By Benjamin Leatherman
You won’t need to crack open any Shasta when reading this week’s edition of Future Shock, since the latest crop of “just announced” concerts heading to the Valley is already packed with plenty of pop. From squeaky clean bubblegum starlets to cutie-pie pop-punkers, we’re gonna be giving you some sugar, baby (as well as upcoming shows by some punk rock legends and a noted jazz superstar).
Mandy Moore With supporting acts Rachael Yamagata, and Chris Stills Monday, October 8, 6:30 p.m. Martini Ranch in Scottsdale Tickets cost $22 (on sale now, visit www.luckymanonline.com) It doesn’t get any poppier than former teen queen Mandy Moore, who’s touring in support of her newest disc, Wild Hope, an album that’s been lauded by critics as being more soulful and thoughtful than any of her previous work. Random fact: Mandy Moore has dated actors Wilmer Valderrama, Billy Crawford, and Zach Braff, as well as being romantically linked to superstar turntablist Adam Goldstein (a.k.a. DJ AM).
--
Kelly Clarkson Tuesday, November 20, 7:30 p.m. ASU Gammage Auditorium Tickets cost $37 (on sale Saturday, visit www.ticketmaster.com) After dismal ticket sales forced her to cancel a slate of summertime gigs at such large arenas as the U.S. Airways Center, the original American Idol is setting her sights a bit lower by booking a fall tour at smaller venues like the 3,000-seat Gammage. We’re still thinking it’s gonna be a challenge to fill the place, given the somewhat dodgy quality of the songs on her latest CD, My December (which Clarkson largely wrote herself) where she sounds kinda like a warmed-over Alanis Morrisette, particularly on the song “Never Again.” Random fact: Clarkson is the spokeswoman for both Vitamin Water and acne medicine Proactiv.
--
Paramore With The Starting Line Thursday, November 15, 6 p.m. Marquee Theatre in Tempe Tickets cost $20 pre-sale, $22 day-of-show (on sale now, www.luckymanonline.com) For erudite music journalists such as ourselves, it’s probably a major faux pas for us to enjoy major label pop-punkers such as Paramore, but like 311 says, “Fuck the naysayers 'cause they don't mean a thing.” We’ve spent a lot of time lately spinning Paramore’s latest disc, Riot!, in our CD players, particularly the songs “Misery Business” and “For a Pessimist, I'm Pretty Optimistic,” where hottie vocalist Hayley Williams sings unrelenting lyrics about cheating boyfriends and backbiting friends set to catchy hooks and steady beats spat out by the band’s other three members. Random fact: Paramore’s first album, All We Know is Falling, was released by indie label Fueled By Ramen.
--
Citizen Fish With supporting acts MDC, The Prosthetics, and Heatstroke Wednesday, November 7, 7 p.m. The Sets in Tempe Tickets cost $10 (on sale now, visit www.luckymanonline.com) Moving from gleeful pop-punk to ass-thrashing ska-punk, Britain’s legendary Citizen Fish are gonna blow through P-Town, backed up by beyond-famous anarchopunk icons MDC (which, depending on who you ask, means either Millions of Dead Cops, Millions of Damn Christians, or Metal Devil Cokes). For those who ain’t in the know (and we pity you if you aren’t), Citizen Fish has been kicking around since the early '90s, made up at various times by former and current members of the Subhumans, and have assaulted the music world with their ideological, politically-charged, and anarchistic lyrics.
--
Herbie Hancock Friday, November 16, 8 p.m. Orpheum Theatre in Phoenix Tickets cost $37.50 to $57.50 (on sale now, visit www.ticketmaster.com) While keyboardist extraordinaire Herbie Hancock has been a towering figure in the jazz world for decades, our first taste of the dood came by way of the cool-as-fuck 1983 single, “Rockit.” As much as we dug both the phat synthesizer melodies laid down by Hancock and the endless record scratchings from NYC turntablist great Grand Mixer DXT, the music video for the song -- filled with freaky and funky robots -- was even more awesome, thrilling us as kids whenever we caught it on the embryonic MTV. It’s kinda unlikely the 67 year-old Hancock still performs the song in concert, but we can always hope. Random fact: Hancock’s birthday is April 12.
--
Rumor has it: While we haven’t gotten any kind of official confirmation on the matter, we’ve heard some scuttlebutt lately that Mr. “Get-R-Done” himself, Larry the Cable Guy, will be visiting the U.S. Airways Center on Sunday, December 16.
