The 30 Best Concerts in Phoenix in March 2017

Don’t look now, but March madness is in full swing. No, we aren’t referring to the annual basketball tournament (although that’s getting going sometime soon), but rather to the fact that this month is practically wall-to-wall with big shows and can’t miss concerts.

And believe us, the next few weeks are going to be busy when it comes to live music.

There’s probably no greater example of that said fact than the annual Viva PHX extravaganza, which will bring 70-plus bands to downtown Phoenix on Saturday, March 11. They won’t be the only ones headed our way for a show, however, since the Arizona will be visited by all manner of musicians who will be going to and coming from South by Southwest and other spring festivals around the country. (Check out our extensive online music listings for info on all these shows.)

There will also be a slew of big-name bands and artists appearing at March’s other high-profile concert event in the Valley, the annual Pot of Gold music festival at Rawhide, which will include performances by Flogging Molly, NOFX, G-Eazy, Death Cab for Cutie, Action Bronson, and many more.

Here’s a rundown of which concerts we’re looking forward to seeing in March.


Gin Blossoms – Friday, March 10 – Chandler Ostrich Festival
To the band that made the following lines famous — "Anywhere you go, I'll follow you down. I'll follow you down, but not that far!" — we have a message for you: We, your loving audience, will keep following you, because you're great. For the countless adults caught in that awkward place between Gen X and Y who remember when MTV played music, there are a handful of names that impart that deliciously distinct '90s-lost-innocence nostalgia, from Blues Traveler to Bush to Counting Crows, but it might just be Gin Blossoms who take the cake. With the salty-sweet voice of vocalist Jesse Valenzuela and hits like "Hey Jealousy," "Follow You Down," and "Til I Hear It From You," Gin Blossoms had a virtual monopoly on the soundtracks to school dances and car make-outs of the '90s. Formed in 1987 in Tempe, Arizona, Gin Blossoms broke out with "Hey Jealousy," a song that became the center of a tragedy after its writer, Blossoms cofounder Doug Hopkins, was fired and later committed suicide after a battle with drinking. The rest of the band's members continued on to success before eventually breaking up in 1997. In 2002, the band reunited and subsequently released 2006's Major Lodge Victory and 2010's No Chocolate Cake. Gin Blossoms have survived a shuffling in and out of members over the years, but at least for now, they're stable and touring. JACON UITTI


Jerry Riopelle – Friday, March 10 – Talking Stick Resort
Just because it’s been several years since Jerry Riopelle performed one of his trademark New Year's Eve gigs at the Celebrity Theatre, don't fret. It doesn't mean that he's ditched the Valley by any means. Nope, Riopelle still calls Scottsdale home, at least part of the year, one of many stops he's made along in his journey in the rock and pop world. During his 50-year-plus career, Riopelle has worked behind the scenes writing and producing songs for Capitol and A&M Records, as well as for the infamous Phil Spector, and seeing his songs covered by folks like Meatloaf, Kenny Loggins, and Herb Alpert. He later released his own material in the '70s and '80s, which got tons of airplay on KDKB and built up Riopelle's local popularity eons before he decided to move to Arizona in 2003. You can witness the extent of his popularity during his gig on March 10 at Talking Stick Resort in Scottsdale, which is likely to be packed with fans. BENJAMIN LEATHERMAN


This Saxaphone Kills Fascists – Friday, March 10 – Trunk Space
“They say don’t feed the trolls, don’t respond to them, don’t address it,” Arrington de Dionyso tells us on the phone while talking about This Saxophone Kills Fascists, his latest project. “But I’m an artist; I’m a musician with a higher profile. That tactic isn’t going to work for me.” The “it” the Olympia, Washington, multi-instrumentalist is referring to is the infamous #Pizzagate. The idea that leading Democratic officials would orchestrate something as monstrous and preposterous as a child sex-trafficking operation out of a pizzeria was bizarre enough; the fact that underground artist de Dionyso became a part of the controversy made it even more surreal. De Dionyso was already a well-known and respected figure before #Pizzagate shined a spotlight on him. As a musician, his groups Old Time Relijun and Malaikat dan Singa mixed together psych-rock, jazz, and Indonesian trance music to create a beguiling curry of mind-expanding sounds. His artwork, replete with ecstatic and primitive figures that recall the wild and childlike styles of Henri Rousseau and Henry Darger, has adorned concert posters, gallery walls, and even Yves Saint Laurent backpacks. His art also decorated the walls of Comet Ping Pong Pizzeria, ground zero for the #Pizzagate hysteria, making him a target for deranged right-wing conspiracy theorists. It’s why de Dionyso is putting his latest rock album aside to tour as the explosive free-jazz experience This Saxophone Kills Fascists. Playing with a different group of local musicians in each city, de Dionyso brings saxophone, bass clarinet, Indonesian wind instruments, and other percussive instruments together to make a different kind of protest music. ASHLEY NAFTULE


