Details about each of these concerts are located below. For more shows happening around town from Friday, December 9, to Sunday, December 11, check out Phoenix New Times’ online music listings.
The Black Moods
Friday, December 9Marquee Theatre, 730 North Mill Avenue, TempeInto the Night, the newest album from Phoenix power trio The Black Moods, was recorded in unusual circumstances — when the COVID-19 pandemic hit and the live music scene evaporated, singer/guitarist Josh Kennedy, bassist Jordan Hoffman, and drummer Chico Diaz headed to Missouri and "spent all summer [2020] recording, tracking, and writing the new album.” The first single and video off Into the Night, "She Gets Out," is consistent with the Moods' sound — upbeat, driving songs that hit like a modern update of the Tempe desert rock sound of the '90s. They’ve released three singles from the album, including "Saturday Night,” which blew up big and charted on Billboard and became The Black Moods’ fifth song to do so (four songs from the band’s 2020 album Sunshine hit the Top 40 rock chart, including “Bad News,” “Whatcha Got,” and “Bella Donna”). What’s next for the band? A hometown show on Friday at Tempe’s Marquee Theatre. With Royal Bliss; 7 p.m., $30-$60 via ticketweb.com. Jennifer Goldberg
Geoff Tate
Friday, December 9Celebrity Theatre, 440 North 32nd StreetGeoff Tate has always been seen as one of rock ‘n’ roll's more archetypal frontmen. During his 20-year stint as the original singer for prog-metal legends Queensryche, he sold more than 20 million albums worldwide and sold out shows in dozens of countries. He’s previously been ranked in the top 20 on Hit Parader's “100 Greatest Metal Vocalists of All Time,” among other honors. Tate parted ways with Queensryche in 2012 after an ugly spat turned into a legal battle over who owned the band’s name. He’s continued to perform many of the Queensryche songs he had a hand in writing, including “Jet City Woman,” “Another Rainy Night (Without You),” “I Am I,” and “Real World.” In fact, they make up the bulk of the setlist on his Big Rock Show Hits tour, which rolls into the Valley this weekend with Irish rock musician Mark Daly as an opener. 8 p.m., $25-$65 via etix.com. Lauren Wise
Freshtivus
Saturday, December 10Trill, 1817 East Indian School RoadAs is the norm for Trill, you can encounter all four elements of hip-hop culture during its afternoon-long Freshtivus affair on Saturday, including “rappin, breakin, [and] graffiti.” Headliners 3MG (a.k.a. 3 Melancholy Gypsys) — the Bay Area trio of indie and alternative hip-hop artists Murs, Eligh, and Scarub — will be the ones rappin’ during the all-ages event, as will emcees KNXN.WAV, DoneOne, and Joe Louis. Local producer Kite9D3 will offer a live beat set while turntablists Fact135 and This Just-In will spin between performances. Elsewhere, graf artists, b-boys, and b-girls will do their thing, and a “Funky Flea Market” will be populated by vendors. If you’re a fan of Phoenix hip-hop culture, there’s no greater gift you can get during the holidays. Noon, $15 via eventbrite.com. Benjamin Leatherman
T-Pain & Rick Ross
Saturday, December 10Gila River Resorts & Casinos: Wild Horse Pass, 5040 Wild Horse Pass BoulevardIt's easy to hate T-Pain for helping to make Auto-Tune an inescapable fact of life in the 2010s. He did pitch correction before anybody, using the much-maligned audio processor to give his voice a slippery, almost impish quality. Many imitated him but few shared his raw charisma, his talent for crafting earworms, and his sense of humor. Appearing on The Masked Singer and hosting his own reality show, T-Pain has entered the Snoop Dogg phase of his career: a beloved TV presence. While he hasn’t made any recent big hits, his back catalog is packed with more than enough bangers to carry a whole show. His touring mate, Rick Ross, is still a menace on wax. The big man has found a second life as a guest rapper par excellence; a full Rick Ross album in the 2020s isn't a great time, but give Rick 30 seconds to a minute on somebody else's song and he will blow them off the track. Listen to him teaming up with Freddie Gibbs on songs like "Lobster Omelette" and "Scottie Beam" and you can hear how even a cool customer like Gibbs can struggle to keep up with The Boss. Like an old lion, he may spend most of the day sleeping, but when he’s up he’s eating. 9:30 p.m., $69-$125 via ticketmaster.com. Ashley Naftule
Eight Annual Holiday Extravaganza
Saturday, December 10The Rebel Lounge, 2303 East Indian School RoadWhile holiday shows can sometimes be mixed bags that rely on shtick and schmaltz, this “yuletide bash” at The Rebel Lounge will be all about quality music from four gems from the Valley music scene. Wheelwright, the Americana-tinged solo project of Jared Kolesar (formerly of Jared and the Mill), will ostensibly headline the event. Sharing the bill are talented singer-songwriters Danielle Durack and Joey Gutos, both of whom mine different corners of indie pop. And anyone into moody music won’t want to miss the set by local duo Proper Pet, who, as we described earlier this year, craft dreamy tunes that “[emphasize] earnest lyricism and the kind of ironically sad vibes that feel genuinely cathartic.” 8 p.m., $18/$20 via seetickets.us. Benjamin Leatherman
Yuridia
Saturday, December 10Arizona Federal Theatre, 400 West Washington StreetYuridia’s journey to Latin pop stardom started out in the Valley. While growing up in Mesa, she was reportedly influenced early on by the regional Mexican styles she’d hear on the school bus or at family events. As a teen, she eschewed he senior year at Mesa High School to compete on the fourth season of the reality musical talent show La Academia. Yuridia parlayed her second-place finish into her 2005 debut, 2005’s La Voz de un Ángel, which went diamond in her native country. Five more hit albums followed, as well as smash singles like 2011’s “Ya Te Olvidé,” which topped the Latin charts in both the U.S. and Mexico. Yuridia newest release, Pa Luego Es Tarde, features her getting back to her musical roots by incorporating elements of the Norteño genre. She’s set to return for a hometown show this weekend. 8 p.m., $49-$69 via livenation.com. Benjamin Leatherman
The Struts
Sunday, December 11Marquee Theatre, 730 North Mill Avenue, Tempe British invasions seem to happen in waves. The first is where you get the heavy hitters: your Beatles, Stones, Oasis, Smiths. Next comes more culty favorites like Manic Street Preachers, Elastica, and Fairport Convention. Then there’s the dreaded third wave, those British bands that seem to have been manufactured in a lab by the UK music press to be the Next Big Thing: your Libertines, and The Struts. They have all the Anglophile selling points: handsome singers! Stylish clothes! Tasteful and noticeable influences! But you can’t help but feel like you’re getting tofu when you order a steak. The Struts are very much a third-wave rock band, but they make the best of it. Drawing on a love of The Strokes and Def Leppard, the Struts make a very English version of cock-rock. Singer Luke Spiller invests a lot of “oh, behave” dandy energy into his singing while guitarist Adam Slack runs through an arsenal of good-time riffs that does an impeccable job of reminding you of five other songs you like. Much like The Libertines, The Struts make great music for feeling debauched AND continental. If you want to feel worldly while getting drunk enough to make out with a stranger at a rock show, The Struts have got you covered. With Girlfriends; 7:30 p.m., $27-$47 via ticketweb.com. Ashley Naftule
