The extreme temperatures, which are forecasted to reach 118 degrees on Saturday, might also make things a bit uncomfortable at this weekend’s indoor concerts, too. Crowds of sweaty bodies tend to make things warmer, even if the AC is going at full blast. So if you’re going to be at shows like TOKiMONSTA at Sunbar on Friday, Les Claypool's Fearless Flying Frog Brigade at Arizona Financial Theatre on Saturday or indie-pop band The Drum at The Van Buren on Sunday, make use of deodorant, drink a lot of water, and watch for the early signs of heat exhaustion.
In other words, stay safe if you plan on checking out any of the notable shows happening in the Valley this weekend.
Happy Together Tour
Friday, July 14Talking Stick Resort, 9800 E. Talking Stick Way, ScottsdaleSynchronize your watches for the “Summer of Love" and head for Talking Stick Resort in Scottsdale when this annual touring showcase of '60s throwback acts rolls into the Valley for a groovy evening of timeless tunes. This year’s lineup features such Woodstock-era bands as Flo and Eddie (a.k.a. Mark Volman and Howard Kaylan) of The Turtles, Gary Puckett and the Union Gap, Little Anthony, The Vogues, The Classics IV and The Cowsills. The air inside Talking Stick’s Salt River Grand Ballroom will be thick as rock and pop fans of, um, a certain age gather for a trip down memory lane. Stick around until the end, when the members of each band will gather onstage for a final medley of songs, including The Turtles’ signature hit (and the tour’s namesake song) “Happy Together.” 8 p.m., $30-$65 via ticketmaster.com. Benjamin Leatherman
Goth Babe
Friday, July 14The Van Buren, 401 W. Van Buren St.Don’t let the name fool you: there are neither goths nor ladies in Griff Washburn’s electronic dream pop project. A singer-songwriter based in the mountains of Washington, Washburn makes DIY home recordings in his studio/camper. While he shares the same “turn your home into a studio” philosophy that drove the likes of Martin Newell of Cleaners from Venus, Washburn’s sound is decidedly more modern. Playing plaintive indie rock guitar riffs over Ableton loops, he’s developed an earthy, sun-kissed sound that couldn’t be further away from goth. The music of Goth Babe is about hiking and surfing and being physically present in the world. The vibes are mellow and the music pillowy, inviting you to sink into it. One can hear the influence of Youth Lagoon (one of Goth Babe’s biggest inspirations) in the way that the music has an immersive feeling. At times, it feels less like a tune and more like something you can float along on top of for a while. With Husbands; 8 p.m. tickets are available on the secondary market. Ashley Naftule
TOKiMONSTA
Friday, July 14Sunbar, 24 W. 5th St., TempeHow’s this for a comeback story: In 2015, Jennifer Lee — better known as EDM superstar TOKiMONSTA — became afflicted with Moyamoya disease, a vascular condition that constricted the arterial blood flow in her brain. Forced to put her promising career on hold, she endured surgeries and was temporarily unable to speak or comprehend music. Slowly but surely, however, she battled back and began creating music once more, which eventually resulted in 2017’s "Lune Rouge." The 11-song album, which has earned good reviews from Pitchfork and other outlets, is both a deeply personal and cathartic work in which Lee channels her angst and pent up emotions into dreamy and ambient tracks filled with electro and R&B elements. You’re like to hear a few of them when Lee performs at Sunbar in Tempe on Friday. With BKLAVA, Arietta and Fairydvst; 9 p.m., $33 via tixr.com. Benjamin Leatherman
Reggae royalty Stephen Marley.
Red Light Management
Stephen Marley
Friday, July 14Marquee Theatre, 730 N. Mill Ave., TempeMany musical offspring have faltered under the pressure of trying to live up to the level of greatness once bestowed on their popular progeny. Stephen Marley has refreshingly bucked those odds, and has, in fact, become a modern-day legend of reggae music in his own right, and has done so for almost four decades. The eight-time Grammy Award winner is the son of the legendary Bob Marley and is currently on his Babylon by Bus Tour, which is inspired by one of his father’s most celebrated live albums. Stephen will perform songs from his dad’s lengthy discography and his own hits when the tour stops at Tempe’s Marquee Theatre in mid-July. With Hirie, Arise Roots and The Irie; 7 p.m., $36-$66 via seetickets.us. Mark C. Horn
Brit Floyd
Saturday, July 15Arizona Financial Theatre, 400 W. Washington St.With a syncopated psychedelic light show complete with video and laser projection, a full band including a horn section and background vocals, and the ability to pull anything from Floyd's diverse catalog, Brit Floyd is the ultimate Pink Floyd experience. British-born guitarist Damian Darlington formed the touring tribute in 2011 after spending a 17-year stint with Australian Pink Floyd Show, which, as you can guess, is an Aussie Pink Floyd cover group. His reasoning? Simply because he felt he could do it better. "There is much more attention to details in every aspect of the show, from the music to the visuals to the lighting," Darlington told Phoenix New Times in 2014. "Everything is that much more perfected and there's a passion coming off that stage.” Described as a “coherent, emotional journey through Pink Floyd's catalog,” Brit Floyd’s latest tour will celebrate the 50th anniversary of “The Dark Side of the Moon” with most of the songs from the legendary album being performed along with such favorites as “Wish You Were Here,” “ Comfortably Numb” and “One of These Days.” Shine on you crazy diamonds. 8 p.m., $38.50-$149 via livenation.com. Glenn BurnSilver
