Robert Earl Keen at Billy Bob's Texas
It would be nice to think that since former College Station neighbors Lyle Lovett and Robert Earl Keen are in the Metroplex within hours of each other this weekend (Lovett and His Large Band play Friday at Dallas' Majestic Theatre), they'll have a chance to cross paths and catch up. Alas, such a reunion probably isn't meant to be, but that shouldn't deter you from seeing one of the state's sharpest songwriters in action. Keen continues to tour in support of last year's acclaimed Ready for Confetti; a track located midway through that album would seem to indicate precisely when he'll hang up his guitar for good: The Road Goes On and On.
10:30 p.m. Saturday. Billy Bob's Texas, Fort Worth. $15-$22.
Slash at House of Blues
There was some hope -- however faint, however foolish -- earlier this year that the "vintage" lineup of Guns N' Roses, on the occasion of being inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, might reunite with original vocalist Axl Rose for the first time in more than a decade. 'Twas not to be (Rose went so far as to decline the induction, calling it a "no win, at least for me"), but the minds responsible for some of the most indelible hard rock of the '80s continue to record and tour, including guitarist Slash, who has found in vocalist Myles Kennedy a reasonable facsimile of Axl's signature screech. Kennedy, along with the aptly named Conspirators, will join the fleet-fingered fretmaster onstage. With Foxy Shazam.
8:30 p.m. Saturday. House of Blues, Dallas. $32.50-$55.
