WM Phoenix Open
Audio By Carbonatix
Editor’s note: This story is updated and released each Thursday featuring concert listings that run through the following Sunday.
Every day, there are numerous opportunities to check out local and touring bands performing live around the Valley. Dive bars, midsize concert halls and arenas are among the spots where you can catch a concert. To help you make plans, here are some top-notch shows around town this weekend.
Ticketmaster
Acid Bath
Friday, May 8, 7 p.m.
The Van Buren
Acid Bath were never meant for the mainstream. The Louisiana sludge-metal band were cult favorites for most of the ‘‘’90s, mixing the best parts of doom, hardcore and Southern gothic grime into an intoxicating sonic brew. Decades later, they’re still putting audiences on blast again after staging a long-awaited reunion in 2024. Fu Manchu, Healing Magic and Strip The Soul open.
Le Youth
Friday, May 8, 9 p.m.
Sunbar
Le Youth makes melancholy-drenched tracks you can dance to. Since debuting in 2013, the L.A.-based DJ and producer mashes up deep house grooves with breezy vocals and emotional punch, turning heartbreak into fuel for late-night clubbing adventures.
RINO
Friday, May 8, 8 p.m.
The Rhythm Room
RINO might be the buzziest blues act in Phoenix right now. Fronted by Netherlands-born guitarist and vocalist Rinus Pauel, the four-piece folds rock, funk, indie and soul into a sound that’s already wowwed local crowds and won the Arizona Blues Challenge last year. In January, the band played the International Blues Challenge in Memphis and released their latest album, “Bottled Lightning.” They take the stage at The Rhythm Room this weekend.
El Ten Eleven
Friday, May 8, 8 p.m.
The Rebel Lounge
El Ten Eleven craft instrumental rock meant for music nerds that anyone can appreciate. Bassist Kristian Dunn and drummer Tim Fogarty layer looping grooves, live percussion and atmospheric textures into sprawling tracks that constantly shift and blurring the lines between post-rock, math rock and groove-filled experimentation. Tucson instrumental band Desert Music Project opens.
Pat Metheny
Saturday, May 9, 7:30 p.m.
Chandler Center for the Arts
The Grammy-winning guitar virtuoso Pat Metheny has made a career of folding fusion, folk and experimental sounds into jazz compositions that are technical without losing their warmth. Whether he’s shredding through impossible runs or drifting into quieter moments, Metheny still plays with the curiosity of someone exploring new territory.
Crankdat
Saturday, May 9, 9 p.m.
Rawhide Event Center
Crankdat is pure sensory overload. The Ohio-born DJ and producer slams together dubstep drops, trap beats and festival-sized chaos into tracks that hit your eardrums like a caffeine-fueled car crash. This weekend, Crankdat fills the suitably huge Rawhide Event Center with support from Zingara, Zen Selekta and Casey Club.
Autumn de Wilde
Florence + The Machine
Saturday, May 9, 7:30 p.m.
Desert Diamond Arena
Florence + the Machine are the sort of band you oughta see live at least once. The female-fronted alt-pop outfit bring their Everybody Scream Tour to Desert Diamond Arena this weekend, delivering gothic grandeur, emotional wreckage and full-volume catharsis. Florence Welch remains a transfixing figure onstage, backed by a show offering a mix of “folk-horror” spectacle and “stark, somber catharsis,” as one music writer described it.
The Dear Hunter
Sunday, May 10, 7 p.m.
Crescent Ballroom
The Dear Hunter are practically indie rock royalty. Led by Casey Crescenzo, the long-running band turns prog, chamber pop and cinematic flourishes into dense, detail-heavy songs. It’s ambitious stuff that’s never seemed sterile, packing enough emotion and spectacle to keep the whole thing from collapsing under its own weight. The Dear Hunter bring The Road to Sunya Tour to Crescent Ballroom in Phoenix this weekend with support from Closure in Moscow and K Sera.
Robby Krieger
Sunday, May 10, 6 and 8 p.m.
Musical Instrument Museum
Legendary guitarist Robby Krieger is no stranger to Valley. The Rock and Roll Hall of Famer rolled through Phoenix with The Doors in the ’60s and ’70s and, more recently, collaborated with Tempe band The Black Moods on a 2023 take on “Roadhouse Blues.” Fresh off celebrating The Doors’ 60th anniversary, Krieger visits the MIM this weekend for a pair of solo performances.
Aeydra Swan
Jesika Von Rabbit
Sunday, May 10, 7 p.m.
Thunderbird Lounge
California’s Jesika von Rabbit serves up electro-pop that’s hooky, bouncy and unapologetically weird. The former Gram Rabbit frontwoman infuses her glammy tunes with synths, style and full-on desert freakout vibes, resulting in shows where whimsically costumed dancers perform and the crowd is happily along for the ride. It’s equal parts dance party and performance art with a chaser of big midnight-movie energy. This weekend, Von Rabbit hops into Thunderbird Lounge for a free show.
