The Rodeo, a True Music Legend and The Oscars Collide in Houston’s Best Weekend Picks: The Guru Has Spoken

Houston weekends are packed full of events, but how many of them are truly worthy of your time? PaperCity’s Weekend Guru Matthew Ramirez cuts through the clutter to give you the best options in this weekly series.

Welcome to the Rodeo

The Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo came roaring back to Houston, kicked off by Tuesday night’s electric Garth Brooks performance. This weekend, two performers from outside the typical Rodeo norm will headline: Friday is Black Heritage Day, and Forth Worth’s own Leon Bridges will take the dramatic new stage at NRG.

Bridges, a critical favorite but not particularly a household name, was an interesting choice for Houston’s biggest concert stage of the year – while his nostalgic, tasteful R&B is not really up my alley, I respect the Rodeo’s decision to vary things up this year.

Sunday Alessia Cara, fresh off a Grammy for Best New Artist,  hits the Rodeo just months after a show at the (relatively) small White Oak Music Hall stage.

Bridges is at the Rodeo Friday, March 2, with the Rodeo programming beginning at 6:45 pm and tickets starting at $18; Cara performs Sunday, March 4, with programming beginning at 3:45 pm and tickets starting at $18.

One Nation Under a Groove

It’s George Clinton and Parliament Funkadelic. Either you want to see a living legend perform live, even at an advanced age, or you want to sit it out. Maggot Brain is one of the best albums of all time, and Clinton is a legitimate musical genius whose influence is widespread. Friday, March 2, at the House of Blues with doors opening at 8 pm and tickets starting at $30.

Golden “Panda”

Normally, the bro-EDM of Steve Aoki isn’t something I’d recommend, but what is intriguing about Aoki’s show at Revention Music Center, Friday, March 2, is Brooklyn rapper Desiigner‘s opening set. Desiigner, whose 2016 hit “Panda” was inescapable that year (due to Kanye West prominently sampling the song on his Life of Pablo album), has laid low for two years, releasing a largely forgettable debut mixtape but appearing every few months with an engaging single or feature.

He’s strayed from the “he sounds like Future” criticism into his own hyperkinetic, freewheeling style that is totally unique right now in a moment when everyone wants to sound like Migos. It’s a perfect match for the raucous energy of an Aoki set, and perhaps a sign of new music to come. Tickets start at $33 with doors opening at 8 pm.

“Short” People

Sunday is Oscar night, of course, and this weekend represents your last chance to see all the Oscar-nominated short films in three categories: live-action short film, animated short film, and documentary short subject. The live-action short films range from clever (Australia’s screwball comedy The Eleven O’Clock), to the sobering (Dekalb Elementary, an unfortunately relevant short film about a school shooting). The animated shorts include Kobe Bryant‘s Dear Basketball.

Come see the representatives of the Academy Awards’ obscure (and cutting edge) categories and decide for yourself, before Sunday night’s big show. At the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston; showtimes vary; tickets start at $9.