OUR TOP PICKS
Lauryn Hill performs in concert at Stubb’s Bar-B-Q on May 2, 2016. Suzanne Cordeiro for American-Statesman
Saturday: Lauryn Hill, Nas at Austin360 Amphitheater. Here’s a solid bet for fans of lyrically fierce ’90s hip-hop. Over the past decade Hill’s performances have been notoriously inconsistent and frequently tardy. The last time we caught her, in the final moments of the final Fun Fun Fun Fest in 2015, she was brilliant, transcendent. Her set had a hard curfew of 10 p.m. and she actually started a couple minutes early. The last time she played Austin, when her “Diaspora Calling” tour hit ACL Live last fall, she was reportedly good, but late to hit the stage. Fans who caught recent performances from Hill in Atlanta and in Pittsburgh fared worse. Nas, who headlined Fun Fun Fun Fest in 2014, is, and has always been, “half-man, half amazing.” Chronixx opens. $31.50-$131.50. 7 p.m. 9201 Circuit of the Americas Blvd. austin360amphitheater.com. — D.S.S.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RjkM3uDK6Fs&w=492&h=307]
Saturday: Paul Kelly, Jess Cornelius at 3Ten. Arguably Australia’s most respected and accomplished singer-songwriter since the 1980s, Kelly released a new record over the summer titled “Life Is Fine” that, against all odds, became his first-ever album to top the Australian charts. He’s generally flown a bit more under-the-radar in the States, but those who find their way to his music tend to end up followers for life. $20-$25. 8:30 p.m. 310 Willie Nelson Blvd. 3tenaustin.com. — P.B.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J9LgHNf2Qy0&w=492&h=307]
Saturday-Sunday: War on Drugs at Stubb’s outdoor (first night sold out). It’s a tough call as to whether Adam Granduciel’s band War on Drugs has done better than alumnus Kurt Vile (who has a sold-out show in November at ACL Live with Courtney Barnett). Both have continued to make fascinating rock music, with War on Drugs pushing toward the epic emotionalism of the Waterboys and Springsteen on their fourth album, “A Deeper Understanding.” Land of Talk opens. $36-$38. 7 p.m. doors. 801 Red River St. stubbsaustin.com. — P.B.
READ MORE: Review of the War on Drugs’ 2015 “Austin City Limits” taping
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G5RrWCRsSYA&w=492&h=307]
Sunday: Wilco at Bass Concert Hall. Exactly what kind of mojo landed Wilco, the Flaming Lips and the War on Drugs in town on the same night a week before ACL Fest is a mystery, but for die-hard indie-rockers, it’s a sensory overload. Jeff Tweedy’s band, once notorious for frequent lineup changes, has found stability over the past decade thanks to a crew that backs up his ever-changing musical interests with sympathetic yet dynamic instrumentalism. Bob Schneider opens. $42.50-$79.50. 7:30 p.m. 2350 Robert Dedman Drive. texasperformingarts.org. — P.B.
ALSO PLAYING
Friday
Matchbox Twenty, Matt Nathanson at HEB Center
Dwight Yoakam at Nutty Brown Amphitheater
Black Pistol Fire, Possessed By Paul James, Migrant Kids at Emo’s
Big Thief, My Golden Calf at Mohawk outdoor
Monk Parker album release, Adam Torres, Thor & Friends at Mohawk indoor
Pinegrove, Florist, Lomelda at Barracuda (sold out)
Lonnie Smith Trio, Ike Stubblefield Trio at Antone’s
Darden Smith at 3Ten
Branches, Lunice at Vulcan Gas Company
Dada, Brian Whelan at Sidewinder
Griffin House at Cactus Cafe
Whitey Johnson, Blues Specialists at Continental Club
Joe King Carrasco at Threadgill’s South
Bubble Puppy at El Mercado Backstage
Otis the Destroyer EP release, Slomo Drags, Honeyrude, Dr. Joe at Hotel Vegas
Royal Knaves EP release at Come and Take It Live
Sour Bridges, Watters, Denny Freeman at Saxon Pub
Harvest Thieves, Paul Nipper at ABGB
Carson McHone, Devin Jake at White Horse
Leo Rondeau, Altamesa at Sam’s Town Point
Kelley Mickwee at Geraldine’s
Wendy Colonna, Leeann Atherton at One-2-One Bar
Adrian Ruiz Quintet, TripTrio with Lissa Hattersley at Elephant Room
Cowboys & Indians at Lake Hills Community Park
Friday-Saturday
Kaleo, ZZ Ward, Wilder at ACL Live (night one sold out)
Friday and Monday
Father John Misty, Weyes Blood at Bass Concert Hall (night one sold out)
RELATED: Review of Father John Misty’s “Austin City Limits” taping in August
Saturday
Pvris, Lights, Party Nails at Emo’s
A.J. Croce at Stateside at the Paramount
Cribs, Paws at Antone’s
Trippy Turtle at Empire
King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard, Sailor Poon at Mohawk outdoor
Josh T. Pearson, Jonathan Terrell at Cactus Cafe
Beat Root Revival, W.C. Clark at Saxon Pub
Max Frost at Belmont
The Dig at Barracuda
Whitney Rose, Aaron McDonnell at White Horse
Jason Roberts at Broken Spoke
Latin at Heart, Alex Ruiz at Threadgill’s South
Broken Things, Lance Keltner at El Mercado Backstage
Pleasant Grove, American Werewolf Academy at ABGB
Lost Counts, Michael Fracasso at Continental Gallery
Cornell Hurd Band at Driskill Bar
Sunday
Flaming Lips, Mac DeMarco at ACL Live (sold out)
SZA, Smino, Ravyn Lenae at Emo’s (sold out)
BoDeans acoustic at Texas Union Theater
Early November, Movielife, Heart Attack Man at Mohawk outdoor
Soul of a Musician series with Jaimee Harris, Bonnie Whitmore at Iron Cactus North
Hilary York, Aimee Bobruk, Mike Stinson at C-Boy’s
Kevin Lovejoy Trio at Lamberts
Lavelle White, Ulrich Ellison at Antone’s