Viva PHX 2017 – Saturday, March 11 – Downtown Phoenix
One of the main forces that drove Stateside Presents' head honcho, Charlie Levy, to create Viva PHX in 2014 was the fact that he simply doesn't like traditional music festivals very much. Who can blame him? Giant crowds of people in exposed, enormous fields, listening to bands amplified from 500 feet away? Yuck. So Levy created Viva PHX, a festival based on the urban model of South by Southwest. (Disclosure: New Times is a sponsor.) Instead of one or two giant stages, Viva PHX takes over dozens of stages throughout downtown Phoenix. For one magical night, giant crowds of music lovers fill spaces of downtown usually devoid of people, even on a Saturday night. And just like during its first three editions, this year’s lineup is loaded up with noteworthy bands, including Wyclef Jean, Girl Talk, American Football, Mystikal, The Drums, Warren G, Kaiydo, Temples, Sharam, Reverend Horton Heat, Uffie, Youngr, Joyce Manor, X, The Mowgli’s, Invisibl Skratch Piklz, Fucked Up, YACHT, Blackalicious, The Menzingers, Tone Loc, Peanut Butter Wolf, Health, and dozens of others. DAVID ACCOMAZZO


Steel Panther – Saturday, March 11 – Livewire
What if, in a perfect world, the music genre you love the most was the only one in existence and lived on forever? Steel Panther imagines this to be true, and tonight the glammish four-piece brings a full-on heavy-metal throwback show to Livewire in Scottsdale. The best part? Steel Panther isn't just a tribute — it is also an equal mockery of the sometimes androgynous, hair-dominating days when Poison and Motley Crue owned MTV. The band gets it right by aiming right at the crotch of the genre, zeroing in on the humor of the oversexed days of Sunset Strip hair metal while balancing it with original and true-to-form hook-heavy songs. Just imagine: Ten years from now, some dudes born in the '90s will be wearing greasy mops and smoking fake cigarettes on stage, attempting to pull off a semi-accurate Strokes tribute, and it won't be nearly as funny. BREE DAVIES

Los Lobos – Sunday, March 12 – Chandler Ostrich Festival
The Los Lobos origin story is a familiar one: High-school friends bond over favorite records, form a band, play house parties and make a few albums before hitting the mainstream. But this California group had a style all its own, going beyond the typical garage sound and paying homage to the folk music of the members’ childhoods, bringing cumbia, zydeco and Tejano influences onto the radio. The Chicano-country rockers from East L.A. started kicking out the jams in the early ’70s, but it wasn’t until they covered the Ritchie Valens classic “La Bamba” in the 1987 film of the same name that the world took notice. Touring relentlessly as both headliners and support for acts like U2 and Bob Dylan, Los Lobos have continued to blaze trails, winning several Grammys over the decades and releasing their 24th record, Gates of Gold, in 2015. WILLIAM MICHAEL SMITH


