Most anticipated Phoenix summer concerts 2025

Music saves, they say. When it’s summertime in Phoenix, salvation is needed. Sure, we all get tired of discussing the flaming hot weather, but it’s real and a part of life as an Arizona resident or tourist. What we can do is find relief, and luckily, we have a thriving creative culture to dive into like a big, cool wave pool.

Concerts are abundant throughout the year, and the summer season is no different. In fact, there’s so much to choose from that it’s hard to pick which ones to attend. Some great things are happening simultaneously. To make it easy, we chose 28 of the most anticipated shows this summer.

Kool and the Gang
Friday, July 18
Wild Horse Pass
Come on, you can celebrate good times by moving to the funk and soul sounds of classic act Kool and the Gang. A band since the ’60s, not all the original members are still performing, and some have died, but founding member Robert “Kool” Bell is holding it down, playing the sounds that influenced a ton of bands.

Mereba
Friday, July 18
Valley Bar
The Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter has gained popularity since releasing her album “The Jungle is the Only Way Out” in 2019. Her music combines blues, folk and hip-hop elements with a smooth sweetness. This Breeze Tour might be the last chance to see the artist in such an intimate setting.
Wavves
Wednesday, July 23, 8 p.m.
Crescent Ballroom
Nathan Williams has been making his super catchy indie pop music for over a decade, with a few lineup changes. The songs are peppered with surf rock sounds and lyrics like “Let the sun burn my eyes/Let it burn my back,” enforcing the beach as the band’s backbone.

Less Than Jake
Friday, July 25, 7 p.m.
The Van Buren
Ska always gets a bad rap. Critics call it cringe, outdated and beloved only by aging neckbeards. But Florida ska-punk heroes Less Than Jake couldn’t. They’ll grin and fire off another brass-soaked, high-octane anthem. Meanwhile, LTJ has been riding high in recent years. Their 2024 “Uncharted” EP scored great reviews and landed on charts in both the US and the UK. And their current tour with fellow icons The Suicide Machines and Fishbone sounds like a major dose of frenzied ska energy. — BL

The Aquabats
Monday, July 28, 7 p.m.
Marquee Theatre
Crime-fighting superheroes who are here to save the world. This Southern California rock band. Just ask them. The costumes are also a giveaway. Their original sound of mostly ska still has the flavor but has become a little more pop-punky, but always fun, zesty and energetic, no matter what they’ve got up their uniformed sleeves. Fun fact: Blink-182 drummer Travis Barker was once an Aquabat.
Wiz Khalifia: With Dom Kennedy, Earl Sweatshirt, Curren$y, Ab-Soul and Chevy Woods
Friday, Aug. 1, 6:30 p.m.
Talking Stick Resort Amphitheatre
The laid-back rapper brings his Good Vibes Only Tour: Smoker’s Edition to town along with multiple hip-hop acts like Grammy-nominated Earl Sweatshirt for a night of music.

Primus
Friday, Aug. 1
Arizona Financial Theatre
“Pork Soda,” “Suck on This” and” Sailing the Seas of Cheese” are Primus record titles that reflect the band’s penchant for quirk. As silly as their themes might be, the band delivers them with the requisite cat-swallowed-the-canary grin. The sound takes it to the next level with singer Claypool’s vocal twang and unique, prominent bass playing that helped define the group.

Russ
Sunday, Aug. 3
Talking Stick Resort Amphitheatre
The Atlanta rapper and producer knows how to hustle. He built up a base of fans by releasing songs weekly for a chunk of time. He can take on some personal themes in his music, which is often driven by slow-paced beats with a haunting flair.
Buddy Guy
Friday, Aug. 8, 8 p.m.
Gila River Resorts & Casinos — Wild Horse Pass
Variety called Buddy Guy the “most legendary blues guitarist walking the planet for one good reason. The Grammy winner was influenced by Muddy Waters, played alongside Howlin’ Wolf and Junior Wells, and helped define the electrifying Chicago sound that lit the fuse for rock ‘n’ roll. Guy’s work doesn’t sing, it wails and burns with piercing tones that cut straight through the soul, while his vocals are all anguish and grit. He’s an influence 70-plus years into his career, recently appearing and performing in Ryan Coogler’s flick “Sinners.” — BL

