Together, they’ve sold a kazillion records combined and will help define what’s arguably one of biggest run of concerts in the Valley this fall.
Without further ado, here are all the details about each of their shows, as well as a few other notable gigs happening this week. And for even more live music happening around the Valley this weekend, hit up Phoenix New Times' online concert calendar.
The Summer Ever After Tour feat. Dashboard Confessional
Monday, October 8
The Van Buren
Can you claim the title of millennial if you didn’t use angsty Dashboard Confessional songs to get over a breakup? Chris Carrabba and his band have been around since 2000 and singing the words so many emo teenagers are thinking. Relive the better days when you see them live when they swing through town this week. Dashboard Confessional is headlining the Summer Ever After Tour, which hits The Van Buren in downtown Phoenix on Monday night and also includes All Time Low and Gnash. The show starts at 7 p.m. and tickets start at $25. Paige Skinner
Expect to hear plenty of big hits and old favorites during Foo Fighters' concert this week.
Brantley Gutierrez
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, booze-drenched lifestyles, but Grohl seems to be living one out as we speak. Part of me wants to respect it – the guy is an incredibly hard-working musician, who once broke his leg on tour and decided to carry on in a custom-made throne. But another part of me wants him to never tour again and check straight into rehab once he’s wrapped up. No matter what, though, he’ll definitely be hammered when he takes the stage at Talking Stick Resort Arena, so be prepared for that. There goes my hero… Douglas Markowitz
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
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, and Holy Fawn and once again bring their hyper-catchy instrumental metal to the masses. It’s sure to be a solid show, even for people who wouldn’t normally think of themselves as progressive-metal fans. Lovers of rap, pop, and EDM can also vibe with
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
MC Lars
Wednesday, October 10
Valley Bar
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. Be sure to see this show if you're looking for a quick-witted musical take on pop culture and politics. He'll be joined by local nerd rapper Mega Ran, who he’s been collaborating with lately on their upcoming "lit-hop" project, “The Dewey Decibel System.” Fellow nerdcore artists MC Frontalot and Schaffer the Darklord will also perform. Katie Sullivan
5 Seconds of Summer
Thursday, October 11
Comerica Theater
In the dawn of an onslaught of boy bands and girl groups being cut down, 5 Seconds of Summer remain strong. For proof, look no further than their current “Meet You There Tour,” which is scheduled to play Comerica Theatre in downtown Phoenix on October 11. Fans can expect to hear songs of the Australian-born band's latest studio album, Youngblood, which dropped over the summer. The 13-song effort topped the Billboard charts shortly after its release and is their third album to do so. This tour follows a sold-out round of spring concerts, which were packed with screaming fans. In other words,
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
Yung Bae
Thursday, October 11
Valley Bar
Put on your dancing shoes, your beach attire, and possibly an anime-themed T-shirt, because you are now listening to BAE. Once upon a time, YUNG BAE was yet another anonymous Bandcamp producer working in the vaporwave subgenre of future funk. In non-nerd language, that means he was essentially chopping up old samples of disco and Japanese city pop and adding modern house music drums and cover art swiped from screencaps of Sailor Moon.
Future funk died down a bit, but BAE remained, releasing album after album of smooth, glamorous dance cuts even the introverted, awkward, internet-dwelling otaku that popularized his music (myself included) can get down to. The best part? In the egalitarian spirit of vaporwave, the plunderphonic, underground music revolution that launched a thousand Tumblr blogs, all his music is still pay-what-you-want on his Bandcamp. His latest release is the third volume in his Japanese Disco Edits series, which is exactly what it says on the tin. Don’t sleep on this show. Douglas Markowitz
Curren$y
Thursday, October 11
The Pressroom
Curren$y has spent his career, which spans well over a decade, in the company of hip-hop’s major players like Master P, Lil Wayne, and Wiz Khalifa, each of whom took the rapper under his wing at different times. Because of that, the New Orleans native has been signed to and sought after by numerous major labels
Surprisingly, Curren$y’s never achieved much mainstream success. Instead, he’s cemented a longstanding status as an underground legend, selling out massive shows across the country and moving loads of mixtapes and albums via his own Jet Life record imprint, all the while appealing to the smoker’s club. This week, Curren$y will visit The Pressroom in downtown Phoenix for his latest gig in the Valley. Kapo Bravado, Larry June, and DJ Rolex will also perform. Mikel Galicia
Shannon and the Clams
Thursday, October 11
Crescent Ballroom
In a scene over-saturated with bands mining the 1960s, Shannon and the Clams manage to stand out in stark contrast to their peers. That's partly because their songwriting is simple and strong, but mostly because of Shannon Shaw's powerful, soulfully melodic and emotionally gripping voice. Shaw sounds like she took a time machine back to 1965, burned through producers at the Brill Building and Motown, then set out to do make music on her own, on the heels of getting ditched by the love of her life.
If the Clams' 2011 album, the monumental Sleep Talk, was a bracing indication of potential, the act's follow-up releases, 2013’s Dreams in the Rat House and 2015’s Gone By The Dawn, are perhaps a few notches better. Shaw's talent is no studio trickery, and live, she's even more charismatic and thrilling. Hailing from the Bay Area, Shannon and the Clams have been honing their craft to a gritty and visceral perfection. Their latest album, Onion, came out earlier this year and the band is touring in support of the project, including a stop at Crescent Ballroom this week. Tom Murphy
Bit Brigade
Thursday, October 11
The Grid in Mesa
Bit Brigade started out performing under the names Contraband,
This week, Bit Brigade fittingly pays a visit to Mesa game bar The Grid on Thursday, October 11, in honor of the
Editor's note: This list has been updated to reflect the cancelation of Wednesday's Sting and Shaggy show at The Van Buren.
