Stephen Malkmus & The Jicks @ Crescent Ballroom

Okay, Phoenix. First, the good news: According to no less an authority than Stephen Malkmus, godfather of slacker cool, genuinely tall and good-looking former frontman of Pavement and current leader of The Jicks, Portland now considers Phoenix a rival city. "We've been driving through [Phoenix]," Malkmus said, looking lanky and shaggy with a Fender Stratocaster slung at his waist. "It's like the Phoenix renaissance. Phoenix is rising from the ashes ... the city is officially livable." Read the full review here. PHOTOS BY MELISSA FOSSUM.

Published on February 25, 2012