At the end of day one of McDowell Mountain Music Festival 2015, I questioned the promoters’ abilities to pull off a third-straight spectacular festival in the heart of downtown Phoenix. By the end of day two, I realized that they just might know what they are doing, and at the…
McDowell Mountain Music Festival 2015 hit its stride on day two with a stellar lineup that combined a big group of acts that don’t really go together at all to make for an eclectic and fun festival Saturday. I arrived in the middle of Pretty Lights protege Break Science’s set,…
McDowell Mountain Music Festival has consistently been my favorite musical event of the year since I first went in 2013. Of all the metro Phoenix-based festivals, it feels the most like a legitimate national level festival — and, really, with this year’s lineup, it just about is one. MMMF really…
Here are our picks for this weekend. Be sure to check out our comprehensive concert calendar for more options…
Downtown Phoenix’s Margaret T. Hance Park will become something of a hallowed ground for music fans this weekend. Over three straight days, a couple of acres of grass will be transformed into an outdoor temple of sound during the annual McDowell Mountain Music Festival featuring some rather godlike deities from…
Phantogram has been making the big-time festival rounds over the past half-decade or so, and even though it isn’t really a jam band, the group will stop at this weekend’s McDowell Mountain Music Festival. The fest isn’t really a stretch for the Bonnaroo veterans, but suffice it to say, four…
Long before the Valley of the Sun was boasting multiple major music events, as seems to be the rage these days, McDowell Mountain Music Festival stood alone as the premier metro Phoenix outdoor music festival. And arguably, the Valley’s homegrown Bonnaroo is still the best music festival in town. Before…
As the sunset, shadows of buildings crawled through the empty streets of downtown Phoenix on Sunday, transitioning the city from day to night, from weekend to work week. You would never guess from the quiet and calm streets that the world’s number one ranked DJ — at least according to…
Be sure to check out our comprehensive concert calendar for more options…
Brian Whelan isn’t a snob when it comes to a good song. “I have never gave a shit if it’s a pop thing or a lo-fi indie thing, I don’t care,” Whelan says over the phone from the South By Southwest festival in Austin, speaking over the blunt din of…
If you somehow missed the festivities last weekend, when Viva PHX and Pot of Gold Music Festival dominated Phoenix and Tempe, respectively, don’t feel like you’ve lost your only shot at good music. There might be only one outdoor festival this weekend — an EDM one, Phoenix Lights — but…
The four-day Pot of Gold Music Festival, a celebration of music, beer, and a holiday many don’t fully understand, ended Tuesday night with a mixed night of hard rock and metal. Korn returned to the valley on Tuesday at Tempe Beach Park to finish off the music event that brought…
Remember that one line in “Still Dre” where Dr. Dre tries to establish his credibility and continued relevance after a few years out of the spotlight by stating that his last album was The Chronic? Or that part in “The Takeover” where Jay-Z is ripping apart Nas’s somewhat mediocre output…
With so many good bands taking the stages at nearly 20 venues throughout downtown at Saturday night’s Viva PHX event, I thought I’d have a hard time staying in one place for the whole night, ogling texts and Facebook posts about what I was missing elsewhere. However, once I got…
Looking around at the people at Tempe Beach Park Sunday night, I couldn’t help but giggle to myself the entire night, thinking, “Wow, it looks like a Fall Out Boy concert in here.” I’d never seen the Illinois-based four-piece live before and I’ve never been much of a fan of…
The acts that took the Monroe Street Stage at Viva PHX on Saturday night were absolutely phenomenal, despite a subpar sound crew. It didn’t seem like a single set went off without some sort of glitch, but the performers themselves didn’t let that hurt their swag one bit. Not bad…
Overall, it was a glorious kick off to the Pot Of Gold Music Festival on Friday Night at Tempe Beach Park. With little exception, the afternoon and evening were filled with amazing acts, danceable grooves, and beautiful people. It also certainly helped that the weather was absolutely perfect for an…
A dinner date with Los Angeles/Philadelpia based Rat Fist is a special time. There are no bones about it, both literally and figuratively, as bandleader, guitar player/shouter, and all around nice guy Randy Randall (also of Sub Pop recording artists No Age) is vegan, so we decided on dining at…
No, you can’t see everything you want to at Viva PHX, but you could make a tour of some of the best local live bands if you wanted to make it a hometown event. There are other festivals this weekend not featuring local bands, but this one has a ton…
Downtown Phoenix is going to be more than a little busy this weekend, you might say. More specifically, its sidewalks and even an alley or two are going to be crowded with music fans on Saturday evening, as will 20 different venues scattered throughout a two-mile radius when the second…
“Hold on, I’m buying tequila.” These are the first words that Unwritten Law singer Scott Russo says after answering his phone for a New Times interview. In the background he asks a liquor store clerk for advice on the bottle that offers the best bang for his buck and ultimately…
Viva PHX is back and you’re a year older, 40-somethings. Bolder? Maybe. Clever, definitely, and probably more inclined to party downtown than last year. In fact, it’s obvious the over-40 set is taking back the night, since so many of you are out and about on a regular basis, running…
