These are the 12 best things to do in Fort Worth this weekend

Weekend Event Planner

Photo courtesy of Stray Kids

Music in its many forms is the theme of the weekend in and around Fort Worth. There will be two events featuring classical music, a local production of a famous musical, three country music concerts, and a K-Pop concert. Also on tap will be staged readings of new plays, a visit from a famous comedian, screenings of an Oscar-nominated film, a chance to peruse local art galleries, and a local theater production aimed at kids.

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 23

The Cliburn presents Benjamin Grosvenor
Benjamin Grosvenor has been heralded as one of the most important pianists to emerge from the United Kingdom in several decades. He’s racked up an impressive display of awards in Europe, from Gramophone, Classic Brit Critics’, UK Critic’s Circle, BBC Young Musician Competition, and Diapason d’Or Jeune. He'll play at Kimbell Art Museum.

Arts Fort Worth presents Original Work Series
As part of their Original Work Series, Arts Fort Worth will present staged readings of two new works. Upright Theatre Company will perform Tennessee Wet Rub by Kim E. Ruyle, about an older couple taking shelter in a storm in 1951 who are suddenly met with a young interracial couple whose presence tests their values and compassion. Proper Hijinx will perform Next of Kin by Gabby Wilson, about a girl named Riley Peters who struggles with relationships with her mother and possible new boyfriend.

Amphibian Stage Productions presents Phoebe Robinson
Phoebe Robinson is a multi-talented standup comedian, New York Times best-selling writer, and actress best known as the co-creator and co-star of the hit podcast-turned-TV show, 2 Dope Queens. She also has a second podcast, Sooo Many White Guys, in which she interviews today’s biggest stars and groundbreakers. She'll perform three times through Saturday at Amphibian Stage Productions.

Friday, March 24

Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra presents Jake Fridkis in Concert: Schumann, Reinecke, and Liszt
Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra principal flute Jake Fridkis steps to the front of the stage to perform Reinecke’s Flute Concerto, a work of nimble grace and charm that showcases the flute’s lyrical and technical capabilities. The evening opens with Schumann’s stately Symphony No. 4 and closes with Liszt’s innovative Les Préludes, the first symphonic poem on record. There will be three performances through Sunday at Bass Performance Hall.

Magnolia at the Modern: The Quiet Girl
For the second time in three weeks, Magnolia at the Modern will present a film that was nominated for Best International Film at the 2023 Oscars. The Quiet Girl is set in rural Ireland where nine-year-old Cait is sent away from her overcrowded, dysfunctional family to live with foster parents for the summer. Quietly struggling at school and at home, she has learned to hide in plain sight from those around her. She blossoms in their care, but in this house where there are meant to be no secrets, she discovers one painful truth. There will be seven screenings through Sunday at the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth.

Artisan Center Theater presents West Side Story
Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet is transported to modern-day New York City as two young, idealistic lovers find themselves caught between warring street gangs, the "American" Jets and the Puerto Rican Sharks. Their struggle to survive in a world of hate, violence and prejudice is one of the most innovative, heart-wrenching and relevant musical dramas of our time. The production runs through May 6 at Artisan Center Theater in Hurst.

Triston Marez in concert
A name like Triston Marez conjures up idea of a Latin music superstar, but in reality Marez is an up-and-coming country singer out of Houston who just released his first EP, That Was All Me. In this concert at Tannahill's Tavern & Music Hall, Marez will show how he was influenced by singers like Chris LeDoux, Aaron Watson, and Cody Johnson through songs like the title track, “Where Rivers Are Red, Cowboys Are Blue,” and “Dizzy.”

Chris Young in concert
True to his name, country singer Chris Young started at a relatively young age, releasing his debut album at the age of 21. He had five straight No. 1 singles from 2009-2011, and his songs have rarely been outside of the top 10 since. He's released eight albums in his career, most recently 2021's Famous Friends, which features collaborations with Kane Brown, Lauren Alaina, and Mitchell Tenpenny. He'll play on both Friday and Saturday at Billy Bob's Texas.

Saturday, March 25

Fort Worth Art Dealers Association presents Spring Gallery Night
Twice a year, the Fort Worth Art Dealers Association invites the community to take in the visual arts and the community’s unique cultural richness during Gallery Night. Most participants are open from 12-9 pm. Visitors can take a stroll through participating galleries, museums, retail businesses, and area restaurants, and enjoy the many artists featured during this community event. For a full list of participating venues, click on this link.

