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Photo by Art Streiber

Country music icon Dolly Parton will grace the stage for the third time as host of the American Country Music Awards, and she's bringing along a newcomer: Garth Brooks. The two superstars will emcee the58th annual ACMstaking place, for the first time, at The Star in Frisco on Thursday, May 11. The show will stream on Prime Video.

“I am thrilled to return to host the ACM Awards, this time with my friend Garth,” Parton says in a release. “While I’ve had the pleasure of spending time with him throughout the years, I can’t believe we’ve never had the chance to work together. In addition to getting to see all this great new talent in country music, I am excited to have the chance to premiere the lead single from my upcoming rock album on the show!”

Adds Brooks, “Anyone with Dolly Parton makes a fantastic couple."

As Billboard reminds, Parton hosted the big awards show solo in 2000, and again last year with co-hosts Jimmie Allen and Gabby Barrett. It's Brooks' first time to take on co-hosting duties at any awards show. He's coming off a world tour that included a smash-hit show at AT&T Stadium in Arlington in August 2022.

“We are elated to have beloved icon Dolly Parton return to co-host the 58th Academy of Country Music Awards alongside the legendary Garth Brooks,” says Jennifer Salke, head of Amazon and MGM Studios. “As we bring back the Emmy-nominated Academy of Country Music Awards to our global audience, we are thrilled to continue to showcase the power of Amazon to create what will be an unforgettable night of live entertainment experiences with Dolly and Garth at the helm of ‘Country Music’s Party of the Year.’”

According to Billboard, fans shouldn't expect a Parton-Brooks musical collaboration on stage. However, Parton - a recent inductee into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame - will be debuting a single from her forthcoming rock album, Rockstar, on the show.

The 2023 edition of the Academy of Country Music Awards will mark a return to Texas for the first time since the landmark 50th ACM Awards, which took place at AT&T Stadium in Arlington in 2015.

A limited number of tickets remain (starting around $400) via SeatGeek, organizers say.

As with any worldwide, Super Bowl-level event, there'll be many happenings leading up to it, including a benefit concert headlined by Morgan Wallen. The country music bad boy (and current superstar and reigning ACM Album of the Year winner) takes top billing on "ACM Lifting Lives LIVE: Morgan Wallen & Friends," a fundraiser for Lifting Lives, the philanthropic partner of the Academy of Country Music.

The show will be held at 7:30 pm Wednesday, May 10 on the golfing green at Topgolf in The Colony. Tickets ($350) for the benefit concert are on sale now through AXS.

Additional events plus ACM award nominees, performers, and presenters for this year’s show will be announced in coming weeks.

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'Yellowstone' stars to greet fans at Fort Worth Stock Show & Rodeo

Yellowstone news

Yellowstone fans, get your comfy shoes ready - there'll be a long line for this one. Cole Hauser a.k.a. "Rip Wheeler" on Yellowstone, and Taylor Sheridan, the show's co-creator, executive producer, and director of the series, will meet fans and sign autographs at the Fort Worth Stock Show & Rodeo.

The event will take place from 4:30-6:30 pm only on Friday, February 3. Location is the 6666 Ranch booth near the south end of Aisle 700 in the Amon G. Carter, Jr. Exhibits Hall.

According to a February 2 announcement from FWSSR, "fans will have the opportunity to snag an autograph as well as purchase some distinctive Yellowstone and 6666 Ranch merchandise while also enjoying all the features the Stock Show offers."

The event is free to attend (with paid Stock Show admission) and open to the public.

It's the second year in a row for Hauser to appear at FWSSR; in 2022, he and fellow cast mates drew huge crowds.

Sheridan, a Paschal High School graduate, is no stranger to Fort Worth; he lives in a ranch near Weatherford and filmed 1883, the prequel to Yellowstone, in and around Fort Worth. Currently, another spinoff, 1883: The Bass Reeves Story, is filming in North Texas.

The Fort Worth Stock Show & Rodeo is winding up its 2023 run on Saturday, February 4.

