The 10 Best Concerts of the Week: Flaming Lips, Arcade Fire, Kiss and More

According to the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry, the total value of the recording industry reached more than $15 billion last year. (We sure love our music.) And about half of that dollar amount came from online streaming of some kind. While Spotify and YouTube certainly offer convenience and the opportunity to discover some great artists, nothing compares to seeing your favorite band in concert.

Take off the headphones and head out to any one of this week's great shows. Kiss throws a party at Pavilion at Toyota Music Factory on Wednesday night, Thursday is jam-packed with a co-headling tour with Ms. Lauryn Hill and Nas, Arcade Fire, Deerhoof and 2 Chainz. And rounding out the week are Father John Misty, Flaming Lips and more.

We only squeeze 10 concerts into these weekly posts, but venues are packed almost daily with other great touring and local acts. Be sure to check out our online calendar for more comprehensive daily listings.


RAC
With Gigamesh, 8 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 26, Trees, 2709 Elm St., 214-741-1122 or treesdallas.com, $26

RAC, formerly an acronym for Remix Artist Collective, is now the solo project of Andre Allen Anjos, a prolific creator of remixes and the sole remaining member of the multiperson performing group. With more than 200 remixes to its credit, RAC has been a leading light in the genre for years. A quick browse through its singles listings reveals remixes and collaborations with a who's who of A-list musicians such as Kings of Leon, Katy Perry, Chromeo and Lana Del Rey. You have likely heard some of its tunes on television, too; companies such as Delta, Apple and Facebook have included its work in high-profile advertising campaigns. Despite these lofty engagements, Anjos keeps a busy live schedule, setting up his vintage equipment in clubs and dance halls around the globe. He's also been a hit on the festival circuit, most recently popping up as a surprise replacement for A Tribe Called Quest last month at Outside Lands. Tuesday’s show at Trees should be a whirlwind of kinetic energy and pulsating dance beats. Jeff Strowe


Kiss
7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 27, Toyota Music Factory, 316 W. Las Colinas Blvd., 972-810-1499 or livenation.com, $40 and up

Kiss is one of the most instantly recognizable and iconic rock bands of all time. Members' black-and-white face paint, studded stage outfits and platform boots paired with their elaborate, over-the-top live shows have cemented their place in rock 'n’ roll history, as well as their induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2014. After the arena-rock act’s record Alive! hit the airwaves and record stores shelves in '75, Kiss quickly became a rock 'n’ roll superstar, and the band’s single, "Rock 'N' Roll All Nite," reached anthem-level success on the charts. The New York glam-metal band’s arena-filling shows became legendary for the band’s onstage antics and theatrics, including fire-breathing, shooting smoke or rockets from guitars, hydraulic platforms, giant video screens, confetti, smoke, lasers, fireworks and other explosive pyrotechnics. Tickets range from $40 for lawn seating to $325 for premium VIP seats for diehard fans, which include exclusive Kiss VIP merchandise and a commemorative tour laminate. Daniel Rodrigue


Arcade Fire
With Wolf Parade, 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 28, American Airlines Center, 2500 Victory Ave., ticketmaster.com, $20 and up

Arcade Fire is one of the most critically and commercially successful indie acts of all time — and the band’s touring behind Everything Now, the most divisive album of its storied catalog. After making a career of conjuring dynamic pop shapes from lush instrumentation and mingling various genres and approaches, the act’s latest release goes heavy on concept, leaving musical reinvention in the rearview. The result is music that keeps you at arm’s length; there’s a dry, almost academic detachment in its heady motives, which take aim at the soul-crushing future shock of living in a post-internet age drowned in information. Amid the album’s toothless new wave synths and electro posturing, it’s fair to ask: Is Arcade Fire finally slipping? Or could Everything Now be a promising omen of yet another gear shift, a stepping stone toward greater heights? We won’t know for sure until the next release hits shelves, but live performances are generally a good indicator of whether a band’s lost its spark. Here’s your chance to find out. Fellow Canadian indie rock group Wolf Parade opens the bill. Jonathan Patrick


Deerhoof
8 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 28, Club Dada, 2720 Elm St., 214-742-3400 or dadadallas.com, $15/$18

Deerhoof's sound is almost undefinable, but you definitely know it when you hear it. Hovering somewhere between improvisational noise punk and experimental pop, the band's characterized by its candied melodies and explosive live performances. Last month's release, Mountain Moves, carries some politically fueled themes through its liberal-hearted jabs, all veiled in a wide range of dreamy, avant-garde goodness. Diamond Victoria


