Buck Meek Returns Home to Texas -Performing at Meow Wolf Houston

Photographs and Article by Addison Lawrence.

Buck Meek and his band performed a homecoming show in Houston at Meow Wolf on July 21st, 2026.

It takes a special artist to be able to convince an entire crowd to sing along to absolute gibberish—and that’s exactly what Buck Meek and his band did at their homecoming show in Houston at Meow Wolf on July 21st, 2026. Both Meek and the audience sang along to the lyrical gibberish of “Ooheeah lalo, faroosee mneykro,” as the band opened with “Gasoline,” the first single off Meek’s newest album, “The Mirror.”

Most known for his role in Big Thief, Meek has an undeniable talent for music and songwriting. His catchy guitar riffs along with soul retching lyrics are part of what make Big Thief such an impressive band, and Meek has proved that talent surely doesn’t stop there with his release of “The Mirror.” The album demands attention, with melodic guitar rhythms and contemplative lyrics. In a time with no shortage of love songs, the album’s elaborate yet still raw lyricism and familiar yet captivating rhythm sets him apart from the rest.

When Meek first took the stage, it wasn’t to perform his solo discography, rather that of his more recent endeavor, “Kisser.” Joined on stage by vocalist Germaine Dunes, drummer Jesse Quebbeman-Turley, and bassist Adam Brisbin, the band played an impressive set made up almost entirely of unreleased music. For a band that was certainly aware of their own unfamiliarity to the audience, Kisser was able to deliver a confident, entertaining set, at one point even startling the audience when they quickly shifted from a slow ambient sound to that of pounding drums and booming guitar.

When Meek eventually returned to perform his solo music, he took the southern saying “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it!” literally, as he was accompanied by familiar faces drummer Jesse Quebbeman-Turley and now guitarist Adam Brisbin, in addition to bassist Steven Van Betten. At one point, Meek even joked about the bands’ shared members, saying “Thank you to Kisser for opening for us, weren’t we great?”

Throughout the set, Meek offset his witty banter with poignant music, throwing the audience back and forth between heartbroken and amused. At no point though was the crowd anything other than enthralled by the performance. Meek struck the audience with bangers such as “Demon” and “Worms” while also pulling at their heartstrings with more tender songs such as “Halo Light” and “God Knows Why.” Meek even proved that “Gasoline” was one of those songs that just had to be heard twice when the band returned to the opening song for a second, now reprised version. The audience roared at the new faster, punchier sound, while Meek and the band jammed out on stage.

Halfway through the performance, Meek began a familiar song, although not one of his own solo discography. As he strummed the notes to “Certainty” by Big Thief, Meek, now on lead vocals for the song, was accompanied by the crowd singing along. At this point in the performance, there was something in the room bigger than Meek himself: an audience connected by the power of music.

Buck Meek's heart was not in the mirror, but in fact on stage, as he delivered a performance worth seeing full of music worth listening to. After closing with a sped-up rendition of “Candle” from a previous record of his, the band stepped off stage while the audience cheered. As the lights came back on, the room was filled with a sense of gratitude and connection. Buck Meek is the kind of artist that demands your attention in a subtle, yet meaningful way, and it was apparent that everyone who attended the show walked out a bigger fan than they walked in.