Luke Bryan returns to the Valley a year after earning a huge reaction as a Country Thunder headliner in a spring concert season that also features the opening night of Khalid's tour in Glendale and the return of New Kids on the Block.
Here's a look at those and other highlights of the season, from experimental metal to classic alternative and mainstream country.
Is there something here for every taste? That depends. If your "taste" is based at least in part on hating almost everything, then chances are you won't find anything to please you here (or there or anywhere). But normal folks should find plenty of reasons to be glad they live in Arizona here.
5/18: Tedeschi Trucks Band
Susan Tedeschi had already earned five Grammy nominations by the time she and her husband, slide guitarist Derek Trucks, joined forces, bringing home a best-blues-album Grammy for their first joint effort, "Revelator."
That one felt a bit like Derek and the Dominoes as fronted by a woman, blending blues and soul with occasional hints of a '70s soft-rock vibe. Eight years later, the 12-member blues-rock collective isheading to town in support of a fourth album, "Signs."
Details: 6:30 p.m. Saturday, May 18.Mesa Amphitheatre, 263 N. Center St.$28-$128.480-644-2560, mesaamp.com.
5/18: The Bonedaddys
Among the first American band to be described as world beat, the Bonedaddys will bring their playful blend ofreggae, rock, funk, Latin music and more to Tempe for the season finale of the Lakeshore Music Series. Lakeshore'sWoody Wilson says, "The Bonedaddys created a cult following in Phoenix after a series of small shows in Tempe and one big blowout concert at the Mesa Amphitheatre in 1989. I thought this year was time to bring the Bonedaddys back to Phoenix for a reunion."
Details: 7:30 p.m. Saturday, May 18.Tempe Center for the Arts, 700 W. Rio Salado Parkway. $20-$30. 480-352-2822,tempecenterforthearts.com.
5/20-21: Willie Nelson
The man is a piece of American history, fresh from picking up his 13th Grammy – Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album for "My Way," his latest collection of standards, recorded in tribute to his oldfriend Frank Sinatra.
Of course, he'll probably play some subtle variation of the set he always plays, but it's a good one, from "Crazy" and "Funny How Time Slips Away" to"Mamas Don't Let Your Babies Grow Up to Be Cowboys" and"On the Road Again."
Details: 7:30 p.m. Monday, May 20 and Tuesday, May 21.Celebrity Theatre, 440 N. 32nd St., Phoenix. $40-$95. 602-267-1600,celebritytheatre.com.
5/22: New Kids on the Block
The MixTape Tour finds New Kids On The Block joined by fellow old-school pop sensations Salt-N-Pepa, Tiffany, Debbie Gibson and Naughty by Nature,promising such hits as“Hangin’ Tough,” “I’ll Be Loving You (Forever)” and “Step By Step”.
To celebrate the tour announcement, New Kids dropped a throwback track called “80s Baby” featuring their touring partners.
Details: 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, May 22.Talking Stick Resort Arena, 201 E. Jefferson St., Phoenix. $25.20 and up. 602-379-7800, ticketmaster.com.
5/22: Hatebreed
Led by singer Jamey Jasta, these metalcore veterans hit the Hard Rock album charts at No. 2 with “The Concrete Confessional,” their seventh album.
A reviewer at Metal Injection awarded the album an 8 out of 10 while noting that although it’s “no reinvention by any means, there is enough variety of material and reinvigoration in the band's energy to establish it as one of the best Hatebreed albums of the past decade.”
Details: 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, May 22.Marquee Theatre, 730 N. Mill Ave., Tempe. $25-$45. 480-829-0607, luckymanonline.com.
5/22: Keb' Mo'
It's been 25 years since the four-time Grammy winner grabbed our attention with his first release since shortening his name from Kevin Moore, a self-titled album that earned him a W.C. Handy Awardfor Best Country/Acoustic Blues Album of the Year.
His next two albums, "Just Like You" and "Slow Down," brought home Grammys. And his award-winning ways continued through 2017's "TajMo," a collaboration with Taj Mahal that earned the star his fourth Best Contemporary Blues Album Grammy.
Details: 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, May 22.Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts, 7380 E. Second St. $35-$40. 480-499-8587,scottsdaleperformingarts.org.
5/22: Little Feat
This is a 50th anniversary tour for L.A.'s most enduring to the Southern rock explosion of the '70s. Rolling Stone summed up the charms of their debut as "a weirder, wilder, West Coast version of the Band, blending and blurring American musical styles like Captain Beefheart leading a garage-rock combo along with Hank Williams, Howlin' Wolf, Duane Allman and Jack Kerouac."Jimmy Pagecalled them his favorite American band in a 1975Rolling Stoneinterview.
Details: 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, May 22.The Van Buren, 401 W. Van Buren St., Phoenix. $35-$125. 866-468-3399,thevanburenphx.com.
5/22: Knife Knights
Ishmael Butler of Shabazz Palaces and producer Erik Blood have been touring the States as Knife Knightsin support of an experimental hip-hop headphone record called "1 Time Mirage." Mojo proclaimed it "an album of eminently listenable sonic frontierism, and Butler's most accessible work in years." They're joined by experimental rapper and social activist, Lando Chill, who arrives in support of a provocative third album called "Black Ego."
Details: 8 p.m. Wednesday, May 22.Crescent Ballroom, 308 N. Second Ave., Phoenix. $15. 602-716-2222,crescentphx.com.
5/23: Wisin y Yandel
The Latin-music duoare launching their first U.S. tour in five years with a show at Comerica Theatre in support of their first album in more than five years, "Los Campeones del Pueblo/ The Big Leagues." It's the duo's 10th studio album and the first they've recorded together since the award-winning album "Líderes" in 2012.
In addition to their own recording, they're known for having collaborated with such heavy hitters as Franco de Vita, Daddy Yankee and Don Omar.
Details: 8 p.m. Thursday, May 23.Comerica Theatre, 400 W. Washington St., Phoenix. $49.95 and up.800-745-3000, livenation.com.
5/24: '90s Memorial Weekend Jam
Dru Hill topped the R&B charts three times in their '90s prime ("In My Bed,""Never Make a Promise" and Redman-assisted "How Deep Is Your Love") while serving as a launching pad for Sisqo, the white-haired R&B sensation best remembered for giving the world "Thong Song."
They're joined my Sunshine Anderson, J. Holiday and Carl Thomas.
Details: 8 p.m. Friday, May 24.Celebrity Theatre, 440 N. 32nd St., Phoenix. $25-$55. 602-267-1600,celebritytheatre.com.
5/24: Bad Company
It’s been 45 years since Bad Company dropped their self-titled debut, a recording so loaded with hard-rocking classic-rock-radio staples, they managed to feature no fewer than six of the album’s eight songs in the course of their concert at Ak-Chin Pavilion on a coheadlining tour with Joe Walsh. And Paul Rodgers’ vocals have held up surprisingly well after 40-odd years in the business. He sounded amazing.
Details: 8 p.m. Friday, May 24.The Pool at Talking Stick Resort,Loop 101 and Pima Road, Salt River Reservation. $35 and up. 480-850-7734,talkingstickresort.com.
5/25: The Millennium Tour
R&B sensations B2K (Omarion, Boog, Fizz and Raz-B) will bring the Millennium Tour to Gila River Arena on May 25withspecial guests Mario, Pretty Ricky, Lloyd, Ying Yang Twins, Chingyand Bobby V.
In their original run, from 1998-2004, B2Khad a string of hit singles, including thechart-topping "Bump, Bump, Bump" as well as “Girlfriend,” "Gots ta Be" and "Uh Huh."They won back-to-back BET Viewer's Choice Awards and Soul Train Awards in their prime.
Details: 8 p.m. Saturday, May 25.Gila River Arena, 9400 W. Maryland Ave., Glendale. $49.50 and up. 623-772-3800, ticketmaster.com.
5/26: Lemonheads, Tommy Stinson
Evan Dando'sLemonheads broke through in 1992 with "It's a Shame About Ray," fueled largely by the title track, a wistful, acoustic-driven rocker that became a Top 5 modern-rock hit and landed a spot on Pitchfork's Top 200 Tracks of the '90s list. Stinson foundfameon the fringes as the teenage derelict on bass for the Replacements.His latest solo workshould speak directly to the part of you that fell in love with “Hootenanny” or whatever album proved to be your gateway drug back in the day.
Details: 7 p.m. Sunday, May 26.Marquee Theatre, 730 N. Mill Ave., Tempe. $30-$60. 480-829-0607, luckymanonline.com.
5/28: Citizen
They arrive in support of "Fear," the much-anticipated followup to“As You Please," which Kerrang! declared their“most atmospheric music to date.” They haven't abandoned the urgency or their earlier work. They're just taking a different approach.
AsDIY Magazinewrote, “The emotion on ‘As You Please’ is as grand and raw as ever, but they have refined their delivery, and their latest album manages not to shortchange that underlying sentiment while expanding their sonic palette.”
Details: 6 p.m. Tuesday, May 28.NileTheater, 105 W. Main St., Mesa. $22. niletheater.com.