Casa Mañana presents Junie B. Jones is Not a Crook
Something terrible happened to Junie B Jones at school today - someone stole her new furry mittens! When Junie B. finds a wonderful pen of many colors, she should be allowed to keep it, right? Because finders keepers, losers weepers. And guess what? There’s a new boy in kindergarten and he is the handsomest. The only thing is both Grace and Lucille want him to be their boyfriend. Maybe he will love Junie B. when he sees her wonderful pen. It is okay to keep it, right? Junie B. Jones is not a crook … or is she? The production runs through April 9 at Casa Mañana.

Luke Combs in concert
There was no wait-and-see period with country star Luke Combs; he was big out of the gate, going to No. 1 with his 2017 debut album, This One's for You. He maintained that popularity with his next two albums, so there's no reason to think that his just-released fourth album, Gettin' Old, won't have the same success. He'll be joined at this huge concert at AT&T Stadium in Arlington by special guests Riley Green, Lainey Wilson, Flatland Cavalry, and Brent Cobb.

Sunday, March 26

Stray Kids in concert
The success of K-Pop group BTS has seemed to open up the floodgates for other K-Pop groups trying their hand at stardom. The latest group to come to Fort Worth is Stray Kids, an eight-member boy group formed in 2017 when they appeared on the reality show from which they took their name. Their output is prolific, with three EPs released in 2022 and a new album, The Sound, released this past January. They'll perform on both Sunday and Monday at Dickies Arena.

Photo courtesy of Stray Kids

Stray Kids will perform at Dickies Arena on March 26 and 27.

Waco: American Apocalypse

Netflix series Waco: American Apocalypse debuts with newly unearthed footage

Documentary News

Netflix has a new series on the tragedy that took place in Waco three decades ago: Called Waco: American Apocalypse, it's a three-part series documenting the standoff between cult leader David Koresh and the federal government that ended in a fiery inferno, televised live, with 76 people dead.

The series debuts on March 22, to coincide with the 30-year anniversary of the event which took place from February 28 to April 19, 1993. There's a trailer here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=scZ2x7R_XXc.

It's an oft-told tale and not the only new release to try and exploit the 30-year anniversary: Jeff Guinn, former books editor at the Fort Worth Star Telegram, just came out with a book in January, also described as definitive, called Waco: David Korsh, the Branch Davidians, and a Legacy of Rage.

Waco: American Apocalypse is directed by another "local": Dallas native Tiller Russell (Night Stalker: The Hunt for a Serial Killer), who obtained never-before-seen videotapes of FBI negotiations, as well as raw news footage and interviews with insiders.

Those insiders include one of David Koresh’s spiritual wives; the last child released from the compound alive; a sniper from the FBI Hostage Rescue Team; the FBI Crisis Negotiation Unit Chief; journalists; and members of the ATF tactical team who watched colleagues die in the shootout against the heavily armed members of the religious sect.

The FBI videotaped inside the hostage negation room, thinking they'd be there maybe 24 hours, not 51 days.

"These are video cassettes that were sitting in somebody’s closet for 30 years, that show the mechanics of hostage negotiations in an intimate setting - not the hostage negotiation scenarios you see in films, but a team of people grinding, day in and day out, for 51 days," Russell says.

He also procured footage from Waco TV station KWTX, who had a reporter embedded in the initial gunfight.

While the standoff was broadcast live on TV at the time, much of it was out of camera range. The film uses 3D graphics to recreate the details of the compound.

Russell acknowledges that the tale of the cult leader who was also a pedophile, the debate over the right to bear arms, the constitutional limits of religious freedom, dredge up painful conversations that continue today.

"It cast a long shadow, pre-saging the Timothy McVeigh bombing in Oklahoma, the shooting at Colombine, and a growing distrust of government, but I think it's important to reckon with our past so we don't repeat mistakes," he says.

"So much of what’s roiling in culture today can be traced to Waco, a story about God and guns in America with all these children at the center whose lives were determined by the adults around them," he says. "There was no playbook for what happened, everyone was out on a limb, and people made mistakes. But almost everybody was trying to do their very best."

