With the summer is firmly in the rearview, practically every music venue around town has a full calendars going, the fall festival season is in full swing, and some big tours are making stops in Phoenix.
Yeah.
Meanwhile, a new music venue (the Coca-Cola Sun Deck at Sun Devil Stadium) is making its debut and the Arizona State Fair is returning with its annual concert series.
In short, we hope you’ve got plenty of time and money to spare, otherwise, you’re going to miss out on some big gigs.
Details can be found below. And for even more live music happening around the Valley in October, hit up Phoenix New Times' online concert calendar.
This list has been updated to reflect scheduling changes for certain concerts.
Ella Vos
Thursday, October 4
Coca-Cola Sun Deck at Sun Devil Stadium in Tempe
Singer-songwriter Ella Vos has been a musician for many years, but had yet to record a proper full-length album. That all changed when she wrote and recorded Words I Never Said, which was released last November. The album is a throwback of sorts to the days before streaming, when proper albums had actual structure. And, at only 11 tracks and a shade under 35 minutes, it’s also a welcome return to the days when albums didn’t overstay their welcome.
Now, for those who like to put a little mainstream spin on their indie music, Vos has been likened to Frou Frou and old-school Sia. And while those comparisons are certainly apt, her laid-back, introspective approach to music calls to mind the musical stylings of one Lana Del Rey. Both tackle personal topics and layer them in metaphors, and both make this difficult feat seem effortless.
If anything, Vos views music as her own form of therapy. “Music as therapy is something I really needed, and maybe I always needed to do it,” she said. “But once I experienced that form of therapy, it’s quite addictive, so I continued to do it.” Clint Hale
Tennis
Friday, October 5
Crescent Ballroom
Being in the landlocked state of Colorado must be really grating for the husband-and-wife team of Patrick Riley (an Arizona native) and Alaina Moore. It’s why they so continually take to the ocean in their 30-foot sailboat, the Swift Ranger, to find musical inspiration from the waves, the wildlife, and the wind at their backs. The last time they set sail, they began in San Diego and ended up in the Sea of Cortez, and blogged about it for Urban Outfitters (which apparently doesn’t just sell overpriced, trend-hopping clothes). “Our routines are simple and the album is starting to take on a definite sound and shape,” they wrote at the time. “The inherent limitations of working on the boat have given us a streamlined sense of focus that we don’t have on land. It’s easier to see right to the heart of a song, to know what you have and if you’re doing what’s best.” How romantic! It’s as if Hemingway were still alive and had a man-bun. As for the music, the trip resulted in Tennis’ album Yours Conditionally, which continues their fascination with retro pop. Douglas Markowitz
Best Coast
Friday, October 5
Coca-Cola Sun Deck at Sun Devil Stadium in Tempe
There's an oft-used analogy in sports about how a team functions best when its “glue guys” are performing at a high level. What's a “glue guy?” He's someone who keeps the team focused when there's a bevy of distractions from the team focusing on its goal, like, say, if your lead player is dating someone famous or if the hype is getting to be too much. You need a “glue guy” in music, too, especially when you're getting a ton of hype, and your lead player dates the dude from Wavves.
That's why many consider Best Coast's Bobb Bruno the ultimate music “glue guy,” including his longtime bandmate and musical collaborator, Bethany Cosentino. That's cool because he's an integral part of the band, but he doesn't get any of the press because of music journalism's obsession with lead singers, especially female ones. So it's nice to see that Bruno's bandmate, who's frequently the focal point of the group's press, believes he's so integral. Partnerships lead to great work, and if the critics are to be believed, the partnership that's Best Coast has done just that. Jaime-Paul Falcon
The Flaming Lips
Saturday, October 6
Arizona State Fair
The Flaming Lips will take the stage at Arizona State Fair on October 6, knowing that many attendees are familiar with the band only because of the song "Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots, Pt. 1," a cult classic about a Japanese girl training in kung fu to fight an army of colorful
Over the years, the band has always balanced free artistic expression with the demands of pleasing various crowds. But the fact is, state fair patrons don't have to be familiar with the Flaming Lips’ music to be entertained by their stage show. Coyne and company typically incorporate any number of absurd props, costumes, and video displays, such as dancing Teletubbies, unicorns, and naked people. Coyne often makes grand entrances via a descending UFO, and at virtually every show he climbs into a plastic "space bubble" and rolls offstage like a hamster in a ball, relying on hands in the crowd to keep him moving. Enjoy the show, which will rival the state fair’s famed midway for sheer vibrancy. Howard Hardee
Garbage
Sunday, October 7
Marquee Theatre In Tempe
The mid-’90s was a period of transition for rock music. The grunge subgenre that exploded at the beginning of the decade was in decline after its reluctant leader, Kurt Cobain, died. Left in its wake
Garbage
Drake and Migos
Monday, October 8
Gila River Arena
Drizzy Drake is having quite the year. He was flying high in February, when he filmed himself giving away thousands of dollars in Miami for his “God’s Plan” video. But it’s been all downhill from there: his feud with Pusha T blew up in Degrassi style in the Toronto rapper’s face when Pusha revealed via the diss track “The Story of Adidon” that Drake had a secret lovechild with a French porn star. So what did Drake do to save face? He reunited the Degrassi cast for his “I’m Upset” video! Problem solved!
