Labor Day weekend is often a chance for people to get away one last time for the summer before work and school take over, but those who stay home will be rewarded with a lot of great events in and around Fort Worth. That includes a whopping eight concerts, three local theater productions, and the end of three completely different types of exhibitions.<\/p>\n
Photo courtesy of The Weeknd<\/p>\n
Below are the best ways to spend your free time this weekend. If you want more options, check out the calendar for an even longer list<\/a> of the city’s best events.<\/p>\n Thursday, August 28<\/strong><\/p>\n Mid-Cities Arts Collective presents Give My Regards to Broadway<\/a><\/strong> The Weeknd in concert<\/a><\/strong> Shinedown in concert<\/a><\/strong> Stage West Theatre presents Fat Ham<\/a><\/strong> Friday, August 29<\/strong><\/p>\n Theatre Denton presents Native Gardens<\/a><\/strong> Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra presents Windborne\u2019s The Music of Queen<\/a><\/strong> Jason Boland and the Stragglers in concert Saturday, August 30<\/strong><\/p>\n Sam Riggs in concert<\/a><\/strong> John Waite in concert<\/a><\/strong> Sunday, August 31<\/strong><\/p>\n Billy Bob’s Texas presents Choatefest<\/a><\/strong> Monday, September 1<\/strong><\/p>\n Gaylord Texan Hotel presents Universe of Light featuring DC closing day<\/a><\/strong> Fort Worth Museum of Science and History presents \u201cBecoming Jane: The Evolution of Dr. Jane Goodall\u201d closing day<\/a><\/strong>
Give My Regards to Broadway combines the greatest show tunes of George M. Cohan with a sparkling story, making for a charming, toe-tapping musical. The Cohan songs are among his most memorable, including \u201cGive My Regards to Broadway,\u201d \u201cYou’re A Grand Old Flag,\u201d \u201cWhen Johnny Comes Marching Home Again,\u201d and more. The youth production from Mid-Cities Arts Collective runs through September 13 at Platinum Music Complex in North Richland Hills.<\/p>\n
Enigmatic singer The Weeknd has a style that’s all his own, putting a spin on R&B and pop music that sounds like almost nothing else out there. That uniqueness has translated into a degree of popularity that few other artists enjoy, with each of his six albums – including his most recent, Hurry Up Tomorrow – landing at either No. 1 or No. 2 on the Billboard 200. He also headlined the halftime show at Super Bowl LV in 2021. He’ll play the second of two shows at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, joined by Playboi Carti and Mike Dean.<\/p>\n
Rock band Shinedown has been recording music for over 20 years, putting together a steady-if-unspectacular career that’s featured five top 10 albums on the Billboard 200 chart, most recently Planet Zero in 2022. At this concert at Dickies Arena, they’ll be joined by an even longer-tenured rock band, Bush, as well as up-and-coming country star Morgan Wade.<\/p>\n
Juicy\u2019s got a lot on his plate – his mom just married his uncle. All he wants is to make his own way as a queer Black man in a Southern family. But here\u2019s the rub – his father\u2019s ghost just turned up at a backyard barbecue demanding vengeance. In this reinvention of Shakespeare\u2019s masterpiece, a young man vows to break the cycles of violence in service of his own liberation and joy. The production runs through September 15 at Stage West.<\/p>\n
Native Gardens is a clever comedy where neighbors clash over their gardens and culture differences, leading to a border dispute and a war of class, privilege, and entitlement. The production runs through September 7 at Theatre Denton.<\/p>\n
Queen unapologetically rocked their way from the UK in the 1970s. With their unique sound, they helped shape what it means to be a rock band. Vocalist MiG Ayesa will bring the legendary energy of Freddie Mercury to the stage with the music of Queen\u2019s chart-topping hits and enduring albums, backed by the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra. There will be performances on Friday and Saturday at Bass Performance Hall.<\/p>\n
<\/a><\/strong>Members of the Red Dirt\/Texas Country genre, Jason Boland & The Stragglers are actually a product of Oklahoma, having gotten their start when Boland and drummer Brad Rice met at Oklahoma State University. But they’ve proved their Texas bona fides since then, with one of their albums named Live and Lit at Billy Bob’s Texas. They’ll play at Billy Bob’s Texas in support of their new album, The Last Kings of Babylon.<\/p>\n
Country singer Sam Riggs is the definition of persistent. After moving to Austin from his native Florida in 2007, it took him six years to release his first album in 2013, which saw one of its songs featured on the TV show Nashville and earned Riggs the Artist of the Year award from the Texas Music Awards. Ten years later, however, Riggs has only released one more album – 2016’s Breathless – yet he’s still out there trying to live his music dream. He’ll play at Tannahill’s Tavern & Music Hall.<\/p>\n
British rock singer John Waite comes to Fort Worth to perform the catalogue of hits from his 40-year career as a solo artist, and with The Baby\u2019s and Bad English. Waite\u2019s hits include some of the most beloved songs of the \u201880s and \u201990s, including the No. 1 \u201cMissing You,\u201d The Baby\u2019s \u201cIsn’t It Time,\u201d and Bad English\u2019s \u201cWhen I See You Smile.\u201d He’ll play at Billy Bob’s Texas.<\/p>\n
Choatefest is a benefit concert for Fort Worth music producer Nick Choate, who has worked with a number of local musicians, including Cody Jinks and Josh Weathers. Performers will include Jinks, Weathers, Ward Davis, Joey Green, Adrian Garza, and Michael Lee. All proceeds for the concert at Billy Bob’s Texas go to the Nick Choate Foundation to help with the family expenses as Choate goes through his fight with colon cancer.<\/p>\n
Monday will be the final day to view Universe of Light featuring DC at Gaylord Texan Hotel in Grapevine. The walkthrough attraction features multiple worlds and 40 iconic DC Super Heroes and Super-Villains in more than 1,000 glowing lanterns. From Batman\u2019s Gotham City and Wonder Woman\u2019s home of Themyscira to Superman\u2019s Metropolis, each display captures the action and artistry of DC\u2019s world-renowned storytelling.<\/p>\n
Monday will also be the final day to view “Becoming Jane: The Evolution of Dr. Jane Goodall” at the Fort Worth Museum of Science and History. Through immersive multimedia experiences, visitors can explore Goodall’s adventurous childhood in England to her groundbreaking research in Tanzania. They can step into a holographic representation of Tanzania’s Gombe Stream National Park, the site of her renowned chimpanzee studies. The exhibition also features a life-size hologram, a replica of her research tent, and highlights her current roles in community-centered conservation and youth empowerment.<\/p>\n