12th Planet
Saturday, July 15Sunbar, 24 W. 5th St., TempeEvery DJ who’s ever rocked dubstep in their mixes and setlists anytime in the last decade owes a debt of gratitude to John Dadzie, better known to the electronic dance music world as 12th Planet. Long before artists like Skrillex, Flux Pavilion, or Datsik first blasted the bass-heavy electronic dance music genre in nightclubs, Dadzie was playing dubstep at gigs across the U.S. An early adopter of the genre, he began playing low-end sounds back when they were a quirky and largely unknown import from the UK. And over the past two decades, he’s been a major influence on numerous EDM artists and DJs. You can thank Dadzie personally when he takes over the sound system at Sunbar in Tempe this weekend. 9 p.m., $29 via tixr.com. Benjamin Leatherman
Les Claypool's Fearless Flying Frog Brigade
Saturday, July 15The Van Buren, 401 W. Van Buren St.If you’ve heard one Primus song in your entire life, you know what to expect from Les Claypool. The eccentric singer/bassist has been sailing on his sea of cheese for decades, building a rabid following around his unique style of jam band music. Propelled by his manic, muscular, finger-popping bass playing, Les Claypool's Fearless Flying Frog Brigade continues the man’s mission of creating some of the oddest yet rhythmically compelling music imaginable. Forming the Fearless Flying Frog Brigade after Primus went on hiatus, the project became an outlet for Claypool to go deeper into his obsession with jam band and prog music. Self-described as “kind of a King Crimson meets Pink Floyd meets Frank Zappa type thing,” the music lives up to that summation by being extremely complex, mind-expanding, and obnoxious. Claypool’s childish sense of humor remains intact on Brigade songs as he barks out ridiculous lyrics with his nasally vocals while the band flexes their musical muscles around him. It is, to say the least, an acquired taste but one that will sate your appetite for all things weird and wild if you’re looking to get your jam on. With Moon Duo; 8 p.m., $56.35-$201 via livenation.com. Ashley Naftule
The Original Misfits
Saturday, July 15Talking Stick Resort Amphitheatre, 2121 N. 83rd Ave. Fiends of Phoenix, prepare yourself: The Misfits are about to walk among us once again. The influential horror punk band are touring this summer with their original vocalist Glenn Danzig and original bassist Jerry Only and will invade Talking Stick Resort Amphitheatre in mid-July. The gig will be the first time this version of the band, which is being marketed as the “Original Misfits” and also includes longtime guitarist Doyle von Frankenstein, have played Arizona. As longtime Misfits fans (a.k.a. “Fiends”) already know, Danzig and Only were founding members of the band back in 1977. The vocalist parted ways with the Misfits six years later, forming experimental metal act Samhain and later embarking on a solo career. Danzig and the Misfits linked back up in 2016 and have staged a series of reunion shows and performances over the past seven years. With Fear and AFI; 7:30 p.m., $49.50-$79.50 via livenation.com. Benjamin Leatherman
Borgore
Sunday, July 16Maya, 7333 E. Indian Plaza, ScottsdaleThe music of Asaf Borger (better known to electronic dance music fans as Borgore) is provocative and downright filthy. Throughout his career, the Israeli-born DJ/producer has crafted tracks peppered with expletives and coated with quite possibly the grubbiest dubstep bass in existence. It's called "gorestep," and it's a mix of dubstep depravity laced with Borger's libertine-like affinity for heavy metal hooks (he's the veteran of hard rock band Shabira) and hip-hop raunch. It's so filthy that taking a shower after listening might be necessary, especially if you've been grinding away to Borger's tracks amid a sweaty mass of grinding clubgoers. Borger not only embraces the decadent nature of his music, he revels in it. And dubstep fans have dug his stuff over the past decade. Experience it for yourself on Sunday afternoon at Maya in Scottsdale. Noon, $16 via tixr.com. Benjamin Leatherman
The Drums
Sunday, July 16The Van Buren, 401 W. Van Buren St.Founding member Jacob Graham once summed up The Drums’ sound by saying “if reverb didn’t exist we wouldn’t have bothered trying to start a band.” Echo and reverberation are a key part of what makes The Drums work so well. Even in their simplest songs there’s a sense of empty space, a ghostly absence underpinning everything that gives their songs an added emotional resonance. Frontman Jonny Pierce often sounds like he’s singing at the bottom of a chasm, his voice playing call-and-response with itself. Heavily influenced by classic New Wave and goth acts like Joy Division and The Smiths, The Drums also draw influence from ’60s pop- specifically the booming girl-group “Wall of Sound” style pioneered by musical genius (and convicted murderer) Phil Spector. That combination of influences lends a timeless aura to Pierce’s songs. Albums like “Brutalism” and “The Drums” sound simultaneously of their moment and eternal, each song a deftly constructed piece of morose yet catchy alt-rock. With a new album in the works and a trio of compelling singles out (“I Want It All,” “Plastic Envelope,” and “Protect Him Always”), The Drums are gearing up to tour to the beat of a different drum. With Cold Hart; 8 p.m., $26 via livenation.com. Ashley Naftule
