To wit: Blockbuster acts and artists like Kesha, Maroon 5, Macklemore, Ray Lamontagne, Minus the Bear, and Joe Purdy all have gigs here in the Valley over the next few nights.
Add in some performances by such legendary names as T.S.O.L., Eli Escobar, Sick Of It All, and A Place to Bury Strangers, and you’ve got a concert calendar loaded up with famous names.
So, without further ado, here are details about each of these shows, as well as the other gigs on our list of the best concerts in the Valley this week. And for even more live music events happening around town, check out Phoenix New Times’ online concert calendar.
Ray Lamontagne
Tuesday, June 5
Comerica Theatre
Last month, Ray LaMontagne released his seventh studio album, Part of the Light. Comprising just nine tracks and clocking in at 46 minutes, there’s not an ounce of fat on it. The singer-songwriter's voice alternates between soaring as high as ever on “As Black As Blood Is Blue,” and cozying up in your eardrum on “Let’s Make It Last," boasting quite a bit of range despite the record's brevity.
As the title of the album indicates, LaMontagne's new album is part of his quest to bring some positivity to the world during these bleak times. “It just feels like the world is so ugly,” he says. “Not all of it of course, but you don’t have to look too far.”
He may be
This week, LaMontagne will spread some of that positivity at Comerica Theatre when he visits the venue on Tuesday night on his current tour along with renowned singer-songwriter Neko Case, who also just released a new album, Hell-On. The show starts at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $69.50 to $79.50. Matthew Keever
Speedy Ortiz
Tuesday, June 5
The Rebel Lounge
This comically dystopian time we live in makes a lot more sense viewed through the lens of Speedy Ortiz. The Massachusetts indie-rock band led by Sadie Dupuis return this year with Twerp Verse, a scorching riff-driven record just as snarky and smirk-ridden as its title.
“Life is carnage,” Dupuis sings on “Lucky 88,” just before celebrating the dumb luck of being born into this bonkers chapter of history. There’s a dark but whimsical irony about having all the connectivity in the world, only to realize that people are dumber than you ever imagined. It’s a story only Speedy could tell, as Dupuis surrounds herself with moronic bros on “Alone with Girls,” and pushy creeps on “Villain.” But the demons of a maniacal reality are exorcised through relentless riffage.
Dupuis is an unquestionable guitar hero, and Twerp Verse is only more evidence
Sick Of It All
Tuesday, June 5
Pub Rock Live in Scottsdale
For a time in the mid-'90s, Sick Of It All was a more than worthy emissary for hardcore culture on MTV. We remember seeing their videos on Beavis & Butt-Head — "Premature Evacuation," from 1994 major-label debut Scratch the Surface, to be exact. We even saw an MTV News profile on the band around 1996, which more than likely came with a snide intro from talking head
The long-running band, formed by the acrobatic Peter Koller and brother Lou in 1986, was a part of hardcore's new guard of the late '80s, coming up with fellow scene-stealers like the Gorilla Biscuits, Madball, and Judge. Anyone who has a passing interest in hardcore should be at this gig to see a chapter of its history in a live setting on Tuesday at Pub Rock Live. They'll be joined by Murphy's Law and local comedy-punk act BroLoaf. Craig Hlavaty
Joe Purdy
Tuesday, June 5
Musical Instrument Museum
Singer-songwriter Joe Purdy is perhaps best listened to while sipping rail whiskey. But if you’re reduced to your iPhone in a Starbucks, you’ll still dig him.
The Arkansas native incorporates harmonicas and fiddles into his music, along with his strumming on an acoustic guitar. His folk-heavy sound mixed with his old-time lyricism sets him apart from others in the genre. His songs of young love and travelin' on
Purdy’s rustic feel has remained with him in his 17-year career, and is present throughout all 15 albums in his lengthy discography, including his 2016's critically acclaimed release, Who Will Be Next? Last year, Purdy also earned praise for acting and performing in the indie flick American Folk. Diamond Victoria
Kesha & Macklemore
Wednesday, June 6
Ak-Chin Pavilion
Superstar artists Kesha and Macklemore are hitting the road this summer. Their first stop? Phoenix's Ak-Chin Pavilion. The singer-songwriter and rapper will co-headline a 30-stop tour — called The Adventures of Kesha and Macklemore — that will begin with a concert at the open-air venue on June 6.
They've collaborated before. Kesha's featured on the track "Good Old Days" from Macklemore's latest record, Gemini. They performed the song on Ellen earlier this fall.