5/31: Brad Paisley
One of country's most consistent hit machines, Paisley scored his first of 18 chart-topping country hits, "He Didn't Have to Be," in 1999 and sent a record-breaking streak of 10 consecutive releases to the top from 2005 ("When I Get Where I'm Going," a duet with Dolly Parton) to 2009 ("Then").
His biggest hits include four double-platinum singles— "Whiskey Lullaby," "She's Everything," "Then" and "Remind Me," a duet with Carrie Underwood.
Details: 7:30 p.m. Friday, May 31.Ak-Chin Pavilion, 2121 N. 83rd Ave., Phoenix. $38.50 and up. 602-254-7200,livenation.com.
6/1: Luis Miguel
Amongthe most successful acts in Latin-musichistory, LuisMiguel will launch his U.S. tour in Phoenix.
The Puerto Rican-born Mexican vocalist recently picked up his sixth Latin Grammy and the Latin American Music Award for Best Tour of 2018.
Details: 8:30 p.m. Saturday, June1.Talking Stick Resort Arena, 201 E. Jefferson St., Phoenix. $35.20 and up. 602-379-7800,ticketmaster.com.
6/1: Justin Moore
This Arkansas native topped the country charts in 2009 with "Small Town USA," a wistful ballad on which he sets the scene with, "A lot of people called it prison when I was growin' up/ But these are my roots and this is what I love."
He returned to the top in 2011 with "If Heaven Wasn't So Far Away," which won two awards at the Inspirational Country Music Awards. He arrives in support of a forthcoming fifth album, "Late Nights and Longnecks."
Details: 7 p.m. Saturday, June 1.Mesa Amphitheatre, 263 N. Center St.$45. 480-644-2560, mesaamp.com.
6/1: Earth
These drone-metal veterans took their name because that's what Black Sabbath called themselves before Sabbath but after the Polka Tulk Blues Band. And the tribute extends to the sound of their music, which lumbers as much as it drones in moments as sludgy as "Torn by the Fox of the Crescent Moon," the opening track on "Primitive and Deadly," a powerful reminder that they've got this sound down to a science. By the time they get to Phoenix, they'll have dropped a followup called "Full Upon Her Burning Lips."
Details: 8 p.m. Saturday, June 1.Rebel Lounge, 2303 E. Indian School Road, Phoenix. $18; $15 in advance. 602-296-7013,therebellounge.com.
6/2: Mono
These Japanese post-rock veterans are known for the intensity of their performances, which makes sense given that their music is closer in spirit to Explosions in the Sky than, for example, Sigur Ros, filtering the grandeur of their most dramatic compositions through showers of noise more suggestive of My Bloody Valentine. They're touring in support of their 10th album, "Nowhere Now Here."
Details: 8 p.m. Sunday, June 2. Rebel Lounge, 2303 E. Indian School Road, Phoenix. $18; $15 in advance. 602-296-7013,therebellounge.com.
6/3: Specials
A leading force on the U.K. 2 Tone ska revival of the '70s, the Specials are touring the States in support of "Encore," their first album of original material to feature founding member Terry Hall since 1981. The Wire raved "And with guitarist Lynval Golding and bassist Horace Panter in the fold, it feels more like The Specials than anything has in a long time." That's especially of the bonus disc on the deluxe editions, which features such Specials classics as "Gangsters," "A Message to You, Rudy" and "Monkey Man."
Details: 8 p.m. Monday, June 3.The Van Buren, 401 W. Van Buren St., Phoenix. $40; $35 in advance. 866-468-3399,thevanburenphx.com.
6/6: TTNG
The U.K. math-rockers, whose name is short for This Town Needs Guns, are celebrating the 10th anniversary of "Animals," a debut they revisited last year on "Animals Acoustic" in collaboration with original vocalistStu Smith. This tour finds them plugging back in to revisit the album at full volume with Smith and an opening set by the Kraken Quartet, who guested on last year's acoustic re-imagining.
Details: 8 p.m. Thursday, June 6.Rebel Lounge, 2303 E. Indian School Road, Phoenix. $18; $15 in advance. 602-296-7013,therebellounge.com.
6/6: Patty Griffin
The singer-songwriter plays Phoenix in support of a self-titled album whose introspective songs were written as she battled cancer. The result is an intimate journey through her mind, from the opening couplet of the first song: "Mama's worried all the time / She tells everyone she's fine." It's Griffin'sfourth releasesince picking up a gospel Grammy for 2010’s “Downtown Church” and hooking up with Robert Plant in Band of Joy, whose self-titled 2010 album benefited greatly from Griffin’s ethereal backing vocals.
Details: 7:30 p.m. Thursday, June 6.Musical Instrument Museum, 4725 E. Mayo Blvd., Phoenix. $48.50-$73.50. 480-478-6000,mim.org.
6/7: Foreigner
When Foreigner's 40th anniversary tour played Phoenix in 2017,Mick Jones said in a press release, “I never could have imagined when I set out to create Foreigner 40 years ago, that we’d still be touring around the world and performing the music we love all these years later." It helps to have a catalog whose highlights are as likely to inspire trips down memory lane as "Feels Like the First Time,""Cold as Ice," "Hot Blooded," "Double Vision," "Urgent," "Waiting For a Girl Like You" and "I Want to Know What Love Is."
Details: 8 p.m. Friday, June 7. The Pool at Talking Stick Resort,Loop 101 and Pima Road, Salt River Reservation. $25 and up. 480-850-7734,talkingstickresort.com.
6/7: J.I.D.
Signed to J. Cole's Dreamville imprint, this Atlanta rapper is part of the Spillage Village collective. He's headed to town on the Catch Me If You Can Tourin support of "DiCaprio 2," a sophomore album that more than lived up to the promise of "The Never Story."
As HipHopDX said, "The 14-track album keeps all the commended technical framework of 'The Never Story' but elevates the delivery and songwriting to a point where he sounds completely like his own man with his own plan."
Details: 8 p.m. Friday, June 7.Marquee Theatre, 730 N. Mill Ave., Tempe. $27.50-$45. 480-829-0607, luckymanonline.com.
6/7: El Fantasma
The regional Mexican singerwas part of the “Renovarse o Morir” panel and an awards finalistat the 2019 Billboard Latin Music Week and Awards. His "En El Camino" album also earned a Latin Grammy nomination for best banda album.
And Billboard magazine credits the singer with being"part of the new wave of 'Mexillennials'taking over the genre."
Details: 8:30 p.m. Friday, June 7.Comerica Theatre, 400 W. Washington St., Phoenix. $62.50 and up.800-745-3000, livenation.com.
6/7: American Aquarium
Naming your band for a phrase in the opening line of Wilco's "Yankee Hotel Foxtrot" seems an odd choice for an artistmusic is actually closer in spirit to what theotherguy from Uncle Tupelo might do. But that does nothing to diminish the quality of BJ Barham's writing on"Things Change," an unflinching reflection on life in Donald Trump's America, hailed inAmerican Songwriter asan engaging latest chapter in "the storytelling saga of one of this generation’s most overlooked roots country singer-songwriters."
Details: 8 p.m. Friday, June 7.Rebel Lounge, 2303 E. Indian School Road, Phoenix. $18; $16 in advance. 602-296-7013,therebellounge.com.
6/7-8: JD Souther
Souther had a hand in penning such '70s FM classics as "Heartache Tonight," "New Kid in Town" and "Best of My Love," all for the Eagles. He also wrote "You're Only Lonely," a Top 10 solo hit from 1979 that showcased his honeyed, boyish vocals. A favorite performer at the MIM, his voice has weathered into a gentlemanly croon and his writing is as sharp as ever.
Details: 7:30 p.m. Friday, June 7, and Saturday, June 8. Musical Instrument Museum, 4725 E. Mayo Blvd., Phoenix. $48.50-$53.50. 480-478-6000, themim.org.
6/8: Hillsong United
The Australian-based worship collective will bring their first U.S. tour in nearly three years to Comerica Theatre.Comprised of an evolving andeclectic mix of musicians and songwriters, Hillsong United have sold more than 4.7 million albums globally and garnered more than 3 billion worldwide career streams to date.
Their latest album, “Wonder,” topped the Billboard Christian chart while setting arecord for the most streamed album in a single week in Christian music history.
Details: 7:30 p.m. Saturday, June 8.Comerica Theatre, 400 W. Washington St., Phoenix. Resale prices vary.800-745-3000, livenation.com.
6/8: Rich the Kid
This young Atlanta trap sensation made his full-length debut in 2018 with "The World Is Yours," a gold record that spun offtwo big hits– the triple-platinum“Plug Walk” and the double-platinum“New Freezer” ft. Kendrick Lamar.
Released in late 2017, “New Freezer” sparked a long-running viral dance competition known as the “New Freezer Challenge.” He arrives in support of "The World is Yours 2."
Details: 8 p.m. Saturday, June 8.The Van Buren, 401 W. Van Buren St., Phoenix. $25-$250 866-468-3399,thevanburenphx.com.