Standing ovation for the 11 can't-miss arts events of summer 2023 in Dallas-Fort Worth

Summer arts planner

Arts calendars usually have more blank spaces throughout the summer. Musicians play festivals in far-flung places (or take much-needed vacations), museums focus on family-friendly camps and programs to entertain kiddos, and most performing arts organizations gear up for their season debuts in the fall. But this summer, one of the most highly anticipated art events of the year kicks off mid-July. Also, a local museum hops on the biggest concert tour of the year; the best teenage pianists on the planet compete note-for-note; and pop-up concerts and dance festivals remind us that great performances can be staged anywhere.

Here are the 11 can't-miss arts events of summer 2023 in Dallas-Fort Worth. (Find even more arts events, including touring musicals and gallery offerings, in the calendar on our site).

Visual Arts
Note: Several DFW museums currently are showing big exhibitions that will remain open into the summer. Find out more about a few of them here.

Meow Wolf: The Real Unreal
Opening July 14 at Grapevine Mills

The buzziest art event of the summer is Meow Wolf, an immersive experience that's been a sensation since it opened in Santa Fe. The first Texas edition (or "portal," as they call it), dubbed "The Real Unreal," promises to take guests on a journey through a Technicolor wonderland that blends more than 30 rooms' worth of storytelling, technology, and immersive art - much of it created by local artists. (Read more about what to expect in this story.) In addition to the exhibition, The Real Unreal will also include a cafe featuring 15 food purveyors, retail store, and venue for live events. Meow Wolf will be open at 10 am daily beginning July 14. (Hours may vary.) Tickets are now available for pre-purchase starting at $50 for general admission ($45 for children). Pre-booking a time slot for entry is required.

"Taylor Swift | The Eras Tour Collection"
June 3-September 24 at Arlington Museum of Art
Fresh off her sold-out three-night "Eras Tour" stand at AT&T Stadium this spring, the nearby Arlington Museum of Art dedicates an entire summer exhibition to Taylor Swift. In collaboration with the HELP Center for LGBT Health & Wellness, "Taylor Swift | The Eras Tour Collection" will feature items from Swift’s private collection. Visitors will be able to experience her journey as an artist and view outfits, photographs, and concert videos from the “eras” of her life and career. Highlights of the collection are eight iconic costumes from four of Swift’s albums. Tickets run $5-$20.

In conjunction with this exhibition, the museum also will present "Girl in a Country Song: Women of Country Music," featuring intimate portraits of such female country music legends as Loretta Lynn, Dolly Parton, Faith Hill, Tanya Tucker, LeAnn Rimes, and others. They'll also open "Hometown Harmonies," which includes personal memorabilia from three women whose musical careers began on the stages of Arlington: Mickey Guyton, Kirstin Maldonado, and Maren Morris.

Classical Music

Cliburn International Junior Piano Competition
June 8-17 at SMU's Caruth Auditorium and the Meyerson Symphony Center
The Cliburn will present the third Cliburn International Junior Piano Competition and Festival, featuring 24 of the best 13- to 17-year-old pianists on the planet. Through four rounds of competition, including a final round with the Dallas Symphony Orchestra, the elite young artists will showcase their virtuosity and musicality. Preliminary, Quarterfinal, and Semifinal Round performances (solo recitals) will take place at Caruth Auditorium. The Final Round concert moves to the Morton H. Meyerson Symphony Center, where three finalists will play a full concerto with the DSO, conducted by Valentina Peleggi. Admission is free-$25 for preliminary rounds; $38-$98 for final round. The entire event will be webcast here.

Outdoor symphonic concerts (ongoing)
Summer symphonic concerts lighten up a bit, with more pop-style fare in fun outdoor settings. The Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra's annual Concerts in the Garden series at Fort Worth Botanic Garden runs on weekends through June 11, and each performance ends with a new sparkly extra, a drone show. The Dallas Symphony Orchestra presents a series of Parks Concerts, which are family-friendly, free, and staged at parks across the city. Remaining performances are June 1 at Exall Park; June 6 at Campbell Green Park; June 8 at Kidd Springs Park; and June 13 at Paul Quinn College. The DSO's popular Concert Truck is also zipping around town, presenting free pop-up concerts in more than 30 locations through June 11.

