Def Leppard

10 Years Later, Andrew W.K.'s Debut Still Is Gloriously Baffling

Running Back

Concerts to Catch This Weekend

End your Labor Day weekend with Blue Oyster Cult on Monday.​Oh, Labor Day weekend. Don't know about you guys, but I'm ready for it. There's plenty of stuff going on this weekend, and we've tried to cover the gamut. Tonight you can catch Sade at US Airwaves and Gucci Mane at Celebrity Theatre, tomo ... More >>

A Challenge to Dave Pratt, 'The Morning Mayor,' on X103.9 FM

A youthful Pratt. ​ X103.9's Facebook fans may still be posting comments like "Maybe you guys can set around in your daily meetings and talk about how great the color red is and the wonders of wearing untied white high tops. You guys really screwed yourselves on this decision" and "Pratt? I though ... More >>

Jim Adkins of Jimmy Eat World Reflects on MTV's 30th Anniversary

Jimmy Eat World​Cable channel MTV turns the big 3-0 today. Maybe this would be a big deal to music fans if the station was actually dedicated to music, like it was back when it launched on August 1, 1981, but these days, MTV's demographic keeps getting younger and the programming keeps moving towa ... More >>

Holy Grail, & Cauldron @ Nile Theater

Jimmy Eat World​Cable channel MTV turns the big 3-0 today. Maybe this would be a big deal to music fans if the station was actually dedicated to music, like it was back when it launched on August 1, 1981, but these days, MTV's demographic keeps getting younger and the programming keeps moving towa ... More >>

Tony Morales, What Are You Listening To?

Tony Morales​Tony Morales Morales is the pit master at Big Earl's BBQ and owner of Desert Smoke BBQ. Cheer him on at the Arizona Barbecue Festival this Saturday, March 26 at the Scottsdale Waterfront. When you put your key in the ignition and turn on the radio, what station would play right now? ... More >>

Incoming: Biffy Clyro, Crystal Stilts, Def Leppard, Journey, Old 97's, Cut Copy

Magnus BlikengCut Copy​There's plenty a fine show coming through Phoenix in the foreseeable future, so allow me to write about a show that has been announced for August 12 - Aussie synthpoppers Cut Copy. For those who may not be familiar with Cut Copy, they have released three albums so ... More >>

March 24 In Blogs: Eric Cox, Cut Copy, Citizen Public House, and a Mock Border Fence

​​​In the 24-hour news cycle, it can be difficult to keep up. We have the solution. Check back on Valley Fever every evening for highlights from each of New Times' blogs. Today's entries:

Cricket/Desert Sky Pavilion's New Name a Mouthful: Ashley Furniture HomeStore Pavilion

Ashley Furniture HomeStore Pavilion: It really rolls of the tongue.​The outdoor amphitheater previously known as Desert Sky Pavilion, Cricket Pavilion, and Desert Sky Pavilion again now has a new name. It's a doozie, too. How much are you going to love seeing shows at the Ashley Furniture Ho ... More >>

Club Candids at Shotgun Betty's

Melissa FossumShotgun Betty's is rockin' Scottsdale Coyote Ugly style​ The saucy cowgirls at Shotgun Betty's Rock & Roll Salloon serve their shots with a side of attitude. These gals dance on tabletops while classics from Def Leppard, Journey and Guns N' Roses blast through the well-stocked ... More >>

Zappa Plays Zappa at Comerica Theatre Last Night

Dweezil Zappa​Dweezil ZappaComerica TheatreMonday, December 6, 2010 Grey-haired dudes in tennis shoes, file in Co-mer-i-caThey throw back beers and let loose cheers, they scream 'woo-hoo, oh yeah!'Their past they seek sans acid peak, at the Zappa showLive it up, do it big, Just don't eat that yel ... More >>

Bad Religion May Suck, But That's a Super-Awesome Logo, Right?