"I think this is a story that's often recalled in politicized terms, with finger-pointing on who screwed up and how did we get here, but there's a profound humanity to it all," he says.

Photo courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures

Shazam! Fury of the Gods fizzles with lack of charm and odd villains

Movie review

Unless you’re a superfan, it’s next to impossible to figure out what’s going on in the DC Comics at the movies. There’s the biggest part, the DC Extended Universe, that has included Batman v. Superman, Wonder Woman, and Justice League. But the two recent films with DC characters that were best reviewed were 2019’s Joker and 2022’s The Batman, neither of which are considered part of the DCEU.

One that does belong is 2019’s Shazam!, which is finally getting a sequel, Shazam! Fury of the Gods. Billy Batson (Asher Angel), Freddy Freeman (Jack Dylan Grazer), and the rest of their foster family who were turned into superheroes in the first film spend a lot of their time saving the day in and around Philadelphia. Billy – played in superhero form by Zachary Levi – is the most gung-ho about their adventures, with most of the others finding distractions in everyday life.

Without getting too deep in the finer details, a trio of ancient gods – Hespera (Helen Mirren), Kalypso (Lucy Liu), and Anthea (Rachel Zegler) – reclaim a staff that was broken in the first film, regaining powers that had long been lost. Now they’re hellbent on world domination … or revenge on Billy for breaking the staff … or, oh, who knows, just watch things blow up and hope the Shazam heroes can save the day.

Directed once again by David Sandberg and written by Henry Gayden, Chris Morgan, and Bill Parker, the film has sequel-itis in the worst way. Everything has to be bigger, which totally negates the charm that the first film had. That includes a (totally unbelievable) bridge collapse early in the film, big CGI battles, and the destruction of more buildings than you can count.

The unavoidable fact that the kids have aged has much to do with the change in tone, as the innocent wonder with which they approached their new powers is gone. The shifting back-and-forth between the kid and adult versions of the characters worked well in the first film, but they struggle to justify it here, winding up with a mish-mash that’s unsatisfying on both sides.

The villains also leave a lot to be desired. Some of it has to do with the bizarre teaming of Mirren, Liu, and Zegler, who just don’t work either as a group or individually. This lack of chemistry makes them inert as bad guys, too. Their wildly different personalities don’t mesh, so even though they do a lot of dastardly things, it’s difficult to feel any enmity toward them.

Levi remains the best thing about the film, portraying a level of giddiness that any kid who can transform at will into a superhero would probably have. The foster family works well when everyone is in kid form, but when they’re all superheroes, the actors don’t seem to belong together at all. Sadly, the foster parents played by Marta Milans and Cooper Andrews don’t get much to do this time around.

Shazam! was a rare bright spot for the DCEU, but Fury of the Gods misses the mark in almost all aspects. It’s serviceable entertainment for anyone who doesn’t expect much from these types of films, but it will be a disappointment for anyone who thought Shazam and company could continue to bring something bright and different to comic book movies.

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Shazam! Fury of the Gods is now playing in theaters.

Photo courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures

Adam Brody, Grace Caroline Currey, Zachary Levi, and Meagan Good in Shazam! Fury of the Gods.

Photo courtesy of TX Whiskey

TX Whiskey presents Limited-Edition Baseball Bottle Release & Movie Night

To celebrate MLB Opening Day, TX Whiskey is launching a limited-edition Baseball Bottle of the TX Blended Whiskey. Former Texas Rangers pitcher Derek Holland will be on-site for a meet & greet, and complimentary bottle engraving by Airstyle Art will be available with bottle purchase. There will also be a screening A League of Their Own to commemorate Women’s History Month. Food trucks will be selling on-site.

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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.

Morgan Wallen's ACMs concert tops this week's 5 hottest Fort Worth headlines

This week's hot headlines

Editor's note: A lot happened this week, so here's your chance to get caught up. Read on for the week's most popular headlines. Looking for the best things to do this weekend? Find that list here.

1. Country music bad boy Morgan Wallen headlines ACM Awards benefit show in Dallas-Fort Worth. Dallas-Fort Worth will be the center of the country music universe on May 11, when the 58th Academy of Country Music Awards are broadcast from The Star in Frisco. As with any worldwide, Super Bowl-level event, there'll be many happenings leading up to it. First up: a benefit concert headlined by Morgan Wallen.

