The 11 Best Concerts in Phoenix This Weekend

Want to catch a great concert this weekend in Phoenix? You’ve certainly got plenty of options available to you, considering that music venues both big and small across the Valley will host gigs over the next several nights.

Naturally, we’ve got a few suggestions – 11 of ‘em, in fact. And it’s an eclectic bunch.

There’s a music festival celebrating the full moon, for instance, as well as a performance by an all-female Black Sabbath tribute band, and the chance to see dudes in lucha libre masks slinging surf rock.

Other highlights of this weekend’s slate of concerts include shows by Wovenhand, Jessica Hernandez and the Deltas, and local indie act Dirty Sunset. Death Cab for Cutie will also make its debut at newly opened “it” spot, The Van Buren, and Latin pop star Luis Fonsi of “Despacito” fame will be at Comerica Theatre.

Here’s a rundown at what’s worth seeing here in Phoenix from Friday, September 8, to Sunday, September 10. (And for even more music events happening this weekend, hit up our online concert calendar.)

Death Cab for Cutie
Friday, September 8
The Van Buren
Death Cab for Cutie will make a very special stop at The Van Buren this week. It’s one of just a few dates they have on the calendar this year, with the Phoenix show bringing them south, and closer to San Bernardino, California, for the band’s appearance at High and Low Fest the following day. But fewer shows don’t mean that the band hasn’t been busy. Their Grammy-nominated album, Kintsugi, dropped in March 2015, and they toured on it relentlessly until September 2016. They also released a standalone track at the end of last year called “Million Dollar Loan,” part of the 30 Days, 30 Songs project protesting President Donald Trump. Singer Ben Gibbard recently released Bandwagonesque, a full-length cover album of alt-rock stalwarts Teenage Fanclub’s tremendous 1991 album. It was released as part of Turntable Kitchen’s “Sounds Delicious” monthly cover album subscription series. Ashley Harris

Jessica Hernandez and the Deltas
Friday, September 8
The Rebel Lounge
Jessica Hernandez honed her chops on the coffee-shop and open-mic circuit. Painfully shy from the start, she stuck to playing folksy guitar tunes inspired by Regina Spektor, Joanna Newsom, and Conor Oberst. It was that shyness that made her start playing with others. She recruited her musical friends and gave the group the temporary name of the Deltas, after the 1967 Delta 88, one of her favorite cars. By the time she remembered the name was only meant as a placeholder, she decided it wasn’t worth going to the trouble to change it. Now the Deltas are a full, bona fide band, bonded by what Hernandez describes as a “siblingship.”

On their sophomore album, Telephone/Telefono, the full band’s presence is especially felt. Whereas Hernandez wrote the entirety of her debut studio album, 2014’s Secret Evil, by herself, she wrote a significant chunk of Telephone together with her bandmates while holed up in a cabin in northern Michigan. The record bursts with zippy, soulful pop rock that draws on dynamic Latin influences, ’80s synth-pop, and a bit of blues flair for its power. Telephone/Telefono is actually two albums: There’s an English and a Spanish version, the latter of which Hernandez re-recorded with friends in Mexico City. Collectively, the two albums speak to representation, visibility and inclusion. As a woman of color, Hernandez knows she’s not the typical rock songwriter. And now she’s making an attempt to shift that paradigm. Elle Carroll

Full Moon Festival: Harvest Moon
Friday, September 8
Unexpected Art Gallery
The coming of the full moon each month has been an event that’s been celebrated for millennia, dating back to ceremonies performed by the Celts and Druids. In more modern times, there are events like the annual Full Moon Party in Thailand, which features a raucous, rowdy, and colorful celebration. Here in the Valley, organizers of the Full Moon Festival will get into the spirit of the occasion on Friday, September 8, with an evening of music and revelry at Unexpected Art Gallery. (While it’s true that the full moon technically occurs two days prior, we’re willing to forgive ‘em for their fuzzy math.) The event will offer four separate stages of performances from dozens of local DJs, hip-hop artists, and bands, as well as fire-dancing and art displays. The lineup will include such names as Stoneypie, Dadadoh, FunkLunch and the Brady Bunch, Prism Skvnk, Slothra, Sage, Guilty, Eli Young, Truvonne, I-Dee, GUILD, Lamar Crushin, and many more. The event runs from 8:08 p.m. to 3:33 a.m. Admission is $9.99 and costumes and outfits that reflect the “magic and majesty of the moon” are encouraged. Benjamin Leatherman

