Photos: Phoenix’s Chrome Rhino, Rattlesnake Suitcase bring mayhem, steel chairs to Rock ‘N’ Roll Rumble

There is clearly something going on in Phoenix’s rock music scene. In January, LöFest brought an extravaganza of music, art and carbs to Last Exit Live. Then, just this past weekend (Feb. 21), Chrome Rhino and Rattlesnake Suitcase engaged in an indie music battle royal at Crescent Ballroom. Quick, somebody make sure those Idiotarod folks didn’t spike the town’s water supply or something.

The Rock ‘N’ Roll Rumble was somehow even more bizarre and lovely than promised by either Chrome Rhino’s Jared Michael or Jarrod Compton of Rattlesnake Suitcase. This musical grapple fest was marked by high-energy performances, heaps of theatricality and a wild, skittish energy central to all great rock music. The two bands took part in an eight-round confrontation, with each performing original tracks as well as decade-spanning covers in pursuit of the only thing that matters: audience approval and a shiny championship belt.

The Rumble played out just like an indie rock version of WrestleMania, complete with chair throwing, mannequins, choreographed fights, trash talk and even deliberate meddling with the other band’s equipment. There was even something akin to a shark cage gimmick, as a card table acted as a kind of “strategic zone” where the non-performing band could play board games or plot their enemy’s untimely demise. The one thing missing? A run-in from Seth Rollins.

While this rock ‘n’ wrestle spectacle was absolutely as staged as any WWE match in history, that observation entirely misses the point. The Rumble was about making live music feel new, weird and exciting again, an extravaganza worthy of your time and money when so much else is going on in the world. Through the antics and gimmicks, people got to momentarily leave their lives behind and enjoy good company, a little beer and the knowledge that they’d witnessed something they may not ever see again (whether they wanted to or not).

Of course, the gimmicky nature of the Rumble still mattered to a certain degree, and in fitting with the wrestling theme, we got the sweetest swerve this side of the Montreal Screwjob. Referee Daphne Greene (of Daphne + The Glitches) held onto the championship belt, citing their exemplary performance as that night’s mediator. The bands didn’t seem to care much, though, as everyone joined in for a show-closing edition of Lynyrd Skynyrd’s “Free Bird.” You quite literally cannot make this stuff up.

If you weren’t there (or if you were and somehow need a refresher), enjoy photos of the extra wacky event below. It was a most vibrant celebration of rock’s enduring energy and creativity, capturing the undefinable power of live entertainment and showing us what an injection of the absurd can do for our doldrum lives. And if you’re not down with any of that, we’ve got just two words for you…