Niyaz – Monday, March 13 – Musical Instrument Museum
Outside the scope of rock and pop, "supergroups" are less heralded. Besides the acclaimed Masters of Persian Music, Arabic folk mergers remain sparse. Niyaz (NEE-az) easily slips into that category, drawing from a thousand years of Iranian and Indian influence and rebooting it with digital charges. Comprising former Vas vocalist Azam Ali, Axiom of Choice founder Loga Ramin Torkian, and producer Carmen Rizzo, the goal was to traverse a narrow bridge between classical cool and futuristic foray without compromising the integrity of either. And they’ve accomplished this mission on all five of the albums in the group’s discography, as Ali's brilliant Urdu/Farsi poetry is laid bare with warm bass lines and reinvented dholak and tabla loops. Drawing from a catalogue of ancient scribes, Ali carefully crafts melodies from the works of Rumi, Sauda, Shad Azimabadi, and others. Torkian then punctuates them with lightweight rabab, saz and guitar viol lines, resulting in stunning and emotive music that transcends boundaries. DEREK BERES


DakhaBrakha – Tuesday, March 14 – Musical Instrument Museum
Hailing from Ukraine, Kiev's DakhaBrakha offers a high level of musical and visual stimulation, turning a world-based palette of regional folk music into hypnotic, trance-inducing mystic revelations. The percussion-heavy quartet formed in 2004 at the Kyiv Center of Contemporary Art (DAKH) through avant-garde theater director Vladyslav Troitskiy, leading to ornate costumes featuring tall hats, long braids, and bangles extending to the colorfully patterned drums and instruments. Intoxicating, yes, but it's the music — the triple harmonies and cross-cut vocals of Iryna Kovalenko (djembe, bass drums, accordion, percussion, bugay, zgaleyka, piano), Olena Tsibulska (bass drums, percussion, garmoshka) and Nina Garenetska (cello, bass drum), bolstered by Marko Halanevych's impassioned singing with darbuka, tabla, didjeridoo, accordion, and trombone accompaniment — that truly captivates. DakhaBrakha means "give/take" in the old Ukrainian language, which also provides the act's lyrical base. A fitting name, as the music starts on a platform of traditional Ukrainian melodies before incorporating African, Asian, Eastern European and Middle Eastern aspects into the mix. Add creative usage of effects pedals, and the resulting juxtaposition of styles and textures proves that what was once old can thrive as something new, fresh, and moving. GLENN BURNSILVER


Béla Fleck & Abigail Washburn – Tuesday, March 14 – Scottsdale Center for the Arts
Winner of a staggering 15 Grammy awards, Bela Fleck is widely considered to be one of the greatest instrumentalists alive. On banjo, even Steve Martin would probably concede Fleck has no peer, particularly among musicians who have chosen to venture far beyond the territory of traditional bluegrass. However, the 58-year-old Fleck has no trouble whatsoever going the traditional route, as seen lately in his musical partnership with wife and fellow banjoist Abigail Washburn. Although their eponymous 2014 album won the Grammy for Traditional Folk Album, even that one features a Bartok medley and a reworking of his old fusion-minded old group the Flecktones’ “New South Africa” among scattered original compositions and traditional songs like “Pretty Polly” and “Railroad.” CHRIS GRAY


The Cadillac Three – Wednesday, March 15 – Marquee Theatre
Rising country band The Cadillac Three is best known for bringing an element of redneck Southern rock to mainstream country. Authentically unapologetic, the trio isn’t into acts: What you see is what you get, and the ripped jeans, long hair, and thick drawls are real. The Cadillac Three, comprised of Jaren Johnston on lead guitar/vocals, Kelby Ray on lap steel, and Neil Mason on percussion, are all Nashville natives, first meeting in high school. They went on to play with a variety of bands, coming together a decade ago. They first toured under the name the Cadillac Black before switching to The Cadillac Three and forging their characteristic sound about five years ago. “The history shows on stage,” says Kelby Ray. “We have chemistry. No tracks, just us having a fun time. It’s the real deal. No faking it.” Johnston’s combination of attitude-filled gritty vocals and all-out shredding leads the trio. The lap steel of Ray, playing through a bass amp, fills in the low side, while sneaking in attention-grabbing riffs that compliment Johnston. Mason rounds out the sound with a commanding presence on drums. AMBER ERICKSON GABBEY