6/10: The Offspring
The Offspring gone acoustic? Dexter Holland explained the inspiration for this tour on their website: "Back in November we played a couple of short acoustic sets, one of which was to benefit the Rob Machado Foundation. It was really cool doing songs all on acoustic guitars. So cool that we’re going to do some more!" These are full sets of the Offspring songs you might expect from an electric show. And it's the full band. "Not just me and Noodles" Holland promised. "We’ll drink some beer, tell some stories and maybe do a few fun cover songs."
Details: 7:30 p.m. Monday, June 10.Marquee Theatre, 730 N. Mill Ave., Tempe. $35-$55. 480-829-0607, luckymanonline.com.
6/10: John Paul White
On the opening track of "The Hurting Kind," this former member of the Civil Warsasks, "What's so good about the good old days?" then he turns around and hits you with a melancholy gem that finds him channeling Roy Orbison's best early-'60s work. And just like that, he's made compelling arguments for and against the nostalgic pull of yesterday. Fortunately, he gives into his affection for the way things used to sound many more times in the course of an album that couldn't sound more effortlessly timeless.
Details: 7 p.m. Monday, June 10.Musical Instrument Museum, 4725 E. Mayo Blvd., Phoenix. $38.50-$48.50. 480-478-6000,mim.org.
6/11: Aly & AJ
The Michalka sisters are touring again in continued support of "Ten Years," an EP that finds them exploring the complexities of growing up in public. Aly found fame as an actress after being cast as Keely on "Phil of the Future," a Disney Channel series that ran from 2004-2006. A year after the series premiered, she and her sister released a million-selling debut called "Into the Rush" and scored their biggest hit in 2007 with "Potential Breakup Song."
Details: 8 p.m. Tuesday, June 11.The Van Buren, 401 W. Van Buren St., Phoenix. $25-$250 866-468-3399,thevanburenphx.com.
6/12: Train and Goo Goo Dolls
This tour was announced the same day Train released "Train’s Greatest Hits," which pulls together hits as big as“Drops of Jupiter,” “Calling All Angels” and “Hey Soul Sister,” as well asa cover of George Michael’s “Careless Whisper,” with sax by Kenny G.
Goo Goo Dolls launched a 2018 tour celebrating the20th anniversary of "Dizzy Up the Girl,"the quadruple-platinum triumphthat sent "Slide" and "Iris" to the top at alternative radio and Adult Top 40,at a sold-out Van Buren.
Details:7 p.m. Wednesday, June 12.Ak-Chin Pavilion, 2121 N. 83rd Ave., Phoenix. $29.50 and up. 602-254-7200,livenation.com.
6/13: Luke Bryan
Bryan's biggest hits include "Do I," "Country Girl (Shake It For Me)," "I Don't Want This Night to End," "Drunk on You," "Crash My Party," "That's My Kind of Night," "Drink a Beer," "Play It Again," "Kick the Dust Up," "Strip It Down" and "Huntin', Fishin' and Lovin' Every Day."
He's topped the country chart with 14 songs and been named Entertainer of the Year at both the ACM and CMA Awards. Last year, he headlined Country Thunder Arizona.
Details: 7 p.m. Thursday, June 13.Ak-Chin Pavilion, 2121 N. 83rd Ave., Phoenix. $39.25and up. 602-254-7200,livenation.com.
6/14: Anberlin
These earnest alternative rockers topped theBillboardmodern-rock-tracks chart in 2009 with the anthemic "Feel Good Drag," the first of three songs from fourth album "New Surrender" to go Top 40 on that chart. Subsequent hits include "Impossible" and "Someone Anyone." Their latest album, "Lowborn," released in 2014, foundthem moving in an artier direction while still coming through the anthemic chorus hooks.
Details: 8 p.m. Friday, June 14.The Van Buren, 401 W. Van Buren St., Phoenix. $28.50-$33; $27.50 in advance. 866-468-3399, thevanburenphx.com.
6/14: Michael Franti & Spearhead / Ziggy Marley
Eight-time Grammy winner Ziggy Marley arrives in continued support of "Rebellion Rises" on a co-headlining tour with friend and kindred spiritMichael Franti & Spearhead.
In a recent interview with azcentral.com, Marleysaid "Rebellion Rises" was designed to offer encouragement to and a voice on behalf of humanity in the face of overwhelming negativity and darkness. And in that way, it's the sort of record he was born to make, as the son of Bob and Rita Marley.
Details:6:30 p.m. Friday, June 14.Mesa Amphitheatre, 263 N. Center St.$42. 480-644-2560, mesaamp.com.
6/16: Jennifer Lopez
The It’s My Party Tour will celebrate the singerturning 50 witha nonstop party mix of new and classic Lopez anthems, showstopping choreography, dazzling wardrobe, jaw-dropping technology and"all the glamour and wow-factor fans have come to expect of Jenny from the Block."The most-played songs in recent Lopez shows have included such surefire crowd-pleasing favorites as "If You Had My Love," "Waiting For Tonight," "Love Don't Cost a Thing," "I'm Real" and "Jenny From the Block."
Details: 8 p.m. Sunday, June 16.Talking Stick Resort Arena, 201 E. Jefferson St., Phoenix. $70.20 and up. 602-379-7800,ticketmaster.com.
6/18: Static-X and Devildriver
Industrial-metal veterans Static-X went platinum with their first release, "Wisconsin Death Trip," which memorably sampled a scene from "Planet of the Apes" and spawned their highest-charting entry on the mainstream-rock charts, "Push It."
They're joined by OZZFest veterans Devildriver, whose latest album, "Outlaws 'Til the End,"features punishing reinventions of old countrysongs by Willie Nelson, Johnny Paycheck, Johnny Cash, George Jones and more.
Details: 6:25 p.m. Tuesday, June 18.Marquee Theatre, 730 N. Mill Ave., Tempe. $25-$60. 480-829-0607, luckymanonline.com.
6/18: Machine Gun Kelly
His stagename is meant to suggest that he sprays words the way a certain Prohibition-era gangster sprayed a room with his machine-gun fire. Fair enough. The Cleveland rapper may be best known in the mainstream for the double-platinum singles "Wild Boy" featuring Waka Flocka Flame and "Bad Things" with Camila Cabello. He arrives in support of a forthcoming fourth album, "Hotel Diablo."
Details: 8 p.m. Tuesday, June 18.The Van Buren, 401 W. Van Buren St., Phoenix. $35; $30in advance. 866-468-3399, thevanburenphx.com.
6/18: Lion Babe
A New York-based neo-soul duo comprised of singer Jillian Hervey and producer Lucas Goodman, Lion Babe are touring in support of "Cosmic Wind." It's a seductive mix of soulful slows jams, funk and disco that maintains its sense of laid-back atmosphere as it makes its way through highlights ranging from the Pet Shop Boys-interpolating "Western World" to "Honey Dew," a more experimental track that feels a bit like something you might hear from Erykah Badu.
Details: 7 p.m. Tuesday, June 18.Club Red, 1306 W. University Drive, Mesa. $20. 480-258-2733,clubredrocks.com.
6/19: Hootie & the Blowfish
Formed by Mark Bryan, Dean Felber, Darius Rucker and Jim “Soni” Sonefeld as college students in South Carolina, Hootie & the Blowfish blew up big with "Cracked Rear View," a 1994 debut that remains one of the 20 biggest-selling U.S. albums of all time.
They're joined on their first tour in more than a decade by Barenaked Ladies with a new album expected this summer.
Details: 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, June 19.Ak-Chin Pavilion, 2121 N. 83rd Ave., Phoenix. $29.50 and up. 602-254-7200,livenation.com.
6/19: John Hiatt
This show is being billed as An Acoustic Evening With John Hiatt, and the best of Hiatt's music would sound just as good on acoustic guitar as it would in a full-band arrangement. It helps that the weathering of Hiatt's voice with age has only added to the charm of his conversational delivery, as captured to brilliant effect on "The Eclipse Sessions," his latest release.
Details: 8 p.m. Wednesday, June 19.Marquee Theatre, 730 N. Mill Ave., Tempe. $73. 480-829-0607, luckymanonline.com.
6/20: Khalid
This is the opening night of Khalid's North Americantour in support of a chart-topping sophomore release called “Free Spirit,” which follows "American Teen."
The R&B singer broke through in 2016 with the five-times platinum single, "Location," following through with a string of multi-platinum hits, including "Young Dumb & Broke," "Love Lies," "OTW," "Eastside" and "Better."
Details: 7:30 p.m. Thursday, June 20.Gila River Arena, 9400 W. Maryland Ave., Glendale. $45.20and up. 623-772-3800, ticketmaster.com.
PAST EVENTS
3/29: Michael Buble
The Canadian croonerhit the mainstream with "It's Time," a triple-platinum smash that topped the Billboardyear-end jazz charts for 2005 and 2006 while spinning off his breakthrough single, "Home."He's also quite the showman. As theSydney Morning Heraldsays, “This is a man who holds the audience in the palm of his hand.His soaring vocals absolutely knock it out of the park.”
Details: 8 p.m. Friday, March 29.Talking Stick Resort Arena, 201 E. Jefferson St., Phoenix. Resale prices vary. 602-379-7800,ticketmaster.com.