Darude
Friday, September 8
Maya Day & Nightclub
Finnish dance-music producer Ville Virtanen, better known as Darude, scored a monster hit with his first release "Sandstorm," a track that's sold millions of units worldwide since its release. While he's never managed to replicate the success of that initial monster track, he's managed to carve out a respectable niche for himself among the world's top trance producers and DJs. And he’s not slowing down by any means, constantly touring and releasing new works, including his most recent album, 2015’s Moments. Darude hits the nightclub at Maya in Scottsdale this weekend for a Friday evening gig. It’s free to attend if you RSVP online and $10 general admission if you don’t. Cory Casciato

Homegrown Battle for ALT AZ 93.3's Dia De Los Alt
Friday, September 8
Pub Rock Live in Scottsdale
Five local bands will duke it out on Friday night at Pub Rock Live in Scottsdale in what’s likely to be a massive melee. Lest you think we’re endorsing musician-on-musician violence, you should probably know that this particular face-off won’t involve any punches being thrown. Instead, the acts involved will be competing for a chance to perform as an opener at Alt AZ 93.3's Dia De Los Alt music festival later this month out at Fear Farm. Friday night’s showdown – which will feature Paper Foxes, Stinkeye, People Who Could Fly, Rival Coast, and Daisy – is being put on by Alt AZ’s weekly locals-only radio segment “Homegrown with Mo.” Doors open at 7 p.m. Admission to the all-ages event is free for anyone 21 and over and $5 for anyone under 21. May the best band win. Benjamin Leatherman

¡Viva Jefe!
Saturday, September 9
Time Out Lounge in Tempe
The Phoenix community, especially many people whose relationships were cemented by a love of rock 'n' roll, suffered a tremendous loss last month. Former Arizona resident Jeff Pettit was found unresponsive at Fond Object, the Nashville record store he co-owned. Originally from Wisconsin, the 46-year-old Pettit, whom his pals lovingly called “El Jefe,” was a tireless supporter of the Valley music scene and a former Zia records employee. His love for music was fuel for his activities, like going to shows and collecting records, as well as in his bonds with others, from gabbing about music to going to shows to ultimately joining forces with a few more music fanatics to open Fond Object, the Nashville record store he co-owned. Here in the Valley, Kevin Daly of Grave Danger has helped to organize a memorial show called ¡Viva Jefe! at the Time Out Lounge in Tempe on Saturday, September 9. Friends will gather and celebrate Pettit’s life, with a live musical soundtrack from bands including Grave Danger, Deadbolt, Flathead, Bad Catholics, and Steve Larson. The event runs from 2 to 6 p.m. Amy Young

Read on for more "can't miss" concerts in Phoenix this weekend, including Luis Fonsi, Wovenhand, and Marshall Crenshaw y Los Straitjackets.
Dirty Sunset (Album Release Show)
Saturday, September 9
Last Exit Live
Indie folk-rock can be a bit of a dirty term these days. Hearing the phrase can conjure nightmarish images of Mumford & Sons-style groups — bands of urbane hipsters in coveralls playing mandolin songs about train-hopping that are designed to soundtrack Old Navy commercials. Hearing a group who can get their folk on and avoid these dire pitfalls is always a treat. Local folk-rockers Dirty Sunset fit that bill. Formed by vocalist J.P. Blanco and multi-instrumentalist Kevin Wiscombe, the band has expanded into a powerhouse ensemble (complete with djembe and saxophone players). Dirty Sunset are gearing up to release a new full-length, Give In. A boisterous collection of songs, Give In’s 12 tracks blaze by in a whirlwind of sawing strings and laconic guitar chords. Blanco’s easygoing vocals keep the band from sounding super-earnest, which is the trait that makes most indie folkers sound so deadly boring. And it’s hard to imagine Mumford & Sons singing “Fuck it, I’m gonna walk down the street and get myself a beer” as naturally as Blanco does. You’ll have a chance to groove to Give In’s chill sounds at the band’s album release on Saturday, September 9. Dirty Sunset will be sharing the bill with a rogues’ gallery of hometown musical heroes like The Stakes, House of Stairs, and Banana Gun. Ashley Naftule