Meow Wolf Grapevine lobby
Courtesy of Meow Wolf

Rendering of the Meow Wolf Grapevine lobby, coming July 14.

Mimir Chamber Music Festival
July 5-14
at TCU and Kimbell Art Museum
While the big chamber music presenters prep for their fall seasons, summer chamber music cravings are fulfilled by this renowned festival, now in its 26th year. Acclaimed professional musicians are joined by emerging artists for a series of concerts that span more than a week. Among the big names joining the roster this year are Japanese pianist Rieko Aizawa, two-time Grammy nominated violinist Jesse Mills, and the rare billing of both Canadian pianist Lucille Chung and her husband, DFW fan-favorite pianist Alessio Bax. More information is here, and tickets will go on sale in June.

Dance

Titas/Unbound presents Ballet BC
June 9 at Winspear Opera House
Bold, innovative and uniquely great, Ballet British Columbia is an internationally acclaimed Canadian contemporary dance company. It is rare to find a company where just everything works; vision, dancers, repertory, say press materials. The program includes Crystal Pite’s The Statement, as well as Garden by Medhi Walerski and Bedroom Folk by Sharon Eyal & Gai Behar. Tickets are $12-$135.

Ballet Concerto: Summer Dance Concert
June 22-25 at The Shops at Clearfork
Now, remarkably, in its 41st year, the annual summer showcase isn't slowing down. Three ballets are planned for each night of performances. Spanish dance king Luis Montero will return to restage his Andalusian Suite, which was world premiered at Ballet Concerto’s 1997 Summer Dance Concert. The programs will also Irish Suite with choreography by Dennis Spaight (restaged by Associate Artistic Director Webster Dean) and Dream On with choreography by Elise Lavallee. Performances begin at 8:30 pm and are free to attend on the lawn, or $75 and up for reserved table seating. Make a night of it by pre-ordering food from nearby Rise or B&B Butchers and pick it up at the event tent on the lawn. More information here.

Modern Dance Festival at The Modern
July 22-23, 29-30 at The Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth
Presented by Contemporary Dance/Fort Worth in collaboration with the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth, the 17th edition of the festival will celebrate the exhibition Robert Motherwell: Pure Painting and CD/FW’s “Thirty-Something” anniversary. A series of live performances of dance and music will be inspired by the exhibition and dedicated to the memory of Jerry Bywaters Cochran, who founded the modern dance program at TCU and was a pioneer for modern dance in North Texas. Performances take place at 2 pm in the Grand Lobby and are free to watch.

Theater

Next to Normal
June 1-July 2 at Theatre Three
The Goodman family is just a “normal” family: Dad's an architect, mom packs lunches and makes birthday cakes, and their daughter and son are bright, wise-cracking teens. Under the surface, their family is anything but. Next to Normal is an emotionally charged Tony-Award winning musical that explores a family’s raw and emotional journey with a mother struggling with chronic bipolar disorder as they navigate a world of therapists and medication. Tickets are $37-$40.

Miss Saigon with Lou Diamond Phillips
June 3-11 at Casa Manana
A tragedy of passion and beauty, Miss Saigon is one of the most stunning theatrical spectacles of all time. The musical takes audiences on emotional journey. In the turmoil of the Vietnam War, Chris, an American soldier, and Kim, a Vietnamese girl, fall in love and marry but are distressingly separated when Saigon falls. As years pass, Chris remarries and attempts to move on with his life. Kim, however, gives birth to Chris’ son and waits faithfully for Chris’ return. When circumstances bring Chris back to Vietnam, he learns the truth. (This show is suitable for mature audiences.) Legendary actor Lou Diamond Phillips returns to Texas to star as The Engineer. Tickets start at $59.

