Houston Concert Watch 11/5: Maroon 5, Mammoth and More

Former Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay loved guitars.  And he had plenty of money to buy them.  Over a period of several decades, he amassed a collection that includes truly historic instruments (as opposed to what you see at Hard Rock Café locations in secondary markets) played by the Beatles, Jimi Hendrix, Jerry Garcia, Eddie Van Halen and Prince.

After Irsay’s passing a few months ago, his family decided that it was time to sell his curated collection, and an auction organized by Christie’s has been set for March of next year.  Some have bemoaned the fact that this extraordinary collection will be broken up, but Irsay was all about sharing these instruments, periodically allowing prominent musicians to play selected guitars on stage.  For several years, a traveling exhibition gave guitar aficionados across the country an opportunity to drool over the instruments played by their heroes.

Irsay was also a responsible custodian of historical artifacts that he had acquired over the years, including the roll of paper that Jack Kerouac used to write the beat classic On the Road.  Kerouac, who composed much of the book under the influence of amphetamines and alcohol, used the scroll format so that he didn’t have to be bothered with continually inserting individual sheets of paper.  When asked for his opinion of Kerouac’s work, Truman Capote famously said, “That’s not writing, that’s just typing.”

Ticket Alert

If you’re looking for a Christmas concert with a Texas vibe, consider “Home for the Holidays” at the Heights Theater on Friday, December 19.  The lineup is a strong one, featuring Carolyn Wonderland, Shelley King, Rosie Flores and Kevin Russell performing seasonal favorites.  Tickets are on sale now.

Jesse Dayton and the Road Kings have scheduled another year-end visit to the Continental Club on Friday, December 26, and Saturday, December 27.  This marks the third “Holiday Throwdown” for the band, which provided Houston with some serious rockabilly fun during the ‘90s.  Tickets are on sale now and will probably go quickly.

Sting and his “3.0” tour will arrive at the Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion on Wednesday, May 13.  So what’s with the 3.0, you may ask? Apparently, it’s a reference to the fact that the vocalist / bassist will be performing in a trio format this time around.  The PR blurb says that this will be a “rock and roll tour,” which might suggest to an astute observer that the set list will include a number of songs that Sting’s former band used to play.  Presales are up now, with the general sale on Friday.

Increasingly, big names have been, if not tentative, certainly measured in booking tour dates.  Both Paul McCartney and Rush have employed the strategy of scheduling smallish tours and subsequently adding shows when the market indicates a strong demand for tickets.  And so it is with AC/DC, who toured North America this past spring, playing 13 stadium dates, and will return next year for a slightly longer 17 show jaunt.  Tickets go on sale Friday for the band’s show on Monday, August 31, at NRG Stadium.

Concerts This Week

In the case of Wolfgang Van Halen, the apple didn’t fall far from the tree.  Sure, touring with his father while he was a teenager taught him the ropes, but since then, Van Halen the younger has made a name for himself as a guitarist, vocalist and leader of the band Mammoth.  Check him out tonight at the House of Blues.

If, however, you are looking for something that rocks, but maybe not quite so hard, there’s Maroon 5 at Toyota Center this evening.  The “Moves Like Jagger” guys are on tour in support of their recent album Love is Like.

A couple of the best singer-songwriters around are both playing on Friday, so a choice will have to be made.  Rodney “The Houston Kid” Crowell, one of the most successful musicians to come out of the Bayou City, is at the Heights Theater for a show that will (probably) feature songs from his latest album, Airline Highway.  Over at the 713 Music Hall, it’s Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit.  So where did the 400 Unit get its name?  Glad you asked.  The 400 Unit was a term that the locals in Florence, Ala., used to refer to the psychiatric ward of the Eliza Coffee Memorial Hospital.  Well, you know what they say about musicians.

And even though we are now past Halloween and most folks have turned their attention to Thanksgiving, there are those who wonder why All Hallows’ Eve is not a weeklong celebration.  If that’s you, consider The Evil Dead in Concert at the Bayou Music Center on Monday, when Joe LoDuca’s score for Sam Raimi’s 1981 horror classic will be performed live on stage.  As SCTV’s Count Floyd used to say, “Scary, kids, scary!”

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