2. Fort Worth's buzzy new Koe Wetzel's Riot Room pops open beer-can chicken. Koe has arrived: Koe Wetzel's Riot Room, a new Fort Worth bar and restaurant in which famed country singer-songwriter Koe Wetzel is partnered, has softly opened in the 7th Street district at 1100 Foch St., with live music and a food menu of Southern and Texas classics.

3. Meet the 9 rising star chefs heating up Fort Worth's food scene. While we count down to the big Tastemaker Awards party, we are getting to know the nominees in an editorial series leading up to the event. Up next, the category of Rising Star Chef of the Year. While most of these talented chefs are not new to the industry, many are newer to the local culinary scene or have new ventures. Here are the nominees.

4. Big week for music fans with news of a dozen concerts coming to Dallas-Fort Worth. For summer concert lovers in Dallas-Fort Worth, last week brought a bounty of good news with a big round of tours coming through Texas in 2023. Details have been revealed for tours featuring Drake, TLC, Christopher Cross, Steve Miller Band with Cheap Trick, Willie Nelson, and many more.

5. Where to eat: Best Fort Worth restaurants for Easter 2023 dining. Brunch has become a big trend, but it has always been a thing on Easter Sunday, when it's a tradition to hit up a brunch as a reward for attending Mass. It's such a thing that some restaurants in Fort Worth that are usually closed on Sundays open for special hours on this one holy day. Here's than where to get brunch (and dinner) on Easter Sunday in Fort Worth.

Heart health advocates raise over $800,000 at red-letter Fort Worth luncheon

Go Red for Women

What: Tarrant County Go Red for Women Luncheon benefiting American Heart Association

Where: Worthington Renaissance Hotel

The 411: The American Heart Association's annual Go Red for Women Luncheon is always one of the most anticipated fundraising luncheons of spring in Fort Worth. Nearly 1,200 patrons - decked out in red, of course - filled the Worthington's ballroom on March 3 to join the fight against cardiovascular disease.

Co-chairs leading the charge were Jennifer Chavez (Chief Nursing Officer at Texas Health Harris Methodist Hospital Fort Worth) and Becky Tucker (Senior Vice President of Channel Integration at Texas Health).

"Her Story is Our Story" was the theme of the 2023 luncheon, which raises awareness of heart disease in women - and guests heard the message repeatedly that it could happen to any woman they know or love.

While patrons dined on a heart-healthy lunch, emcee Morgan Young of WFAA facilitated a number of performances and presentations, including a spoken word performance by local artist Alicia Azahar and a choral rendition of "Stand By Me" by the Word of Truth choir from Texas Christian University.

Featured survivor Sheena Fannin shared her scary but inspirational experience with heart disease, and a memorable keynote address was given was Bean Gill, an entrepreneur and an inclusion and diversity expert. Joni Nash led an "Open Your Heart" moment that allowed patrons to raise their paddles and contribute directly to the cause. Entire tables were challenged to give, for a chance to receive a champagne toast and gift cards to Woodhouse Spa.

There was fun outside the ballroom, too. Fabulous silent auction items filled long tables in the foyer. During a pre-luncheon champagne reception, musicians from the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra serenaded guests, who were greeted by tiara-wearing Texas pageant title-holders, such as Miss Corpus Christi Sharity Brent and Miss Southeast Texas Meaghan Co.

Guests had the chance to take part in free health screenings, lip-print readings, hands-only CPR demonstrations, and more activations.

In total, the luncheon raised more than $800,000 toward the American Heart Association's lifesaving research, education, and health impact initiatives for women.

Who: More than 1,200 participants, survivors, organizers, patrons, and supporters including Brooke Berryman, Lindsey Lyons, Lisa Cobb, Kristin Jaworski, Nicole Maucere, Mary Robinson, Anita Rigues, Hannah Kopriva, Tracy WIlliams, Amanda Stallings,Nancey Murphy, Monika Mathur, Sherry Decker, Abbey Dudek, Jim Austin, and many more.

Tarrant County Go Red for Women luncheon 2023

Photo courtesy of AHA

Lisa Cobb, Kristin Jaworski, Nicole Maucere

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