Uptown Players presents Chicken & Biscuits
July 28-Aug 13 at Kalita Humphreys Theater
Written by Douglas Lyons, Chicken & Biscuits follows rivaling sisters, Baneatta and Beverly, as they try to bury their father without killing each other. This proves difficult, when Beverly shows up to the chapel with all her “blessings” on display. Baneatta’s husband tries to mediate the family drama while preparing Bernard’s eulogy. Baneatta’s son intentionally brings his neurotic white Jewish boyfriend along, knowing Baneatta disapproves. All while Beverly’s nosy daughter keeps asking questions no one wants to answer. But when a family secret reveals itself at the altar, the two sisters are faced with a truth that could either heal, or break them. The show recently had a run on Broadway and now closes Uptown Players' season. Tickets are $35-$60.

These are the 14 best things to do in Fort Worth this weekend

Weekend Event Planner

This weekend in and around Fort Worth can almost be broken down into three categories. Theater leads the way, with three new local productions and a festival. Music comes next, with outdoor concerts, classical music, rock, country, and more. Last but not least are art openings, including two music-related ones and one dedicated to a mid-century master.

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, June 1

Amphibian Stage presents SparkFest
Amphibian Stages' SparkFest features a variety of events, workshops, performances, staged readings, and parties over a two-week period. The first weekend kicks off on Thursday with Light Up the Runway, a fashion event, and will be followed by a book lecture, dance performance, storytelling event, and staged reading. Events will take place near daily through June 14 at Amphibian Stage and other locations.

Circle Theatre presents Tiny Beautiful Things
A celebration of the simple beauty of being human, Tiny Beautiful Things is a funny, deeply touching, and uplifting play that is an exploration of resilience, based on Cheryl Strayed’s journey as the beloved anonymous advice columnist for “Dear Sugar.” Over the years, thousands of people turned to “Sugar” for words of wisdom, compassion, and hope. Reluctant to claim that she has all the answers, Sugar looks to her own past and draws on her life experiences to bring light, laughter, and humanity to others. The production runs through June 17 at Circle Theatre.

Historic Downtown Isis Theatre presents Greater Tuna
Greater Tuna is a show about the fictional town of Tuna, the "third smallest" town in the state of Texas, where the Lion’s Club is too liberal, and Patsy Cline never dies. Written by Jaston Williams, Joe Sears, and Ed Howard, the play is an affectionate comment on small-town, Southern life, and attitudes, but also a withering satire of same. There will be six performances through June 10 at Downtown Cowtown at the Isis.

Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra presents Concerts In The Garden
The second weekend of Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra's Concerts in the Garden series will feature four concerts at Fort Worth Botanic Garden. Thursday's concert will be Preservation Hall Jazz Band, performing their brand New Orleans music, followed by Radio Highway Performs the Music of the Eagles on Friday. Saturday is Chicago Nights, featuring Jason Scheff, the long-time lead vocalist for Chicago. The weekend comes to a close with Classical Mystery Tour on Sunday, which features more than two dozen Beatles tunes transcribed note-for-note and performed exactly as they were originally recorded. All concerts will be followed by a drone show.

Friday, June 2

Magnolia at the Modern: The Lost King
In this inspiring true story, amateur historian Philippa Langley believes she has made the archeological find of the century: the lost burial site of King Richard III. She takes on Britain's most eminent historians, forcing them to rethink the legacy of one of the most controversial rulers in English history. The film will screen six times through Sunday at the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth.

Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra presents An Evening of Kodály, Mozart, and Brahms
Principal Guest Conductor Kevin John Edusei will conduct this special one-night-only concert, the orchestra’s final performance in Bass Performance Hall for the 2022-2023 season, featuring bassoonist Joshua Elmore. Selections will include Kodály's Peacock Variations, Mozart's Bassoon Concerto, and Brahms' Symphony No. 4.

