The Must List: Megan Thee Stallion, Mark Knopfler, Zine Fest Houston

Matt Berninger of The National performs on stage at Paramount Theatre on November 29, 2017 in Seattle, Washington. Matt Berninger of The National performs on stage at Paramount Theatre on November 29, 2017 in Seattle, Washington. Photo: (Photo By Mat Hayward/Getty Images), Contributor / Getty Images Photo: (Photo By Mat Hayward/Getty Images), Contributor / Getty Images Image 1 of / 9 Caption Close The Must List: Megan Thee Stallion, Mark Knopfler, Zine Fest Houston 1 / 9 Back to Gallery

1. Mark Knopfler

Mark Knopfler has walked the walk of life for so long that he doesn’t always get his due as a guitarist of beyond-admirable renown. To wit, with Dire Straits, he managed to have pop hits in an era where image was everything. And the band looked like a band rather than an assortment of models. Post-Straits, Knopfler has done what he always did, which is telling stories through songs with gorgeous guitar playing that knows its ways around Tulsa as well as Nashville. He’s plugging “Down the Road Wherever.”

When: 8 p.m. Friday

Where: Smart Financial Centre, 18111 Lexington, Sugar Land

Details: $55-$155; 281-207-6278, smartfinancialcentre.com

Andrew Dansby

2. Ramblin’ Jack Elliott

Few folk heroes have the name recognition of Ramblin’ Jack Elliott, which is pretty incredible when you consider he was born Elliot Adnopoz in Brooklyn, N.Y. But rebellious folk heroes don’t follow templates, and Elliott spent time busking before he became a Woody Guthrie compatriot. And Guthrie has been gone well beyond a half-century, which leaves peers (very few) and acolytes (very many). Elliott is 88, which puts him in the company of the former.

MORE ON HOUSTONCHRONICLE.COM: Folk legend Jack Elliott rambles onto the big screen and into town

When: 7 p.m. Friday

Where: McGonigel’s Mucky Duck, 2425 Norfolk

Details: $30-$35; 713-528-5999, mcgonigels.com

Andrew Dansby

3. The National

The National has been slowly building up to a major concert draw over the past 10 years, and the band has largely done so outside of Houston. The group’s last proper gig here was on its tour behind the wonderful “High Violet” — and that was three albums ago. There was a truncated, rain-delayed festival show, but that doesn’t count. The band’s sea-like sound — with all its lovely lulls and violent swells — continues to evolve through a productive tear (by their exacting standards) lately with the moody and allegorical “Sleep Well Beast” two years ago and the new and brighter “I Am Easy to Find.”

When: 5:30 p.m. Wednesday

Where: White Oak Music Hall, 2915 N. Main

Details: $52.50; 713-237-0370, whiteoakmusichall.com

Andrew Dansby

4. Zine Fest Houston

For all the up and down (mostly down) news that comes with old media outlets, the idea of a self-published magazine remains viable, simply because they’re made with passion, intelligence (most of the time) and an energy unbound to overhead, advertisers and other outside forces. Zine Fest Houston celebrates the zine — the self-published comics, magazines, newspapers and other DIY outlets dedicated to telling the rest of us what is bubbling up from the underground. And ZFH is obviously free, all-ages, and has all the other inclusive attributes of its inspiration.

When: Noon-6 p.m. Saturday

Where: Lawndale Art Center, 4912 S. Main

Details: More information at zinefesthouston.org

Andrew Dansby

5. ‘Giselle’

Houston Ballet gives us the Wilis with its season-opening production. “Giselle” returns, with much of the same cast that performed Stanton Welch’s version of the 19th-century Romantic masterpiece when it premiered three years ago. Vampires have never looked so beautiful as the ghostly, undead, jilted maidens who float through Act 2’s forest scene, looking for vengeance.

MORE ON HOUSTONCHRONICLE.COM: Why Houston Ballet still loves 'Giselle'

When: 7 p.m. Friday, 7:30 p.m. Saturday, 2 p.m. Sunday; additional performances through Sept. 15

Where: Wortham Theater Center, 501 Texas

Details: $25-$200; 713-227-2787, houstonballet.org

Molly Glentzer

6. Megan Thee Stallion

Megan Thee Stallion went from regional favorite to national breakout thanks to three words: hot girl summer. Her trademark phrase, which means embracing your true self, became a viral sensation. Companies including Wendy’s, Maybelline and Forever 21 used it to promote products. Even Dot Coffee Shop had it sprawled across a chalkboard hawking dinner specials. The song of the same name has become Megan’s biggest hit to date.

When 8 p.m. Friday

Where: Revention Music Center, 520 Texas

Details: $67-155; 713-230-1600, reventionmusiccenter.com

Joey Guerra

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