No matter how you feel about Drake after “Adidon,” his concert at Gila River Arena is sure to be a fun time. Aubrey’s been pulling out the stops for his other dates, bringing out Big Freedia in New Orleans and squashing his beef with Meek Mill onstage in Boston. What could be in store for us? Douglas Markowitz
Foo Fighters
Monday, October 8
Talking Stick Resort Arena
Folks, Dave Grohl might be an alcoholic. Whenever he plays a Foo Fighters gig, he carries out a drinking ritual that’s either terrifying or legendary, maybe both. “An hour before the gig, I have a Coors Light,” he told the radio station KLOS-FM. “About 50 minutes before the gig, I hit my first Jag (Jagermeister), finish the Coors Light, get another Coors Light going. Now there’s a bunch of people around, so I’m throwing shots at everybody and I’m taking shots with everyone in the room.” Again, he does this before every show. Basically, We’ve all heard stories about classic rock stars living hedonistic,
Polyphia
Tuesday, October 9
Crescent Ballroom
The last time Texas-based shredders Polyphia came to town, the show packed the house at Club Red in Mesa. They’ll soon return to the venue again to share a bill with locals like Hail the Sun, Covet
Lily Allen
Wednesday, October 10
Marquee Theatre in Tempe
If you remember the pint-sized, outspoken Lily Allen for her sunny ska and reggae-colored tunes like 2006's "Smile," a lot has changed in the 12 years since with the singer. In fact, her songs sound a lot closer to Lorde's now. That might strike you as something of a me-too through
Chief Keef
Thursday, October 11
Marquee Theatre in Tempe
The infamous Chicago rapper who helped boost drill music to substantial levels and influenced a generation of rappers is coming to the Valley in October. Since his debut album, Finally Rich, dropped in 2012, Chief Keef splashed into the game and the ripples are still being felt when new rappers like Lil Pump or Lil Uzi Vert step onto the stage.
Chief Keef’s drill music brought upon visceral images of his reality growing up in Chicago, but his ad libs like “Bang” or “Gang Gang” are something simple, yet made had a big impact on the younger generations. That’s why we have rappers like Lil Pump say things like “Esketit” and “Ooh” or “Yah” after every bar. Keef has already done so much for hip-hop and has reinvented himself with the release of Mansion Musick, his newest album, featuring tracks like “Letter.” Some of the lyrics may be on the simple side, but that isn’t necessarily a bad thing as he tends to get creative with his bars. Fans of Chief Keef can look forward to raging with him on October 11 when he hits the Marquee. Julio Lugo
King Khan and the Shrines
Saturday, October 13
Valley Bar
Good vibrations will
We Were Promised Jetpacks
Saturday, October 13
Crescent Ballroom
Typically when bands are having success, time off isn't really an option.
