Toes were tapping, bodies were swaying and there were mini standing ovations after almost every song Hugh Laurie and the Copper Bottom Band played for a sold out crowd Tuesday night at the Mesa Arts Center. If there was any doubt that the House M.D. star was a tried and…
I’ve been to maybe 100 shows at Crescent Ballroom, yet I’ve never seen the place so packed for an opener. Someone screamed, “We’re here for you,” so apparently Sylvan Esso has some fans in town. Their glockenspiel samples and soft, pitter-patter vocals made Esso feel like a modern version of…
There are scores of musicians from the ’90s who don’t get the chance to pull off a second act. Many of the one-hit wonders of the decade are coasting off the fumes of audiences craving nostalgia and play the grandstands of state fairs and the early afternoon schedule of your…
At the this this was written, it was 104 degrees in Phoenix, with a projected high of 110. Summer is coming. Since we all know that ignorance is bliss when it comes to Phoenix summers, here are five concerts, all in climate-controlled, air conditioned environments, that will make you forget…
OneRepublic frontman Ryan Tedder knows fans aren’t going to mouth every lyric to every song at their show, and he’s OK with that. The days of fans listening to entire albums are slowly dissipating, he says backstage before the group’s show in Phoenix on Sunday. Music is appreciated one single…
Billy Joel turned 65 years old on May 9. When you’re as old as he is, you retire, have a party, collect your pension, and enjoy the fruits of your labor. But when you’re the sixth best-selling recording artist of all time, you just keep on working. The audience at…
The sold-out audience talked back to sisters Johanna and Klara Soderberg in Swedish accents, which caused the siblings, better known collectively as First Aid Kit, to blush and laugh. The duo, who are in their early 20s, stepped onto the stage of the Crescent Ballroom to a crowd that knew…
There are two words sum up the greatest concert going on this weekend in Phoenix. They are “Billy” and “Joel.” But if you can’t score a ticket or just can’t afford one, there are still plenty of other options this weekend, from noise-punk (Perfect Pussy) to stoner rock (Fu Manchu)…
If you had never laid eyes on singer-songwriter William Fitzsimmons, you’d never think that his wispy delicate voice came from the body that walked on stage. When he entered. his large tattooed arms carried his guitar while his worn-looking boots stomped across the Crescent Ballroom. He glanced at the audience…
Lindsey Stirling leaped and danced across the stage at The Marquee last night in Tempe. Stirling is known for her unique blend of classical and modern electronic music styles. She plays violin over original dubstep tracks and other remixes. Her live shows are a complete production, equipped with many costume…
Linkin Park headlined the 2014 edition of Tucson rock station KFMA’s annual radio show on Saturday at Electric Park in Tucson, where the band debuted new material from its forthcoming The Hunting Party record, due out next month, and played a lengthy number of mash-ups and medleys of their back…
Bacchus and the Demonsluts put on one of the best album release parties of 2014 on Sunday for the release of their debut studio recording, The Rumors of Our Demise Have Been Grossly Underestimated. The band really just did everything right for the show. The party had a stacked lineup…
Memorial Day is when we, as a nation, proudly get together and celebrate the men and women of the armed services who have died in order to give us an extra day off. Bad joke. But the reality is so damned depressing it’s hard to think of anything else. It…
Against Me! has a somewhat embattled history. The group started its career as an anarcho-punk band, releasing Against Me! Is Reinventing Axl Rose in 2002 and gaining the respect of punk rock kids in the band’s hometown of Gainesville, Florida, and beyond. But then the band signed to Fat Mike’s…
Perhaps you stepped outside this morning and started sweating. Summer is coming, reverse Game of Thrones-style, and as the temperature starts ratcheting up, relief from the heat will come in smaller and smaller windows each day. That said, it’s still quite pleasant at night, and you can catch anything from…
There are reviews you wish would just write themselves. Peek behind the curtain, if you will, and see my struggle. I really wanted to write an über-positive review of the Black Flag show at Pub Rock on Saturday, May 17. I wanted to write that the punk rock fury I…
Old Town was congested on Saturday night, what I assumed to be a combination of ASU graduation celebrations, the Mario Lopez appearance at International and Nervo’s performance at Maya Day and Nightclub. If you have a ticket or table, getting into Maya usually isn’t a problem. There is a normal…
There are always shows in Phoenix, here, we humbly recommend five you should check out. If none of these strike your fancy, check out our comprehensive concert listings for many more options. Sister Lip – Friday, May 16, and Saturday, May 17 – Sail Inn Sister Lip is one of…
Once upon a time, it was a motherfucker. The crowd sat in utter silence, except when prompted to clap or laugh, depending on what the magic man did. And, for all intents and purposes, he was magical. E., the man, the myth, the legend. Mark Oliver Everett (“E” to his…
Club Red’s voyage to its new venue officially begins this Saturday, as the final show takes place at its current location. The news came in late March, when Club Red announced it would move away from its current Tempe location at University Drive and Loop 101 in favor of a…
It felt like ladies night meets a Disney concert at the Marquee Theatre last night, as a fairly packed house full of female fans and parents came out to see songstress Christina Perri…
The vibe of last night’s Celebrity Theatre concert was certainly “Grown and Sexy” — as the name of the tour suggests. It had handcuffs, leather, hip thrusts, sweaty towels, dozens of roses, and two R&B artists who’ve probably made your bedroom play list in some former life (even if it…
