Best Things to do in Houston This Weekend — Whitney Houston Love, Cheers Fest and UT Football

Houston weekends are packed full of events, but how many of them are truly worthy of your time? PaperCity’s new events calendar offers a curated look at all the best things to do in the area. But everyone can still use a guru — or two.

PaperCity Weekend Gurus Matthew Ramirez and Virginia Reynolds cull our calendar for your weekend must dos in this weekly series.

Whitney Houston Love Songs

Everyone’s got that song, that one song, that gets you up and dancing or keeps you out at the bars just a little bit longer. Though I have many tunes on my own list of “you can last one more song” songs, Whitney Houston’s “I Wanna Dance with Somebody” outranks most, if not all, of them. Am I the only one? Surely not.

Even though I can’t quite hit all the notes Whitney Houston could, her music is some of the best to turn all the way up and belt. And the louder I turn up her music, the fewer voice cracks heard.

This Friday, September 13 and Saturday, September 14 will be reserved for Whitney Houston music at Miller Outdoor Theatre, as the traveling show The Greatest Love of All: A Tribute to Whitney Houston comes to Houston. The production will last two hours, and will include all of the singer’s biggest hits, like “I Will Always Love You,” “How Will I Know,” “One Moment in Time” and my personal favorite, “I Wanna Dance with Somebody.”

Acclaimed singer Belinda Davids will star as Whitney Houston, with a live band, backing vocalists and choreographed dancers to accompany her performance.

Go to the full PaperCity events calendar listing.

Rice University vs. University of Texas

The Rice/UT football matchup is an interesting one, and maybe something that seems a little unusual. How is it that the Owls could possibly beat the (traditional) powerhouse Longhorns, especially when Rice has taken the W just a handful of times in the game’s more than 100 year history? While these are valid observations, some space cadets actually claim that the year 2019 could be different for the Houston team.

Yes, Texas may be ranked No. 12 in America while Rice is 0-2 and decidedly unranked, but which university can claim its city was where the journey to the Moon began? And that its very own Mission Control was the center of the universe 50 years ago with the Apollo 11 Moon landing? So, while the game seems slightly unordinary at first, another look reveals that the Owls might have a little fire in their bones.

Head to NRG Stadium on Saturday, September 14 in your navy and gray (or burnt orange if that’s how you roll) to cheer on your favorite local team. Tickets start at $35.

Go to the full PaperCity events calendar listing.

Houston Cheers Fest

Everything’s bigger in Texas, yes – but everything’s even bigger in Houston, right? This Saturday, September 14 will be a test of the city’s bigness as Cheers Fest comes to town.

Cheers Fest, put on by Blockparty Group, is trekking the country with a mission to set the Guinness World Record for the most people to cheers with champagne – a bit of a specific goal, but one worth being a part of because, well, champagne. The event will kickoff at the recently opened Axis & Alibi with a DJ, cotton candy cocktails and 200 bottles of champagne, and will continue down Washington Avenue with plenty of deals at participating bars.

The theme for the party is ’90s neon, which I know you won’t have to go scrounging for in your closet. Early bird tickets are $10, with regularly priced individual tickets running $20. Group tickets are available fro $20, and VIP for $50.

Go to the full PaperCity events calendar listing.

Pop-Up Dialogue with Tobe Nwigwe

Nigerian-born Tobe Nwigwe has broken out of the confines of Houston hip-hop, into a more freewheeling space where he can perform an excellent NPR Tiny Desk performance as well as host a pop-up dialogue inside the MFAH’s interactive summer show William Forsythe: Choreographic Objects.

In recent years, his fanbase has grown considerably, elevating himself apart from the local scene into a moment alongside fellow like-minded rappers and thinkers like the funny and insightful Open Mike Eagle and the free-spirited, lightly satirical Quelle Chris. The discussion begins at 6:30 pm; tickets to the Forsythe exhibition are $10. -Matthew Ramirez

Go to the full PaperCity events calendar listing.

Flying Lotus

Flying Lotus is now six albums deep into a diverse career that’s seen him helm a movie, dubbed Kuso, flirt with mainstream success, and land comfortably on the ears of eager listeners who find his blend of electronic music, jazz and hip-hop irresistible.

His “Live in 3-D” concept premiered a few years ago, and the tour comes back around to Houston this Friday, September 13, at Warehouse Live. It’s simultaneously what you expect and unexpected: virtual projections and floating images jump out into the crowd, in vibrant, LED holograms.

Doors open at 8:30 pm; tickets $27.50. -Matthew Ramirez

Go to the full PaperCity events calendar listing.

Indie Rock

Chicago-based indie-rock duo Whitney released one of my favorite albums of the decade in 2016, the tender, country-adjacent Light Upon the Lake. Rising from the ashes of Smith Westerns and Unknown Mortal Orchestra, Whitney demonstrated songwriting chops combined with gentle melodies that was a callback to ’70s adult contemporary but with an indie sensibility.

They made their grand return in August with Forever Turned Around, which somehow slowed the pace down even more, but remains a set of quietly affecting tone poems. They play the outdoor stage at the East End’s Satellite Bar this Sunday, September 15.

Doors at 6 pm; tickets $25. -Matthew Ramirez

Go to the full PaperCity events calendar listing.