Two very different kinds of sports headline this weekend across Fort Worth, with talented athletes hoping to claim a title. Other choices include two comedians, screenings of an Oscar-nominated movie, a quartet of concerts, and the openings of two new art exhibitions.
Below are the best ways to spend your precious free time this weekend. Want more options? Lucky for you, we have a much longer list of the city's best events.
Thursday, March 9
American Athletic Conference Basketball Championships
It's March Madness time and Dickies Arena is once again playing host to the championship tournaments for the American Athletic Conference. The women's tournament has been going on all week and will crown a champion on Thursday night, following day one of the men's tournament. The men's tournament will then have multiple games on Friday and Saturday before crowning a champion on Sunday.
The American Western Weekend
The American Western Weekend is a one-of kind celebration of the sports and spirit of the American West, featuring rodeo's greatest athletes in the ultimate high-stakes showdown. The event, taking place through Saturday at Globe Life Field in Arlington, will also feature post-event concerts by big-name artists, including Maren Morris, Sheryl Crow, Darius Rucker, and Cody Johnson.
Amphibian Stage Productions presents Baron Vaughn
Baron Vaughn is known for an act as energetic as it is intelligent, with finely-crafted ramblings that shoot off into pop culture references. He was a series regular on Netflix’s Grace & Frankie and was also the voice of "Tom Servo" in Mystery Science Theater 3000: The Return. He's also made a documentary called Fatherless for the Fusion network. He'll perform three times through Saturday at Amphibian Stage.
Friday, March 10
Magnolia at the Modern: Close
Leo and Remi are two 13-year-old best friends whose seemingly unbreakable bond is suddenly, tragically torn apart. Winner of the Grand Jury Prize at the Cannes Film Festival, Lukas Dhont's second film is an emotionally transformative and unforgettable portrait of the intersection of friendship and love, identity and independence, and heartbreak and healing. There will be seven screenings through Sunday at the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth.
Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra presents "Gil Shaham Plays Tchaikovsky: Mahler and Tchaikovsky"
The Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto remains one of the finest gems in the repertoire, and there is perhaps no better interpreter of this work than superstar violinist Gil Shaham. Audiences will thrill to the sweeping lyricism of the first two movements and the reckless abandon of the finale before the orchestra confronts Mahler’s epic Symphony No. 1. There will be three performances through Sunday at Bass Performance Hall.
Improv Arlington presents Donnell Rawlings
Donnell Rawlings got his big break on Chappelle’s Show, with both Dave Chappelle and Neal Brennan leaning on his comedic skills. He's gone on to become a force both on and off the stage as a comedian, actor, and podcaster, recently co-starring in the HBO series, Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty. He'll perform five times through Sunday at Improv Arlington.
Hayes Carll in concert
Texas musician Hayes Carll has been plugging away on the country music circuit for over 20 years. His debut album, Flowers & Liquor, came out in 2002, and he reached his heights with his 2011 album, KMAG YOYO, which reached No. 12 on the Billboard Country charts. He'll play at Billy Bob's Texas in support of his latest album, 2021's You Get It All.
Giovannie and the Hired Guns in concert
Giovannie and the Hired Guns is a rock band out of Stephenville, led by frontman Giovannie Yanez, and has been impressing fans and critics since 2017 with a hard-hitting sound and emotionally raw storytelling. They'll play at Billy Bob's Texas in support of their 2022 album, Tejano Punk Boyz.
Saturday, March 11
The Damn Quails in concert
In the early-to-mid 2010s, the Damn Quails were a rising Red Dirt country group. But a fight with their record label and other issues led them to go on an indefinite hiatus in 2016. Against the odds, the group - led by Gabe Marshall and Bryon White - made a comeback in 2022 with a new album, Clouding Up Your City. They'll play at Billy Bob's Texas
Sunday, March 12
Amon Carter Museum of American Art openings
The Amon Carter Museum of American Art will open two new exhibitions on Sunday."Emancipation: The Unfinished Project of Liberation" visualizes Black freedom, agency, and the legacy of the Civil War in 2023 and beyond, featuring newly commissioned and recent works by Sadie Barnette, Alfred Conteh, Maya Freelon, Hugh Hayden, Letitia Huckaby, Jeffrey Meris, and Sable Elyse Smith. Christina Fernandez: "Multiple Exposures"is the first extensive survey of work by the Los Angeles-based artist who has spent decades in a rich exploration of migration, labor, gender, her Mexican-American identity, and the unique capacities of the photographic medium itself. Both exhibitions will remain on display through July 9.
The American Western Weekend will take place at Globe Life Field in Arlington through March 11.
Leave the car at home and ride the TEXRail.
Courtesy photo