Read on for more details or click over to Phoenix New Times’ concert calendar for more shows happening from Monday, October 3, to Thursday, October 6.
Mom Jeans
Monday, October 3The Nile Theater, 105 West Main Street, MesaIt's hard not to tap along to Mom Jeans' pop-punk, but the music they play and the lyrics they sing are operating in two different worlds. Alternating between fast, hop-along power pop complete with twinkly guitar solos and slower, introspective punk, Mom Jeans capture the ups and downs of daily life and conflicting desires. "Wouldn't it be nice to not have to care about anything or anyone?" they sing on "Glamorous," in between vocal riffs on their favorite episodes of TV shows like The Office. Listening to Mom Jeans feels like talking on the phone with your best friend. They’re currently touring in support of their latest album, Sweet Tooth, which dropped earlier this year. Tickets for their Nile Theater show on Monday night are officially sold out but can be found on the secondary market (read: resellers). With Free Throw, Just Friends & Small Crush; 7 p.m. Julian Hernandez
Lagwagon
Tuesday, October 4The Underground, 105 West Main Street, MesaIf you rocked out to Lagwagon’s debut album Duh upon its release three decades ago, you probably oughta go take some ibuprofen for your back right about now. Like their contemporaries (and fellow Fat Wreck Chords signees) NOFX and Swingin' Utters, Lagwagon came up in the late ‘80s and early ‘90s and gave skaters, skins, and crusties everywhere such memorable poppy anthems as “Know It All,” “Mr. Coffee,” “Violins,” and “Angry Youth.” They kept it fun and kept it real, spurning major labels to stay on Fat Wreck for all of their studio albums and most of their EPs (save for a 1994 split 7-inch with Jughead’s Revenge). Lagwagon’s fanbase from those days has gotten inevitably older over the years, but has been augmented with younger punks who’ve discovered the band in recent times. As such, expect to see fans both young and old at The Underground this week when the band’s current tour celebrating the 30th anniversary of Duh comes to town. With Strung Out and Sack; 8 p.m., $28.50/$30 via seetickets.us. Benjamin Leatherman
Clutch
Tuesday, October 4The Van Buren, 401 West Van Buren StreetClutch has always been a prime example of how “slow and steady win the race.” After meeting in high school and forming the band in Maryland in 1991, the members — vocalist/guitarist/keyboardist Neil Fallon, lead guitarist Tim Sult, bassist Dan Maines, and drummer Jean-Paul Gaster — have never faltered. It's probably also attributed to the fact their wide tastes in music, which span everything for Black Sabbath to Bad Brains to Professor Long Hair, has helped them create a very solid, unique sound. Most fans remember the band's first major taste of heavy rock radio airplay with their single "The Mob Goes Wild" in 2004. Clutch’s discography is now 13 albums deep, with their latest being the recently released Sunrise on Slaughter Beach. It’s gotten praise from critics for its socially relevant lyrics and dirty, sludgy, heavy, and trippy sound. Alt-metal band Helmet, post-hardcore legends Quicksand, and bassist J.D. Pinkus of the Butthole Surfers open. 7 p.m., $35/$38 via livenation.com. Lauren Wise
The Doobie Brothers (from left): Michael McDonald, Pat Simmons, Tom Johnston, and John McFee.
Clay Patrick McBride
The Doobie Brothers
Tuesday, October 4Arizona Financial Theatre, 400 West Washington Street For over 50 years, the Doobie Brothers have enthralled music lovers with their brand of contemporary rock. This California band emerged at a time when music was changing from the bubblegum pop that charted in the '60s to the more contemplative acoustic sound that came to epitomize the West Coast. Lead singer and guitarist Tom Johnston is a founding member of the original quartet that was initially formed in 1970 in San Jose. Other original members included guitarist and vocalist Patrick Simmons, bassist Dave Shogren, and drummer John Hartman (who died last month at age 72). It wasn’t until 1975 that Michael McDonald stepped in as lead vocalist because of Johnston’s failing health due to a bleeding ulcer. Guitarist and violinist John McFee came aboard in 1979. The band was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2020. This year, Johnston, McDonald, Simmons, and McFee are traveling across the country for The Doobie Brothers' 50th-anniversary tour, which is coming to downtown Phoenix this week. This show was rescheduled from its original date in October 2021 due to COVID-19 issues. 7:30 p.m., $79.50 via livenation.com. Timothy Rawles
The Midnight
Wednesday, October 5The Van Buren, 401 West Van Buren StreetSynthwave duo The Midnight traffic in a style of synthwave music that is virtually immortal at this point; should humanity survive a century or two from now people will still be listening to keyboard-drenched music with neon vibes and an emotionally constipated man singing over them. Long after we are all dust the synth revival will continue to play on. While The Midnight are a duo, they’re touring their new album Heroes as a full band. A flock of sonic magpies, The Midnight feather their synthwave nest with a variety of sounds and visions: Vangelis, New Romantic music, John Hughes movies, Japanese city pop, electroclash, and house music. It’s moody, it's sexy, and you can dance to it. Don’t worry about the generic vocals or cliche-ridden lyrics; The Midnight is all about recapturing that feeling you had the first time you watched Drive. 7 p.m., $30/$35 via livenation.com. Ashley Naftule
The HorrorPops
Wednesday, October 5Marquee Theatre, 730 North Mill Avenue, TempeIt’s been a spell since Danish psychobilly band The HorrorPops have put out any new albums, owing to the fact their most recent release (2008’s Kiss Kiss Kill Kill) came out more than 14 years ago. It’s not stopping the gothy and punky act (which resembles a mid-2000s Hot Topic store in human form) from touring and neither is singer Patricia Day’s ongoing fight with cancer, which started earlier this year. The formidable frontwoman, who founded the band with husband Kim Nekroman (of The Nekromantix fame) in 1996, has reportedly been undergoing treatment but is ready to return to enrapture their audiences with wicked songs like "Misstake," "Walk Like a Zombie," and "Psychobitches Outta Hell." If Day’s efforts at battling cancer are as fierce as her vocals on songs like “Freaks in Uniform,” we’re certain she’ll be fine. 7:30 p.m., $30-$60 via ticketweb.com. Benjamin Leatherman
Stevie Nicks
Thursday, October 6Ak-Chin Pavilion, 2121 North 83rd Avenue
Editor's note: This show was postponed until Saturday, November 5. All previously sold tickets will be honored.