3/29: A Boogie Wit da Hoodie
This 23-year-old Bronx rapper spent two weeks at No. 1 on Billboard's album chart in January with a second album titled "Hoodie SZN." And you pronounce that title "Hoodie Season," which this would appear to be.He may bebest known at the moment for the triple-platinum Kodak Black-assisted "Drowning" from his previous release, "The Bigger Artist," but his current hit, "Look Back At It," is well along the way to changing that. He's joined by Don Q and Trap Manny.
Details: 8 p.m. Friday, March 29.The Van Buren, 401 W. Van Buren St., Phoenix. $65-$99.866-468-3399, thevanburenphx.com.
3/30: Pink
Pink launched the Beautiful Trauma Tour in this same venue in March of 2018.
"The whole thing was brilliantly staged, with bright colors, interpretive dancingand plenty of high-flying spectacle," we wrote. "If for some reason, you believe you've seen another artist put more time and effort intodoing acrobatics high above the crowd, you may just be thinking of Cirque du Soleil."
Details: 8 p.m. Saturday, March 30.Gila River Arena, 9400 W. Maryland Ave., Glendale. Resale prices vary. 623-772-3800, ticketmaster.com.
3/30: Quetzal
These Grammy-winning East LA Chicana rockers are marking their 25th anniversary as they bring their blend of Mexican ranchera, cumbia, salsa, rock, R&B, folk, international music and a political vision based in social activism and feminism to Tempe.
The Los AngelesTimes called them “one of Los Angeles' most important bands" and they picked up a Latin alternative Grammy for 2013 "Imaginaries."
Details: 7 p.m. Saturday, March 30.ASU Gammage, Mill Avenue and Apache Boulevard, Tempe. $52.65. 480-965-3434,asugammage.com.
3/30: Wet
The alternative-R&B duo from Brooklyn spent a good part of last fall in Europe opening showsfor Florence + the Machine in support of a soulful second album titled "Still Run."
This one leans more heavily on ballads than "Don't You," which had Fader raving "Wet has what it takes to make everyone care about an indie band."But the more reflective tone here plays to Zutrau's growing strengths on vocals.
Details: 8 p.m. Saturday, March 30.Marquee Theatre, 730 N. Mill Ave., Tempe. $30-$60. 480-829-0607, luckymanonline.com.
3/31: Luna
Singer-guitarist Dean Wareham assembled the earliest version of Lunaafter breaking up with Galaxie 500.The current touring lineup is the 1999–2005 edition that recorded "Luna Live," "Romantica," "Close Cover Before Striking" and "Rendezvous": Wareham and Sean Eden on guitar, Lee Wall on drums, and Britta Phillips on bass.Their latest album is "A Sentimental Education," which finds them covering classics by the Cure, Bob Dylan,Fleetwood Mac, Mercury Rev, the Rolling Stones and more.
Details: 7:30 p.m. Sunday, March 31. Musical Instrument Museum, 4725 E. Mayo Blvd., Phoenix. $43.50-$48.50. 480-478-6000,mim.org.
4/1: Black Moth Super Rainbow
Last year's "Panic Blooms" was a headphone-melting masterpiece of hazy, psychedelic pop as avant-garde as anything they've managed. In a press release announcing their first album in six years,they asked "What if Goya or Bosch made ravaged vocoder pop? Or a neo-impressionist painter committed himself to creating slow woozy earworms so iridian and vivid you’d think he sliced off an ear in the process?" And then they answered it in the course of an album whose best moments are as pretty as they are unsettling.
Details: 8 p.m. Monday, April 1.Crescent Ballroom, 308 N. Second Ave., Phoenix. $20; $17 in advance. 602-716-2222,crescentphx.com.
PAST EVENTS
4/3: Dance Gavin Dance
These post-hardcore veterans have fathered an entire genre,Swancore,characterized by their signature blend of math-rock, prog andpost-rock.Of course, that mix of genres doesn't take into account the wayJon Mess' unhinged howls of terror are offset by soaring ethereal vocals from Tilian Pearson.
Details: 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, April 3.The Van Buren, 401 W. Van Buren St., Phoenix. $30; $27.50 in advance. 866-468-3399,thevanburenphx.com.
4/3: Vince Neil
He's the voice of Motley Crue, the subject of a much-anticipated Netflix film "The Dirt," based on the glam-metal hitmakers' autobiography of the same name. The Crue's farewell tour played the Valley twice – in 2014 and again in 2015.
But last year, they announced that they had reunited and were working on new music. In the meantime, Neil has promised to play all the Crue hits on this solo tour.
Details: 8 p.m. Wednesday, April 3.BLK Live, 7301 E. Butherus Dr., Scottsdale. $40. 480-494-5069, blkliveaz.com.
4/4: MercyMe
These Christian rockers had released six independent albums by the time they signed to INO, the label that released their double-platinum breakthrough “Almost There” in 2001.
That breakthrough was drivenin large partby the crossover success of the song “I Can Only Imagine,” which picked up two Dove Awards, thefirst of eight they would go on to win, including artist of the year in 2004. The song also inspired a 2018 surprise hit film of the same name, which traced the band's origins.
Details: 7 p.m. Thursday, April 4.Gila River Arena, 9400 W. Maryland Ave., Glendale. $15.25 and up. 623-772-3800, ticketmaster.com.
4/4-5: Taking Back Sunday
These Long Island-based emo sensations are playing two nights in a row on a tour celebrating their 20th anniversary. They're playing their acclaimed debut, "Tell All Your Friends," in its entirety at all stops on the tour. In cities like Tempe, where they're performing twice, they'll flip a special coin each night to decide if fans will also hear them dust off "Where You Want To Be" or "Louder Now" in full.
Details: 8 p.m. Thursday, April 4, and Friday, April 5.Marquee Theatre, 730 N. Mill Ave., Tempe. $25-$45. 480-829-0607, luckymanonline.com.
4/5: Buddy Guy with Jimmie Vaughan
The Rock and Roll Hall of Famer and consummate showman arrives in support of the "The Blues is Alive and Well," which recently picked up a Grammy for best traditional blues album, on a tour with Jimmie Vaughan of the Fabulous Thunderbirds.
A house guitarist at Chess Records in the ’60s, a decade in which he also toured in Muddy Waters’ band, Guy was recently voted the 30th best guitarist of all time inRolling Stone. But Jimmy Page and Eric Clapton would have placed him higher.
Details: 8 p.m. Friday, April 5.Celebrity Theatre, 440 N. 32nd St., Phoenix. $40-$95. 602-267-1600,celebritytheatre.com.
4/5: Al Stewart
This British singer-songwriter is best remembered for two major pop hits he had in the '70s, "Year of the Cat" and "Time Passages."
Stewart and his backing band, the Empty Pockets, are playing the “Year Of The Cat” LP in its entirety and a second set of songs from other albums including “Time Passages.” This show sold out in two days at London’s Royal Albert Hall
Details: 8 p.m. Friday, April 5.Talking Stick Resort, 9800 E. Talking Stick Way, Salt River Reservation. $25-$75. 480-850-7777,talkingstickresort.com.
4/5-6: Phoenix Lights
The fifthannual Phoenix Lights festival brings Kaskade, Excision, Arty,A$AP Ferg; Claude VonStroke, Decadon, GRiZ, Jay Lumen, Jeremy Olander, Malaa, Mustard, Party Favor, San Holo, Sasha, Shiba San, Spencer Brown, and Throttle.
Details:5 p.m. Friday, April 5, to 2 a.m. Saturday, April 6.to 2 a.m. Saturday-2 a.m., Friday and Saturday, April 5and 6. The Park at W. Wild Horse Pass, Wild Horse Pass Road, Chandler. $149 general admission; $249 VIP; $619 Platinum VIP.phoenixlightsfest.com.
4/6: Road to Country Thunder
The town of Florence, Country Thunder and KMLE (107.9 FM) are celebrating the Southwest’s greatest country music festival with a little party of theirown a week early.
The Road to Country Thunder is paved with live performances by local country artistsRyan and the Renegades, Austin Burke and Harry LugeJr., with KMLE spinning tunes before, between and after those performances.
Details:5-11 p.m. Saturday, April 6. Historic Main Street, Florence. Free.520-868-7585,florenceaz.gov.
4/7: 'Urban Cowboy' reunion
Mickey Gilley and Johnny Lee are dusting off the songs that helped take "Urban Cowboy" to the masses when it ushered in the '80s with John Travolta trading in his polyester disco suit for a look much better suit for a night at Gilley's Texas nightclub.
The soundtrack topped the country album chart while spawninghits for Gilley, who sent his version of the Ben E. King hit "Stand By Me" to No. 1 on Billboard's country chart,and Lee, who did the same with"Lookin' for Love."
Details: 5:30 p.m. Sunday, April 7.Orpheum Theatre,203 W. Adams St., Phoenix. $30-$75.800-282-4842,phoenix.ticketforce.com.
4/9: Turnover
It's not for nothing that DIY Magazine invoked the names of Real Estate and Beach House in trying to capture the summery breeze that blows through "Good Nature," their latest release.
