Summer Ends Music Festival: The National Headliners

Taken a look at a concert calendar recently? Like migrating birds, major music acts are flocking to the Valley as the weather shifts from outdoor sauna to merely hot. What better way to celebrate turning your air conditioner off than heading out to the biggest three-day music festival to happen…

Violent Femmes’ Profane Gospel Rock Album Turns 30

In the “about” section of the Violent Femmes’ official Facebook page, under the “description” header, it currently reads: “Violent Femmes are currently touring in commemoration of the 30th anniversary of the release of their first album.” It’s an album worth celebrating; recorded by a trio of Milwaukee folk punks –…

The Descendents’ New Record Might Be Out This Time Next Year

Influential pop punk legends The Descendents paved the way for bands that hit it big, like Blink-182 and Green Day. Descendents may not be a sold-out-arena sort of band, but that’s the band’s appeal — Descendents are for underdogs who are unlucky in love and like going to Wienerschnitzel. They…

Summer Ends Music Festival 2014: A Field Guide

Yup, it’s almost here, and we know y’all have been waiting for it tirelessly, throughout the long, hot, and brutal months. Now, it’s only mere days away. So are we talking about to the end of summer? Well, yeah, that too (since temperatures will start to decrease later this week)…

Check Out the Schedule, Lineup for Apache Lake Music Festival

The Apache Lake Music Festival announced the breakdown of who’s playing where at the two-day event, which happens October 24-25 in Roosevelt. Now that you know who’s playing on what day, it’s time to plan your pre-Halloween weekend. The Friday and Saturday of the festival will take place on an…

Marco Antonio Solís – US Airways Center – 9/19/2014

Marco Antonio Solís has been rocking his infamous long hair and a full beard since the ’70s. People have always compared his looks to those of Jesus of Nazareth, but in our current era of memes, his image has made the artist one of the most viral and popular faces…

6 Best Concerts to See in Phoenix This Week

This week kicks off a helluva run for Phoenix concerts. Thursday we have Drake, Lil Wayne, and Katy Perry all performing, and Friday begins the Summer Ends Music Festival. What more could you want? Well, if you really need more options, check out the ones below, and browse our comprehensive…

Rob Zombie and Powerman 5000 – Westworld – 9/19/2014

On Friday, Rob Zombie officially brought the Halloween season to the Valley of the Sun in wicked style. The heavy metal musician’s show celebrated the opening of his very own Great American Nightmare haunted house at Westworld, and his stripped down performance took place in the shadow of his three…

6 Best Concerts to See in Phoenix This Weekend

People of the Valley of the Sun, fear not. Yes, you have suffered. Through July, with average high temps of 107 degrees, you have persevered. Through August, much of the same. Then in September, you weathered another type of extreme weather, as rainwater filled up city streets and turned neighborhood…

6 Best Concerts to See in Phoenix This Week

Have you recovered from Mad Decent Block Party? Last weekend, everything musical in Phoenix paused to give space for what is arguably the largest EDM event that will happen this year. This week, the Phoenix music universe has adjusted, compensating for the overabundance of beats and turntables with a slew…

Linkin Park – US Airways Center – 9/10/2014

The Carnivores Tour featuring Linkin Park, 30 Seconds to Mars, and AFI hit the US Airways Center last night in downtown Phoenix.The evening included some of the best angst-driven rock anthems of the past 15 years — well, from at least two of the acts. The night began with a…

Best Concerts to See in Phoenix This Week

It’s rainy. Near-record-setting rainfalls smacked Phoenix in the lip last night, as you no doubt heard via the bomb-like thunder circa 4 a.m. today. Highways have flooded, schools have closed, and offices have turned into wastelands. One dramatic consequence of flooding is that people tend to cocoon themselves into their…

6 Best Concerts in Phoenix This Weekend

Ding, dong, the witch is dead. (The witch is the heat, here; bear with me.) Supposedly. It might be September, but it’s still 106 degrees, but out-of-towners don’t know that. So with the turning over of the calendar comes a slew of great bands coming to Phoenix and a revitalization…

The 30 Best Concerts in September

Your patience is about to be rewarded. Now that we’re quickly approaching the moment when all the you-know-what begins to fade, life will start getting back to normal in the Valley. And by normal, we mean must-see music events and gigs out the ying-yang. Over the coming weeks, show both…

Ed Sheeran – Jobing.com Arena – 8/31/2014

When the lights went down, the screams inside Jobing.com Arena were ear-shattering. It wasn’t quite the level of Beatlemania, but it still caught me by surprise. Arena shows are known to be big with its lights, sounds, stage setup, etc. Sheeran entered the stage with just his guitar, and it…

5 Best Concerts to See in Phoenix This Week

Remember when labor unions actually added workers to their rolls? When it wasn’t considered “class warfare” for poor people to demand the government enact policies in their economic interests? Yeah, we don’t either. Our plans for Labor Day include a healthy dose of pool and beer, and here are some…