While their last release was well received, it showed a definite deeper side to the band's sound, distancing themselves from what a lot of indie rock bands sound like. However, the band's new album, The More I Sleep The Less I Dream is full of crazed energy, sounding like the work of men younger than those who made it. Produced by Jonathan Low (Mumford & Sons, The National), The More I Sleep The Less I Dream is a return to the energized sound that the band exhibited on their debut, with more earnest emotions sprinkled in. David Garrick
SunSquabi
Sunday, October 14
Crescent Ballroom
It shouldn’t seem surprising a band with Sunsquabi’s pedigree would come from Boulder, Colorado. Even the band’s name has a kind of stoner mountain vibe to it. Yet, Sunsquabi is not exactly stoner rock, at least not in the sense of bands (Fu Manchu, Kyuss, Eagles of Death Metal, etc.) typically labeled with that moniker. Sunsquabi, however, would be very good music to experience stoned. Why? Because the music is a trippy blend of jazz, funk, cosmic disco, classic rock, and hip-hop fused together with looping technology, live improvisation, and a willingness to take chances.
“We were absolutely encouraged to take chances! That’s a very good way of putting it. There
Alkaline Trio
Tuesday, October 16
Marquee Theatre in Tempe
Long before he stepped in for UFO-obsessed Tom DeLonge in Blink-182, Matt Skiba had Alkaline Trio.
Pitbull
Wednesday, October 17
Arizona State Fair
The one, the only Pitbull (a.k.a. “Mr. 305” and “Mr. Worldwide”) is coming to the Valley for the annual Arizona State Fair. The Miami-born rapper has been making bangers since I was in the third grade, and while I shouldn't have been listening to “Shake” or “Culo” at such a tender age, his high-energy music was too good and got everyone dancing. Aside from generating hits, Pitbull has been
Anthrax
Thursday, October 18
Arizona State Fair
One of the Big Four of thrash metal, Anthrax was formed in 1981 by Scott Ian and Danny Lilker. It wasn't until a few lineup changes later that the act hit its stride with the addition of talented vocalist Joey Belladonna in 1985. Long before it became fashionable, Anthrax introduced elements of hip-hop into its music with its landmark 1987 album, Among the Living, and the band went on to record songs with Public Enemy and UTFO. Beyond a healthy sense of humor, Anthrax had that rare combination of impressive musical chops and imagination. The outfit's 1993 album, The Sound of White Noise, which featured John Bush on vocals, included the song "Black Lodge." A collaboration with Angelo Badalamenti, the tune made for some of the creepiest moments in the history of metal. Tom Murphy
GWAR
Friday, October 19
Marquee Theatre in Tempe
With the death of vocalist and bassist Dave Brockie in March 2014, comedic thrash metal group GWAR is now left without any of its founding members. However, the often obscenely hilarious art-rock band is a beast that will scour the land devouring pop culture figures and spraying concert audiences with copious amounts of fake blood for as long as the spirit remains.
Like a car accident mashing together the talents and styles of Alice Cooper, Slayer, and Spinal Tap, GWAR are still an exotic and outlandish show to behold. It's a performance that must be experienced to truly understand what these barbaric interplanetary warriors (and clever satirists) are really all about. Angel Melendez
St. Lucia
Sunday, October 21
Crescent Ballroom
Pop music can indulge the lunacies of first love, serve as a catharsis for a broken heart, or, at its most basic, be a mindless escape from the world. More often than not, it's the latter — an amped-up blend of celebratory sounds and stress-free melodies. St. Lucia, a synth-obsessed outfit born in South Africa, unapologetically encompasses all the brightest fireworks that pop has to offer — both on record and in real life.
