2601 W. Bethany Home Road Phoenix, AZ 85017
602-433-9303
So you think you can sing? This West Phoenix watering hole, which offers karaoke action seven nights a week, might just fit the bill. An enthusiastic crowd cheers on regulars who holler out nu-metal hits and hip-hop chartbusters along with the usual tear-jerking ballads from a catalog of more than 50,000 songs. In between turns on the mic, try your hand at billiards, darts, or perhaps some touch-screen video game action, or maybe just read some of the informative-yet-profane graffiti in the restrooms. More >>
http://www.livenation.com/venues/14282/desert-sky-pavilion Known (and beloved, at least if you liked being outdoors in the summer heat) at various points throughout its two decade lifespan as both Cricket Wireless Pavilion and Ashley Furniture HomeStore Pavilion before reverting back to its O.G. moniker of simply Desert Sky Pavilion, this 20,000-seat outdoor venue in west Phoenix hosts huge touring concerts, especially during the, er, warmer months of the year. Its amply sized open-air pavilion roof provides shade to those fortunate enough to possess reserved seating tickets, while general admission types can kick back on the hilltop lawn area with blankets and still have a great views of whatever chart-topping musicians are performing. More >>
3300 W. Camelback Road Phoenix, AZ 85017
602-639-7500
http://www.gcuarena.com This stunning, 5,000-seat, 135,000-square-foot multi-purpose entertainment and athletics facility has been open only since 2011, but has already made its mark locally and nationally. Primarily known on campus as the home of the university’s men’s and women’s basketball teams, the arena regularly hosts rock acts (Casting Crowns has played there, as has the David Crowder Band and Third Day) as well as large-scale specialty productions like the skating extravaganza Pandora’s Unforgettable Moments on Ice featuring David Archuleta. With five concession stands (including three full-size pizza ovens), 17 restrooms, four professional-league-scaled locker rooms, a pair of sweeping grand staircases and four different high-definition video boards, Grand Canyon University Arena offers more than most campus facilities in town. Designed by Tempe-based Architekton, the facility is capped with ceiling beams signed by GCU employees and students, a vault of Bibles buried at center court, and an outdoor balcony with views of the entire Camelback Road campus. More >>
http://www.stratusaz.com This West Phoenix event space located in a converted warehouse is a rather versatile beast, having hosted a gamut of events from mariachi concerts and weddings to epic DJ festivals and heavy-duty rock shows. It’s also a sexy beast, featuring expensive lighting and sound rigs, ornately chic decor, plasma screens in the glossy bathrooms, and a lengthy bar aglow with LEDs. Stratus is akin to a Scottsdale club, right down to the disco ball hanging from the ceiling and the red carpet unfurled outside the front door during special events. The staff can also wheel out a mobile stripper pole, which came in handy (and leggy) for the auditions for a potential reality show about local exotic dancers that once occurred here, but it's a prop that doesn’t see any use when a quinceañera occasionally takes place at Stratus. At least, we certainly hope not. More >>