Xenia Rubinos – Wednesday, March 15 – Valley Bar
Xenia Rubinos speaks with mesmeric confidence, dances like La Lupe, has the swagger of Erykah Badu, and sings like an indie Mariah Carey. Her music has indisputable undercurrents of soul and R&B, flecked with punk-rock guitar riffs and hip-hop verbiage. She discusses her newest album, Black Terry Cat, with unrestrained pride and excitement while maintaining a level of self-awareness that’s not often found in the music business. She doesn’t want to add to the “noise,” as she calls it, so while she talks swiftly about the creation of her second album, she also maintains the ability to shrug her shoulders and admit to not having all the answers. “I learned a lot about problem-solving under pressure,” she says. “On stage during performances, things are gonna go wrong — it’s inevitable. I had to learn that it’s a living, breathing thing, and it’s not about not having problems; it’s just about how you deal with them in the moment. I used to freak out a lot when things would go wrong: I had a keyboard that broke down on me several times throughout tour, and I used to kinda panic when that would happen. That’s not to say that I never panic anymore; I just have a new view of what it means when things go wrong.” MARIAH TAYLOR

Pot of Gold Music Festival 2017 – Friday, March 17 & Saturday, March 18 – Rawhide
Good news for local Flogging Molly fans: after a three-year absence, they’re resuming their tradition of performing in the Valley in honor of the Irish drinking holiday. The famed Celtic rock band is scheduled to appear during the second night of the Pot of Gold Music Festival, the massive two-day outdoor concert event at Rawhide over Saint Patrick’s Day weekend that will star a huge assortment of rock, punk, indie, and hip-hop acts. The first night of the festival on Saturday, March 17, will feature rappers G-Eazy, Desiigner, Action Bronson, Rae Sremmurd, and Smokepurpp on one stage, all while Sublime With Rome, 311, Matisyahu, Mystic Roots Band, and Katchafire hold it down on a second stage. Flogging Molly will co-headline an equally loaded lineup on Saturday, March 18, along with Death Cab for Cutie, NOFX, Fitz and the Tantrums, Less Than Jake, X Ambassadors and several other notable bands. BENJAMIN LEATHERMAN


Nick Hakim – Sunday, March 19 – Valley Bar
The first time you hear Nick Hakim's voice, you're transported. Mixing soulful tones with Brooklyn-style electronic beats, Hakim creates a sound that you can sink into with enough complexity to merit listen after listen. His debut double EP, Where Will We Go, was wise beyond its years, and the single "Bet She Looks Like You," from his upcoming album Green Twins, is an intriguing harbinger of the artist's music to come. Hakim is sure to deliver a show both intimate and heartfelt, with lots of subtle embellishments. Go, relax and enjoy the magic. KATIE SULLIVAN


Modern English – Tuesday, March 21 – Valley Bar
Back in the day, Modern English scored critical laurels from heavyweights like John Peel for taking synth-driven postpunk and pushing it to pop audiences. Of course, the biggest of these hits is the immortal "I Melt With You," a staple of retro dance parties worldwide. But other singles, like the earlier "Smiles and Laughter" and the later "Chapter 12," were equally melodic takes on keyboard-boosted dance-punk. These days, Modern English is touring again with an old-school lineup and is gratefully playing all the hits with some upcoming material for a new album sprinkled in. ARIELLE CASTILLO

Terror Pigeon – Wednesday, March 22 – Trunk Space
Terror Pigeon have been flapping their wings in the underground for years, blowing minds and shaking asses with their oddball dance music. They’ve done a few shows in Phoenix over the years, playing with fellow avant-dance groups like Captain Ahab. A typical Terror Pigeon show can involve sweat-drenched dance parties, conga lines, and outright convulsions. Nobody sits at one of their shows unless they absolutely have to. Considering their predilection for body-rocking, their latest project is a major curveball. Terror Pigeon is touring a show called Surround Sound Lay Down, in which they perform music for an audience that is lying down! Setting up speakers and subwoofers in each corner of the room, surrounding all sides of the audience, they’ll create a soundscape you can really sink into. Audience members coming to see them at their Trunk Space show on Wednesday, March 22nd should bring their own blankets, pillows, foam rest, and stuffed animals so they can get nice and cozy. Saxophonist Curt Oren will serenade the slumber party before Terror Pigeon kicks off their hexaphonic sound experience. ASHLEY NAFTULE


