And that’s just on Friday.
The rest of the weekend’s music lineup is just as star-studded, as chart-topping artists like Imagine Dragons, 21 Savage, Lee Brice, and The Chainsmokers will headline concerts and parties throughout the metro Phoenix area. If you’d prefer to stay as far as possible from the Super Bowl hullabaloo, there are other shows happening this weekend with absolutely nothing to do with the big game.
Read on for full details about all of the big concerts taking place in the Valley from Friday, February 10, to Sunday, February 12. You can also check out Phoenix New Times’ online listings for more live music around town this weekend.
Machine Gun Kelly
Friday, February 10Coors Light Birds Nest, 17020 North Hayden Road, ScottsdaleIt's popular to hate on polarizing rapper-turned-pop-punk-rocker Machine Gun Kelly these days for myriad reasons, including the quality of his music, his beef with Eminem, or the fact he’s dating Megan Fox. But you can’t begrudge the dude for his epic career. MGK started out as a rapper, rocketing to fame behind the 2012 track “Wild Boy” and his Puff Daddy-produced debut album Lace Up. After a pair of rap releases (2015’s General Admission and 2017’s Bloom), Kelly began transitioning into more of a rock ‘n’ roll vein on 2019’s Hotel Diablo, which blended alt-rock with hip-hop. His last two albums, 2020’s Tickets to My Downfall and last year’s Mainstream Sellout, were produced by Travis Barker and are heavy on guitar-driven pop-punk, as MGK has fully embraced the genre. Expect to hear songs from throughout his career at his show this weekend at the Coors Light Birds Nest at the Waste Management Open in north Scottsdale. With Jxdn; 6:30 p.m., tickets are available on the secondary market. Benjamin Leatherman
Tailgate Time Machine feat. T-Pain
Friday, February 10The Hot Chick, 4363 North 75th Street, ScottsdaleIt'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. Hang out at The Hot Chick during the second night of its weekend-long Tailgate Time Machine party, which will be headlined by T-Pain, to see if we’re right. 7 p.m., $99-$299 via eventbrite.com. Ashley Naftule
Bud Light Super Bowl Music Fest feat. Dave Matthews Band
Friday, February 10Footprint Center, 201 East Jefferson StreetThere's a lot you can say about Dave Matthews: the fact that his stage banter voice is a dead ringer for Sandler's Bobby Boucher; or that time his tour bus accidentally dumped roughly 800 pounds of human waste on top of a sightseeing boat while it crossed a bridge over the Chicago River. However, you also have to admit the musician/vocalist is immensely talented and a consummate showman. A lot of groups have made their livings by becoming a “jam band” but few of them have crossed over to the mainstream like DMB. It helps that their spicy gumbo of rock, jazz fusion, funk, folk, and roots music is actually tuneful, catchy, and responsible for a few hit songs (like the immortal pervert anthem “Crash”). DMB shows are raucous, long affairs but they speed by quickly thanks to Dave’s bizarro comedic stylings between songs and the band’s undeniably tight dynamics and chemistry. You don’t need to be blazed to enjoy this kind of jam band music (but it doesn’t hurt). This weekend, DMB headlines the second evening of the Bud Light Super Bowl Music Fest in downtown Phoenix. Anderson .Paak’s alter-ego DJ Pee .Wee will perform an all-vinyl opening set. 7:30 p.m., $49.50-$500 via ticketmaster.com. Ashley Naftule
Super Weekend feat. Cardi B
Friday, February 10 W Scottsdale Hotel, 7277 East Camelback RoadOne of the most high-profile shows (and hottest tickets) during Super Bowl weekend in the Valley will be this 21-and-over performance by record-breaking female rapper Cardi B at the W Scottsdale. The NYC-born superstar will be one of the highest-profile recording artists performing during Super Bowl weekend and has plenty of hit tracks in her repertoire, including such chart-topping singles as "Bodak Yellow," "Please Me," "Up," and the controversial "WAP.” While we’ve heard that Cardi B’s gig won’t be as long as one of her concerts, you’re likely to hear her perform a selection of songs. Expect to pay a hefty price tag (plus fees and taxes) for the privilege of seeing the Grammy-winning artist do her thing. Friday Beers, a comedy platform and lifestyle brand, will host the show. 9 p.m., $500 via tixr.com. Benjamin Leatherman
Dru Hill
Friday, February 10Chandler Center for the Arts, 250 North Arizona Avenue, ChandlerNo matter what the members of Dru Hill do, their most enduring contribution to popular music will always be the “Thong Song.” When Dru Hill member Sisqo cut a solo record back in the late ‘90s, his ode to “dumps like a truck” became a monster smash. Suffice it to say, there’s more to the R&B ensemble than one of its members recording butt-floss anthems. Hailing from the rugged lands of Baltimore, the group (which formed in 1992) shared a fixation on Asian imagery with the Wu-Tang Clan. Whereas the Wu went hard with it, Dru Hill channeled their love for similar influences toward softer styles: soul and gospel music. The Hill crew sang pillowy-soft cuts like “In My Bed” and “How Deep Is Your Love,” racking up an impressive run of swoon-worthy number-one hits before Sisqo forever turned them into the prologue to the “Thong Song’s” reign of terror. Could be worse; at least it wasn’t “My Humps.” 7:30 p.m., $48-$180 via ticketmaster.com. Ashley Naftule
FanDuel Party feat. The Killers
Friday, February 10Tempe Beach Park, 80 West Rio Salado ParkwayIf one wanted to find a single movie scene that encapsulates the weirdness of the early 21st century, look no further than the musical number in Richard Kelly's 2006 freakout Southland Tales. Pop star Justin Timberlake (playing a burnt-out U.S. sniper) lip-syncs to The Killers "All These Things That I've Done" while Busby Berkeley-esque dancers wheel around him. It’s a baffling piece of filmmaking where U.S. imperialism, the teenybopper industrial complex, new rock-pop royalty, and old Hollywood collide for five minutes. What makes this scene even weirder is that, a decade-plus later, The Killers are more culturally relevant than onetime superstar Timberlake. The "don't call them a Mormon band" Las Vegas group have managed to hang tough in the zeitgeist thanks to their surprisingly long catalog of hits and their signature song “Mr. Brightside” spending years on the pop charts. A lot of the 21st century has trended toward either ’80s pastiche or Springsteen homaging: The Killers are one of the few groups smart enough to build a career standing right in the middle of those two poles. They’re a little bit New Romantic, a little bit Heartland, and 100 percent earnest. 8 p.m., free via fanduel.com/fanduel-party. Ashley Naftule
Alt-rock radio favorites Imagine Dragons are one of the headliners of the 2023 Super Bowl Music Fest.
Eliot Lee Hazel
Bud Light Super Bowl Music Fest feat. Imagine Dragons
Saturday, February 11Footprint Center, 201 East Jefferson StreetFew – if any – bands in the past few years have had the ascent like Imagine Dragons have had. A few short years ago, if a group headlined venues like Comerica Theatre, then they were ready for even bigger locales. And with good reason. The Las Vegas natives have been as close to a sure bet on rock radio when it comes to their abundance of hits. If “Radioactive” put them on listeners’ radars, then “Demons” and “I Bet My Life” off the band’s sophomore effort Smoke + Mirrors cemented them as fixtures on many people’s dial. With Kane Brown; 7:30 p.m., $49.50-$500 via ticketmaster.com. Phoenix New Times
