june 26
OZZfest '97 featuring Ozzy Osbourne, Black Sabbath, Marilyn Manson, Pantera, Type O Negative, Fear Factory, Machine Head, and Powerman 5000: Longtime followers of the metal godfather will get a blast from the past as Ozzy reunites for the first time in years with Sabbath guitarist Tony Iommi and bassist Geezer Butler in this year's OZZfest. Ozz-Fest Live!, the first release on Ozzy's new record label, Ozz Records, features songs recorded at last year's fest here in Phoenix. Rockaholics of all ages are welcome. The action begins at 1 p.m. Thursday, June 26, at Desert Sky Pavilion, 2121 North 83rd Avenue, with Downset, Neurosis, Slo Burn, Coal Chamber, Drain S.T.H., and Vision of Disorder sharing a second stage. Tickets range from $28 to $53, available at Ticketmaster. Call 254-7599 or 784-4444.
Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus: The Greatest Show on Earth returns for its annual Valley visit, with ringmaster Eric Michael, and featuring Zusha, Queen of the Nile, the world's only performing hippopotamus; master clown David Larible; second-generation animal trainer Mark Oliver Gebel; the debut of the Golden Pyramid human acrobats; and the Oxygen Stake Team. Ticketholders are welcome to come one hour before showtime and swing on a trapeze, walk a low wire, try their hand at clowning and learn other circus secrets. The fun begins at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, June 26; 1:30 and 7:30 p.m. Friday, June 27; 11:30 a.m. and 3:30 and 7:30 p.m. Saturday, June 28; 1:30 and 5:30 p.m. Sunday, June 29; 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, July 1; and 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, July 2, at America West Arena, First Street and Jefferson. More shows are planned through Sunday, July 6. Tickets range from $11.50 to $30, available at the arena and Dillard's; group discounts are available. Call 379-7800 or 503-5555.
subUrbia: Tucson's upstart Upstairs Theatre Company, which features several Valley expatriates, travels north for this revival of a January '96 production of the Eric Bogosian play in the Old Pueblo. The work revolves around three guys in their early 20s who replay a communal past while bumming around in the dead-end present of a convenience-store parking lot. The curtain lifts at 8 p.m. Thursday, June 26; 8 p.m. Friday, June 27; 8 p.m. Saturday, June 28; and 2 p.m. Sunday, June 29, in Center Stage at Herberger Theater Center, 222 East Monroe. The production continues through Sunday, July 6. Tickets are $10 and $17.50, available at Herberger and Dillard's; call 252-8497 or 503-5555.
Abra Moore: This rising alternative-pop singer/songwriter from Austin, Texas, brings musical sounds which she developed as a young girl while listening to the jams of Billie Holiday, Bette Midler, the Rolling Stones and other '70s acts to the Valley in support of her latest album, Strangest Places. A founding member of Poi Dog Pondering, Moore takes the stage with Lori Carson Thursday, June 26, at Gibson's, 410 South Mill in Tempe. For the showtime of this free concert, call 967-1234.
The Compleat Works of Wllm Shkspr (abridged): Adam Long, Daniel Singer and Jess Winfield penned this Pythonesque parody, brimming with pot shots at the Bard and performed by Actors Theatre of Phoenix's "Reduced Shakespeare Company," comprising actors Gerald Burgess, Jon Gentry and Scott Hopkins and a prop list that includes "1 butcher knife, 2 daggers, 1 dinosaur (inflatable), 1 head (severed), 1 skull (rubber), 1 vial poison and 1 vial potion." Act one features snippets from 36 Shakespearean pieces; the centerpiece of act two is Hamlet--performed "three times forward and once backwards." ATP presents a summer revival of its high-season show, and the second run continues at 8 p.m. Thursday, June 26; 8 p.m. Friday, June 27; 8 p.m. Saturday, June 28; and 2 p.m. Sunday, June 29, in Stage West at Herberger Theater Center, 222 East Monroe. The production runs through Sunday, July 13. Tickets range from $16 to $26, available at Herberger and Dillard's; call 252-8497 or 503-5555.
