Here Are the Biggest Concerts Coming to Phoenix in April 2022

April comes by its status as one of the biggest months for concerts in the Valley honestly. The next 30 days and nights (give or take) will be crammed with notable names and influential acts, blockbuster tours, and even a festival or three.

One of the big reasons is the return of Coachella. A number of bands, artists, and DJs are scheduled to perform at the high-profile music festival in Indio, California — including Billie Eilish, Orville Peck, Baby Keem, Omar Apollo, The Hu, Girl in Red, and King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard — over the course of two weekends also have dates in the Valley before, after, and in between their Coachella appearances.

You’ll details about each of their respective gigs below in our rundown of the biggest concert in metro Phoenix in April, as well as info about such local festivals as PHXLIGHTS: Altered Orbit, Country Thunder Arizona, and KUPD’s annual UFest.

Other highlights include shows by the Alan Parsons Live Project, Haim, Rob Zombie, Poppy, Deftones, Ace Frehley, Los Tigres del Norte, and Spiritualized. (And for even more live music happening in the Valley in April, check out Phoenix New Times’ concert listings.)

PHXLIGHTS: Altered Orbit at Phoenix Raceway

Back in 2015, Phoenix Lights debuted as a UFO-themed EDM festival. It took a break due to the pandemic, but now it's back as a reimagined concept. Presented by local promoter Relentless Beats, PHXLIGHTS: Altered Orbit will feature sets by GRiZ, RL Grime, Liquid Stranger, Zomboy, Rusko, Flosstradamus, Champagne Drip, Jantsen, Smoakland, Leotrix, Proper., and SAAS. The two-day event takes place on Friday, April 1, and Saturday, April 2, at Phoenix Raceway, 7602 Jimmie Johnson Drive in Avondale. Gates open at 7 p.m. and basic general admission is $65 per person each night or $129 for the entire weekend. Jennifer Goldberg

Billie Eilish at Gila River Casino

If it seems like you've heard the name Billie Eilish a great deal the past few years, that's only because you have. From sweeping the Grammys in 2020 to winning an Oscar recently for performing the theme to No Time to Die, the pop singer-songwriter has been all over pop culture and social media. Her career arc has been rising steadily for seven years. When she was just a fresh-faced 14-year-old, she and her older brother, Finneas O'Connell — a singer-songwriter and producer in his own right who has collaborated extensively with his sister — uploaded the short but catchy tune "Ocean Eyes" to SoundCloud. It quickly gained momentum, and despite having few songs to her name, Eilish promptly began developing a dedicated following.

Its success pales in comparison to that of “Bad Guy,” Eilish’s breakthrough single from her 2019 debut, When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go? The track rocketed to the apex of the Billboard Top 40 charts, got constant radio airplay, and earned her an armful of Grammy Awards, including Record of the Year. Her 2021 follow-up, Happier Than Ever has also been a runaway success, resulting in numerous sold-out dates on her current tour. That includes her two-night stint at Gila River Arena, 9400 West Maryland Avenue, on Saturday, April 2, and Monday, April 4. Tickets for both concerts, which start at 7:30 p.m., are only available on the secondary market. Carolina del Busto and Benjamin Leatherman

Sepultura at The Nile Theater

Portuguese for "grave," Sepultura is a Brazilian heavy metal band formed in 1984 that has managed to stay relevant for nearly 40 years thanks to the band's openness to adapting and evolving with the sounds of heavy metal as they shift. Over the years, the band has combined elements of thrash, groove, death, alternative, industrial, and even nu-metal into its arsenal. Though its only consistent member has been bass player and backing vocalist Paulo Jr., Sepultura has consistently released a new album every few years since its early days. The band's most recent album, Quadra, was released in early 2020, the concept of which was based on Quadrivium, the four arts — arithmetic, geometry, music, and astronomy. The band divided the 12-track album into four sections of three songs and played a different kind of metal for each section. Sepultura’s latest tour comes to The Nile Theater, 105 West Main Street in Mesa, on Tuesday, April 5. Sacred Reich, Crowbar, and Art of Shock open the 6 p.m. show. Admission is $25. David Fletcher