It's an atmosphericdaydream of a record. And as Pitchfork notes, their move to California may have seeped into the album's "warm embrace of the area’s soft-focus spirituality and the optimism of young, beautiful creatives without much to worry about."
Details: 8 p.m. Tuesday, April 9.Marquee Theatre, 730 N. Mill Ave., Tempe. $23.50-$53.50. 480-829-0607, luckymanonline.com.
4/9: Quinn XCII
From Tour With Love is named in honor of "From Michigan With Love," the Detroit singer's sophomore album. If you're going, be prepared to feel.
As he told Billboard, when his friends come see him play,"Some of my friends are bigger football-player dudes, and they’re bawling like, ‘Oh, my God, dude. I didn’t know you were so emotional. I’m so proud of you...’ It’s like therapy for them.”
Details: 8 p.m. Tuesday, April 9.Comerica Theatre, 400 W. Washington St., Phoenix. $25 and up.800-745-3000, livenation.com.
4/10: Kero Kero Bonito
These London-based rockers are touring the States in continued support of last year's "Time 'N' Place," on which they filtered the sugary pop sensibilities on which their buzz was built through a grittier aesthetic, often driven by punkish distorted guitars.
The chorus hook of "Only Acting" kicks in with the fuzz-laden charms of Nirvana gone bubblegum, making the most of Japanese-born singer Sarah Bonito's airy, disarmingly childlike vocals.
Details: 7 p.m. Wednesday, April 10.NileTheater, 105 W. Main St., Mesa. $17; $15 in advance.www.niletheater.com.
4/11: Parcels
These Australians are touring a self-titled full-length debut whose funkier moments effortlessly live up to the promise of the song that made them overnight sensations of a sort– 2017's Daft Punk collaboration "Overnight."
But does it translate live? It worked on NME, whose critic gushed,"Their stellar live shows offerswishing hair, immaculate dance steps and pulsating breakdowns that would turn your average pop hit into a Giorgio Moroder-sized classic."
Details: 8 p.m. Thursday, April 11.Crescent Ballroom, 308 N. Second Ave., Phoenix. $20; $18 in advance. 602-716-2222,crescentphx.com.
4/13: Better Oblivion Community Center
Conor Oberst and Phoebe Bridgers first collaborated on the duet "Would You Rather," among the many haunted highlights ofBridgers' 2017 debut, "Stranger in the Alps."
And apparently, they hit it off – enough to record a full album as Better Oblivion Community Center that plays to both their strengths while highlighting their chemistry.
As Sputnik Music says, "It’s full of charming melodies, carefully placed harmonies, and biting lyrics from two of the most influential songwriters around."
Details:8 p.m. Saturday, April 13.Crescent Ballroom, 308 N. Second Ave., Phoenix. SOLD OUT. 602-716-2222,crescentphx.com.
4/11-14: Country Thunder
Country Thunder Arizona has lined up some serious star power with headlining sets by Chris Stapleton, Tim McGraw, hometown hero Dierks Bentley and Brett Eldredge.
The lineup that also features Brothers Osborne,High Valley, Restless Heart, Trace Adkins, Clay Walker, the original lineup of Lonestar, Abby Anderson, Brandon Lay,Marty Stuart & His Fabulous Superlatives, Morgan Evans, CraigCampbell, Austin Burke, the Josh Abbott Band and the Hunter Brothers.
Comic duoWillams & Ree will also perform.
Country Thunder had a record-breaking year in Arizona last year in addition toearning the ACM Festival of the Year Award.
Details:Thursday through Sunday, April 11-14.20585 E. Price Station, Florence. $75 daily; $160 weekend pass; $6000 platinum experience.countrythunder.com/az.
4/11-15: Arizona Bike Week
Arizona Bike Week gets off to a rowdy start on Wednesday with Buckcherry, followedby George Thorogood and the Destroyers on Thursday, 3 Doors Down on Friday, and Godsmack on Saturday.
They'll also have local bands playing in the hours leading up to each night's main event, including Dierdre, Sara Robinson Band and Conrad Varela.
Details: 9 p.m. Wednesday-Saturday, April 11-15. The RockYard atWestWorld of Scottsdale,16601 N. Pima Road. $28 single-day admission Wednesday and Thursday; $33single-day admission Friday and Saturday; $63 weekend pass. azbikeweek.com.
4/15: The 1975
The young rock sensations from Manchester, England, will launch their U.S. tourin Phoenix with Pale Waves and No Rome in support of "A Brief Inquiry Into Online Relationships," their third album.
Their previous release, "I Like It When You Sleep, for You Are So Beautiful yet So Unaware of It," topped theBillboardalbum charts and won Best Album at the Q Awards.
Details: 7 p.m. Monday, April 15.Comerica Theatre, 400 W. Washington St., Phoenix. Resale prices vary.800-745-3000, livenation.com.
4/16: The Messthetics
Two members of Fugazi– bassistJoe Lallyand drummerBrendan Canty– formed this instrumental trio with guitarist Anthony Pirog in 2016, and were signed to Dischord Records byIan MacKaye, their former front man, on the strength of their first show.
Their self-titled debut at times recalls Fugazi's more experimental urges without feeling like a retread, inspiring Dusted Magazine to rave that"the nervy aggression of post-punk joins with jazz-rock’s virtuosity here, and it’s good stuff all the way through."
Details: 8:30 p.m. Tuesday, April 16.Rebel Lounge, 2303 E. Indian School Road, Phoenix. $15; $12 in advance. 602-296-7013,therebellounge.com.
4/17: Shame
These U.K.-based post-punk revivalists are touring the States in support of "Songs of Praise," a near-flawless debut that marries thedissonant clang of distortedguitars tothe disaffected sneering of Charlie Steen's frequently half-spoken vocals.
MusicOMH responded to with "The Shame experience is like a sonic juggernaut thundering towards the listener, with precision, melody and incendiary intent" bya "vital band passionate to enervate, communicate and entertain." And they're joined by Iceage!
Details: 8 p.m. Wednesday, April 17.Rebel Lounge, 2303 E. Indian School Road, Phoenix. $18; $15 in advance. 602-296-7013,therebellounge.com.
4/18: DMX
This hard-hitting rapper from Yonkers exploded on impact when his 1998 debut,"It's Dark and Hell Is Hot," began a string of five chart-topping entries on the Billboardalbum chart, going on to be certified quadruple-platinum.
The best of DMX's music is as dark as that first album advertised. As Rolling Stone noted, he became a "multiplatinum hip-hop phenom who rhymed about blood and grime at a time when the status quo was champagne and diamonds."
Details: 8 p.m. Thursday, April 18.The Van Buren, 401 W. Van Buren St., Phoenix. $30-$35. 866-468-3399, thevanburenphx.com.
4/18: Yob
The Oregon doom-metal trio are headed our way in continued support of last year's "Our Raw Heart," whose title and lyrical themes reflectsinger-guitarist Mike Scheidt'snear-fatalbout of diverticulitis and a subsequent staph infection.
Rolling Stonecalled it "a riveting document of Scheidt's year," adding "Agauntlet of sickness and health, clarity and confusion, the record wrestles with mortality and ultimately perseveres." It's as heavy emotionally as it is musically.
Details: 7 p.m. Thursday, April 18.Club Red, 1306 W. University Drive, Mesa. $35; $30 in advance. 480-258-2733,clubredrocks.com.
4/19-20: On the Grass
Slightly Stoopid and Sublime with Rome will headline the inaugural Days on the Green Music Festivalat Fear Farm.
The performers all mix elements of reggae, world music,punk and blues. The festival includes two stages with national and local bands, state-of-the-art production, a food court, vendor village and more.
Slightly Stoopid headline Friday, April 19, with Iration, Tribal Seeds, Common Kings, Fortunate Youth, Hirie and Tyrone’s Jacket.
Sublime with Rome headline Saturday, April 20, with Dirty Heads, Katastro, Pacific Dub, Bikini Trill, The Supervillains, Law and Barefoot.
Details:noon. Friday, April 19-Saturday, April 20. Fear Farm, 2209 N. 99th Ave., Phoenix. $55 a day; $94.50 weekend pass; VIP $132.50 daily; $250 VIP weekend. 480-829-0607, luckymanonline.com.
4/19: Bhad Bhabie
This 16-year-old rapper first tastedfame as a video meme after an episode of "Dr. Phil" in September 2016 with her mom, where she famously uttered the viral catchphrase that earned her a deal with Atlantic, "Cash me outside, how 'bout dat." A year later, she became the youngest female rapper ever to appear on Billboard's Hot 100 with her debut single "These Heaux." She arrives in continued support of last year's mixtape,"15," which is so much better than it has a right to be,
Details: 7:30 p.m. Friday, April 19.The Pressroom, 441 W. Madison St., Phoenix. $25-$500. 602-396-7136,thepressroomaz.com.
4/20: Deadbeats 420
This EDM festival is topped by Zeds Dead with Troyboi, Liquid Stranger, 1788-L and Blanke. The festival's name refers in part to the Canadian headliners' label and in part to the date of the festival, which is widely considered an occasion for celebrating the smoking of weed.
