Weekend Event Planner

These are the 14 best things to do in Dallas this Labor Day weekend

Sometimes Labor Day weekend across Dallas is slow on the event side, with people getting in one last summer vacation, but not this year. The long weekend includes five big concerts, an appearance by a famous wrestler, a concert featuring an Oscar-winning film, three new local theater productions, a swim party, two comedy events, and the closing of a long-running exhibition.

Below are the best ways to spend your precious free time this Labor Day weekend. Want more options? Lucky for you, we have a much longer list of the city's best events.

Thursday, August 31

Nitty Gritty Dirt Band in concert
Country rock band Nitty Gritty Dirt Band has existed in a variety of forms since releasing their debut album in 1967. The two constants have been singers/instrumentalists Jeff Hanna and Jimmie Fadden, who have guided the group through 56 years of touring and albums, including 2022's Dirt Does Dylan, their first album in 13 years. They'll play at Longhorn Ballroom.

Yngwie Malmsteen & Glenn Hughes in concert
Swedish guitarist Yngwie Malmsteen and English musician Glenn Hughes have joined forces for a co-headlining tour, stopping at Majestic Theatre on Thursday. Malmsteen will perform the "greatest hits" of the band of the same name he's led since 1984, while Hughes, who spent time as the lead singer of Deep Purple, will play a set of classic Deep Purple songs celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Burn album.

Friday, September 1

Danzig in concert
Heavy metal band Danzig, led by lead singer Glenn Danzig, has been a unique presence on the rock scene for 35 years. Since the band is named after him, he's been the only connecting tissue over the years as the band has cycled through 19 other members. He'll celebrate the 35th anniversary of the band's debut album, Danzig I, by playing the album in its entirety at The Pavilion at Toyota Music Factory in Irving.

Majestic Theatre presents An Evening with Kevin Von Erich
Iconic wrestler Kevin Von Erich is having a moment. Von Erich, now 65, will be the subject of a new movie, Iron Claw, starring Zac Efron and set for release in late 2023. And he's going on his first public tour, titled Stories From the Top Rope, that will feature Von Erich sharing insight into his career, personal triumphs, and tragedies. He'll appear at Majestic Theatre.

Dallas Symphony Orchestra presents Amadeus Live in Concert
The Dallas Symphony Orchestra will present the multi-Academy Award-winning 1984 motion picture Amadeus on the big screen while Mozart’s most celebrated works are performed live in-sync by the Dallas Symphony Orchestra and Chorus under the direction of Lawrence Loh. The concert will have three performances through Sunday at the Meyerson Symphony Center.

Lionel Richie in concert with Earth, Wind & Fire
Over the past 50 years, there are few more iconic singers than Lionel Richie. After coming to fame as lead singer of the Commodores, he went on to a massive solo career that made him the household name to this day. He'll be joined by special guest Earth, Wind & Fire, known for hits like "September" and "Let's Groove," as part of Sing A Song All Night Long tour, which will be at American Airlines Center.

The Classics Theatre Project presents The Seagull
The Classics Theatre Project will present a modern twist on the classic story of The Seagull. The play takes place on a secluded estate and follows a group of contemporary artists as they navigate unrequited love, artistic competition, and personal obsessions. Through the characters' humorous and heartfelt pursuit of love and recognition, as well as their struggle against narcissism and obsession, the play addresses the challenges of the digital age. The production runs through September 24 at Addison Conference and Theatre Centre.

Richardson Theatre Centre presents Misery
Misery follows successful romance novelist Paul Sheldon, who is rescued from a car crash by his “number one fan,” Annie Wilkes, and wakes up captive in her secluded home. While Paul is convalescing, Annie reads his latest book and becomes enraged when she discovers the author has killed off her favorite character, Misery Chastain. Annie forces Paul to write a new Misery novel, and he quickly realizes Annie has no intention of letting him go anywhere. The production runs through September 17 at Richardson Theatre Centre.

Saturday, September 2

Epic Waters Indoor Waterpark presents Epic Waves Pool Party
Summer swimming season will come to an end with Epic Waters Indoor Waterpark's Epic Waves Pool Party. Visitors can enjoy the final days of Epic Waters' wave pool for the year, as well as live entertainment, activities, dance parties, and a live DJ. The event takes place through Monday.

Art Centre Theatre presents Medea
Foreign princess and sorceress Medea has murdered her own father to help Jason win the Golden Fleece and the kingdom of Thessaly. Medea is told that Jason will be marrying the Corinthian princess. The King of Corinth, anticipating her wrath, sends her into exile. She plans revenge against Jason and negotiates safe haven with the naïve King of Athens. There will be four performances through September 10 at Art Centre Theatre in Plano.