Country Thunder Arizona 2022 at Canyon Moon Ranch

After two years of pandemic-related delays and postponements, followed by a rare fall edition last October, Country Thunder is back to its original spot as a springtime event. The 2022 edition of the annual four-day country music festival, which draws thousands to the grounds of Canyon Moon Ranch, 20585 East Water Way in Florence, will feature such superstars as Blake Shelton, Florida Georgia Line, Riley Green, Chase Rice, Tracy Lawrence, and controversial artist Morgan Wallen. Others scheduled to perform during the fest, which runs from Thursday, April 7, to Sunday, April 10, include Gabby Barrett, Sawyer Brown, Randy Houser, Lindsay Ell, Michael Ray, Jameson Rogers, Hardy, MacKenzie Porter, and Blanco Brown. General admission is $150 to $175 each day or $245 for the entire festival. Benjamin Leatherman

Baby Keem at Marquee Theatre

After releasing his mixtape, The Sound of Bad Habit, in 2018, rapper Baby Keem's profile has only continued to grow, including landing on XXL's Freshman Class in 2020. He's collaborated with the likes of Kanye West, Travis Scott, and his cousin Kendrick Lamar. He's currently on tour in support of his debut studio album, The Melodic Blue, which brings him to Tempe’s Marquee Theatre, 730 North Mill Avenue, on Friday, April 8. Doors open at 6 p.m. and tickets are only available through resellers. Ashley-Anna Aborenden

Rob Zombie at Arizona Bike Week

It seemed for a while like Rob Zombie was taking his film career more seriously than his music. However, his career as a gruesome horror amateur hasn't exactly elevated him to the level of George A. Romero or John Carpenter. Still, his yen for gory (albeit campy) schlock has helped made him a metal and hard rock icon over the past three decades and his influence has crossed over into other genres, inspiring up-and-coming rappers like Lil Uzi Vert and Rico Nasty. Zombie’s most recent album, 2021’s The Lunar Injection Kool Aid Eclipse Conspiracy, even topped Billboard's Top Rock Albums and Hard Rock Albums charts shortly after its release. He’s set to perform at WestWorld of Scottsdale, 16601 North Pima Road, at 9 p.m. on Friday, April 8, during a headlining concert at the annual Arizona Bike Week. Tickets are $56. Matthew Keever

Lil Durk at Arizona Federal Theatre

Rapper Lil Durk has been the longest-lasting champion of the drill scene that came out of Chicago. His latest album, 7220, released in March, gives us a new chapter in the legacy of the Chicago MC. The drill scene was a sound of the youth of Chicago and many of the artists that came out of that scene were very young when they found themselves in the public eye. At 29, Lil Durk has more years in the game than most his age. The 18 songs featured on 7220 offer a slew of first-rate features (like Future, Gunna, and Summer Walker), including a surprising appearance by country music star Morgan Wallen (who was embroiled in controversy after being caught on video using the N-word) on the track “Broadway Girls.” (The rapper stated on a recent episode of The Full Send Podcast that he doesn’t believe Wallen is racist.) It’s just one of the ways Durk continues flexing on the world. His tour in support of 7220 will hit Arizona Federal Theatre, 400 West Washington Street, on Friday, April 8. The gig starts at 8 p.m. and tickets are $39.50 to $79.50. Jeff Kinni and Benjamin Leatherman

