A lot of things happen each week in Houston. Sometimes they’re newsy, sometimes ... well, it’s Houston. We’ve collected some of the most interesting gems of the last seven days for your internet perusal. It’s Very Houston News.

Ooh! Something to Get Excited About!

Despite grumbling over the price (general admission tickets were supposedly $300 at minimum), fans were chomping at the bit Wednesday for Astroworld tickets, which sold out in less than an hour. 

In 2018, rapper Travis Scott founded the music fest, which is Houston’s biggest chance to beat Austin City Limits for the biggest music festival in Texas. After a year without live events, Scott dropped dates for his hotly anticipated annual music festival last Friday, which, coincidentally, was also his birthday. Was this a birthday present for him or for us?

Evidently it was for him because more than 100,000 people scooped up fest tickets in less than 60 minutes when they went live at 10 a.m. Wednesday. We just hope those 100,000 concertgoers are vaccinated.  

We Have 21 Questions

On Tuesday, rapper 50 Cent posted on social media that he has moved to Houston. To prove it, he shared the most Houston photo you could think of: him, outside the Astrodome, in an Astros hat. Why the move? He’ll explain later, apparently. Anyways, welcome to the Dirty South. 

When Icon Met Icon

A scene in Selena: The Series Part 2, which dropped on Netflix this week, depicts the Tejano icon meeting another icon: a young Beyoncé Knowles. And since this is Very Houston News, that meeting took place at none other than the Galleria—because apparently we don’t have any other malls. 

Per a report from PopSugar, this meeting isn’t just clickbaity, cheap-reach fiction. It actually happened. “I didn't say much to Selena because I wasn't a celebrity, and I just saw her and said hello and kept it moving,” Beyoncé said of the encounter in a MTV Tr3s interview.

We’re the Best BBQ City … Obviously

Per a "study" by BBQ Revolution via CultureMap, Houston is the best barbecue city in America, to which we say, “well, duh.” 

Let’s break down the facts: 

First, BBQ Revolution finds that the most popular barbecue style across the country is "Texas Style," being the most prevalent in 33 states and beating out the likes of "Memphis," "Kansas City," "South Carolina," and "North Carolina."

It seems the website is referring more to Central Texas-style 'cue, which is most associated with Austin and the Hill Country (you know, brisket slow and low usually over pecan or post oak) and has become the most covered style in recent years. Texas BBQ fans know that there are multiple styles of 'cue in the Lone Star State, and here in Houston you'll find quite a bit of East Texas cooking, which emphasizes pork as much as brisket, plus the use of hot sauce.

Anyway, if you're a Central Texas BBQ fan and want to know more about how to smoke a brisket, check out our nifty guide. You don’t even have to thank us.

Second, apparently Houston has more BBQ joints (167, namely) than any other city—Los Angeles came in second place with 162 spots and San Antonio was third with 135. Considering we’re the fourth biggest city in the country, this feels like a technicality, but hey, we’ll take it with sides of coleslaw and mac 'n’ cheese, please.