By Richard Skanse
Alas, there will be no Dallas Cowboys — or even Houston Texans, for that matter — on the field representing the Lone Star State at this year’s Houston-hosted Super Bowl. But Texas music of all kinds will be very much be on the scene (or at least in the immediate area), and at a far more reasonable price than the NFL showdown between Tom Brady’s Bean Towners and Matt Ryan’s Atlanta Dirty Birds. And by “more reasonable,” we mean flat-out-free. Which is a pretty good deal given the quality and stylistic range of talent we’re talking here, ranging from Americana favorites like Ryan Bingham, Robert Ellis and Hayes Carll to Fort Worth soul shouter Leon Bridges, millennial blues guitar hero Gary Clark Jr., pop and rock acts Blue October and Bright Light Social Hour, indie-favorites Sarah Jaffe and Shakey Graves, and 2016’s most critically acclaimed Knowles sister (that would be Solange, thank you very much). Oh, and some little ol’ Texas trio that goes by the handle ZZ Top.
All of the above — and a whole bunch of other noteworthy performers, some well-known, others of the up-and-coming variety — are scheduled to perform over the course of the week-long “Super Bowl LIVE presented by Verizon” festivities in downtown Houston, which will cover more than 750,000 square feet in and around the city’s Discovery Green park space. Beginning this Saturday, Jan. 28 and extending through Sun., Feb. 5 (aka “Game Day”), the free fan festival will feature not just daily concerts on two stages, but all manner of other family friendly activities, Houston-themed exhibits, and enough food trucks to feed an army of hungry linebackers. Highlights of the non-music variety will include an attraction called “Future Flight,” described as a “90-foot-tall virtual reality trip to Mars,” complete with Red Planet footage courtesy of the folks at NASA and a free-fall drop back to earth to help folks get the absolute most out of their street tacos.
As for the live entertainment, the daily selection is all over the genre map. But according to the Super Bowl LIVE website, every act on the bill hails from Texas, with an obvious emphasis on hometown favorites but a fair amount of talent from across the rest of the state, too. For full details, visit http://www.housuperbowl.com/super-bowl-live. But at glance, here’s the full talent schedule, divided into main stage acts and the smaller “Super Bowl LIVE Concerts at Discovery Green.”
MAIN STAGE
SAT., JAN. 28
12:30 p.m. — The Band PureClass
5:30 p.m. — Gio Chamba
6:30 p.m. — Wild Moccasins
7:45 p.m. — The Tontons
9:15 p.m. — Blue October
SUN., JAN. 29
12:30 p.m. — Picture Book
5:45 p.m. — Lyric Michelle
6:30 p.m. — Calvin Martyr
7:45 p.m. — Lecrae
MON., JAN. 30
5:30 p.m. — Walker Lukens
6:30 p.m. — Sarah Jaffe
7:45 p.m. — Nick Gaitan
TUE., FEB. 31
5:45 p.m. — Teo Chew Association: Unicorn Dragon and Lion Dance Team
6:30 p.m. — Sam Lao
7:45 p.m. — Bright Light Social Hour
WED., FEB. 1
4:00 p.m. — Feel Rich Fitness Concert
6:15 p.m. — Buxton
7:45 p.m. — Hayes Carll
9:15 p.m. — Ryan Bingham
THURS., FEB. 2
5:45 p.m. — Ingrid
6:45 p.m. — Lizzo
8:00 p.m. — Robert Glasper Experiment
9:30 p.m. — Solange
FRI., FEB 3
12:30 p.m. — The Suspects
4:00 p.m. —Feel Rich Fitness Concert
6:15 p.m. — Robert Ellis
7:45 p.m. — Shakey Graves
9:15 p.m. — Leon Bridges
SAT., FEB. 4
6:00 p.m. — The Suffers
7:30 p.m. — Gary Clark Jr.
9:00 p.m. — ZZ Top
SUNDAY, FEB. 5
11 a.m. — Feel Rich Fitness Concert
12:30 p.m. — Grupo Fantasma
2:00 p.m. — Los Skarnales
DISCOVERY GREEN STAGE
SAT., JAN. 28
12:00 p.m. — Sherita Perez
3:00 p.m. — Adam Bricks
4:15 p.m. — Young Girls
5:30 p.m. — Young Mammals
SUN., JAN. 29
12:00 p.m. — Muddy Belle
2:45 p.m. — Genesis Blu
3:30 p.m. — RYMNA
4:15 p.m. — Blaze X Black
5:00 p.m. — Guilla
5:45 p.m. — Doughbeezy
MON., JAN. 30
3: 00 p.m. — John Egan
4:15 p.m. — The Mighty Orq
5:30 p.m. — Folk Family Revival
TUE., FEB. 31
3:00 p.m. — Glass the Sky
4:15 p.m. — Another Run
5:30 p.m. — thelastplaceyoulook
WED., FEB. 1
3: 00 p.m. — Little Outfit
4:15 p.m. — Max Flinn
5:30 p.m. — Second Lovers
THURS., FEB. 2
3:00 p.m. — Julia Cole
4:15 p.m. — Children of Pop
5:30 p.m. — Bang Bangz
FRI., FEB 3
12:00 p.m. — Vodi
3:00 p.m. — Us.
4:15 p.m. — Catch Fever
5:30 p.m. — Wrestlers
SAT., FEB. 4
12:00 p.m. — Soul Dig
3:00 p.m. — Mind Shrine
4:15 p.m. — Say Girl Say
5:30 p.m. — Dollie Barnes
SUNDAY, FEB. 5
1:00 p.m. — Walter Suhr & Mango Punch
2:15 p.m. — The Allen Oldies Band
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