Los Tigres del Norte at Arizona Federal Theatre

This San Jose-based group of brothers are one of the largest and most beloved musical ensembles to come out of the Mexican norteño genre. Over the last four decades, Los Tigres Del Norte has released more than 50 albums, selling over 30 million copies, and have contributed greatly to the modernization of corridos, the classic Mexican ballad. Whether they sing songs of lovers torn apart by family quarrels, songs of heartbreak, or the ballads of those caught up in the illegal drug trade, everyone inside Arizona Federal Theatre, 400 West Washington Street, will be singing along to Los Tigres during their concert on Saturday, April 9. Tickets for the 8 p.m. concert are $82.50 and up. Julian Hernandez

Ministry at The Van Buren

One of the pioneers of industrial metal in the late 1980s, Ministry came to life as a synthpop band in Chicago's underground music scene. Ministry's first album, With Sympathy, was praised by Rolling Stone for its catchy dance tracks. The album has since been disowned by bandleader Al Jourgensen, who felt pressured by his record label to match the then-popular sound of the new wave. Ministry's subsequent work would never again be so bright. By the time Ministry released The Land of Rape and Honey in 1988, the band's sound had become darker, heavier, and angrier, and it never went back. Last year, Ministry released its 15th studio album, Moral Hygiene, which showed that time has done little to dampen their harsh and combative sound. Speaking of harsh and combative sounds, Ministry will have opening support from Corrosion of Conformity and Melvins when they roll through the Van Buren, 401 West Van Buren Street, on Tuesday, April 12. Tickets for the 7 p.m. show are $39.50 in advance, $42 at the door. David Fletcher

Poppy at Marquee Theatre

The Los Angeles-based artist/actress Poppy built up her oddly cute “robotic” persona with a series of YouTube videos in 2014, eventually making her way into music. With a wide range of styles including bubblegum pop, reggae, and even “music to sleep to,” Poppy’s newest musical venture is heavy metal. Teaming up with NYC rock group Blame Candy for her band, the 27-year-old has fully embraced her darker side. Her latest album, Flux, came out last year and offers more of an organic sound than her previous release, 2020’s I Disagree. She’s scheduled to perform at Marquee Theatre, 730 North Mill Avenue in Tempe, on Wednesday, April 13, with support from gender-bending musician Mz Neon. Doors are at 7 p.m. and general admission is $27. Cameron Martinez

Apocalyptica at The Van Buren

The deep, cavernous sounds of the cello are perfect for heavy metal. They can be dark and brooding. They provide a nice, long bass sound that's a perfect backup to songs about sadness and destruction. They can also give a band that extra foundation underneath the sounds of guitars and drums to create more energy in a song. The cello can be found in the discography of almost all the great rock and metal acts. Metallica, System of a Down, Arcade Fire, Nirvana — they all have at least one song that uses the massive string instrument. The trend is so popular that cello metal has become a subgenre. The undisputed pioneers of the genre are Apocalyptica, the Finnish orchestral rock group of classical musicians with a special love for metal who turned something they did for fun 29 years ago into a trend. Their success has earned them chart-topping songs and albums, and they've been able to perform and collaborate with some of the biggest rockers and metalheads. Apocalyptica’s latest tour comes to the Van Buren, 401 West Van Buren Street, on Friday, April 15. Doors are at 6:30 p.m. and Lacuna Coil opens. Tickets are $36 to $60. Danny Gallagher

Alan Parsons Live Project at Celebrity Theatre

Alan Parsons became a household name around the world via the succession of gold and platinum albums that began with Tales of Mystery and Imagination in 1976, which were credited to The Alan Parsons Project. Although his partnership with co-founder Eric Woolfson ended in the ’90s, it did allow for us to finally enjoy the music the duo made in concert, starting with a 1995 European tour. Ladies and gentlemen, we give you ... The Alan Parsons Live Project. “I do wish we’d done it sooner; the circumstances weren’t right,” Parsons told Phoenix New Times in 2018. “Eric wasn’t interested in touring, and it was only [when] we parted company after making the Freudiana album [a rock opera about Sigmund Freud] and all the legal wrangles that ensued after that, that we decided to put another band together to support another album that year called Try Anything Once [Parsons’ first solo album].” The project brings its prog-rock masterpieces to Celebrity Theater, 440 North 32nd Street, on Saturday, April 16. Start time is 7:30 p.m. and tickets are $35 to $125. Serene Dominic