Dweezil Zappa​Dweezil ZappaComerica TheatreMonday, December 6, 2010 Grey-haired dudes in tennis shoes, file in Co-mer-i-caThey throw back beers and let loose cheers, they scream 'woo-hoo, oh yeah!'Their past they seek sans acid peak, at the Zappa showLive it up, do it big, Just don't eat that yel ... More >>

Long Live Mock 'n' Roll

Is it live, or is it Hair Raid?

Hair Raid at Whiskey River Saloon

Hair Raid: So named for a reason.​This is part of a series of reviews of bands who play weekly at local bars. The show: Hair Raid at Whiskey River Saloon. The look: Honky tonk with a coat of Aqua Net. The smell: Sweet. The carpet was sticky and you could tell lots of drinks had been spilled there ... More >>

Where Do Arctic Monkeys Fit Into Britain's Many Regional Scenes?

Hair Raid: So named for a reason.​This is part of a series of reviews of bands who play weekly at local bars. The show: Hair Raid at Whiskey River Saloon. The look: Honky tonk with a coat of Aqua Net. The smell: Sweet. The carpet was sticky and you could tell lots of drinks had been spilled there ... More >>

Chef Talk: Amol Agarwal of Rita's Kitchen

He may be cooking Southwestern fare now, but Chef Amol Agarwal is bringing wordly sensibilities to Rita's Kitchen at the Camelback Inn in Paradise Valley. The Indian-born Agarwal has really filled up his passport, having lived and worked in Singapore, Thailand, Sri Lanka, California, Jamaica and&nbs ... More >>

Please Don't Call Chickenfoot a “Supergroup”

He may be cooking Southwestern fare now, but Chef Amol Agarwal is bringing wordly sensibilities to Rita's Kitchen at the Camelback Inn in Paradise Valley. The Indian-born Agarwal has really filled up his passport, having lived and worked in Singapore, Thailand, Sri Lanka, California, Jamaica and&nbs ... More >>

Poison, Def Leppard, Against Me! Love Mania Pool Party, and "Native Confluence: Sustaining Cultures" Over the Weekend

​Poison and Def Leppard at Cricket Wireless Pavilion After drawing some fire for making an unfavorable comparison between Green Day and Poison in my review of last Saturday's show at U.S. Airways Center, I saw a rare chance to subject one of my statements to some scrutiny this Saturday as Pois ... More >>

August 31 In Blogs: Marcia Powell, DJ AM, Prosciutto, and Fat Asses

​In the 24-hour news cycle it can be difficult to keep up. We have the solution. Check back on Valley Fever every evening for highlights from each of New Times' blogs. Today's entries: Feathered Bastard: Marcia Powell's Autopsy Report Rules Cage Death in ADC Custody an "Accident" Pastor Steven A ... More >>

Bret Michaels Vs. Billie Joe Armstrong: Poison at Cricket Pavilion Reviewed

Luke HolwerdaBret Michaels was the star of the show at Cricket Pavilion Saturday night.​In the messy science of music criticism it's not often a writer gets to test his hypotheses as directly as he'd like. After drawing some fire for making an unfavorable comparison between Green Day and Poison in ... More >>

Poison and Def Leppard in 140 Characters Or Less

Luke Holwerda​Who says old people can't twitter? There were plenty of tweets from last night's Poison/Def Leppard show at Cricket Pavilion though, admittedly, many appeared to be from younger people in the crowd (including one who tweeted about buying her first concert beer). Humorously, ... More >>

Def Leppard and Poison Reside Far Apart on the Hair-Metal Spectrum

Luke Holwerda​Who says old people can't twitter? There were plenty of tweets from last night's Poison/Def Leppard show at Cricket Pavilion though, admittedly, many appeared to be from younger people in the crowd (including one who tweeted about buying her first concert beer). Humorously, ... More >>

Vans Warped Tour at Cricket Wireless Pavilion: The Maine, Dear and the Headlights, and Popsters Aplenty Entertain the Twees