MC Lars – Wednesday, March 22 – Last Exit Live
MC Lars is a rapper with his tongue planted firmly in his cheek. His songs, inspired by the parody genre of Weird Al Yankovic, bounce through a catalog of nerdy topics: Shakespeare, '90s ska music, Internet relationships and ancillary early-season Simpsons characters. Even though MC Lars plays his music for laughs, there's wit and craftsmanship in his work, revealing an endeavor the artist clearly takes seriously. Further, his latest release, Donald Trump Has Really Bad Morals, shows that the rapper's wit is evolving to perform real social critiques. Be sure to see this show if you're looking for a quick-witted musical take on pop culture and politics. KATIE SULLIVAN


The Motet – Thursday, March 23 – Marqee Theatre
Those who have come to know The Motet as an Afro-centric band should be happy with the band's directional shift on its eponymous new album. While the African influences that gave the Boulder, Colorado, group its footing in the 1990s can still be heard, The Motet has morphed into a full-fledged classic-funk outfit. Originally conceived as a collective in which musicians come and go, the shapeshifting The Motet has both incorporated growing trends and settled on classic styles. But at the base has always been Afrobeat, a blend of funk, Jimi Hendrix-style guitar licks, and indigenous rhythms popularized by Fela Kuti. Of course, reggae, dub, and electronica have played major roles in shaping the band's sound. However, funk is at the heart of The Motet's latest lineup. Elements of Parliament Funkadelic (and other George Clinton offshoots), Earth, Wind & Fire, Commodores, James Brown, Roy Ayers, and Prince fill the band's new album. It's vintage boogie music that offers nary a moment's respite. GLENN BURNSILVER

Bad Boy Bill – Friday, March 24 – Gypsy Bar
The story of DJ Bad Boy Bill (born William Renkosik) reads like the story of house music itself, and namely how this once geo-specific Chicagoan music subculture disseminated itself across the greater American and international cultures to become the mainstream phenomenon it is today. Schooled in the Chicago house boom of the mid-'80s, fledgling DJ Bill first made a name for himself by distributing promo mixtapes out of the trunk of his car. In the future he would become widely-credited as the founding father of the mixtape after an entire generation of DJs caught on to this effective medium of self-promotion by word-of-mouth. Getting recruited by prominent radio jockey and house legend Farley Jackmaster Funk at WGCI Chicago in the late-'80s would land Bill his first of many local radio gigs, where he would hone the rapidfire DJ chops that make him famous today – he often spins up to 20 records in the time it takes the average DJ to mix 5. In the '90s and '00s Bill continued to delight listeners worldwide touring heavily across the globe and releasing a prolific series of compilation records, his five-volume Bangin' The Box series being one of the best selling in dance music history. In the new decade the house music veteran has embraced the new hybrid EDM sounds of the new generation, mixing equal parts house, rock and hip-hop in his sets, and always with his signature banging peak-hour energy. SEAN LEVISMAN

Game of Thrones Live Concert Experience – Sunday, March 26 – Talking Stick Resort Arena
Like all pop culture phenomena, Game of Thrones will not allow itself to be bound to one medium. What began as a series of fantasy books written by George R.R. Martin, Game of Thrones was unleashed onto the world of the illiterate through a hugely popular HBO show in 2011. But that was not enough for the fans of dragons, battles, and incest. Over the years, there have been Game of Thrones videogames, conventions, and now, a live concert experience. According to reviews of earlier dates on the tour, the show seems to emphasize the word "experience" as much as it does the word "concert." The TV show's composer, Ramin Djawadi, conducts an orchestra and chorus that play selections of the music that accompanied the many deaths, resurrections, and bare-breasted brothel scenes throughout the past six seasons of Game of Thrones. The stage is divided into three parts: One section holds the majority of the musicians, while the other two areas showcase soloists. For those who have not received a master's degree in GoT mythology and cannot remember which score corresponds to which scene, a massive screen hanging above the players will broadcast images of the Starks and Lannisters battling and embracing (though you will have to subscribe to HBO to see the R-rated material). The live concert experience provides special effects whose descriptions, like the show on which it is based, will be preceded by spoiler alerts. During explosions, flames shoot up from the stage; at times, to represent wildfire, the flames are appropriately green. When the action takes audiences to the frozen tundra of the North, snowflakes fall from the rafters. So although Game of Thrones fanatics might have to wait months for the next season to begin, fear not: This show offers a chance to get your fix of Jon Snow, Tyrion Lannister, and all the other magical and brutal figures of their ever-expanding world. DAVID ROLLAND