Spiritualized at Crescent Ballroom

In 1997, Radiohead released its career-defining album OK Computer, but as important as that album was, it was not the album NME named album of the year. That honor went to the English space rock band Spiritualized for its album Ladies and Gentlemen We Are Floating in Space. Critics praised the album for its bright, weightless, and visionary approach to space rock, which had previously been defined by the thunderous guitar of Marc Bolan of T. Rex or the dark and heavy soundscapes of Pink Floyd. While those bands had foregrounded the subject of space, Spiritualized chose to foreground the texture of space in defining its sound. Through the years, Spiritualized has incorporated more sounds into its overarching style, such as gospel music on Amazing Grace or pop on Sweet Heart Sweet Light. The band will release its latest album Everything Was Beautiful on April 22 and are scheduled to perform at Crescent Ballroom, 308 North Second Avenue, a few days prior on Monday, April 18. The show is at 8 p.m. and tickets are $37 to $47. David Fletcher

Orville Peck at The Van Buren

Masked country singer Orville Peck's 2019 debut LP, Pony, is a sprawling outlaw rhapsody, nodding at everyone from Elvis and Johnny Cash to The Velvet Underground and X. On Pony, Peck presents a vast, intersectional landscape for listeners to get lost in, one that he produced and assembled almost entirely by himself. Peck has played in many bands over the years in a variety of capacities. But with Pony, he finally had the reins from top to bottom. The album was an enormous hit, both critically and commercially, and earned Peck an appearance on Jimmy Kimmell and slots at festivals like Coachella and Stagecoach.

His upcoming follow-up, Broncho, is set to be released in early April and will be “anchored in country,” Peck says, but will also include tips of the hat to bluegrass, country rock, and psych. He’s released singles from the albums in “chapters,” including dropping “Daytona Sand,” "Outta Time,” "C'mon Baby Cry,” and "Any Turn" in February. You’re very likely they’ll be included in Peck’s setlist when he performs at The Van Buren, 401 West Van Buren Street, on Tuesday, April 19. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. and tickets are $35 to $38. Ashley Naftule and Benjamin Leatherman

King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard at Marquee Theatre

Australian thrash/psych-rockers King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard perpetually live in studios and on the road. With 20 albums in 22 years, headline festival appearances around the globe, and international critical acclaim, they've certainly made fans of all types. They’re also quite prolific and aren't content letting things get stale, as evidenced by the fact they put out two albums each year. Case in point: In March, King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard released Made in Timeland, which consists of a pair of 15 minute-long tracks, and are about to drop a double album Omnium Gatherum. These collections of new songs should fit in perfectly alongside those older tunes in the band’s raucous and unpredictable live shows. In fact, it's probably a pretty safe bet that those devoted fans present at Tempe’s Marquee Theatre, 730 North Mill Avenue, on Tuesday, April 19, will treat them with the same enthusiasm reserved for prior material. The concert starts at 8 p.m. and experimental pop artist SPELLLING shares the bill. General admission is $40 and balcony access is $62.50 to $72.50. Jeff Strowe

The Hu at The Van Buren

The members of The Hu are badasses. That much is clear. Combining traditionally Mongolian sounds — throat singing and the two-stringed morin khuur horsehead fiddle — with the bass, beats, and production techniques of modern rock, the four-piece band from Ulaanbaatar has a distinctive beefy sound that lends itself to energetic fist-pumping. The Hu were recently featured on Metallica’s special 30th anniversary Black Album reissue covers project, for which they covered the legendary band’s “Through the Never.” They're making an appearance at both weekends of Coachella this year, but in between, they'll tear up the stage at The Van Buren, 401 West Washington Street, as part of their Black Thunder Tour. The show starts at 8 p.m. on Thursday, April 21, with an opening set by The Haunt. Tickets are $30 to $129. Brendan Driscoll