Their show at Ak-Chin Pavilion kicks off at 7 p.m. Tickets are $30-$137. Rapper Wes Period will open. Becky Bartkowski
Minus the Bear will be in the Valley this week to celebrate its 2007 opus Planet of Ice.
Shervin Lainez
Wednesday, June 6
Valley Bar
Like his artistic forebears in The Jesus and Mary Chain, A Place to Bury Strangers’ Oliver Ackermann knows how to do one thing, and does it well. When it comes to taking a song and drenching it in squalls of feedback, few contemporary musicians can make their amps bleed and howl as consistently and viciously as Ackermann can.
That fidelity to “classic” noise rock has garnered them a fair share of criticism. In a review of their latest album Pinned, Pitchfork called the band a group of “historical actors reanimating the New York of Suicide and Sonic Youth.” This isn’t an unwarranted jab: Every APTBS album feels like an attempt on the band’s part to turn back to the clock to the age when No Wave bands, and a pre-rape-accusation Michael Gira, still walked the earth.
But the band have made changes to their sound: The recent addition of Les Butcherettes’ Lia Braswell on drums and backing vocals has added a welcome new element to the band’s sonic maelstrom. Her voice adds a much-needed dash of cool and sweetness to the mix. For the first time, Oliver’s voice isn’t the only thing struggling to be heard over their shrieking guitars. Ashley Naftule
Minus the Bear
Wednesday, June 6
Marquee Theatre in Tempe
For a certain kind of early-millennial indie-rock fan, Minus the Bear elicits affection. The band's specific brand of melancholic prog-pop struck a chord with listeners on the breakthrough album Menos el Oso, a complex, layered beast that balances its math-rock, avant-garde tendencies with earnest songwriting. The formula was further refined on 2007's Planet of Ice, a record whose stark, alien instrumentals stood in contrast to Jake Snider's warm, inviting vocals. The album was also a success, charting in the indie sphere, and drawing tons of new fans.
Never content to rest on their laurels, the band members have been expanding their sound and experimenting with form and texture. Notably, their most recent release, Voids, contains songs that might sound as if they come from a different group entirely.
The band has learned to pare down its sound without removing what makes it unique. But for those who prefer the outré experimentation and obtuse song structures of their earlier work, there's always Planet of Ice, which Minus the Bear is celebrating on their current tour. As such, they’re playing every song from the album during each performance, including their upcoming show at Marquee Theatre in Tempe on June 6. David Bennett
Maroon 5
Thursday, June 7
Talking Stick Resort Arena
The dreamy and debonair Maroon 5 can make as good a claim to the title of the 21st century's most successful band as anyone else.
Since ruling the airwaves with the multi-format crossover smash "This Love" in early 2004, the L.A. group's brand of easy-on-the-ears but ever-so-slightly edgy pop-soul has been a constant presence on Top 40 radio and pop culture, even more so since singer Adam Levine assumed one of the judges' chairs on NBC's The Voice in 2011.
Maroon 5's latest album is last year's Red Pill Blues, which has already turned out a few hits, including singles "What Lovers Do," "Wait," and "Girls Like You.” Chris Gray
[image-10] Eli Escobar
Thursday, June 7
Shady Park in Tempe
Eli Escobar is a DJ of many musical tastes. You can hear this in mixes, as he draws from a versatile and varied sonic palette to create epic grooves of the disco and house variety tinged with soul, hip-hop, jazz, funk, and Afrobeat.
A formally trained musician who worked in a record store as a youth, Escobar's been a diverse connoisseur of music for most of his life. And it's helped shape his tastes and skills as a DJ, as did growing up in New York City. He's drawn from the city's vibes and verve for decades, particularly while making his bones in NYC's famed club circuit (including stints at such spots as Le Bain and Battlehymn). During most of his 20-plus years as a mixmaster, he's woven together these influences to craft tracks that are utterly intoxicating and downright danceable.
You can hear his sonic artistry flowing throughout the outdoor bar park at Tempe's Shady Park, 26 East University Drive, on Thursday, June 7. Escobar is scheduled to perform a three-hour set, which is likely to include sounds from his most recent albums, 2014's Up All Night and 2016's Happiness. Local DJs Ghost Effect, Briggs, and Santiago will open the evening, which gets rolling at 9 p.m. Advance admission
Legendary punk band T.S.O.L.
John Gilhooley
Thursday, June 7
Yucca Tap Room in Tempe
T.S.O.L.
Now a punk-legacy group, T.S.O.L. brings out the old-schoolers and their kids, while attracting everyone else worth their first-press 45 Grave records in the neighboring counties.
