You could also celebrate the life and musical legacy of the late Joey DeFrancesco or experience close encounters with electronic dance music superstars at an extraterrestrial-themed festival. The choice is yours.
Read on for more details about each or visit Phoenix New Times’ online concert listings for more gigs happening in the Valley from Friday, April 7, to Sunday, April 9.
101.1 The Bounce Birthday Bash
Friday, April 7Footprint Center, 201 East Jefferson StreetThe folks at The Bounce 101.1 are obviously tight with rappers Ice Cube and Warren G. Both West Coast legends performed at the local hip-hop station’s holiday show back in 2021 and are set to do so again at The Bounce Birthday Bash concert on Friday night in downtown Phoenix. They’ll share the bill with Bay Area hyphy king E-40, hip-hop group Bone Thugs-N-Harmony, Chicano rap pioneers A Lighter Shade of Brown, and R&B singer-songwriter and record producer Amanda Perez. Expect to hear each performing the respective signature hits, many of which get airplay on the station. The gig is officially sold out but you can find tickets on the secondary market (read: reseller sites like Vivid Seats or StubHub). 7 p.m. Benjamin Leatherman
PHXLights: Among the Stars
Friday, April 7, and Saturday, April 8Phoenix Raceway, 7602 Jimmie Johnson Drive, AvondaleCarbon-based lifeforms of the west Valley, get ready for an invasion — not from an army of little green men, but rather an enormous horde of electronic dance music DJs, producers, and artists. They’re headed to Avondale where the extraterrestrial EDM festival PHXLights will feature such names as Martin Garrix, Afrojack, San Holo, Ganja White Night, AC Slater, Crankdat, Moksi, and Diesel (a.k.a. the DJ alter-ego of NBA Hall of Famer Shaquille O'Neal). Sets will take place on multiple stages set up on the infield of Phoenix Raceway amid photo-ops and art displays resembling crashed UFOs or otherworldly structures. There might even be a few strange beings in attendance. 7 p.m., $79.50-$319.50 via tixr.com. Benjamin Leatherman
The WLDLFE
Saturday, April 8Valley Bar, 130 North Central AvenueHailing from the mean streets of Anderson, Indiana, The WLDLFE are an indie-pop band with a distinct vocal hook. Frontman Jansen Hogan layers electropop effects on his voice to give it a unique, processed sound. Backed by a band of college friends, Hogan and company released their first album I’m Not Worried Anymore in 2018. The 11-song effort picked up a groundswell of grassroots support, thanks in part to the strength of their early singles “New” and “ILY.” The WLDLFE season their indie pop with electronic textures and production tricks that wouldn’t sound out of place on a Max Martin pop banger. It’s perfectly plastic music: smooth, frictionless, inorganic yet pleasant to the eyes and ears. Their latest album, 2023's Goodbye to All of That, blazes through nine songs of well-manicured, glossy indie-pop songs in less than half an hour. None of it really sticks with you, but it doesn’t need to: it’s a chill vibe you can summon, sink into, and dispel whenever you need it. With Eley; 8 p.m., $16/$18 via seetickets.us. Ashley Naftule
Gin Blossoms
Saturday, April 8Gila River Resorts: Wild Horse Pass, 5040 Wild Horse Pass BoulevardThis summer marks 30 years since “Hey Jealousy,” the Gin Blossoms’ breakthrough hit, was released as a single off of their landmark album New Miserable Experience. The song, which was penned by the late Doug Hopkins, helped propel them to alt-rock stardom (not to mention putting Tempe’s jangle-pop scene of the ’90s on the map). Some three decades later, “Hey Jealousy” is still being referenced (it got an extended shout-out in a Ted Lasso episode) and roasted (satire site The Hard Times cited the lyrics “We can drive around this town/And let the cops chase us around,” as proof of the band’s white privilege). It also tends to bring down the house at their concerts, which is why it typically wraps up their main set. Expect it to do the same when the Blossoms perform at Wild Horse Pass this weekend. 8 p.m., $39-$109 via ticketmaster.com. Benjamin Leatherman
M83
Sunday, April 9The Van Buren, 401 West Van Buren StreetAnthony Gonzalez isn’t about that minimalist life. The French-born synth maestro makes arena-ready electronic music, blending together ambient, shoegaze, pop music, and even disco into a beguiling mix that can move your feet and shake support beams if you play it loud enough. This maximalist impulse isn’t a recent development for Gonzalez’s M83 project — go back to 2003’s Dead Cities, Red Seas & Lost Ghosts and you’ll hear a debut album with the confidence (and volume) to reach for the stars. After a couple of records of experimentation, Gonzalez is leaning back into the anthemic qualities of his work (best exhibited on 2008’s Saturdays = Youth and 2011’s Hurry Up, We’re Dreaming) with M83’s recently released ninth studio album Fantasy. The title track is pure Euro disco filtered through a brain poisoned by listening too much Cocteau Twins, while the dreamy “Laura” finds M83 embracing their New Romantic side with gauzy synths and straight out of the 80’s sax licks. Few bands reappropriate and revitalize the sounds of the ‘80s with as much creativity and sheer force as M83. With Rachika Nayar; 8 p.m., $47.50-$52 via livenation.com. Ashley Naftule
Honoring Joey DeFrancesco: A Celebration of Life and Music
Sunday, April 9Musical Instrument Museum, 4725 East Mayo BoulevardWhen influential organist, musician, composer, and bandleader Joey DeFrancesco died last summer after a heart attack at age 51, both the jazz world and the Valley’s music scene lost an icon. His passing was reported by such high-profile media outlets as NPR, Pitchfork, and the New York Times, all of which cited how he reignited interest in the Hammond B-3 organ in jazz, toured with Miles Davis starting at age 17, and recorded with the likes of Van Morrison and Ray Charles. DeFrancesco, a five-time Grammy nominee who lived in the Valley for decades, also performed and recorded with numerous local jazz musicians. A group of his friends, frequent collaborators, and former band members — including drummer Lewis Nash, organist Ronnie Foster, guitarist Dan Wilson, and saxophonist Troy Roberts — will celebrate his life and musical legacy on Sunday night at the MIM. 6 p.m., $44.50-$64.50 via mim.org. Benjamin Leatherman
