ANA KHAN'S THINGS TO DO
Houston Polish Harvest Festival
The annual festival celebrates Polish culture, cuisine, beer, music, dance and history. The event features live music, traditional Polish folk dances, vendors and a children’s area.
When: 4-9 p.m. today, 10 a.m.-10 p.m. Saturday, 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Sunday Where: Our Lady of Czestochowa Roman Catholic Church, 1731 Blalock
Details: Free; houstonpolish festival.com
Houston Symphony: Ravel’s Daphnis and Chloe
Under music director Juraj Valcuha’s leadership, the symphony kicks off the season with a performance of French masterpieces, highlighting the talents of both the orchestra and the Houston Symphony Chorus. When: 7:30 p.m. today, 8 p.m. Saturday and 2:30 p.m. Sunday
Where: Jones Hall, 615 Louisiana
Details: Free; houstonsymphony.org
D.L. Hughley
D.L. Hughley, a comedian, actor and radio host, will perform at the Improv over the weekend. He’s recognized for hosting “D.L. Hughley Breaks the News” on CNN, starring in “Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip,” hosting BET’s “S.O.B. Socially Offensive Behavior” and headlining an HBO special. Hughley gained fame through the “The Original Kings of Comedy” tour and Comedy Central’s
“Weekends at the DL.” When: 7:30 and 9:45 p.m. today, 7 and 9:30 p.m. Saturday and 7:30 p.m. Sunday
Where: Houston Improv, 7620 Interstate 10 W., #455 Details: Tickets start at $200 for a table of four; improvtx.com
Catastrophic Theatre: ‘Waiting for Godot’
Catastophic Theatre presents Samuel Beckett’s “Waiting for Godot,” featuring the return of the acclaimed cast from their 2013 production.
When: Through Sunday Where: Midtown Art & Theater Center Houston, 3400 Main
Details: Tickets are pay-what-you-can, suggested price of $35; matchouston.org
Chopd & Stewd Festival
Taking place at Post Houston, “Chopd & Stewd” celebrates rich flavors, sounds and art of the West African diaspora, with culinary delights, music, education, wellness, dance, cultural exhibits and a retail market. The event is curated by chef Ope Amosu of ChopnBlok restaurant and creative director Zainob Amao, in partnership with the Houston Freedmen’s Town Conservancy. When: 9 a.m. Saturday Where: Post Houston, 401 Franklin
Details: $20 and up; chopdandstewdfest.com
Mid-Autumn Festival
Also known as the Moon Festival or Lantern Festival in many Asian countries, the Mid-Autumn Festival celebrates the autumn harvest and the full moon. Asia Society Texas’ Mid-Autumn Festival features Taiwanese artists and photography, food, storytelling and art activities such as lantern-making, paper cutting and faux mooncakes. Festivalgoers will also get complimentary access to the new permanent Explore Asia exhibition as well as the new exhibition “Tsherin Sherpa: Spirits.” When: 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturday
Where: Asia Society Texas, 1370 Southmore Blvd.
Details: Free timed entry, advance or walk-up registration is required; asiasociety.org
Hispanic Heritage Night: Houston Dynamo
The Dynamo will celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month during their match against FC Dallas at Shell Energy Stadium. The first 5,000 fans will receive luchador masks, and Dynamo mascot Diesel will join the celebration with piñatas in Diesel’s Corner.
When: 7:30 p.m. Saturday Where: Shell Energy Stadium, 2200 Texas Details: $25 and up; houstondynamofc.com
Here are the concerts Andrew Dansby is recommending this week.
Depeche Mode
Depeche Mode could’ve had a pretty big in 2023, even without new music. The venerable synth-pop band’s “Never Let Me Down Again” appeared in the hit TV show “The Last of Us” some three-plus decades after it was released. But Depeche Mode also put out a monster of an album with “Memento Mori,” its first new set of songs in six years. Dark even by Depeche Mode standards, the album found singer Dave Gahan and songwriter keyboardist-guitarist Martin Gore working as a duo after the death of Andy Fletcher, a fellow founding member. So in addition to a clutch of crowd favorites and hits, the band arrives in Houston with a dozen strong new songs to add to the mix.