Adrian Belew Power Trio – Sunday, March 26 – Crescent Ballroom
Adrian Belew, a man widely considered one of the most innovative guitar players of the 21st century, once toiled in a Beatles cover band, an Elvis impersonator band, a Holiday Inn circuit band, and many other aborted failures. Before he was even 30, Belew was on the verge of throwing in the towel on his musical career. Frank Zappa became Belew's savior when the mustachioed maestro chanced to see Belew playing in one of those bands and spotted a wasted talent. In short order, Belew was trying out for, and then being offered a position in, Zappa's band. Belew's stint with Zappa opened plenty of doors, and soon he was playing with Talking Heads, David Bowie, and numerous other marquee musicians before becoming a driving force in King Crimson. Belew's progressive approach to guitar playing, along with his technically challenging songwriting, which powered Crimson, the Bears, and his solo efforts cemented his reputation as a thinking man's musician. Belew's current musical outlet is his Power Trio, featuring bassist Julie Slick and drummer Tobias Ralph, which performs music from throughout Belew's career – namely songs he composed for King Crimson, the Bears, and his solo albums, as well as Power Trio-specific works. GLENN BURNSILVER

Peelander-Z – Sunday, March 26 – Valley Bar
Hailing from “the Z area of Planet Peelander” – also known as New York City – Japanese-American punk band Peelander-Z is all about world-making. Formed in 1998, the group has spent the past two decades creating a surrealist action-figure universe. Like the Power Rangers, each member wears a monochrome battle uniform, and they’re fueled by an almost feverish goodwill and positivity. These elements bring a certain level of the absurd to the proceedings, eradicating the creeping cynicism that colors most modern-day spectacle. Musically, the group resembles its compatriots in the Depaysement (who also have a penchant for primary-colored uniforms), playing shout-chorus tunes that are as much pop as they are punk. Peelander-Z pulls you into a cosmos where you don’t have to feel guilty about feeling so goddamned good. LUKE LEAVITT


Sleigh Bells – Monday, March 27 – Crescent Ballroom
Last year, Brooklyn-based noise-pop duo Sleigh Bells gained listeners’ attention again with the release of Jessica Rabbit. Alexis Krauss and Derek Taylor had been on a several-years hiatus after the hype and whirlwind of their 2010 debut proved too much for them to handle. That break apparently provided just the creative spark Sleigh Bells needed. Many of the new songs, particularly the sharp-edged single "It's Just Us Now," slot nicely into the band's canon of frenetic, riff-heavy tracks. Elsewhere on the album, Krauss and Taylor take the time to experiment with some unfamiliar wrinkles: slowing down tempos, expanding musical interludes, and incorporating fresh instrumentation. This willingness to take a fresh approach suggests Sleigh Bells are in it for the long haul. JEFF STROWE


The Dollyrots – Tuesday, March 28 – The Rebel Lounge
Ludicrously cute Southern California pop-punk couple Kelly Ogden and Luis Cabezas, a.k.a. The Dollyrots, have been busy as bunnies as of late, birthing both literal and musical babies (the former being their second child, while the latter being their eighth full-length album, Whiplash Splash, which dropped this month). More tuneful racket than rocket science, the duo adds dimension to its often formulaic, fuzzy '80s punk with co-ed takes on '60s girl-group harmonies and undertones (and even Undertones) of riot grrl-ish political comment and snarky humor. Despite appearing in everything from Ugly Betty to Kohl's commercials, The Dollyrots' music seems unlikely to put their new addition through college, but looks, hooks and coming up by the book have earned them an admirable 14 years of club-level cult status. PAUL ROGERS


