Preston’s picks: Kenny Wayne Shepherd at Billy Bob’s Texas; Black Sabbath at Gexa Energy Pavilion

Kenny Wayne Shepherd at Billy Bob’s Texas

“Goin’ back to Dallas/Back to the palace of the king,” Kenny Wayne Shepherd sings on Palace of the King, the opening track of his latest long-player, 2014’s Goin’ Home. Although he’s a bit west of his actual birthplace — Shreveport, La. — and Dallas itself, there is still an air of homecoming for the 39-year-old Shepherd, who cites Oak Cliff’s own, the late, great Stevie Ray Vaughan, as the guitarist who inspired him to pick up an axe at a young age. The gritty-voiced Shepherd has been honing his craft ever since, performing alongside some of the biggest names in blues as he has risen in stature: B.B. King, Clarence “Gatemouth” Brown and Hubert Sumlin are just a few of the greats who’ve shared a stage with Shepherd.

10:30 p.m. Friday. Billy Bob’s Texas, Fort Worth. $16-$30.

Black Sabbath at Gexa Energy Pavilion

Black Sabbath is unambiguous about what lies beyond its current tour — look no further than its title: “The End.” Ozzy Osbourne, Tony Iommi and Geezer Butler have been circling the globe since January bidding its fan farewell, after a cumulative 43 years (formed in 1968, Black Sabbath split in 2006 and reunited in 2011). In a year when music fans have been subjected to so much anguish — it seems as if 2016 will be remembered as the year the music truly began to die — the decision for an influential heavy-metal act to exit on its own terms seems that much more poignant. (The band’s final concerts are set for next February.) Expect that, between headbanging to classics like Paranoid and Iron Man, tears will be rightly shed by those gathered to pay respect. With Rival Sons.

7:30 p.m. Wednesday. Gexa Energy Pavilion, Dallas. $32-$250.

This story was originally published August 30, 2016 at 12:56 PM with the headline "Preston’s picks: Kenny Wayne Shepherd at Billy Bob’s Texas; Black Sabbath at Gexa Energy Pavilion."