Ms. Lauryn Hill and Nas
With Chronixx, 6 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 28, Pavilion at Toyota Music Factory, 300 W. Las Colinas Blvd., $31.50-$131.50

For their second tour together, Ms. Lauryn Hill and Nas join forces for a 17-date jaunt around the country. Neither has released new material lately. Hill's latest and only solo album dates to 1998 with The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill, and Nas' most recent work is 2012's Life is Good. But the tour celebrates the two unrivaled virtuosos of hip-hop and rap. Jamaican-born reggae singer Chronixx opens. DV


2 Chainz
7 p.m. Friday, Sept. 29, Gas Monkey Live, 10110 Technology Blvd., gasmonkeybarngrill.com, $42.50-$75

2 Chainz possesses the gift of gab in its highest form. The smooth-talking superstar rapper has made a career off witty wordplay, hilarious metaphors and catchy punchline raps that often make him the star of the track no matter the competition, whether it's Lil Wayne, Drake or Kanye West. He’s also a marketing genius. In support of his new album, Pretty Girls Like Trap Music, the Georgia native turned an Atlanta home into a pink pop-up installation that involved an art gallery, a church service and even HIV testing for the community. 2 Chainz’s success is all the more impressive when you realize he didn’t really see mainstream success until his early 30s. He’s one hell of a rapper, and he's getting attention for all the right reasons. Mikel Galicia


Father John Misty
With Weyes Blood, 8 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 30, Bomb Factory, 2713 Canton St., 214-932-6501 or thebombfactory.com, $36.50

Fame-phobic Josh Tillman, better known now as Father John Misty, is visiting the Bomb Factory off the back of his latest solo release, Pure Comedy. The former Fleet Foxes drummer leaned heavily on irony and faith in his latest release, with the title track, “Pure Comedy,” providing a list of counterfeit views we hold onto to explain the crazy world we live in. It’s deep fare from a folk singer-songwriter who’s always had a talent for using swooning lyrics and orchestral arrangements to get to the heart of a matter. Tillman comes from a religious family and upbringing, and he does his best to play up his altered father act as Father John Misty. Tracks like “When the God of Love Returns There'll Be Hell to Pay” and “Two Wildly Different Perspectives,” skewer social constructs in both religion and politics. This concert is geared to those who don't mind getting a little heavy, but Tillman's characteristic audience interaction between songs should lighten the mood and add to the fun of seeing this prolific artist live. Nicholas Bostick


Flaming Lips and Mac Demarco
7 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 30, Pavilion at Toyota Music Factory, 300 W. Las Colinas Blvd., Irving, 972-810-1499 or ticketmaster.com, $18-$113

This double bill may seem a bit odd upon first glance. Twenty-seven-year-old Demarco is still young and carefree, gleefully strumming his guitar, writing quirky tunes and occasionally flying off the rails during his live shows. The Lips, on the other hand, are seasoned pros who have spent decades touring and building a fan base hooked on their kaleidoscopic concept albums and whacked-out exhibitions of psychedelia. Look closer, though, and it becomes easier to see the connections. Demarco and Wayne Coyne follow the muse where it takes them. Their frequent over-the-top antics mask heartfelt and emotional tales of grief, alienation and existential doubt. While Demarco funnels these feelings through laconic, ’80s-tinged guitar, Coyne and his longtime collaborators focus on the lyrical content. At heart, Demarco and Coyne are both weird and unpredictable dudes, which makes for good theater. While it's unclear if they'll team up for a few tunes Saturday night, they have a collaborative EP coming out soon, which, given their varying sonic approaches, should make for an interesting listen. Jeff Strowe


King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard
8 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 1, Trees, 2709 Elm St., 214-741-1122 or treesdallas.com, sold out

Prolific Australian psychedelic rock band King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard is much more than just a mouthful to say, it's a band with a recording output that likely surpasses any other band that formed seven years ago. King Gizzard's discography comprises 11 full-length albums — three released this year. The band even has a nationwide music festival, Gizzfest, with lineups it curates. This is a talented group of musicians who are undeniably entertaining. DV


Matchbox Twenty
With Counting Crows, 6:45 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 1, Pavilion at Toyota Music Factory, 300 W. Las Colinas Blvd., $40-$125.50

Thanks in part to the 20th anniversary of its 1996 debut, hit-making album, Yourself or Someone Like You, Matchbox Twenty reunited after a few years apart to tour alongside fellow ’90s alternative darlings Counting Crows. Some may beg to differ, but it's almost impossible to turn off Matchbox Twenty earworms such as "3 A.M." or "Push," among several others, once they start. DV