/soul singer, adding in a Latin flavor thanks to her Colombian heritage. Unlike other artists, her career has been more of a slow burn, with Uchis breaking through with her third album, Red Moon in Venus, in 2023. She's been on a tear in the past two years, releasing two more albums, most recently Sincerely this past May. Her rising popularity is backed up by the venue of this concert, American Airlines Center, where she'll be joined by special guest Thee Sacred Souls.

Sunday, August 31

Jonas Brothers in concert
It's always a big deal when the Jonas Brothers come to town. The one-time Westlake residents have experienced a resurgence in popularity in the last five years thanks a trio of new albums, including the new Greetings from Your Hometown. At this concert at Dos Equis Pavilion in Dallas, they'll be joined by Marshmello, Boys Like Girls, and for those who want even more Jonas, their little brother and solo artist, Franklin Jonas.

Monday, September 1

Gaylord Texan Hotel presents Universe of Light featuring DC closing day
Monday will be the final day to view Universe of Light featuring DC at Gaylord Texan Hotel in Grapevine. The walkthrough attraction features multiple worlds and 40 iconic DC Super Heroes and Super-Villains in more than 1,000 glowing lanterns. From Batman’s Gotham City and Wonder Woman’s home of Themyscira to Superman’s Metropolis, each display captures the action and artistry of DC’s world-renowned storytelling.

NBA YoungBoy in concert
This weekend in Dallas begins with a well-traveled rapper, and it will end with one who's become popular more recently. NBA YoungBoy has become as well known for his music as he has his brushes with the law. His top-selling albums, including the new MASA, have had to compete with headlines about federal drug and gun charges, for which he was recently pardoned by President Donald Trump. He'll perform on Monday and Tuesday at American Airlines Center, joined by DeeBaby, EBK Jaaybo, and K3.

Jonas Brothers

Jonas Brothers will play at Dos Equis Pavilion on August 31.

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Movie Review

Her Private Hell descends into an art-house fever dream

Photo courtesy of Neon

Sophie Thatcher in Her Private Hell.

Danish filmmaker Nicolas Winding Refn is not someone who plays nice with the general film world. His 2011 film Drive introduced him to American audiences in a big way, but that pulsating thriller was followed up with artier films like Only God Forgives and The Neon Demon that eschewed coherent plots in favor of moody, atmospheric pieces.

Winding Refn, who hasn’t made a feature film in 10 years, has gone fully down the rabbit hole with Her Private Hell. Taking place in a liminal space that kind of resembles Earth but also feels like someone’s dreams/nightmares, the film focuses on Elle (Sophie Thatcher), an actor currently starring in a sci-fi film. Staying at a hotel with newcomer Hunter (Kristine Froseth), the two bond over their shared passion and the legend of Elle’s father, Johnny Thunders (Dougray Scott), who’s now married to Elle’s friend Dominique (Havana Rose Liu).

After spending a good amount of (mostly incomprehensible) time with that group, Refn introduces Private K (Charles Melton), who seems to be living in post-World War II Japan. He is looking for his daughter, who might have been taken by a mysterious figure known as “Leatherman,” and he will stop at nothing to find her, fighting whoever stands in his way.

It becomes clear almost right away that Winding Refn has no desire to engage in traditional storytelling in this film. The main characters wander through neon-drenched streets and buildings, which are often surrounded by a mist that is referred to on multiple occasions but never explained. Everyone speaks as if in a constant state of wonderment, and there are many moments where it’s unclear if events are actually happening, part of a movie-within-a-movie, or something else entirely.

Unlike his previous films, Winding Refn has taken the characters in this film completely out of the real world, with every scene taking place in a sparsely decorated room or street that is obviously a movie set. While there are moments where this decision really works, especially the striking first shot of a human-like figure mixed in with a cityscape and clouds, most of the time it only adds to the stilted nature of the film as a whole.

In fact, the entire movie has the feel of an avant-garde theater exercise. Every actor seems to be trying to outdo the others with awkward performances and out-sized reactions. Two very specific characters make appearances in both sides of the story for seemingly no reason other than to inject their weirdness into both spaces. The shocking violence that crops up on occasion would have more of an impact if it was related to anything intelligible.

Thatcher (Companion) and Liu (Tuner) are among the young stars who have had breakout moments in recent years, but neither of them is served well by this hot mess of a movie. They, along with Melton, still demonstrate the talent they possess, but the oddity of the film weighs them down. Scott makes an impression for all the wrong reasons, while Froseth is called upon to play a character who might as well not be there at all.

If there’s any kind of message that Winding Refn was trying to convey with Her Private Hell, it’s lost among the flashing lights, overload of pink, and jewel-like structures. Filmmakers who try to make art for art’s sake have a place in the world, but this film too often feels like people are making things up as they go, with no real goal in mind.

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Her Private Hell opens in theaters on July 24.

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