When: 7:30 p.m. Wednesday Where: Toyota Center, 1510 Polk
Details: Tickets starting at $80; 713-758-7200, houstontoyotacenter.com
Isidore String Quartet
In just four years, the Isidore String Quartet formed and started acquiring hardware, including the 2022 Banff International String Quartet Competition. So their appearance — a Houston debut — at the season-opening concert by Da Camera is an opportunity to see a bright young ensemble on the rise. Because Da Camera’s programming is always thoughtful and thematic, there will be threads found in this show that recur throughout the season. The quartet is joined by Da Camera artistic director Sarah Rothenberg on piano. Together they’ll play a program titled “Awakenings,” with pieces that span nearly 240 years, from
Mozart’s Quartet in C Major, K. 465 “Dissonance” to a new work, “Time’s Dialogue,” by composer Nicky Sohn. Also in the set will be Quartet in E-flat Major, Op. 44, No. 3 by Felix Mendelssohn, who along with his sister Fanny Mendelssohn will have works performed throughout the season.
When: 8 p.m. today
Where: Wortham Theater Center, 501 Texas
Details: $37.50-$67.50; dacamera.com
Vince Bell
Next year marks 30 years since the release of one of the more unlikely debut albums by a Texas singer-songwriter. A Dallas native who grew up in Houston, Vince Bell was poised for a big break in the early 1980s, when he was making a recording with guest guitarists, including Stevie Ray Vaughan and Eric Johnson. A drunken driver put all plans on hold in December 1982, leaving Bell comatose with a traumatic brain injury. He slowly relearned everything about his trade and in 1994 put out “Phoenix,” his debut album, more than a decade after he’d intended. Bell is a meticulous writer, so new recordings have come slowly in the years since: “Texas Plates” in 1999 and “Recado” in 2007. His most recent is “Ojo,” an arresting fusion of Americana and jazz that sounds like nothing else in the singer-songwriter sphere. Whether or not Bell has penned anything new in the five years since its release, his songbook is always deep enough for a wonderful evening.
When: 7:30 p.m. today Where: Anderson Fair, 2007 Grant
Details: $25; 713-528-8576, andersonfair.net
Corinne Bailey Rae
Corinne Bailey Rae could have capitalized on the success of her breakthrough 2006 hit “Put Your Records On” by continuing to make a sunny sort of earthy, soulful pop. That’s not what happened. Bailey Rae endured some trials and tragedies, and her music turned inward in difficult but beautiful ways. “The Sea,” released in 2010, was informed by heavy contemplation after the death of her husband. And the new “Black Rainbows” is as the title suggests: a multifaceted and spiritual look at slavery and its aftermath that draws on hope and endurance.
When: 8 p.m. Sunday
Where: Stafford Centre, 10505 Cash, Stafford
Details: $50; 281-208-6900, staffordcentre.com
The Mavericks
Did the Mavericks change or did country music change? When the band emerged from Miami more than 30 years ago, it felt like something new in Nashville, a danceable and celebratory ensemble lauded and awarded by the Country Music Association. In the 21st century, the Mavericks are embraced by the Americana Association, which is more welcoming of square pegs these days than country radio. Powered by Raul Malo’s grand voice, the group took a little hiatus at the beginning of the 21st century before returning with regular touring and occasional new recordings. The latest is “En Español,” which is as billed, a collection of 12 songs, including some Malo originals and others by venerable writers like Cuban legend Nestor Pinelo Cruz. When: 7 p.m. Saturday Where: House of Blues, 1204 Caroline
Details: $40-$79.50; 888-402-5837, hob.com/houston