Houston Concert Watch 11/12: Blue October, Jeff Tweedy and More

Lots of people (OK, many of them music writers) like to complain about the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.  And with good reason.  Many deserving acts have yet to be inducted into the hallowed hall, and others who are there already have no business being honored due to marginal levels of  talent or the fact that their musical accomplishments have been in a non-rock genre.

Nonetheless, the haters still pay plenty of attention to the Rock Hall, and this scrutiny generally includes watching the annual induction ceremony.  Granted, their impulse to tune in may align with that of those who watch NASCAR races hoping for a really big crash.  Who doesn’t want to see inductees trash their fellow musicians (Mike Love of the Beach Boys), diss the Rock Hall itself (Steve Miller) or tell stories that many would find borderline inappropriate (Rick Wakeman of Yes)?

The 2025 induction ceremony, which was held this past Saturday in Los Angeles, wasn’t exactly one for the books, but during his acceptance speech, the White Stripes’ Jack White listed a couple of dozen artists who he said profoundly influenced him and were not yet in the hall.  In a rallying cry aimed at young musicians who may one day be members of the hall themselves, White said, “Get your hands dirty, and drop the screens, and get out in your garage or your little room, and get obsessed.” He added: “We all want to share in what you might create.”

David Letterman provided an emotional highlight to the evening, paying tribute to his friend Warren Zevon, who was posthumously inducted.  Letterman told the crowd that he was holding a guitar that Zevon had given him during his last appearance on “The Late Show” in 2002, one year prior to his death.  “This is the guitar,” Letterman said, “And by God, tonight it’s going back to work.”  After that, he passed the instrument to Killers guitarist Dave Keuning, who cranked it up for a performance of Zevon’s “Lawyers, Guns and Money.”

But it was Cyndi Lauper who provided the evening’s benediction, reminding attendees why they were there and why Rock Hall haters still care so much: “The little kid in me still believes that rock ’n’ roll can save the world.”

Ticket Alert

It’s been over 40 years since the Aussie band Men at Work captivated MTV viewers with a string of hits that included “Who Can It Be Now?” and “A Land Down Under,” but the band (or at least a version thereof) still tours with some regularity.  Lead singer Colin Hay has also increased his visibility with a stretch playing in Ringo’s All Starr Band, which may account for an upcoming solo tour.  “An Evening with Colin Hay” is scheduled for Sunday, April 19, at the Heights Theater, and tickets are on sale now.

What hath the Grateful Dead wrought?  By incorporating wild-ass experimentation and a jazz sensibility into its mix of rock and roll, country, folk and blues, the Dead birthed an ethos that lives on in the current generation of jam bands.  As it happens, a few of these collections of intrepid musical explorers will be headed to Houston soon.  On Tuesday, May 12, moe. (yes, the band’s name is written in all lower-case with a period at the end, which makes Microsoft Word cranky as hell) will perform at the Heights Theater as part of its “Born to Fly” tour, with tickets on sale now.

And speaking of jam bands, Goose will be in town on Thursday, April 23, at the Bayou Music Center, and tickets are on sale now.  When I saw Dead and Company at the Sphere this spring, three different people told me that, if I love the Dead, I need to check out Goose.  That says something. 

Rod Stewart has extended his farewell tour (shocker, I know) into 2026, with a gig scheduled for Sunday, April 19, at the Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion, with ’80s dude Howard Jones (“No One is to Blame”) opening.  A gaggle of presales is in progress, with the general sale set for Friday.

Concerts This Week

And speaking of jam bands (see above), psychedelic funksters Pigeons Playing Ping Pong will perform tonight at the Heights Theater.  This is a hardworking band that plays over 200 gigs a year, and they are hereby awarded bonus points for a quadruple alliteration.

Though his primary gig is fronting Wilco, Jeff Tweedy has, over the past several years, found time to collaborate with Mavis Staples and record five solo albums, including this year’s Twilight Override.  Oh, and a couple of years ago, he produced Rodney Crowell’s album The Chicago Sessions.  Tweedy will perform at the Heights Theater on Friday with a full band which includes his sons Sammy and Spencer. 

Scarface wasn’t an original member of the Geto Boys, but his arrival completed the act’s classic lineup (along with Willie D and Bushwick Bill), the one that produced classics like “Mind Playing Tricks on Me” and “Damn It Feels Good to Be a Gangster.”  Catch him on Friday at the Bayou Music Center.

It’s a homecoming stretching over two nights for Blue October, performing Friday and Saturday at the 713 Music Hall.  It’s been a while since the Houston band was all over the charts with songs like “Hate Me” and “Into the Ocean,” but Blue October has consistently achieved success with a steady string of albums dating back to 1998.  A bit of eavesdropping at the shows will probably yield stories about going to see the band when they were still playing at Papadeaux’s before signing their first record deal.

Joe Bonamassa is known for several things.  He is, of course, a monster guitar player.  Additionally, he is perhaps the foremost collector of vintage guitars, amps and stomp boxes.  Not to mention the fact that he is a relentless marketer on whose website guitar-related do-dads can be purchased, everything from a back scratcher designed in the shape of a Gibson SG to guitar-adorned golf club head covers to beach towels bearing Joe B’s likeness.  Bonamassa is at the Hobby Center (kind of an unusual venue for a blues-rock gig, but whatever) on Saturday, probably with really big merch tables.

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