Animals as Leaders at Marquee Theatre

When guitarist Tosin Abasi first burst onto the metal scene in 2009 with the self-titled debut from his group Animals as Leaders, he was the primary creative force behind the instrumental project. While he had outside assistance from Periphery guitarist Misha Mansoor on drum programming and production, the record turned ears thanks to Abasi’s vision of blending Meshuggah-style, polyrhythmic metal riffs with a technicality that aped shred greats like Joe Satriani and Steve Vai. More than a decade later, Abasi has shared magazine covers and stages alongside his aforementioned guitar heroes and is considered a contemporary leader in today’s instrumental rock guitar scene.

The most recent full-length studio album from Animals as Leaders, Parrhesia, was released on Sumerian Records last month. Abasi describes it as the band’s most human record to date and relates to the existential challenges caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and “how human behaviour changes in aggregate when there’s uniform fear, or the need for co-operation in the face of a threat.” Their tour in support of the release is scheduled to come to Marquee Theatre, 730 North Mill Avenue, on Thursday, April 21. The show is at 8 p.m. and tickets are $25-$45. Jason Roche

Deadbeats Arizona 2022 at Phoenix Raceway

Genreless music formed by heart-stopping beat drops and deep bass repetitions is the name of the game for electronic music group Zeds Dead. Since debuting in 2009, the duo of Dylan Mamid and Zachary Rapp-Rovan has been bringing electrifying dance anthems to the masses. This month, they’ll do it at Deadbeats Arizona, an electronic dance music event at Phoenix Raceway, 7602 Jimmie Johnson Drive in Avondale, on Friday, April 22. NGHTMRE, Dimension, Dion Timmer, Rossy, and other DJs will perform at the annual event, which returning after a two-year absence due to the pandemic. Gates open at 7 p.m. and tickets are $55 to $125. Megan Marples

Deftones at Arizona Federal Theatre

At its best, Deftones’ take on alt-metal is lush, heady, and seemingly always on the verge of collapse. At its worst, the band’s music hovers somewhere between nu-metal and something even more innocuous. Wherever your opinion falls between these two extremes, you have to admit Deftones has survived longer than most bands from its era. Formed in 1988 by vocalist/guitarist Chino Moreno, lead guitarist Stephen Carpenter, drummer Abe Cunningham, and bassist Dominic Garcia, they’ve put out nine studio albums since then, including 2020’s Ohms. The 10-song release not only topped Billboard’s Top Hard Rock Albums chart and was nominated for two Grammy Awards, but it was also critically beloved and appeared on several year-end “best” lists. It’s another feather in the cap of a legendary act with plenty of energy left to burn. Deftones are set to invade Arizona Federal Theatre, 400 West Washington Street, on Saturday, April 23, with opening sets by Gojira and Poppy. Tickets for the 7:30 p.m. show are $39.50 to $69.50. Jonathan Patrick and Benjamin Leatherman

UFest 2022 at Ak-Chin Pavilion

Local rockers can always count on KUPD to send out the spring with UFest, coaxing thousands to spend one of the last few tolerable days in the sun before temps hit triple digits. This year, the high-energy festival's lineup is packed with such hard-hitting (and frequently played) bands from the realms of metal, punk, and hard rock, including Rise Against, Coheed and Cambria, Pennywise, Highly Suspect, and Atreyu. The rest of the lineup features Ded, Plush, and Dropout Kings. The varied lineup speaks to the changing and evolving state of hard rock music — it's not just for the angry mooks anymore. Which isn't to say things won't get plenty wild during the festival, which takes place on Sunday, April 24, at Ak-Chin Pavilion, 2121 North 83rd Avenue. Just make sure to bring your black T-shirt and sunscreen. Gates are at 2 p.m. and tickets start at $32.50. Lauren Wise

