concert news

Rap star Don Toliver coming to Austin with new date on world tour

Don Toliver will visit Austin again on August 9.

Courtesy of Don Toliver

Houston-born rapper Don Toliver is coming back to Austin for his second major concert of the year. Following a sold-out show during South by Southwest in March, the Grammy-nominated artist will return to Austin with a performance at the Moody Center on Sunday, August 9.

Nitrous — the second leg of the Octane World Tour — will begin its 19-city run in Sacramento, California, on August 4 and end its North American run in Brooklyn, New York, on September 6. The tour will pick back up at the end of October for another 18 dates spread across Europe and the United Kingdom.

In addition to a show in Austin, Toliver will visit his hometown of Houston on August 11 and stop in Dallas on August 13.

The sold-out first leg of the Octane tour, in support of Toliver's fifth studio album of the same name, featured performances with high-profile stars such as Travis Scott, SZA, Peso Pluma, Malcolm Todd, and Sheck Wes. Octane has surpassed 1 billion streams on Spotify and is now the most-streamed hip-hop album of 2026, and his singles "E85" and "Body" are the top two streaming hip-hop songs of the year.

Tickets will be available beginning with the Don's Garage VIP Presale on Wednesday, June 24, at 10 am.

Additional presales will run throughout the week ahead of the general on-sale beginning on Friday, June 26, at noon at LiveNation.com.

Nitrous - Octane Worl Tour Leg 2 North American Dates:

Tue, Aug 04 - Sacramento, CA - Golden 1 Center
Thu, Aug 06 - Glendale, AZ - Desert Diamond Arena
Sun, Aug 09 - Austin, TX - Moody Center
Tue, Aug 11 - Houston, TX - Toyota Center
Thu, Aug 13 - Dallas, TX - American Airlines Center
Sat, Aug 15 - Birmingham, AL - Legacy Arena at the BJCC
Tue, Aug 18 - Atlanta, GA - State Farm Arena
Wed, Aug 19 - Nashville, TN - Bridgestone Arena
Fri, Aug 21 - Orlando, FL - Kia Center
Sat, Aug 22 - Miami, FL - Kaseya Center
Mon, Aug 24 - Greensboro, NC - First Horizon Coliseum
Wed, Aug 26 - Indianapolis, IN - Gainbridge Fieldhouse
Fri, Aug 28 - Rosemont, IL - Allstate Arena
Sat, Aug 29 - Cleveland, OH - Rocket Arena
Mon, Aug 31 - Toronto, ON - Scotiabank Arena
Wed, Sep 02 - University Park, PA - Bryce Jordan Center
Thu, Sep 03 - Philadelphia, PA - Xfinity Mobile Arena
Sat, Sep 05 - Boston, MA - TD Garden
Sun, Sep 06 - Brooklyn, NY - Barclays Center

concerts entertainment don toliver austin moody center

hockey news

NHL eyes Austin and Houston for new Texas hockey franchise

Texas Stars/Instagram

The Texas Stars, the AHL affiliate to the Dallas Stars, play in Cedar Park.

Hockey fans in either Houston or Austin may have a new opportunity to root for the home team. The NHL has committed to adding a 33rd team in the Lone Star State, according to multiple media reports.

As part of those plans, the NHL has reached an agreement with Pursuit Sports, an arm of the Houston-based Friedkin family. Per the agreement, the NHL has granted The Friedkin Family, led by Houston billionaire Dan Friedkin, the exclusive rights to own the future franchise. Pursuit Sports, the family’s company that owns three European soccer franchises, will evaluate both Houston and Austin as potential homes for the team.

During hockey season, fans in Austin can have one in-person professional outlet: watching the Texas Stars play in the American Hockey League (AHL) at the H-E-B Center at Cedar Park. The Texas Stars are the AHL affiliate to the NFL's Dallas Stars. Houston has been without a professional hockey team since the Houston Aeros folded in 2013.

The Friedkin family issued the following statement about the NHL’s decision. It reads in part:

Each city brings unique attributes that would make a new team a huge success — both have the infrastructure, passionate fan bases, and economic strength needed to support a championship-caliber franchise for years to come.

We have wanted for some time to bring an NHL team to Texas, and we are excited that the process has now begun. Selecting a new market for an NHL franchise is a special and important responsibility, and we are grateful to the league for their faith in us and their support. Working with Commissioner Bettman and the NHL, we will undertake a principled, disciplined, and methodical process to ensure we find the right long-term home for this new franchise.

With a net worth of $11.4 billion, Dan Friedkin ranks No. 279 on the 2026 edition of the Forbes World’s Billionaires List. That’s good for Houston’s third richest resident, behind only Kinder Morgan chairman Richard Kinder (No. 232, $13 billion) and Landry’s owner Tilman Fertitta (No. 268, $11.7 billion).

His wealth primarily stems from his ownership of Gulf States Toyota, which has the exclusive rights to sell Toyota vehicles in Texas, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Oklahoma. The company sold more than $13 billion worth of Toyotas in 2025 alone, Forbes reports.

The Friedkin family launched Pursuit Sports last summer. It currently owns three European soccer clubs — A.S. Roma (Italian Serie A), A.S. Cannes (French Championnat National 2), and Everton F.C. (English Premier League).

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