Chelsea Grin – Tuesday, March 28 – Joe's Grotto
Chelsea Grin is a deathcore act from Salt Lake City, beefed up with three guitarists who draw from a groundwork of hardcore and add in death metal precision and grindcore speed to contrast with soft vocals and headbanging melody. Though largely deathcore, the band has dabbled with some elements of doom, black and symphonic metal, while featuring its technical and melodic instrumentation. Ice Nine Kills, Gideon, and Enterprise Earth are also on this bill. ADAM STEININGER


Eric Church – Tuesday, March 28 – Talking Stick Resort Arena
Once all but blacklisted by radio programmers for a hell-raising attitude that sometimes spilled over into his lifestyle, Eric Church now sits at the very top of Nashville's A list thanks to The Outsiders. One of only two country albums released in 2014 to go platinum — and the furthest thing from some focus-grouped album-by-committee stitched together in some big-label boardroom — Outsiders is instantly recognizable as the work of an artist with an axe to grind who is firing on all cylinders, from No. 1 single "Talladega" and eight-minute stream-of-consciousness rant "Devil, Devil (Princess of Darkness)" on down. CHRIS GRAY


Panic! at the Disco – Wednesday, March 29 – Talking Stick Resort Arena
Man, Las Vegas is weird. Look at the list of bands from there: The Killers, Imagine Dragons and Friday night's headliner at the South Side Music Hall, Panic! at the Disco. One was the only band to survive the nu-new wave boom of the mid-2000s, one is currently selling out arenas and one is the only band not named Fall Out Boy that is still drawing pop-punk fans in the thousands. In other words, what happens (musically) in Vegas gets huge and doesn't stay in Vegas. Panic! at the Disco's 2013 release, Too Weird to Live, Too Rare to Die!, was a drastic move away from their pop-punk roots into the world of EDM, with heavy hip-hop influences. Ditto for its latest album, 2016’s Death of a Bachelor, which has been lauded for its nuanced songwriting by critics. Both efforts are considered to be smart moves by a band that is trying not only to survive more than a decade after they broke through, but find new fans. JAIME-PAUL FALCON


Leftover Salmon – Thursday, March 30 – Marquee Theatre
Formed in 1989, renowned jam band Leftover Salmon has always mixed humor with a stylistic blend of Cajun, bluegrass, funk, soul, rock, and blues music. "We play the kind of music we want to play. We've never been pigeonholed. If we want to play a certain style, we do. I think it's interesting for people coming to the shows," says guitarist/mandolinist Drew Emmitt. "The main thing is all about the energy and getting people up and dancing. That's always been the focus of this band. The different styles we play are to get people going and to create a party." Leftover Salmon averaged more than 200 concerts annually for 15 years, but when tragedy struck the band via the cancer death of founding banjo player Mark Vann, the party ended abruptly in 2004 with an indefinite hiatus. "We've always had a good time, and in the early days it was really exciting. What really happened was that we toured too much," Emmitt says. "I think we got a little burned out." Returning in 2007, the "Polyethnic Cajun Slamgrass" sound remained integral to the band's identity, though the lineup continued to change. Rather than be a drain, however, these changes have filled Leftover Salmon with the vibrancy of the band's earliest days. GLENN BURNSILVER


Black Joe Lewis and the Honey Bears – Thursday, March 30 – Crescent Ballroom
Black Joe Lewis already has plenty of reasons to puff out his chest nowadays, including the fact his latest album, the recently released Backlash, has gotten some critical love. So if he seems a little extra excited during his upcoming Phoenix gig, it could be that, too — although considering the boiler-room-intensity levels of his gigs with the Honeybears, it might be tough to tell the difference. The dynamic singer and guitarist is one of Texas’s most explosive front men, bootstrapping his gutbucket R&B in Austin’s finest punk dives before capturing his raw angst and off-the-charts energy on the albums Tell 'Em What Your Name Is! and Scandalous. Considering it’s going on four years since Lewis’s last record, 2013’s Electric Slave, there must be a whole bunch of new pent-up frustrations just screaming to surface. Certainly there are if Backlash’s first single “PTP” is any evidence. CHRIS GRAY