Details: 6 p.m. Saturday, April 20.Rawhide,5700 W. North Loop Road, Gila River Reservation. $45-$85.480-502-5600, relentlessbeats.com.
4/20: UFEST
The bill at this year's KUPD festival is headlined by Limp Bizkit with Killswitch Engage, Parkway Drive, DED and more acts to be announced.
Led by Fred Durst, Limp Bizkit were among the more successful acts of the rap-rocking nu-metal movement after breaking through with "Nookie" and topping the charts at alternative-radio with "Re-Arranged." Both singles appeared ona seven-times-platinum 1999 chart-topper titled "Significant Other."
Details: 2 p.m. Saturday, April 20. Mesa Riverview Park, 2100 W. Rio Salado Parkway. $39-$175. ticketmaster.com.
4/21: Sonu Nigam and Neha Kakaar
Nigam is a Bollywoodplayback singer who also does Hindi devotional music. Kakaar is an Indian singer who competed on the second season of "Indian Idol" in 2006 and returned as a judge in the show's 10th season. They've joined forces onthe Klose to My Life Tour.
Details: 5:30 p.m. Sunday, April 21.Comerica Theatre, 400 W. Washington St., Phoenix. Sold out.800-745-3000, livenation.com.
4/21: Falling in Reverse
Ronnie Radke had plenty of time to sort through the emotions expressed with conviction and rage on "The Drug in Me Is You," his first release with Falling in Reverse, serving two years in prison while his former bandmates in Escape the Fate moved on without him. Eight years later, Falling in Reverse return to Phoenixin support of "Coming Home," an album packed with pop-punk anthems cathartic enough for Alternative Pressto declare it Falling in Reverse's"most real, honest and self-aware record" yet.
Details: 7 p.m. Sunday, April 21. The Van Buren, 401 W. Van Buren St., Phoenix. $30; $27.50 in advance. 866-468-3399, thevanburenphx.com.
4/22: CHVRCHES
This Scottish triomade the rounds of year-end critics' lists in 2015 with "Every Open Eye." AtNME, where it was rated No. 6, they ended their mini-review of the albumwith "Chvrches were born on the internet, but they’re bound for arenas."
In the meantime, they play the Van Buren in support of last year's "Love Is Dead," which NME says "manages to balance hopeful, utopian pop with a darker, gloomier undercurrent."
Details: 8 p.m. Monday, April 22.The Van Buren, 401 W. Van Buren St., Phoenix. $38.50-$43. 866-468-3399, thevanburenphx.com.
4/24: Superorganism
A quirky London-based collective with an 18-year-old Japanese girl out front underscored every candy-coated hook, they arrive in support ofa self-titled albumRolling Stone proclaimed as "the most warped, exciting indie-pop of recent years.” Fans include Frank Ocean and Vampire Weekend's Ezra Koenig. And their label promises "a live show that’s as psychedelically technicolor as their irresistibly danceable, uniquely collaged brand of indie pop."
Details: 8 p.m. Wednesday, April 24.Crescent Ballroom, 308 N. Second Ave., Phoenix. $18; $15 in advance. 602-716-2222,crescentphx.com.
4/26: Storm Large
She may be best known as a semi-finalist on "Rock Star: Supernova," a TV reality show whose premise was that the winner would sing lead for a newly formed supergroup with Tommy Lee of Motley Crue and Gilbey Clarke of Guns N' Roses.
The venue website promises "beautiful, familiar, yet twisted... much like the lady herself" interpretations of material ranging from French cabaret to jazz standards and metal."
Details: 7 and 9:30 p.m. Friday, April 26.Chandler Center for the Arts, 250 N. Arizona Ave. $46-$56. 480-782-2680,chandlercenter.org.
4/26: Com Truise
Com Truise is Seth Haley, a synthwave sensation whose stage name is rather obviously a reference to Tom Cruise, the actor, who should seriously do a music video dancing to one of the songs on Truise's latest record, "Iteration," a la "Tropic Thunder."
The Skinny responded to his latest effort with "Nostalgic, dramatic and not exactly short on synth, Iteration is the kind of album necessary to help us battle through the rest of 2017." Two years later? It still sounds pretty necessary as a soundtrack to life in 2019.
Details: 8 p.m. Friday, April 26.Crescent Ballroom, 308 N. Second Ave., Phoenix. $22; $20 in advance. 602-716-2222,crescentphx.com.
4/27: Wet Electric
It's the 10th anniversary of America’s largest pool party at Big Surf Waterpark.
Even the people at Relentless Beats consider this the most fun festival they do, with artists and DJs performing on a massive floating stage in the middle of a 2.5-million-gallon wave pool, with waterslides, luxury cabanas, bars and more.
Headliners include RL Grime,Benny Benassi,What So Not and Tails.
Details: noon Saturday, April 27. Big Surf, 1500 N. McClintock Drive, Tempe. $49; VIP passes and packages start at $99. Lockers are available for rent at $14 plus fees. relentlessbeats.com.
4/27: Goodyear Lakeside Music Fest
Smash Mouth, the '90shitmakers, will headline the Sixth Annual Goodyear Lakeside Music Fest, a free family-friendly event presentedby the West Valley Arts Council in conjunction with the city of Goodyear.
Walt Richardson and Friends will kick things off with a set of reggae, followed by Rebel Heart (country), New Chums (pop-punk) and Mike Eldred Trio (blues). Then, Smash Mouth take the stage for a set that's sure to featuresuch smashes as "All Star," "Then the Morning Comes" and their cover of "I'm a Believer" by the Monkees.
Details: 4 p.m. Saturday, April 27. Estrella Lakeside Amphitheater, 10300 S. Estrella Parkway Goodyear.Free. 623-386-1000, westvalleyarts.org.
4/27: Architects
The UK metalcore are touring the States in support of "Holy Hell," theirfirst since founding member Tom Searle died of cancer and you can hear the catharsis as they pour their grief into the songs.
Kerrang! responded with a perfect score,declaring it "analbum that's by turns gut-wrenching, hauntingly desolate and emotionally devastating."
Details: 8 p.m. Saturday, April 27.The Van Buren, 401 W. Van Buren St., Phoenix. $30; $27 in advance. 866-468-3399,thevanburenphx.com.
4/27: Sage Francis and B. Dolan
The alternative hip-hop sensations have joined forces on the Epic Beard Men Tour in support of a full-length debut titled "This Was Supposed to Be Fun," an old-school hip-hop celebration that captures the sound, as they say in a press release, of "two rap greybeards who aren't afraid to swing freely from dead-serious to wryly hilarious" in the course of "a dark buddy comedy gone spectacularly sideways."
Details: 8 p.m. Saturday, April 27.Crescent Ballroom, 308 N. Second Ave., Phoenix. $24; $20 in advance. 602-716-2222,crescentphx.com.
4/28: Band Splash
This promises to be both as electric and as wet as the previous day's Wet Electric. But this time, they're training the spotlight on rockers, not DJs. Hence the Band before the Splash.
Sum 41, the Canadian pop-punk sensations whose hits include "Fat Lip," "Still Waiting," "The Hell Song" and "We're All to Blame," will top a bill that also featuresSWMRS, The Wrecks, Super Whatevr, Twin XL and Chapel.
Details: 12 p.m. Sunday, April 28.Big Surf, 1500 N. McClintock Drive, Tempe. $19-$125. 877-987-6487,ticketfly.com.
4/28: I Prevail
It may seem a bit odd on the surface that one of the fastest-rising names in modern metalcore first tasted fame was a cover of Taylor Swift’s “Blank Space.” But given the pop sensibilities they flex on the chorus of tracks like “Scars” and the aptly named “Stuck in Your Head,” the first two singles from their full-length debut “Lifelines?” I’d imagine you would find all sorts of music playing in their van that doesn’t sound a thing like Converge or the Dillinger Escape Plan.
Details: 7:30 p.m. Sunday, April 28.The Van Buren, 401 W. Van Buren St., Phoenix. $36; $33 in advance. 866-468-3399,thevanburenphx.com.
4/28: Earl Sweatshirt
There are moments when it feels like he could be the breakout star of the Odd Future hip-hop collective. And in other moments? Well, he'd still be up there in the top three, with Tyler, the Creator and Frank Ocean.
The rapper arrives in continued support of "Some Rap Songs," a tripped-out hip-hop headphone recordas experimental as it is emotional. The Guardian called itone of last year's best rap albums and "a smoky iceberg of great emotional depth."
Details: 7 p.m. Sunday, April 28.Club Red, 1306 W. University Drive, Mesa. $35; $30 in advance. 480-258-2733,clubredrocks.com.
4/30: Passion Pit
This is the opening night of atour celebrating the 10th anniversary of "Manners," their acclaimed debut. Frontman Michael Angelakos issued a statement saying the album "seems to finally feel like the moment that it was: a tectonic shift during the strangest, most defining year of my life.”
Paste wrote, "It's easy to say that Passion Pit makes dance music for people who hate dance music, but these guys also make dance music for people who like dance music, so here's the new paradigm: They make dance music for people who like music."
