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We totally understand if you’ve got little in the way of either time or money right now. But if you happen to have a little bit of either, you might want to consider checking out one of the following concerts happening this weekend.
There are several holiday shows in the mix (natch), as well as few important gigs by such locals as Saddles and Captain Squeegee, and some great hip-hop concerts by up-and-coming artists.
And if you need even more live music options, hit up our online concert calendar. For now, here are the eight best concerts in Phoenix this weekend.
Rich the Kid – Friday, December 16 – The Pressroom
Rich the Kid could be the freshest face in the rap scene right now. 2016 has been pretty good to him so far, having collaborations with Diplo, Justin Bieber, Frank Ocean, Ty Dolla $ign and Jaden Smith. He even shared the stage with G-Eazy earlier this year. He's not exactly new to the game,
Saddles – Friday, December 16 – The Rebel Lounge
Saddles are one of those very talented local bands that I’m probably too old to understand. It saddens me, because when I listen to their music, I really like it and feel like I understand it. I even identify with the seemingly deep sentiments held within their intricate tapestries of melody and meaning. There are elements of things I grew up with in here, too. There is a touch of New Order, the more melancholy and
White Nightmare Ball – Friday, December 16 – Club Palazzo
If there’s one thing that in abundance this time of year,
Captain Squeegee's 10th Anniversary – Friday, December 16 – Crescent Ballroom
I remember my first Captain Squeegee show. It was at the Sail Inn, and I had been listening to their tunes for a while. They were getting weird. They were doing a web video series and a guy named Danny Torgersen seemed to be behind it all. When I asked to meet him, someone pointed out a ginger in tie-dye who looked like a psychedelic Irish cartoon. I decided not to meet him that evening. Still, their sound was ramping into something completely different from their ska-soaked Soap Suds days. It was sometime after the release of Nothing vs Everything, and they were moving well beyond the Uprising days. I remember thinking at the time, “Captain Squeegee is not like any other band right now in this town.” Years later, that’s still true. Captain Squeegee isn’t like any band in this town or anywhere else on this terrestrial plane. On Friday, December 16, Captain Squeegee will celebrate the 10th anniversary of the Captain Squeegee we’ve come to know and love, with the likes of Torgersen and Austin Mack leading the mix. MITCHELL HILLMAN
Mariachi Sol De México – Saturday, December 17 – Scottsdale Center for the Arts
Mariachi music is something more people in the Valley need to
Lynch Mob - Sunday, December 18 - Marquee Theatre
One could only wish this news would get better, but alas, it does not. It’s a slow season for concerts, as most of the truly talented individuals are hunkering down for the coming storm of consumerism, but not the Lynch Mob. Remember them? Probably not, unless you are one of those tormented hair-metal fans who will not give up the ghost. It’s over, I’m sad to say, and even though the memories will never die, feathered and frosted hair, Spandex, and too much eye shadow on men is a thing of the past everywhere except the finer drag establishments. George Lynch, who is best known for his time in Dokken (which really doesn’t say a whole lot), started Lynch Mob back in ’89 when Dokken broke up the first time, and lo and behold, they are playing the Marquee Theatre on December 18. It will, though, be a spectacle, and if aliens just happen to fly down and land in the Marquee parking lot during the show, they will undoubtedly unleash every ounce (or whatever unit of measurement they use) of their firepower to kill us all instantly. That might be a little harsh, actually. Maybe the aliens will fall in love with Lynch Mob and the rest of us will just wish they had vaporized the planet because we’ll have new hair-metal-loving overlords. Either way, we lose. TOM REARDON
David Benoit – Sunday, December 18 – Scottsdale Center for the Arts
Christmas music can be bad (we’re looking at you, “I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus”), but the Vince Guaraldi Trio neatly righted that ship. That is why jazz musician David Benoit and guest vocalist Sara Gazarek are putting on the David Benoit Christmas Tribute to Charlie Brown. This festive reminder that holiday music can be an art will feature many of your favorite A Charlie Brown Christmas covers, as well as some originals from Benoit — who took over as
The Hot Sardines’ Holiday Stomp – Sunday, December 18 – Mesa Arts Center
Expect a varied set list at the Hot Sardines' Holiday Stomp show, singer/founder Miz Elizabeth tells us. “It's a departure from what we do usually, in terms of the holiday theme, but it's still fused to our obsession with popular music from the first half of the last century. "We love so many of the genres from lots of jazz, Broadway and some with ties to the classic Hollywood era. There's a little bit of everything.” She says the group will perform Dixieland Christmas tunes, a nod to Mary Poppins and a song that was recorded by Edith Piaf. “And, of course, we cover the most covered song of all time, Irvin Berlin's “White Christmas.” She describes the music as "very danceable," hence the show's title. OLIVIA FLORES ALVAREZ
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