ANDREW DANSBY’S LIVE EVENTS
Here are five concerts recommended for the coming week.
Elvis Costello
Elvis Costello just announced a new musical theater production in London. And his most recent album, “The Boy Named If,” is nearing 2 years old, so the prolific singer-songwriter undoubtedly has some new tunes in the can. As for what his current tour brings, if it’s anything like last summer’s dates, he’ll have Texas guitar great Charlie Sexton in tow and maybe some brass. The set I saw in New York last July spanned more than 40 years, with songs pulled from just about every phase of his very varied career.
When: 7 p.m. Wednesday Where: House of Blues, 1204 Caroline
Details: $49.50-$99.50; 888-402-5837, hob.com/houston
Sunny Sweeney
Though Sunny Sweeney makes her living in Nashville as a songwriter, the Houston native remains on the road much of the time and has a particularly fervent following in Texas. Her most recent album is “Married Alone,” much of which finds Sweeney reflecting on a relationship that has come undone. Whether writing from experience or from observation, she pens songs with empathy and insight and sings with plenty of country soul.
When: 9:30 p.m. today
Where: McGonigel’s Mucky Duck, 2425 Norfolk
Details: $42; mcgonigels.com
Al Di Meola
Guitarist Al Di Meola gave us all a scare late last year when the guitar legend suffered a heart attack in the middle of a concert in Bucharest. “Music has always been a source of healing and strength for me,” he said in a statement after his hospitalization. Clearly music’s healing powers worked, because three months later, he’s back on the road for “An Evening With Al Di Meola: The Electric Years,” which sounds like a career-spanning show with an emphasis on his influential 1970s fusion work.
When: 8 p.m. Thursday Where: Heights Theater, 339 W. 19th
Details: $44; theheightstheater.com
Charlatans (U.K.)
Two venerable British bands that have outlasted almost all of their peers, the Charlatans (U.K.) and Ride emerged from Manchester and Oxford, respectively, in 1988. Both were influential Britpop acts, with Ride operating more out of shoegaze and Charlatans pulling from more psych-rock influences. The Charlatans planned a 30th-anniversary tour and anthology a while back, but the tour was scuttled for pandemic reasons.
When: 7 p.m. today
Where: House of Blues, 1204 Caroline
Details: $39.50-$59.50; 888-402-5837, hob.com/houston
Ron White
Being part of the Blue Collar Comedy Tour helped Ron White expand his brand, but the Deer Park native always worked in darker corners than the others on that tour. White’s humor ran toward the blue, hitting on touchy subjects like family and drinking. He also managed to have some fun at the expense of his hometown of Deer Park, which he once described as “like Pasadena without all the glitz.” When: 8 p.m. today
Where: Smart Financial Centre, 18111 Lexington, Sugar Land Details: $50-$141; 888-231-7859, smartfinancialcentre.net