Over the Weekend: Panic! at the Disco, Crush Music Festival, Augustines, and More

If you just happened to blow town on Friday in honor of the big three-day weekend, you sort of missed a lot, concert-wise. Suffice it to say, there were some epic shows over the past 72 hours or so, including wild performances by Panic! at the Disco at Marquee Theatre in Tempe and The Lawrence Arms at Pub Rock in Scottsdale on Friday, as well as a dual release show by .decker and Field Tripp at The Sail Inn.

And on Saturday, one of the most unique encores ever happened during a gig by the Augustines at Crescent Ballroom, a ribald Genitorturers show was staged at the Marquee, and the beyond-packed Crush Music Festival took place over in Mesa.

Here's a rundown of everything you may have missed out on from the weekend.

St. Valentine's Day Massacre - The Sail Inn - 2/14/14

There is a stark contrast between the playing styles of Field Tripp's Dan Allmond and Brandon Decker. To wit: Decker appears to be a driven perfectionist looking to squeeze every bit of soul out of each note, while Allmond seems content as long as there is music in the air, more so if he happens to be the one making it.

And though their personal styles may clash, their music most certainly does not. For Valentine's Day, the two groups laid it down at The Sail Inn with a co-headlining performance during their dual release party Friday night...Read More

Panic! at the Disco - Marquee Theatre - 2/14/14 (VIDEO)

Brendon Urie probably never thought he'd be the only original member standing from his band Panic! at the Disco, but being the sole survivor didn't seem to bother him while performing in front of a sold-out crowd at Tempe's Marquee Theatre Friday night. Heck, pretty much the whole Too Weird to Live, Too Rare to Die! tour, named after the band's current album, has been sold out.

As drummer Spencer Smith, the only other original member, is off getting help for addiction, Urie didn't have any trouble commanding the young crowd, who gobbled up his backflips, flirtatious banter, and shirtless performances during the nearly 90-minute set...Read More.

The Lawrence Arms - Pub Rock - 2/14/14

It's clear that Phoenix was longing for this show -- the crowd was already crazed during Nothington's opening set but went all out as Larry Arms opened with "Chilean District," the first track from its first full length album in eight years, Metropole.

This was followed by "Great Lakes, Great Escapes," which I've grown accustomed to hearing as an opening song. My memory gets a little fuzzy after that, because I couldn't even reach my phone to take notes. My car keys already had fallen out of my pocket, so I didn't want to risk losing my phone and not being able to find a way home, so here's what I recall from the rest of the show...Read More

The Linecutters - Long Wong's - 2/14/14

Although its always hard to tell how far any new band will go -- and even harder when said band comprises high school juniors -- local punkers The Linecutters seem to have it. The Gilbert-based thrash trio have been around only since September, but they already have a nice 14-song set of about 10 originals, most of which are good and include two clear hits.

Friday night, The Linecutters took that 14-song set to Long Wong's in Tempe to open for Fairy Bones for what amounts to the first bona fide bar show the nascent punk band has played. (Before Friday, save for one battle of the bands at Club Red, all the shows The Linecutters previously had performed were of the backyard/DIY variety.) And it went splendidly for them...Read More

Augustines - Crescent Ballroom - 2/15/14

You should never mess with a band's encore. If you do, it might lead to some unexpected consequences, like with what happened at the end of last night's Augustines show at the end of last night's Augustines show. As midnight approached at the Crescent Ballroom on Saturday, club music from the adjacent lounge began to penetrate the concert hall, much to the annoyance of the audience and lead singer Billy McCarthy.

He tried in earnest to get the band's encore off to a great start but the thumping bass in the next room kept messing with his head. After he walked off the stage and headed into the Crescent's lounge, the audience looked at each other in bewilderment. Two minutes later, McCarthy returned, approached the microphone, and made an unusual request: He wanted everyone to head to the back. No, not the back of the Crescent's concert hall, but rather, the alley behind the building...Read More

Fetish Revolution feat. The Genitorturers - Marquee Theatre - 2/15/14

Saturday night, society's outcasts, kink-cravers, pleather-wearing thrillseekers, and those looking to enjoy some pleasures of the flesh dressed in their finest and freakiest fetishistic wear made their way to the Marquee Theatre in Tempe for the 10th annual Fetish Revolution.

This is a place where social status, day jobs, or other such concerns didn't particularly matter -- unless, of course, you are known for being the fastest flogger in the West. Decadence, desire and flesh were in abundance, clad in masquerade masks, latex, leather and studs. People came to let their freak flags fly and to let their innermost desires out to play, or maybe to get a taste of something wicked.

And they also came to see the hellacious antics of notorious industrial metal band The Genitorturers perform...Read More

Crush Music Festival - Arizona Event Center - 2/15/14

Like any good Valentine's Day date, the crowd at Crush Music Festival on Saturday night was hot, wet, and ready for action.

Young ravers, EDM fans, and party monsters packed themselves into a sold-out Arizona Event Center in Mesa for the sixth edition of the annual dance music event, which featured a wall-to-wall crowd pulling a major rager amid an ultra-sweaty setting as close to a dozen tastemaking DJs performed on two stages...Read More

Find any show in Metro Phoenix via our extensive online concert calendar.

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