Founded by vocalist, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist Jean-Philip Grobler, St. Lucia emerged in 2012 with a self-titled EP that landed them a touring spot with Ellie Goulding. Their 2013 debut LP, When the Night, was a vision of glittering, euphoric, '80s-adoring dance rock. Nearly every song was a blissful, joyous, and completely heartfelt mixture that seemed to combine the best elements of artists like Simply Red, Rick Astley, and Fine Young Cannibals while filtering their sounds through the fingertips of a European nightclub DJ. The album has a distinct island flavor that extends beyond the tropical cover art, similar to when Paul Simon discovered world beat music. Imagine a disco ball illuminating the shadows of a remote jungle while M83 plays in the background. Angel Melendez
Kamasi Washington
Sunday, October 21
Marquee Theatre in Tempe
Arguably the most ambitious traditional jazz musician in recent memory, Kamasi Washington gained fame as part of the recording ensemble for Kendrick Lamar’s landmark To Pimp a Butterfly. That’s his tenor saxophone you hear at the beginning of “For Free? (Interlude).” Washington’s own solo work is perhaps even more ambitious than Kendrick’s: His debut album The Epic was a three-hour magnum opus. His latest album, Heaven and Earth, is also daring, mixing genres and incorporating a two-sided structure about the sacred and profane worlds. Douglas Markowitz
Maggie Rogers
Sunday, October 21
The Van Buren
Singer-songwriter Maggie Rogers has been on quite the hot streak this year. She's graduated from NYU and performed with The National. In case you’re not familiar with her backstory, Rogers rose to fame in 2016 after she impressed the heck out of Pharrell Williams with her vibrant and cathartic pop song, “Alaska,” which she reportedly wrote in about 15 minutes. It went viral, earning millions of listens in the process, and thrust her into the spotlight. Since its release, she’s put out two full-length albums, a hit EP, and participated in a few different tours. She's currently on the road in support of her debut LP and will make her first-ever appearance at The Van Buren in October. Benjamin Leatherman
Thievery Corporation
Monday, October 22
Marquee Theatre in Tempe
"Thievery Corporation is a punk-rock band." So says Eric Hill, one half of the decidedly not-punk-rock-band Thievery Corporation. Along with his longtime partner, Rob Garza, he has crafted 10 full-length records of lush electronica that melds worldbeat with acid jazz and trip-hop.
Still, this punk-rock declaration isn't as wild as it first appears. Hill explains that it's the rebellious spirit of Washington, D.C., his hometown and the birthplace of the band, that inspired both punk and Thievery Corporation. Like the experimental-rock bands of yesteryear, he and Garza have fused unlikely musical partners to produce ethereal and stylish jams that are at home both in a coffee shop and a giant tent at a sprawling EDM festival.
Yet
Nate Rateliff and the Night Sweats
Thursday, October 25
Arizona State Fair
At this stage of his career, Nathaniel Rateliff is a man who requires absolutely no preamble — his reputation precedes him. The soul/gospel/folk singer-songwriter and Denver native has been involved in various projects of both a solo and group nature (including performing as Nathaniel Rateliff and the Wheel and his current stint with the Night Sweats) since debuting in 2015. Although
Apache Lake Music Festival 2018
Friday, October 26, and Saturday, October 27
Apache Lake Resort & Marina
Get ready to take your cooler and tent out of storage: The Apache Lake Music Festival is back in action. For the last eight years, the ALMF have transformed the Apache Lake Marina & Resort into a weekend showcase and bacchanalia for local musicians. Whereas most local festivals like FORM and Innings put the focus on touring acts, ALMF is a 100 percent local music fest. And for its ninth year, Apache Lake is putting together a veritable dream team of Arizona bands.
This year’s ALMF is happening on October 26 and 27 at Apache Lake Marina and Resort, located near the
While this year’s lineup includes some returning acts from ALMF 2017 (Banana Gun, Bear Ghost, Japhy’s Descent, Los Chollas Peligrosas, Sara Robinson Band, The Sink or Swim, The Sugar Thieves, and The Woodworks), it also features some fresh new faces and bands that have rocked Apache Lake in older iterations of the fest. Ashley Naftule
Joan Baez
Saturday, October 27
Celebrity Theatre
Joan Baez has always had a pure, powerful voice that’s an awesome combination of natural inspiration and refined technique, and her rich, molasses-like phrasing and birdlike trilling have given an eerily haunting sheen to many otherwise austere folk songs over the past four decades. Beyond her longtime social activism, she’s perhaps best known for her off-and-on collaborations with Bob Dylan, acting at times as both his muse and his biggest critic, and interpreting his acoustic songs with her highly stylized delivery. In interviews, like so many of Dylan’s former peers in the early-’60s scene, she sometimes comes off as bitter that he wouldn’t behave and stay put in a neat folk-music straitjacket, but Baez also had some especially wise and insightful things to say about the mystery tramp in 2005's famed No Direction Home documentary. Tom Murphy
The Damned
Sunday, October 28
Marquee Theatre in Tempe
As part of the first wave of punk rock, The Damned have always been one step ahead of almost every other band, zigging when others zagged, and doing their own thing their own way. They released the first punk rock single on Stiff Records in 1976. And for the last 40-plus years, they have continued to be creative and vital.