Details:8 p.m. Tuesday, April 30.Marquee Theatre, 730 N. Mill Ave., Tempe. $35-$67.50. 480-829-0607, luckymanonline.com.
4/30: La Dispute
These post-hardcore veterans are touring in support of "Panorama," a fourth album couches Jordan Dreyer's tortured vocals in mix that offsets atmospheric textures with the moments of intensity you knew were coming.
Sputnik Music raved, "On 'Panorama,' they show themselves to be one of the tightest units in music" while The Skinny called them "titans of the scene" but also "lyricists of the highest calibre."
Details: 7 p.m. Tuesday, April 30.NileTheater, 105 W. Main St., Mesa. $25; $22.50 in advance.www.niletheater.com.
5/2: Slayer
The thrash-metal legends are kicking off the fifth leg of their farewell tour in Phoenix withsupport byLamb of God,Amon AmarthandCannibal Corpse.
They took the metal world by force in 1983 with "Show No Mercy," on which they prophetically set the tone with "Evil Has No Boundaries." And by the time they got to "Reign in Blood" and "Hell Awaits," the '80s triumphs that would go on to define their brutal legacy, they'd somehow found a way to take it up a notch.
Details: 6 p.m. Thursday, May 2.Ak-Chin Pavilion, 2121 N. 83rd Ave., Phoenix. $29.50 and up. 602-254-7200,livenation.com.
5/2: Gary Allan
He’s topped the country charts with four singles since hitting his stride in the early 2000s — “Man to Man,” “Tough Little Boys,” “Nothing On But the Radio” and the platinum “Every Storm (Runs Out of Rain),” which hit the top in 2013.
He hasn’t had much luck with hits since then, despite releasing songs with names that should sound right at home at country radio (“It Ain’t the Whiskey,” "Hangover Tonight”).
Details: 7 p.m. Thursday, May 2.Mesa Amphitheatre, 263 N. Center St.$43. 480-644-2560, mesaamp.com.
5/2: Tech N9ne
This underground rapper has sold more than two million albums with precious little airplay, relying instead on the grassroots following he's nurtured on the road. And making brilliantrecords hasn't hurt.
As he told azcentral.com, "Really good artistry always shines." His most successful songs to date are"Fragile," a 2013 track featuring Kendrick Lamar and Mayday, and2015's "Hood Go Crazy" with B.o.B and 2 Chainz.
Details: 7:30 p.m. Thursday, May 2.Marquee Theatre, 730 N. Mill Ave., Tempe. $40-$70. 480-829-0607, luckymanonline.com.
5/2: Jake Shimabukuro
If that last time you heard a ukulele was your fourth-grader’s music class recital, then you’ve missed a revolution. Hawaiian virtuoso Jake Shimabukuro has gained global fame for his fiendishly difficult compositions. He even has a spot in the Musical Instrument Museum’s Artist Gallery, alongside the likes of Johnny Cash, Carlos Santana and Tito Puente.
Details: 7:30 p.m. Thursday, May 2. Mesa Arts Center, 1 E. Main St. $39. 480-644-6500, mesaartscenter.com.
5/2: The Faint
These cyber-punk revivalists are touring in support of "Egowerk," an album where analog synths that could give listeners of a certain age a flashback to the '80s underscore lyrics that weigh in on modern society, the internetand ego, especially the dark side of social media. AsPitchforksummed it up, "More than two decades in, the Omaha electro-rock band finds new reasons to stay angry and keep dancing."
Details:8 p.m. Thursday, May 2.Crescent Ballroom, 308 N. Second Ave., Phoenix. $25-$38. 602-716-2222,crescentphx.com.
5/3: NCT 127
NCT is a South Korean boy-band franchiseformed bySM Entertainment. Their name is short for Neo Culture Technology, a term coined to describe the concept of having an unlimited number of membersdivided into multiple sub-units based in various cities.
NCT 127 is the second unit,based inSeoul. The number represents the longitude coordiante of Seoul. How K-pop is that?
Details: 8 p.m. Friday, May 3. Comerica Theatre, 400 W. Washington St., Phoenix. $72.50 and up.800-745-3000, livenation.com.
5/3: Beach Fossils
It's been nearly a decade now since Dustin Payseur took the blogosphere by quiet storm with the sleepy vocals and chiming guitars of an unassuming self-titled debut. On "Somersault," he fleshed things out with a variety of instruments: strings, sax, piano, harpsichord, fluteand more. And yet, for all those home improvements, as theLine of Best Fitsummed it up, "the most amazing aspect about 'Somersault' is that it still has that bedroom-composed feel."
Details:8 p.m. Friday, May 3.Crescent Ballroom, 308 N. Second Ave., Phoenix. SOLD OUT. 602-716-2222,crescentphx.com.
5/4: Juice Wrld
This 20-year-old rapper topped the charts in early March with a second album called "Death Race For Love." It hadn'tbeen a full yearsince "Goodbye & Good Riddance," an emo-rap debut thatPitchforkcalled "an adolescent breakup record" that's "accordingly cathartic, petty, and clumsy in its emotional processing." And he managed to squeeze in a mixtape with Future between those two releases. He's stillbest known in the mainstream for his breakthrough single "Lucid Dreams," a quadruple-platinum smash.
Details: 7 p.m. Saturday, May 4.Mesa Amphitheatre, 263 N. Center St.$49.95. 480-644-2560, mesaamp.com.
5/5: August Alsina
This New Orleans-based R&B singer is best know for "I Luv This S---t," a breakthrough hit that peaked at No. 4 on Billboard's R&B chart.
The New York Times responded to the singer's debut, "Testimony," with, "Most of this album moves with slowness and throbbing deliberation that focuses the ear and adds urgency to Mr. Alsina's confessions. It's also poignant for its intimacy."
Details: 8 p.m. Monday, May 5.Marquee Theatre, 730 N. Mill Ave., Tempe. $35-$65. 480-829-0607, luckymanonline.com.
5/5: Chromeo
These Canadian electro-funk sensations made a name for themselves in 2004 with a debut called “She’s in Control” that had critics invoking the names of Daryl Hall and John Oates.Drowned in Sound responded to their latest invitation to the dance floorwith "Funk-by-numbers has not yet had an update worth of Sly Stone; but in 'Head Over Heels,' Chromeo have cracked it. They never miss a beat in updating it for 2018." This is a DJ set at a pool party celebrating the sixth anniversary of Maya Day + Nightclub.
Details:Noon, Sunday, May 5.Maya Day & Nightclub, 7333 E. Indian Plaza, Scottsdale. $10-$15.480-625-0528,mayaclubaz.com.
5/5: Hayes Carll
This Texas-born Americana maverick is touring the States in support of "What It Is," a collection whose more inspired moments effortlessly reaffirms his standing as one of the distinctive voices on the modern country landscape while offsetting songs about hookups and heartache with insightful takes on our current political climate. On "Fragile Men," for example, he sings,"The whole world is exploding, and I know it feels so strange/ It must make you so damn angry / They're expecting you to change!"
Details:8 p.m. Sunday, May 5.Crescent Ballroom, 308 N. Second Ave., Phoenix. $20-$30. 602-716-2222,crescentphx.com.
5/6: Animals as Leaders
They're celebrating their 10th anniversary of defying expectations while blurring the lines between experimental metal, instrumental prog and modern jazz on albums as acclaimed as 2011's "Weightless" and their latest, "The Madness of Many."
Alternative Pressresponded to the cinematic soundscapes of their latest with "AAL not only continue to cut through genre restrictions but do so while considering song and structure."
Details:8 p.m. Monday, May 6.Marquee Theatre, 730 N. Mill Ave., Tempe. $25-$45. 480-829-0607,luckymanonline.com.
5/7: Violent Femmes and X
Folk-punk standard-bearers Violent Femmes are on a co-headlining tourwith X, the pride of old-school L.A. punk.Femmes took college radio by storm with 1983's career-defining self-titled debut, which featured any numberof their most neurotic calling cards, from "Blister in the Sun" to "Add It Up." And California punk never got any better than X, whose first album, "Los Angeles," found bassist John Doe and Exene Cervenka bleeding passion all over Billy Zoom's best punkabilly licks.
Details: 8 p.m. Tuesday, May 7.The Van Buren, 401 W. Van Buren St., Phoenix. SOLD OUT. 866-468-3399,thevanburenphx.com.
5/7: Chromatics
The Double Exposure Tour features Chromatics'first public performances in more than five years. They'll be playing their personal picks from "Night Drive," "Kill For Love," "Cherry" and the as-yet-unreleased "DearTommy" backed by films directed by their multi-faceted producer Johnny Jewel and mixed live by video artist Danny Perez. The goal is to bringa cinematic experience to the concerts, effectivelyblurring the line between stage and screen.
Details:8 p.m. Tuesday, May 7. Crescent Ballroom, 308 N. Second Ave., Phoenix. $32.50; $30.50 in advance. 602-716-2222,crescentphx.com.