Improv Arlington presents D.L. Hughley
Known for being politically savvy in true comedian-style, D.L. Hughley dives head first into hot-button controversial topics with insightfully sharp observations and his signature rapid-fire jokes. He is known for his sitcom, The Hughleys, as host of his own late night talk show on CNN, D.L. Hughley Breaks the News, and as one of the Original Kings of Comedy. He'll perform seven times through Sunday at Improv Arlington.

Rhett Miller in concert
Singer Rhett Miller has a lot of love around Dallas-Fort Worth, both from being the lead singer of Old 97's and from his solo work. Since 2002, he's essentially alternated between the two, releasing eight solo albums - most recently 2022's The Misfit - while still putting out a variety of albums with the Old 97's. He'll play solo at Tannahill's Tavern & Music Hall.

Kody West in concert
Country singer Kody West is one of the latest in a long line of musicians to come out of the Dallas-Fort Worth area. Hailing originally from Denton, he gained a loyal following with his 2017 debut album, Green, which led to him serving as the supporting act for artists like Charlie Robison, Whiskey Myers, and Koe Wetzel. He'll play at Billy Bob's Texas in support of his 2022 album, Circles.

Saturday, June 3

Arlington Museum of Art openings
Even though it's an art museum, music will be the centerpiece of two new exhibitions at the Arlington Museum of Art. Piggybacking on the recent visit by superstar Taylor Swift, they'll host Taylor Swift: "The Eras Tour Collection," curated by the museum from Swift’s own private collection and featuring original costumes, photographs, and concert videos drawn from her creative periods, or "eras." Also opening is "Girl in a Country Song: Women of Country Music," featuring intimate portraits of female country music legends like Loretta Lynn, Dolly Parton, Faith Hill, Tanya Tucker, LeAnn Rimes, and others. Both exhibitions will be on display through September 24.

Casa Mañana presents Miss Saigon
In the turmoil of the Vietnam War, Chris, an American soldier, and Kim, a Vietnamese girl, fall in love and marry but are distressingly separated when Saigon falls. As years pass, Chris, remarries and attempts to move on with his life. Kim, however, gives birth to Chris’ son and waits faithfully for Chris’ return. When circumstances bring Chris back to Vietnam, he learns the truth. Miss Saigon is an epic, daring musical that is universal in its emotional power. With legendary actor Lou Diamond Phillips starring as The Engineer, the production runs through June 11 at Casa Mañana Theatre.

Creed Fisher in concert
Country singer Creed Fisher fancies himself a bit of an antihero, with his latest album - 2022's Rebel of the South - featuring a dose of unapologetic poking at the hornet’s nest that he calls "the mainstream country music hypocrisy." The country rock record is Fisher's fifth of his career, one where he's finally saying all the things he wanted to say earlier in his career. He'll play at Tannahill's Tavern & Music Hall.

Shenandoah in concert
Fueled by Marty Raybon’s distinctive vocals and the band’s skilled musicianship, Shenandoah became well known for delivering such hits as “Two Dozen Roses,” “Church on Cumberland Road,” and “Next to You, Next to Me,” as well as such achingly beautiful classics as “I Want to be Loved Like That” and the Grammy-winning “Somewhere in the Vicinity of the Heart” duet with Alison Krauss. They'll play at Billy Bob's Texas.

Sunday, June 4

Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth presents Robert Motherwell: "Pure Painting" opening day
Robert Motherwell: "Pure Painting" will be the first presentation in more than a quarter century to fully examine the mastery of Motherwell, a major figure who shaped postwar art. Organized by guest curator Susan Davidson, the exhibition will feature a selection of visually compelling works chosen from throughout the artist’s lengthy and influential career, highlighting the subsequent key series that defined his oeuvre, offering new insights into his evolution as an artist. The exhibition will be on display through September 17.

Lou Diamond Phillips in  Miss Saigon
Photo courtesy of Casa Mañana

Casa Mañana presents Miss Saigon, featuring Lou Diamond Phillips, June 3-11.