Concerts

Violent Femmes have been added to the 2023 Arizona State Fair concert lineup

The legendary punk band will perform at the Arizona State Fair in October.

August 14, 2023

Violent Femmes will play the Arizona State Fair this fall. Arizona State Fair

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The Arizona State Fair announced Monday that Violent Femmes would be joining its 2023 Coliseum Concert Series.

The legendary punk band will perform at 7 p.m. on Oct. 27.

Tickets are $20 to $100. Presale begins at 10 a.m. on Tuesday for subscribers to Arizona State Fair emails. General on-sale begins at 10 a.m. on Friday. Concert tickets also include admission to the fair. All concerts are held inside the historic Veterans Memorial Coliseum.

Violent Femmes, who formed in Milwaukee in the early 1980s, are touring to celebrate the 40th anniversary of their self-titled debut album. They'll be playing the album in its entirety at the Oct. 27 concert.

The band joins the rest of the fair's Coliseum Concert Series, which includes:

• Walker Hayes, 7 p.m., Oct. 13
• Becky G., 7 p.m., Oct. 14
• Ne-Yo, 7 p.m., Oct. 20
• Brothers Osborne, 7 p.m., Oct. 21
• Carly Pearce, 7 p.m., Oct. 28

This is the first year since 2019 that the Arizona State Fair has hosted concerts in the coliseum; the fair was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, there were no shows in 2021 and in 2022, smaller-scale concerts were held on the Backyard Stage.

The 2023 Arizona State Fair will be held Sept. 22 through Oct. 29 at the Arizona State Fairgrounds, 1826 W. McDowell Road. Cost is $15.

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