The local heartthrobs of The Maine: Better than NOFX and Bad Religion. Until yesterday, I used to loathe the Warped Tour. Not because of the bands or music, mind you, but rather because of some bad experiences I'd had while attending the annual summertime mega-tour. When the Warped Tour first c ... More >>

The Maine Jump To Warner Brothers

Tempe pop-rockers The Maine have jumped from Fearless Records (a pretty decent label in it's own right) to Warner, one of The Big Four, reports Absolute Punk and elbo.ws.The band already had pretty legit distribution, but they're now making an even bigger push, re-releasing their 2008 debut, Cant' S ... More >>

Just Announced: Former Formatter's New Band Fun Coming to Tempe

The Format's breakup left a huge hole in the local music scene last year. Just when the duo seemed poised to put Phoenix on the map when they split up, but hopefully Nate Ruess's New York-based band Fun can alleviate some of that pain. They've booked a Valley show with Manchester Orchestra, Audreye ... More >>

You Asked For It: The Dagg Nabbit Stubbs

Few bands are anywhere near as funny as they think they are -- The Dag Nabbit Stubbs is an exception. I mean, they're not, like hilarious, but they play their hand for all it's worth, backing up their redneck rock posturing with a sound like what the dead and zombified Skynyrd boys might make after ... More >>

Rock Band 2 Outrocks Guitar Hero: World Tour

Few bands are anywhere near as funny as they think they are -- The Dag Nabbit Stubbs is an exception. I mean, they're not, like hilarious, but they play their hand for all it's worth, backing up their redneck rock posturing with a sound like what the dead and zombified Skynyrd boys might make after ... More >>

Your noise boy kicks drums across the room with My Feral Kin

Few bands are anywhere near as funny as they think they are -- The Dag Nabbit Stubbs is an exception. I mean, they're not, like hilarious, but they play their hand for all it's worth, backing up their redneck rock posturing with a sound like what the dead and zombified Skynyrd boys might make after ... More >>

Heavy Metal: A Box Set Review in Three Acts

Few bands are anywhere near as funny as they think they are -- The Dag Nabbit Stubbs is an exception. I mean, they're not, like hilarious, but they play their hand for all it's worth, backing up their redneck rock posturing with a sound like what the dead and zombified Skynyrd boys might make after ... More >>

Gypsy Road

Thank you, glam

Brotherly Love

The Kongo's musical dynasty

Singles Going Steady

The best end-to-end albums from a singles-driven year

Don't Stop Believin'

Or Tinker Bell will die

Puffy AmiYumi

Splurge . . .
(Tofu)

Take Cover

Diving into Metalhead territory

Pop Rocks

Ten albums that'll snap and fizz in your ear buds all winter long

Queensrÿche

Umlaut pioneers bring noisy lucidity

Take Four

Fourth annual film fest rolls in Scottsdale

Finding The Cure

Confessions of a doom doll

Washboard Confessional

Holy saccharine. Absolve this man of his sinful affection for pop-punk.

Strong Language

Valley slammers shoot from the lip

Basement Ax

Built to Spill's Doug Martsch is a guitar hero for a generation not interested in 'em

Thorn Again

Opus Cactus returns to the desert

It Ain't Good -- So What?

Sometimes, the best music is the stuff you wouldn't dream of praising in public

Number One With a Mullet

Heavy metal gets the lite treatment in the cliché-studded Rock Star

Peak Performance

Towering Himalaya scales new heights in Tibetan cinema

Fargo Rock City: A Heavy Metal Odyssey in Rural Nörth Daköta

By Chuck Klosterman
(Scribner; 288 pages; $23)

The Leaves

The Leaves . . . are happening!: The Best of the Leaves The Barbarians, Are You a Boy or Are You a Girl (Sundazed)

Chain Saw of Fools

Where do Wendy and Rob rate among rock's most marginal contributors?