My Utmost for His Highest: Inspired by Oswald Chambers' book of the same title, top Christian artists Steven Curtis Chapman, Sandi Patti, Twila Paris, Avalon, Cindy Morgan, and Dove Award singer Bryan Duncan perform in support of the third release of this collaborated album. The dramatic musical production gets under way at 7 p.m. Thursday, June 26, at Mesa Amphitheatre, Center and University. Tickets are $26, available at Mesa Community Center and Dillard's box offices; call 644-2560 or 503-5555.
Poncho Sanchez: This Latin-jazz flute, guitar and percussion great played with the likes of Gary Foster and Willie Bobo, to name a couple, before taking over Cal Tjader's Combo when Tjader died in 1975. Come catch the beat at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, June 26, at Red River Opry, Mill and Washington in Tempe. Tickets are available at the scene and Dillard's; call 829-6779 or 503-5555.
"Elusive Nature: The U.S. Representation From the 1996 Cuenca Bienal of Painting": The exhibit, curated by Phoenix Art Museum's David Rubin and featuring nature-themed paintings and works on paper by Katherine Bowling, Joan Nelson, Michael Kessler, Andrew Young, Eva Bovenzi and Timothy McDowell, makes its only stateside stop at the museum, 1625 North Central. The show's sextet of artists represented the United States at last year's Bienal in Cuenca, Ecuador. The installation continues through Sunday, September 14, in PAM's Orme Lewis Gallery. Rubin, curator of 20th-century art, gives a gallery talk titled "Artists Respond to the Environment" at 12:15 and 7 p.m. Thursday, June 26. Viewing is free; hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesdays through Sundays (to 9 p.m. Thursdays and Fridays). Call 257-1880 or 257-1222.
friday
june 27
Sonny Rhodes: Donning a turban since 1969, this legend from the West Coast was influenced by poet laureate Percy Mayfield. Having recorded three albums already, Rhodes will be recording live for a future album. The strings of his lap-steel guitar will be tickled as Rhodes croons the blues in his own stylish manner at 9 p.m. Friday, June 27; and the same time Saturday, June 28, at the Rhythm Room, 1019 East Indian School. The cover is $5. Call 265-4842.
The Compleat Works of Wllm Shkspr (abridged): See Thursday.
"Elusive Nature: The U.S. Representation From the 1996 Cuenca Bienal of Painting": See Thursday.
Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus: See Thursday.
subUrbia: See Thursday.
saturday
june 28
Grand Funk Railroad: This rock group from the late 1960s to the early 1970s is back with original members Mel Schacher, Don Brewer and Mark Farner. The all-ages show begins at 8 p.m. Saturday, June 28, at Celebrity Theatre, 440 North 32nd Street. Tickets are $22.50 and $30.50 in advance, $24.75 and $31.25 the day of the show, available at the scene and Dillard's; call 267-1600 or 503-5555.
Dia de los Artes: This fiesta of Mexican arts is designed with the entire family in mind. Artist demonstrations by Phoenix aerosol artist Noe Baez, the Campos sisters, Lino Garcia, and Jorge Eager of Mesa are planned along with traditional music from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.; the Friendly House Ballet Folklorico performs at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m.; and pinata breaking is scheduled at noon and 2 p.m. Saturday, June 28, at Arizona State University Art Museum at Nelson Fine Arts Center, 10th Street and Mill in Tempe. The event's held in conjunction with the exhibit "Fiestas de la Vida: Devotion and Ritual in Mexican Folk Art" (see the Art Exhibits listing). Admission is free; call 965-2787.
Queensryche: The group's latest album, Hear in the Now Frontier, holds fast to its commitment to a raw, lean sound. Owner of the Top 10 hit "Silent Lucidity," this former heavy-metal band, now toned and tuned down, takes the stage at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, June 28, at Desert Sky Pavilion, 2121 North 83rd Avenue. Tickets are $38.25, $26.75 and $17.25, available at Ticketmaster. For details call 254-7599 or 784-4444.