Chris Stapleton’s Road Show
Friday, Aug. 8 and Saturday, Aug. 9, 7:30 p.m.
Desert Diamond Arena
Singer-songwriter Chris Stapleton is one of country’s greats. The multiple Grammy winner stands apart from the country-pop filler dominating the genre with his unique sound, blending soul, bluegrass, Americana, and rock with a voice that hits like a freight train. His annual All-American Roadshow rolls into the Valley for a two-evening stint, with an opening set by wild-haired country rocker Marty Stuart and His Fabulous Superlatives both nights. It’s the perfect antidote for the dog days of summer. — BL

Ghost
Monday, Aug. 11, 8 p.m.
PHX Arena
Brace yourselves, sinners: Papa V Perpetua and the other costumed members of legendary Swedish metal band Ghost will invade downtown Phoenix in August with their Skeletour, melting faces while saving your immortal soul. For the uninitiated, the band fuses doom metal, prog, glam and pop into one unholy sonic spectacle. Imagine blasphemous sermons wrapped in arena-worthy riffs, Catholic iconography, macabre imagery and goth-rock swagger. Since 2006, they’ve had a cult-like following, won a Grammy, and swayed countless fans to their flock. Evil’s never sounded so good.
Lainey Wilson
Thursday, Aug. 14, 7 p.m.
PHX Arena
Lainey Wilson has everything going for her. The Louisiana native is one of country music’s rising stars, known for her storytelling, smoky and soulful vocals, a captivating stage presence and a free-spirited style recalling Stevie Nicks. She’s amassed a legion of fans, an armful of awards and multiple chart-topping hits. Some of Wilson’s songs (“Heart Like a Truck” and “Watermelon Moonshine”) are packed with emotion and rooted in the heartland, illustrating how she’s a little bit country and rock ‘n’ roll. — BL

Cardinal Black
Saturday, Aug. 23
Rebel Lounge
This soul-tinged rock band from Wales is coming into its own. After a start and stop a decade ago, the pandemic pulled them back together for some online collaboration, and an EP soon followed. Now, huge acts like Steve Winwood have been singing their praises, and on this current tour, tickets are selling like those proverbial hotcakes.

Lost ’80s With A Flock of Seagulls, Big Country, General Public, The Vapors and more
Wednesday, Aug. 20, 6 p.m.
Arizona Financial Theatre
This is a concert you don’t want to miss, for sure, like, totally. These groups defined a chunk of the ’80s alternative rock and new wave scenes and have plenty of hits to sing along to and dance the night away. Make it extra special and grab a can of Aqua Net hairspray, a teasing comb and get that hairdo pointing up, high to the sky.  Modest Mouse
Monday, Aug. 25, 8 p.m.
The Van Buren
The indie rock band from Washington started making music long before they encouraged everyone to “Float On,” for decades, in fact. Concert attendees get to hear songs from their long career that started with “This is a Long Drive for Someone with Nothing to Think About.” Different bands are serving as tour openers. Phoenix gets the Chicago duo Friko.

Offspring with Jimmy Eat World and New Found Glory
Wednesday, Aug. 27, 7 p.m.
Talking Stick Resort Amphitheatre
Three words Phoenix music fans love to say: Jimmy Eat World, the band that started in the early '90s and rose to international fame, is extra beloved in the Southwest desert. The Offspring are California rockers that came up in the '80s skate punk and parallel music scenes, also transcending their hometown digs for worldwide acclaim. New Found Glory adds their pop punk to the equation.

Lil Wayne
Friday, Aug. 29
Talking Stick Resort Amphitheatre
Lil Wayne’s release “Tha Carter VI” has often received a critical drubbing (with Slant Magazine calling the album “mean, boring, insular and uninspired”). The multiplatinum rapper’s tour, which features Weezy performing high-energy sets packed with 20-plus years of hits from his massive back catalog, has gotten rave reviews. Expect the same when the hip-hop icon hits Talking Stick Resort Amphitheatre in late August. Tyga and Belly Gang Kushington open. — BL

