Live music in Austin: Lyle Lovett, Robert Earl Keen, Gloria Trevi, Kid Cudi, more

Here are our top picks for live music events in the Austin area Aug. 25-31.

Thursday-Sunday: Front Fest

The organization formerly known as Boss Babes brings back its annual end-of-summer bash celebrating female and LGBTQ creators. The fest kicks off on Thursday with a pool party at the Line hotel featuring tunes from DJ Lavender Thug, a member of the Central Texas ballroom family House of Lepore. On Friday, the party shifts to the Parish, where Austin's soulful rock outfit We Don't Ride Llamas headlines. This will be your last chance to catch the breakout family band before they leave on a string of dates opening for Courtney Barnett in early September. Also on the bill are glam punk duo Lord Friday the 13th and Kiki Machine. On Saturday, the fest moves to Laguna Gloria for a panel on storytelling, a musical set from the Burns Sisters and a film showcase. The event closes back at the Line on Sunday with a pool party pop-up by Perreo Club. $10 Thursday; $15 Friday and Saturday; $40 weekend pass. thefrontfest.com.

— D.S.S.

More:Boss Babes rebrands as Future Front Texas

Thursday-Friday: Lyle Lovett & His Large Band at ACL Live

“To have had the chance to do something I love to do for this many years, for this to actually turn into my life, I would never have dreamed it,” Lovett told me in an extensive interview about his music and life shortly after “12th of June,” his first album in a decade, came out this spring. Lovett will turn 65 in November, but he’s clearly been rejuvenated by becoming a father at age 59. (The title “12th of June” refers to the 2017 birthday of his twins with wife April Kimble.) His long-running Large Band is one of the finest backing ensembles in popular music; they’ll play material from the new album and favorites from his 36-year recording career at these two concerts that come near the end of a summerlong national tour. $49-$110. 8 p.m. acl-live.com.

— P.B.

Friday: David Ramirez Jamboree at Far Out Lounge

A rising star among local singer-songwriters, Ramirez will celebrate his birthday by gathering at one of Austin’s best outdoor venues with a bunch of his musician friends. The bill includes Matthew Logan Vasquez (of Delta Spirit), the Greyhounds, Kalu & the Electric Joint, Matthew Mayfield and Andy Davis, with other special guests promised. $15-$20. 8 p.m. doors. thefaroutaustin.com.

— P.B.

Saturday: Gloria Trevi at Waterloo Park

The career trajectory of the so-called Mexican Madonna is a wild and bumpy ride. After bursting onto the scene in the late ‘80s, with a rebel image that reshaped ideas about what a Mexican pop star could be, she was a dominant force for a decade. Then a shocking scandal in which she was accused of grooming young singers to become sex slaves for her manager and mentor sent her to jail for almost five years. She was exonerated due to a lack of evidence in 2004. Upon her release, she moved to the U.S. and remade herself as the Supreme Diva of Latin Pop, with a string of chart-topping albums and international hits. $39.50 and up. waterloogreenway.org.

— D.S.S.

Saturday: KUTX & KAZI Summer Jam at Long Center Terrace

Austin's NPR affiliate KUTX 98.9 FM and community radio station KAZI 88.7 FM team up to present a showcase of Austin's top emerging hip-hop and R&B talent. The show features Geto Gala, the excellent rap duo of Deezie Brown and Jake Lloyd. Their self-titled debut, a rich platter of hip-hop bangers slow-dripped with Texas soul, was one of the best albums to come out of Austin in 2021. The bill also includes Anastasia Hera, an ace rapper who showcased her skills as a soaring R&B singer on the excellent 2021 release “This Is Anastasia.” Soulful singer Moody Bank$ and rap duo Tribe Mafia round out the bill. $24. 6:30 p.m. longcenter.org.

— D.S.S.

More:Our 2021 interview with Anastasia Hera

Sunday-Monday: Robert Earl Keen at ACL Live

Let’s just call ACL Live “Texas A&M West” this week. On the heels of Lyle Lovett’s Thursday and Friday shows at the downtown concert hall, his friend and fellow 1980 Aggie grad Keen pulls in for two nights just a week before he’s set to play his final shows at John T. Floore’s near San Antonio. Keen’s retiring from the road but promises he’ll still be writing songs, making records, and pursuing video and podcast projects. But if you want one more chance to sing along with “Merry Christmas From the Family” and “The Road Goes on Forever,” this is it. $49-$99. 8 p.m. acl-live.com.

— P.B.

More:Our interview with Robert Earl Keen about his retirement from touring

Wednesday: Kid Cudi at Moody Center

The 38-year-old Ohio rapper came to town in March for the South by Southwest Film Festival premiere of the slasher movie "X," but this will be his first Austin concert since 2016. Cudi's 2020 release "Man on the Moon III: The Chosen," a sequel of sorts to his similarly titled first and second albums from 2009 and 2010, reached No. 2 on the Billboard album charts. A new album, "Entergalactic," is due this fall; it's the soundtrack to a new Netflix animated series of the same name set to premiere Sept. 30. Cudi, who has had dozens of film and TV appearances over the past decade, also collaborated with Ariana Grande on a song from the Oscar-nominated 2021 film "Don't Look Up." Don Toliver, 070 Shake and Strick will open the show. $50-$483. 7 p.m. moodycenteratx.com.

— P.B.

This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Live music in Austin: Lyle Lovett, Robert Earl Keen, Kid Cudi, more