Wovenhand
Saturday, September 9
Club Red in Mesa
Put simply, David Eugene Edwards is a uniquely talented songwriter and a musical treasure. Between 1992 and 2005, he helped make 16 Horsepower one of the best alt-country bands in America, cross-breeding country and traditional bluegrass with hard-hitting rock and roll to find a sound. (It wasn’t just for the trad-country crowd, though: Punk and metal audiences lapped it up.) Fittingly, Edwards’ current project, Wovenhand, also boasts a melange of styles, blending old-time country with gypsy folk and even punk rock. Formed in 2001, Wovenhand put out its eighth studio album, Star Treatment, in 2016, following up 2014’s Billboard-approved Refractory Obdurate. The lineup has shifted more than a few times over the years, but Edwards’s signature sound remains intact. Brett Callwood

Black Sabbitch
Saturday, September 9
Marquee Theatre in Tempe
The members of Black Sabbitch play the songs of Black Sabbath and play ‘em with aplomb. They shred ‘em, in fact, and are not only talented — nailing every note of the legendary group's familiar repertoire — but are captivating to an almost distracting level. They emanated the effortless cool of rock ‘n’ roll, but with about 10 extra ounces of sexy confidence that may even cause the female metalheads in attendance at Black Sabbitch’s gig this weekend at the Marquee this weekend to pick up a bass and start their own heavy metal tribute band with their girlfriends. For fans of Sabbath — and women who rock hard — this is not one to miss. Ironkill, Monaghans Dixon, Painting Fences, and Voidless will open. Artemis Thomas-Hansard

Luis Fonsi
Sunday, September 10
Comerica Theatre
By the time Miami resident Luis Fonsi visits the Valley, his hit single, “Despacito,” might finally have been knocked off the top of the charts by a new challenger. However, it would take a monumental push, seeing as the track has dominated the Billboard Hot 100 for months now, is the most streamed song ever, and is accompanied by the first music video to reach 3.5 billion views on YouTube. Regardless, the ubiquitous, undeniable, inescapable song of summer 2017 has left an indelible mark on pop culture. Everyone wants a piece of it, from the Justin Bieber remix to the Sesame Street parody. The “Despacito” phenomenon, however, unlike the English-language translation of its title, did not happen slowly; it first appeared this past January, and the assault on the charts of all kinds was swift, achieving what many tracks never get close to in a fraction of the time. And you can bet it will get the crowd jumping during Fonsi’s gig at Comerica Theatre on Sunday, September 10. Angel Melendez

Marshall Crenshaw y Los Straitjackets
Sunday, September 10
Rhythm Room
Singer and guitarist Marshall Crenshaw has had a couple of moments in his career where he got to be someone else. Not just anyone: In both cases it was a legendary rocker. He got his break playing John Lennon in 1978 for the Broadway production of Beatlemania, due to his guitar mastery. In 1982, he played Buddy Holly in the movie La Bamba about musician Richie Valens. Crenshaw hasn’t done so bad just being himself, though. His power pop track from 1982, “Someday, Someway,” is considered essential listening for fans of the genre. Going strong for more than three decades, the musician doesn’t seem ready to slow down. He’s currently on tour with Los Straitjackets, an instrumental surf rock band who formed in Nashville in the early ’90s. Their energetic and seasoned playing gets even more exciting delivered by a stage full of badass musicians sporting cool suits and Mexican wrestling masks. Not only do their songs not have words — not that they need ’em — they keep the onstage chatter to a minimum, with the only talking happening when guitarist Danny Amis (a.k.a. Daddy-O Grande) introduces the songs. Amy Young