Blues Traveler, Gin Blossoms and Spin Doctors
Saturday, Aug. 30, 6 p.m.
The Pool at Talking Stick Resort
’Tis the season for throwback tours, those nostalgia-fueled summer treks featuring the radio favorites of decades past. Case in point: Blues Traveler co-headlining a cross-country jaunt alongside the Valley’s Gin Blossoms and ragamuffin two-hit wonders Spin Doctors opening. Has it been eons since each band cracked the charts? Yes. Can they still bring the heat with such respective hits as “Runaround,” “Hey Jealousy” and” Little Miss Can’t Be Wrong”? Also yes. — BL


“Weird “Al” Yankovic
Sunday, Aug. 31, 8 p.m.
Arizona Financial Theatre
A “Weird Al” Yankovic concert is something everyone should experience at least once. And after a few experimental tours (where he played deep cuts or was backed by full orchestras), the song-parody legend’s Bigger and Weirder tour returns to his regular format with all the usual over-the-top absurdity and gleeful, nerdy fun. Expect numerous costume changes, polka medleys and even a stage filled with Imperial Stormtroopers as “Weird Al” belts out his best-known tunes. — BL

Circle Jerks: With Gorilla Biscuits & Negative Approach
Saturday, Sept. 6, 8 p.m.
The Van Buren
A night of hardcore punk with three of the biggest and longest-running bands in the biz. Each of these pioneering acts brings their own fast and furious style to the stage for an audience that will be packed with forever fans and the newbies these groups continue to pull into the punk mix. Get in the pit.

$uicideboy$
Monday, Sept. 8 and Tuesday, Sept. 9, 6:30 p.m.
Talking Stick Resort Amphitheatre
$uicideboy$ came up fast and filthy out of the New Orleans underground. Born on SoundCloud, the duo of Scrim and Ruby da Cherry built a following with their grimy beats, raw lyrics and DGAF style. Mixing punk energy, horrorcore vibes and trap productions, $uicideboy$ frequently get dark and deeply personal (often confronting depression and addiction head-on in their tracks). Over the past 12 years, they’ve had hits, packed out venues and become one of underground rap’s most notorious acts. — BL
Lucy Dacus
Thursday, Sept. 11, 8:00 p.m.
Arizona Financial Theatre
The singer and songwriter’s voice is as rich as her guitar playing. Dacus, who also plays in the indie supergroup Boygenius with Phoebe Bridgers, crafts lush songs with backbones that range from poppy to driving and sometimes both simultaneously. Her Forever and a Feeling tour will feature songs from her recent record, which shares the tour’s title.

Nine Inch Nails
Tuesday, Sept. 16, 7:30 p.m.
PHX Arena
Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross might be busy scoring films and winning every award known to humankind, but they haven’t forsaken Nine Inch Nails die-hards. NIN’s Peel It Back tour is huge. Massive staging. Dark, moody vibes and visuals. And varied setlists packed with deep cuts like “La Mer,” “Shit Mirror” and “That’s What I Get” along with staples like “Wish” and “Closer.” As for Reznor, he’s singing with Henry Rollins-level ferocity on the mic. NIN fanatics will be pleased. — BL

Haim
Tuesday, Sept. 23, 6:30 p.m.
Mesa Amphitheatre
Este, Danielle and Alana Haim are the sisters who make up this pop-rock trio that sing harmonious, hooky vocals over the pop music they create, which is often soft and anthemic at the same time. Sometimes you’ll hit a track that’s a soulful march. In any case, try to keep them out of your head once you’ve taken the plunge. Destroyer
Friday, Sept. 26, 7 p.m.
Rebel Lounge
The group is a collective led by Dan Bejar since the mid-’9mid-’90syou never know from record to record what you’ll get. That’s the true beauty and magic of this ongoing musical project. There are at times folk, synth, rock and roll and an avant-garde umbrella towering about whatever is clever for Dan at the time.

Psychedelic Furs and Gary Numan
Saturday, Sept. 27,
Wild Horse Pass
Both acts started in the 1970s and became huge in the ’80s. While you may wax nostalgic at their show, both have been creating music and hitting the road to play it for decades, and honing their respective live shows. It’s fun to hear hits like the Furs’ “Love My Way” and, of course, Gary Numan talking about what happens in “Cars.”

Ice Cube
Tuesday, Sept. 30, 8 p.m.
Desert Diamond Arena
When the tour’s title is Truth to Power: 4 Decades of Attitude, you better believe it’s a celebration of 40 years of music. What we are really excited about is what the production will involve. On his Instagram and in interviews, Cube has teased that it will be massive.