Megadeth – See Also: Megadeth at the Arizona State Fair (Complete Slideshow)Arizona State FairOctober 30, 2013 It was pretty easy to tell who was at the State Fair for Megadeth last night, and who was there for fried twinkies. You just had to look for the people wearing ’80s-style jean…
The Blow The Rhythm Room Wednesday, October 30, 2013 Khaela Maricich of the Blow came on stage howling to get the crowd’s attention, then transitioned into an acapella version of “You’re My Light” as Melissa Dyne orchestrated the lights and sound off-stage on a booth near the bar. The crowd…
Alkaline Trio, New Found Glory, and H2O Marquee Theatre Monday, October 28, 2013 Last night’s line up was a dream come true for pop punk fans. New Found Glory and Alkaline Trio last embarked on a U.S. tour together in 1999 in support of Face to Face, so it was…
Valley Fever has become a Phoenix country music institution, thanks to DJs Dana Armstrong and Johnny Volume. I heard of the Yucca Tap Room ritual by way of Tony Martinez after interviewing him before his farewell show at Valley Fever, where he talked excitedly about how important those Sunday nights…
True Music Festival’s lineup-opening one-two-three punch of Bassnectar, The Flaming Lips, and Wiz Khalifa got a wide swath of Valley music fans talking when they were announced back in August. Now Kill Paris and Hellogoodbye have joined the bill in a second wave of touring acts. An updated look at…
Linkin Park and current Stone Temple Pilots singer Chester Bennington knows how to throw a party–especially when it comes to benefiting the children of Cardon Children’s Medical Center. Bennington may have outdone himself this year at Saturday night’s fourth annual Stars of the Season charity at Montelucia Resort in Scottsdale,…
Robin Thicke’s performance at the Arizona Jazz Festival was canceled abruptly Sunday, depriving people who insist on dressing like him for Halloween one last look at his unnervingly perfect hair. Word at the festival and on their website is that illness is the reason for his absence, which wasn’t confirmed…
Do you have a Halloween costume yet? Okay, okay. Do you have two Halloween costumes yet? Just keep your audience in mind if you plan on starting the evening handing Krackel bars to seven-year-olds and ending it dancing with somebody who’s also wearing an Anthony Weiner costume. (View our complete…
Gin BlossomsHarold’s CorralFriday, October 25, 2013 The Gin Blossoms know exactly what they are, and they’re good at it. During the summer they’ve been playing the nascent ’90s nostalgia tour circuit, blowing through “Hey Jealousy” and “‘Til I Hear It From You” and “Follow You Down” between the one-hit wonders…
Last night’s Alabama Shakes concert was like being teleported back in time. Brittany Howard sings with a soulful ferocity that is only matched by someone like Janis Joplin or Mama Cass. Her guitar hooks channel the likes of Chuck Berry, with a heaping dose of Southern blues. Howard even looks…
I’ve been talking to the judges, and they tell me that–because this is the last genuine weekend until Halloween–they’re going to uphold your appeal about being able to wear costumes without being judged too badly about it. Well, most costumes. Good luck trying to get that super hilarious Miley Cyrus…
Phantogram Crescent Ballroom Wednesday, October 23, 2013 New York trip hop group Phantogram played its third show in Phoenix last night. The band put on a fantastic show almost two full years ago at Crescent Ballroom, leaving us to wonder if lightning could strike twice, but the band’s popularity has…
For the fourth time in the past decade, New Orleans’ garage swamp noise rocker Quintron and his lovely partner in crime, Miss Pussycat — formally known as Panacea Pussycat — brought their act to downtown’s Trunk Space. The duo, complete with puppets and organs, showed an excited and bouncy crowd…
It’s Jimmy Buffett Day Eve, Phoenix, and there’s nothing you can do about it. According to a press release promoting Thursday’s “Songs from St. Somewhere” tour stop, Mayor Greg Stanton has declared that tomorrow will — now and forevermore — be Jimmy Buffett Day. No word yet as to whether…
By Reyan Ali Pop music has long enjoyed — and idolized — partying, but over the last half-decade, songs about partying have grown increasingly hollow and obligated. Bangers like Katy Perry’s “Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F.)” and Ke$ha’s “Take It Off” are hymns of unadulterated debauchery, placing life-validating faith in boozing,…
Ginger Baker’s Jazz ConfusionMusical Instrument MuseumOctober 18, 2013 The first thing you notice about Ginger Baker is that, for a jazz drummer, he holds his sticks wrong. Of course, despite all his flirtations with African rhythms and jazz in many forms, Baker–a founding member of psychedelic rock heavyweights Cream and…
Important concert-going note: Until Friday, at the earliest, it is still at least a little weird to go to a show–whether it’s on this list or not–in a Halloween costume. We’re just trying to help. (View our complete concert calendar here.)…
Born out of the breakup of long-running Philadelphia hardcore band Jena Berlin, Restorations reach for a balance between energy and melody. Fed up with the with the hassles of touring and record labels and having decided the band had reached the limits of what it could do with hardcore, singer-songwriter-guitarist…
Usually the preamble to these Top Five Must-See Phoenix Shows posts is longer than this, but I spent most of the week sending long letters to venues suggesting that they make inroads into the state fair market by also selling novelty fried foods before and after shows, possibly year-round. Nobody’s…
Over the past few years, Apache Lake Music Festival has made the just-barely-perceptible leap from curiosity to institution, and it’s easy to see why. As with most institutions, the core of it is a really simple idea done well: What if you could see a bunch of local bands in…
Cheap TrickVeterans Memorial ColiseumOctober 16, 2013 (View the full slideshow.) It was business as usual at the Arizona State Fair when Cheap Trick took over the Veterans Memorial Coliseum. Last night, the band that recently crossed over the 40-year mark of life in the rock ‘n’ roll business played nearly…
Bruce Hornsby has not rested on “The Way It Is.” He probably could — sometimes it seems like he could rest on the hip-hop songs that sample “The Way It Is.” But in the 27 years since his biggest hit came out, he’s been working not just on follow-ups –…