The Menzingers at Crescent Ballroom

Formed in 2006, The Menzingers consist of Tom May and Greg Barnett (both sharing guitar/vocal duties), Joe Godino (drums), and Eric Keen (bass). Not a lot of bands can pull off having two frontmen without it turning into some nasty power struggle (case in point: Husker Du), but The Menzingers pull it off gracefully. And few bands benefit from having two songwriters working at the peak of their craft. They’ve released seven albums so far, including 2019’s Hello Exile and its 2020 follow-up, From Exile. The Menzingers are due at Crescent Ballroom, 308 North Second Street, on Monday, April 25, with support from Oso Oso and Sincere Engineer. The show starts at 8 p.m. and tickets are only available on the secondary market. Ashley Naftule

Haim at Arizona Federal Theatre

Perhaps best known for their retro sound, Haim boasts an aptitude for quite a few other genres as well. Sisters Este, Danielle, and Alana incorporate elements of rock and roll, R&B, and even synth-pop into their beguiling tunes, which have drawn favorable comparisons to the likes of Fleetwood Mac. And, unless you’ve been living under a rock for the past six months, you’re no doubt aware that Alana played a prominent role in Paul Thomas Anderson’s Oscar-nominated flick Licorice Pizza, which is set in the early ‘70s and fed into the same sort retro vibe in Haim’s music. It’s not the only positive experience the Haim sisters had last year, as their most recent album, 2020’s Women In Music Part III, was nominated for Album of the Year at the Grammy Awards. In other words, it’s good to be a Haim. Catch the sisters in concert at Arizona Federal Theatre on Monday, April 25. Singer-songwriter Buzzy Lee (a.k.a. Sasha Spielberg) opens the 8 p.m. concert. Tickets are $39.50 to $65. Matthew Keever

Ace Frehley at Marquee Theatre

Are you tired of Gene Simmons grabbing all the glory when it comes to capitalizing on the insane success of KISS? What about the other members of the band? They deserve more, if not most, of the credit for taking the band of makeup-wearing musicians to such lofty heights. Guitarist Ace Frehley not only helped shape the sound that made KISS a juggernaut of rock 'n' roll starting in the mid-1970s, he’s also carved out his own solo career starting in 1987 with his first post-KISS project, Frehley’s Comet, followed by three solo albums in between KISS reunions. Frehley’s latest solo album, Origins Vol. 2, is the focus of his current tour, which includes a stop at Marquee Theatre, 730 North Mill Avenue in Tempe, on Tuesday, April 26. Doors open at 8 p.m. and tickets start at $32.50. Danny Gallagher

Interpol at Marquee Theatre

Interpol's most recent releases, 2018's Marauder and the 2019 EP A Fine Mess, embody just what you come to expect from the famed post-punk band: dark love songs that make you want to stand up and enjoy. Though they remain a consistent band with their own sound, lots of people forever hold onto the songs from their first two albums, Turn On the Bright Lights and Antics. Tempe’s Marquee Theatre, 730 North Mill Avenue, will host their upcoming performance on Thursday, April 28, which will also feature sets by Tycho and Matthew Dear. The concert begins at 8 p.m. and tickets are $50 for general admission and $60 to $70 for balcony access. Eric Grubbs

Omar Apollo at The Van Buren

Pop-meets-soul singer Omar Apollo will perform at The Van Buren, on Saturday, April 30, delivering his idiosyncratic sound fusion to a packed crowd. Since his breakthrough single “Ugotme” in 2017, the Mexican-American artist, who honed his craft growing up in Indiana, has found himself touring the globe, delivering a slam-dunk of a debut effort. Apollo will be joined on the bill by singer-songwriter Deb Never. Doors are at 7 p.m. The show is officially sold out, according to The Van Buren’s website, but you can dig up tickets on the secondary market. Olivia McAuley