Dave Vanian and Captain Sensible are the yin and yang of The Damned, and they have been since the beginning. Vanian is often seen in shades of black and gray, while Sensible is practically dripping with every other color at any given time. Which is why the longtime bandmates are often seen in a completely different light, even by the ardent fans who have supported them for what seems in many cases to be their entire lives.
Last spring, The Damned smashed it up at the Marquee Theatre in Tempe with an epic show that consisted of 23 songs, including two encores. Can they top that feat with their upcoming gig on October 28? Guess you'll have to go to find out. Amy Young and Tom Reardon
Sting and Shaggy
Sunday, October 28
The Van Buren
When Shaggy and Sting released their single "Don't Make Me Wait" and announced a joint album in January, the collective response from audiences and critics was, "Wait — what?" No one had asked for this. No one knew they needed it. But after the (of course) 4/20 release of their reggae album 44/876, the duo is fully committing to this thing, including a 19-date North American theater tour that includes a performance at The Van Buren on Sunday, October 28.
The musicians will play both solo and collaborative sets. Expect to hear an avalanche of hits from Sting's days with the Police, such as "Message in a Bottle," "Roxanne," and "Every Breath You Take," as well as songs from his illustrious solo career. And you can pretty much bet Shaggy will play universal fuckboi anthem "It Wasn't Me," along with "Boombastic" and "Angel." It remains to be seen whether they'll rework these songs onstage as a duo, though it's likely given Sting's penchant for live collaborations. Over the past five years, he's co-headlined arena tours with Paul Simon and Peter Gabriel. Celia Almeida
Christina Aguilera
Monday, October 29
Comerica Theatre
Christina Aguilera, the talented songstress who is almost
$uicideboy$
Monday, October 29
The Van Buren
Updating the Southern horrorcore aesthetic of Three 6 Mafia for the era of peak trap, the New Orleans-raised duo of $lick $loth and Ruby da Cherry has racked up millions of plays on SoundCloud and Spotify and toured the world. These guys are insanely prolific; they’ve released half a dozen albums and a series of 20 EPs, all titled Kill Yourself, and their songs rarely pass the three-minute mark. “Paris,” with its slasher-flick synth melody and macabre lyrics, is as good a starting point as any for the group. Douglas Markowitz
Wild Moccasins
Tuesday, October 30
The Rebel Lounge
Sometimes, a band can go away and never return even if they release something new. It's been four years since we heard a new album from Houston's Wild Moccasins. On their latest release Look Together, the four-piece turns things up a notch by mixing synthpop and dream pop into their indie pop sound. They don't waste time
Opening with one of the already released singles "Boyish Wave," the band keeps things synth-infused while the spacey guitar dances atop the track. Zahira Gutierrez sings above it all like she's echoing notes from the vacuum of space. They follow with the groove-heavy sounds of "Temporary Vase," where Nicholas Cody's bass and Avery Davis' drums make a Latin-infused sound. Complete with Gutierrez' haunting vocals and Cody Swan's guitar noodling, the result is a deep and slower paced jam.
The catchy sounds of another released track, "Longtime Listener" pick the pace back up. Swan's guitar here is where the magic lies, offering up a pedal soaked sound. The vocals remind you of shoegaze bands that were never as catchy while the bridge offers more depth than the band has shown in the past. This continues on "Missing You (the Most)" where the band returns to their new wave past, though with more synth wave tones. Easily their strongest release to date, Look Together offers up plenty of danceable tracks that should make anyone a fan. David Garrick
Rüfüs Du Sol
Tuesday, October 30
The Van Buren
The members Rüfüs Du Sol have several reasons to be cheerful these days. In addition to performing on their current tour, which rolls through the Valley this month, Australian electronic trio is gearing up to release their third LP, Solace. A crucial part of Rüfüs Du Sol’s charm is the uplifting quality of the music. Since the release of the Australian electronic trio's first full-length album, Atlas, in 2014, it has forged ahead with a sound that’s as sweeping in emotion as in scope, enveloping listeners and concertgoers in immaculately produced soundscapes and dreamy vocals courtesy of guitarist Tyrone Lindqvist. Zach Schlein