Jets Versus Funny Cars: Catch all the metal crashing and sparks of 40-foot-tall, 60,000-pound Robosaurus and his Southwestern Car-B-Q, Bigfoot Monster Truck, the Federal Mongul Funny Cars, and the Jet dragsters, to name a few, as they bang it out at this year's event, which includes a fireworks show. Gates open at 4 p.m. and the engines start revving for the main show at 7 p.m. Saturday, June 28, at Chandler's Firebird International Raceway, 20000 South Maricopa Road. Tickets range from $8 to $35, available at FIR and Dillard's box offices. Children 12 and under admitted free with an adult to general-admission areas. For details call 268-0200 or 503-5555.
The Compleat Works of Wllm Shkspr (abridged): See Thursday.
"Elusive Nature: The U.S. Representation From the 1996 Cuenca Bienal of Painting": See Thursday.
Sonny Rhodes: See Friday.
Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus: See Thursday.
subUrbia: See Thursday.
sunday
june 29
Carolyn Wonderland and the Imperial Monkeys: The purple-haired singer/guitarist from Houston bangs out a rocky blues/surf sound with her crew at 9 p.m. Sunday, June 29, at the Rhythm Room, 1019 East Indian School. The cover is $4. For details call 265-4842.
The Compleat Works of Wllm Shkspr (abridged): See Thursday.
"Elusive Nature: The U.S. Representation From the 1996 Cuenca Bienal of Painting": See Thursday.
Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus: See Thursday.
subUrbia: See Thursday.
monday
june 30
Indigo Girls: In support of their new album, Shaming of the Sun, Amy Ray and Emily Saliers bring their harmonic talents to a performance at 7 p.m. Monday, June 30, at Mesa Amphitheatre, Center and University. Keith Secola shares the bill at this all-ages show. Tickets are $22 in advance, $23 the day of the show, available at Mesa Community Center and Dillard's box offices; call 644-2560 or 503-5555.
tuesday
july 1
Eddie Money: Born Edward Mahoney, the guitar-heavy pop/rock star enjoyed his first Top 40 hit in 1978 with "Baby Hold On." But he didn't stop there; he's had a total of 11 hits, most recently "I'll Get By." Tony Edwards opens the all-ages show at 8 p.m. Tuesday, July 1, at Electric Ballroom, 1216 East Apache in Tempe. Call 894-0707.
Cadillac Desert: Water & the Transformation of Nature: Based on Marc Reisner's book Cadillac Desert and Sandra Postel's work Last Oasis, the PBS series chronicles the corrupting battle for water rights and access that's been raging in the West for most of this century. The second installment in the four-part program, titled "An American Nile," follows the Colorado River's journey to its present-day status as "the most controlled, litigated, domesticated, regulated and over-allocated river" ever, and features an interview with former U.S. senator Barry Goldwater, among other noteworthy individuals. The show airs at 9 p.m. Tuesday, July 1, on KAET-TV, Channel 8. For details call 965-2308.
"Elusive Nature: The U.S. Representation From the 1996 Cuenca Bienal of Painting": See Thursday.
Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus: See Thursday.
wednesday
july 2
Bone Thugs-N-Harmony: With two gold singles under their low-riding belts, "thuggish-ruggish Bone" and "1st of tha Month," the Thugs from Cleveland, are back for "Power Jam 10." Rome, Veronica, Lakesha Berry, and Gyrl share the stage. The show begins at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, July 2, at Desert Sky Pavilion, 2121 North 83rd Avenue. Tickets are $10 and $19, available at Ticketmaster. For details call 254-7599 or 784-4444.
"Elusive Nature: The U.S. Representation From the 1996 Cuenca Bienal of Painting": See Thursday.
Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus: See Thursday.