Karol G in concert
The biggest concert of the weekend will feature Colombian reggaeton singer Karol G, who has dominated the Billboard Latin charts since her 2017 debut album, aptly titled Unstoppable. Each of her four albums has been bigger than the last, culminating with her new album, Mañana Será Bonito, coming in at No. 1 on both the Latin and overall Billboard 200 charts. She'll perform at the Cotton Bowl, joined by Agudelo888.

Bill Maher in concert
For 30 years, Bill Maher has set the boundaries of where funny, political talk can go on American television. First on Politically Incorrect from 1993-2002, and for the last 20 years on HBO’s Real Time, Maher’s combination of unflinching honesty and big laughs have garnered him a plethora of Emmy nominations. He'll bring his outrageous style to Texas Trust CU Theatre in Grand Prairie.

Sunday, September 3

The Bald Brothers Tour featuring Tony Baker & KevOnStage
Comedians Tony Baker and KevOnStage, also known as The Bald Brothers, will perform at Majestic Theatre as part of their 2023 co-headlining tour. Baker has appeared on NBC's Last Comic Standing, Gabriel Iglesias Presents Stand-Up Revolution, Comics Unleashed, and more comedy TV specials, while KevOnStage has appeared on the HBO Max series, A Black Lady Sketch Show, and was also the host of Will Smith’s Dad’s Just Don’t Understand.

Monday, September 4

Perot Museum of Nature and Science presents "The Science Behind Pixar" closing day
After almost 10 months, "The Science Behind Pixar" will come to a close at the Perot Museum of Nature and Science. Visitors can learn about the science and technology needed to create their favorite animated films and characters through hands-on activities, firsthand accounts from members of the studios’ production teams, and life-size recreations of Pixar characters.

Photo courtesy of Live Nation

Lionel Richie will play at American Airlines Center on September 1.

music concerts theater symphony celebrities kids families comedy event-planner

Movie Review

Reminders of Him blends trauma and romance in slight but effective story

Photo by Michelle Faye / Universal Pictures

Maika Monroe and Tyriq Withers in Reminders of HIm.

Texas author Colleen Hoover has gone from being a popular writer to a full-on celebrity in the 2020s, with the new film Reminders of Him marking the third adaptation of her books in just 19 months (a fourth, Verity, is scheduled for release in October 2026). All of her books that have been adapted so far - most notably It Ends With Us - are female-led stories that feature elements of romance and trauma, catnip for studios looking to appeal to the underserved demographic of women.

Leading the way in this film is Kenna Rowan (Maika Monroe), who returns to her hometown of Laramie, Wyoming after spending years in prison for killing her boyfriend, Scotty (Rudy Pankow), in a car accident. That relationship resulted in a daughter, Diem (Zoe Kosovic), whom Kenna gave birth to while imprisoned and is now being raised by her grandparents, Patrick (Bradley Whitford) and Grace (Lauren Graham).

Yearning to be a part of Diem’s life, Kenna tries to reconnect with Patrick and Grace, only to be rebuffed by Scotty’s best friend, Ledger (Tyriq Withers), a former NFL player who now owns a local bar. In running interference, Ledger starts to become closer to Kenna, discovering that her tragic mistake shouldn’t be the only thing that defines her.

Directed by Vanessa Caswill and written by Lauren Levine, the film features mostly surface level examinations of its themes and average performances, yet it winds up being effective thanks to a willingness not to rush through its storytelling beats. The filmmakers take the slow and steady approach toward the coupling of Kenna and Ledger, setting up their bond through a series of heart-to-heart conversations that makes any romance feel earned.

The majority of the focus is on Kenna reclaiming her place in the world, and on Ledger coming to terms with the fact that the person who killed his best friend is not inherently a bad person. The film definitely could have gone deeper in its explorations of grief and anger, but the sheer amount of time it takes in addressing the characters’ doubts and fears turns out to be sufficient for a film that’s not aiming to be considered a dramatic masterpiece.

It also helps that Caswill and Levine do a solid job of establishing the variety of characters that inhabit the film. Kenna and Ledger don’t always feel like fully-formed people, but they become so through their interactions with each other and the other townspeople. Lady Diana (Monika Myers), a girl with Down syndrome who lives in Kenna’s apartment complex, and Roman (Nicholas Duvernay), Ledger’s co-worker at his bar, help to broaden the appeal of the two leads.

Monroe has, to this point, been best known for starring roles in horror films like It Follows and Longlegs. While she does somewhat well in this role, her delivery is often more flat than you’d expect for a character going through what she does. Withers thankfully doesn’t remind viewers of his recent bomb Him, demonstrating a crossover appeal that should serve him well in the future. Whitford and Graham don’t get to do much, but their combined experience gives their roles exactly what is needed.

It may sound like damning with faint praise, but Reminders of Him is a competently made film that knows how to serve its core audience without insulting anyone who may not automatically be all-in for such a story. The filmmakers don’t try to force any of the key moments down the audience’s throat, and that stands out in a genre that’s not always known for its subtlety.

---

Reminders of Him opens in theaters on March 13.

movies film