5/8: The Eels
Speaking on the steps of Los Angeles City Hall, Mark Everett said,“We did a shorter tour than usual this past summer, and they were the most fun, exciting shows ever. We need to bring the love and positive energy to some of the places we didn’t get to last time. We know you’re hurting. Help is on the way.” It helps that their latest release, "The Deconstruction," is another enigmaticjourney through the mind of a man whose voice is as expressive as it is distinctive. The man remains an underrated treasure for the ages.
Details:8 p.m. Wednesday, May 8.The Van Buren, 401 W. Van Buren St., Phoenix. $38-$55. 866-468-3399,thevanburenphx.com.
5/8: The Dodos
More than a decade down the road from "Visiter," the San Francisco-based indie-folk duo are touring the States in continued support of an album called "Certainty Waves," which plays to their eccentric strengths with hooks to spare.
PopMattersresponded to the album with "The Dodos have made a record of blistering folk-pop poetry that stands shoulder-to-shoulder with 'Visiter.'"
Details:8 p.m. Wednesday, May 8.Crescent Ballroom, 308 N. Second Ave., Phoenix. $15-$30.602-716-2222,crescentphx.com.
5/9: Carrie Underwood
The seven-time Grammy winner is bringing the Cry Pretty Tour 360 to Phoenix with Maddie & Tae and Runaway June.She'll be performingin the middle of the venue, creating a 360-degree setting to allow fans on all sides of the stagean intimate view of the concert.“I love performing in the round,” she said in a statement. "It creates a much more intimate and immersive experience for the audience, even in a larger arena setting."
Details: 7 p.m. Thursday, May 9.Talking Stick Resort Arena, 201 E. Jefferson St., Phoenix. $61.25 and up. 602-379-7800,ticketmaster.com.
5/9: Ohmme
The experimental popduo of Sima Cunningham and Macie Stewartare touring the States in support of a full-length debut titled "Parts." It's an inventive, ambitious adventure in sound that's somehow more accessible than such adventures have a right to be, inspiring the 405 to hail the end result "an irrepressibly charming debut of gutsy, original rock from the Chicago multi-instrumentalist duo."
Details: 8 p.m. Thursday, May 9.Rebel Lounge, 2303 E. Indian School Road, Phoenix. $12. 602-296-7013,therebellounge.com.
5/10: Foxing
The St. Louis emo sensations arrive in continued support of the masterful "Nearer My God," an ambitious re-configuringof the genre's boundaries produced by Chris Walla of Death Cab for Cutie anddriven by the soulful emoting of Conor Murphy. It helps that the heart on his sleeve has been broken by the existential demons of life in the 21st Century, not some failed romance.Sputnik Musichailed the album as "emo's first definitive document on digital-age despair." This is a co-headlining tour with Now Now.
Details:8 p.m. Friday, May 10.Crescent Ballroom, 308 N. Second Ave., Phoenix. $20; $18 in advance.602-716-2222,crescentphx.com.
5/10-12: FORM Arcosanti
Hundred Waters’ annual three-day festival FORM returns to the experimental Arizona town of Arcosanti.
Headliners include Florence + The Machine, Skrillex, Pussy Riot, Tim Hecker, Anderson .Paak, Kaytranada, Japanese Breakfast, DJ Koze, and American Football.
Other performers include JPEGMAFIA, Bonobo, Julia Byrne, Channel Tres, Snail Mail, Ìfé, Vagabon, Khruangbin, Kelsey Lu, Kilo Kish, Serpentwithfeet, L’Rain, Miya Folick, Lafawndah, Mary Lattimore, Lonnie Holley, Sasami, Melanie Faye, Miya Folick, Mormor, Mulatu Astatke, Nicola Cruz, Peggy Gou, Tasha, Tirza, Trayer (of Hundred Waters), and a solo performance by Destroyer.
Aja Monet, Yrsa Daley-Ward and Watsky will read poetry.
The festival will also feature Sigur Rós’ “mixed-reality project,” and a conversation between Florence Welch and Pussy Riot’s Nadya Tolokonnikova.
Details:Friday-Sunday, May 10-12. Arcosanti, about 65 miles north of Phoenix near Cordes Junction.$379.experienceform.com.
5/10: Brytiago and Darell
Brytiagois a Puerto Rican singer-songwriter who signed to Daddy Yankee's label,El Cartel, at 23.Last year's "Bipolar," a track withOzunaandChris Jeday,peaked at No. 17 on theBillboard Hot Latin Songschart.
And he followed through with the even bigger-selling "Asesina," a collaboration with his touring partner, a Puerto Rican rapper nameDarell.
Details: 8 p.m. Friday, May 10.Comerica Theatre, 400 W. Washington St., Phoenix. $53.50 and up.800-745-3000, livenation.com.
5/11: The Bash
There's a new punk festival hitting the road a year after the final Vans Warped Tour and the opening date is inPhoenix. Rancid, the '90spunk veterans,have teamed with Synergy Global EntertainmentInc. and Brew Ha Ha Productions to present the Bash, a punk and craft beer festival launching at Margaret T. Hance Park.
The festival will run for seven dates in May and June, with a lineup topped and curated by Rancid.The bill in Phoenix also features Suicidal Tendencies, the Mighty Mighty Bosstones,L7 and H2O. Pennywise will join the tour after the opening date in Phoenix.
Details:NoonSaturday, May 11.Margaret T. Hance Park, Second and Portland streets, Phoenix. $39.50. 800-745-3000,thebashphoenix.frontgatetickets.com.
5/12: Lord Huron
What would it sound like if Bruce Springsteen had called Lindsey Buckingham in to produce him on a rockabilly-flavored film-noir soundtrack after listening to Arcade Fire and his own "Nebraska" on a late-night drive across the desert? It would sound a bit like "Strange Trails." And last year's "Vide Noir" was just as cinematic while also expanding the scope of their sound with the help of producer Dave Fridmann (Flaming Lips).
Details: 8 p.m. Sunday, May 12.The Van Buren, 401 W. Van Buren St., Phoenix. $35; $32 in advance. 866-468-3399, thevanburenphx.com.
5/14: Ariana Grande
The Sweetener tour takes its name from the singer's fourth studio album, which topped the Billboard album chart last August, spinning off the platinum single "No Tears Left to Cry." And she already has another album out, returning to the top with "Thank U, Next," whose title track and "7 Rings" both topped the Hot 100.
Rolling Stone found the opening night of the tour to beis "full of emotional drama, iconic looks, and undeniable hits."
Details: 8 p.m. Tuesday, May 14.Talking Stick Resort Arena, 201 E. Jefferson St., Phoenix. Resale prices vary. 602-379-7800,ticketmaster.com.
5/15: Santigold
The lead single from Santigold's third album, "99¢," brought the girl-group sound back to the futurelike some space-age Shangri-Las with echoes of the Tom Tom Club and, bizarrely, David Bowie. It's no wonder she can't get enough of herself. And the rest of the album lived up to the promise of that early taste. Her biggest U.S. hits are2008's "L.E.S. Artistes" and 2012's "Disparate Youth," but her albums are packed with songs that should have put her in a bigger room than this by now.
Details: 8 p.m. Tuesday, May 14.The Van Buren, 401 W. Van Buren St., Phoenix. $36. 866-468-3399, thevanburenphx.com.
5/15: Om
This is the first U.S. date of 2019 for the experimental psychedelic rockers and it featuresa new lineup that finds Tyler Trotter playing keys, percussion and guitar alongside longtime members Al Cisneros and Emil Amos.
Their latest album remains 2016 "Advaitic Songs," a hypnotic headphone recordthatPrefix Magazinesaid "is far and away the most entrancing document the band has released" whileConsequence of Soundpraised its "entrancing washes of mystic depth."
Details:7 p.m. Wednesday, May 15.NileTheater, 105 W. Main St., Mesa. $20.niletheater.com.
5/15: The Japanese House
The Japanese House is Amber Bain, a deeply soulful singer-songwriter who arrives in support of "Good at Falling." It's a breathtaking album whose atmospheric electronic textures are offset by deeply emotional reflections on love and heartache.
The Skinnysays the album "has a feeling of the relief that comes after crying," adding, "It takes a moment to sit in sorrow, to feel every inch of it, only to find it washed away by hope and gratitude."
Details:8 p.m. Wednesday, May 15.Crescent Ballroom, 308 N. Second Ave., Phoenix. $20; $18 in advance. 602-716-2222,crescentphx.com.
5/17: Hollywood Vampires
Alice Cooper, Johnny Depp and Aerosmith's Joe Perry are playing their first full concert in the Valley as Hollywood Vampires, who have a second album due this summer.
They've already been here twice as part of Alice Cooper's Christmas Pudding (although Perry had to miss that second Pudding after being diagnosed with pulmonary issues).This time we get the full experience. And if it's half as satisfying as the incomplete experience, then it should be a great time (if you're into rock and roll).
Details: 8 p.m. Friday, May 17. The Pool at Talking Stick Resort, Loop 101 and Pima Road, Salt River Reservation. $35 and up. 480-850-7734,talkingstickresort.com.
Reach the reporter at ed.masley@arizonarepublic.com or 602-444-4495. Follow him on Twitter @EdMasley.
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