Hard rock legends Guns N’ Roses and Pink will both stage the biggest concerts in the Valley in October when they bring their respective stadium tours to town. Other high-profile names due at music venues around metro Phoenix this month include Travis Scott, Foo Fighters, Sting, Death Cab For Cutie, Macklemore and SZA,
The Arizona State Fair’s much-anticipated concert series is returning, which will bring names like alt-rock godfathers Violent Femmes, hip-hop/pop artist Becky G, country music star Walker Hayes and R&B singer Ne-Yo to the Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum. Add in a new outdoor venue making its debut (Scottsdale Civic Center’s East Bowl amphitheater) and you’ve got a busy month for music.
Read on for details about these shows and the rest of Phoenix’s best concerts in October or check out our music listings for even more gigs around the Valley.
Wilco
Tuesday, Oct. 3
Scottsdale Civic Center’s East Bowl Amphitheater, 7380 E. Second St., Scottsdale
It’s Tuesday night: Do you know where your father is? Open your ears and listen closely to the distant strains of pedal steel, guitar, and pounding drums echoing over the horizon — the tasteful maelstrom of Chicago’s Wilco, summoning all dads, dad bods, record store clerks and alt-country musicians within a 100-mile radius to the Scottsdale Civic Center’s new East Bowl amphitheater to tip back IPAs and jam out. Like the sirens of old, you’d have to lash your dear old dad to the nearest mast to keep him from being beguiled by Jeff Tweedy’s wine-soaked rasp. Born from the ashes of Uncle Tupelo, Wilco have expanded on their early alt-country roots into more experimental territory: dipping into Crazy Horse style shredding, doing folksy collabs with English firebrand Billy Bragg, and mixing in the chilly bleeps and bloops of krautrock. Their latest album, 2023’s “Cousins,” marks a major shift for the band: it’s their first time working with an outside producer since 2009. Produced by Cate Le Bon, Cousins is a multi-layered, laid-back record with some surprising avant-garde flourishes. With My Brightest Diamond; 7 p.m., $59.50 via scottsdaleperformingarts.org. Ashley Naftule
The Postal Service and Death Cab For Cutie
Tuesday, Oct. 3
Arizona Financial Theatre, 400 W. Washington St.
The one-and-done artist is deeply underrated. There’s something to be said for an artist who drops a definitive, fully-formed masterpiece and then immediately fucks off forever. Case in point is the filmmaker Charles Laughton, who directed the unimpeachable classic “Night of the Hunter” and then never made another film. Or The Postal Service, the one-off collaboration between Death Cab for Cutie’s Ben Gibbard and producer Jimmy Tamborello. Their one record, 2003’s “Give Up,” was a tectonic shift in the indie music landscape, encouraging a generation of lovelorn, emo kids to pick up electronics and get synthy with it. The quality of the songwriting and the way Gibbard’s low-key, plaintive vocals effortlessly weave together with Tamborello’s bubbling electronics has kept “Give Up” sounding fresh 20 years later. Now on tour with Death Cab, Gibbard fans will get a double dose of the Bens on Oct. 3 when the Postal Service performs an anniversary set and Death Cab unleashes over two decades of fan favorites at Arizona Financial Theatre. With The Beths; 7 p.m., $95-$700 via livenation.com. Ashley Naftule
Foo Fighters
Tuesday, Oct. 3
Talking Stick Resort Amphitheatre, 2121 N. 83rd Ave.
Foo Fighters are currently on their first tour since the untimely death of drummer Taylor Hawkins in March 2022, less than a month after the band headlined last year’s Innings Festival in Tempe. They’re also touring in support of their new album, “But Here We Are,” which has been described as “a brutally honest and emotionally raw response to everything Foo Fighters have endured recently.” That said, the band’s shows are anything but somber affairs. Frontman and guitarist Dave Grohl continue to perform with all of the spirit and verve their shows have become known for over the decades, reportedly turning each concert into a cathartic experience filled with emotion and energy. We’re certain Hawkins would’ve wanted it that way. With The Breeders; 7:30 p.m., $39.50-$139.50 via livenation.com. Benjamin Leatherman
The 1975
Thursday, Oct. 5
Desert Diamond Arena, 9400 W. Maryland Ave., Glendale
The 1975 are a lot. They’re not the kind of band that hides their ambitions or pretensions. No, they make big videos; they pick fights with the Oasis brothers; they date Taylor Swift for five minutes and almost get canceled into oblivion for making an ill-advised appearance on “The Adam Friedland Show.” “They” in this case being lead singer Matty Healy (Heel-y would have been a more apt name), who is breaking his back to get himself into a discourse cycle, any cycle, anything to get you to talk about him and his band. It’s hard to decide if this behavior is more or less obnoxious when you factor in that his band is actually good. A lot of bands have gone for shamelessly aping the ’80s but few do it as deftly as The 1975. Songs like “It’s Not Living If It’s Not With You” or “Happiness” would sound right at home if you traveled back in time and put them on the radio. Weaving together blue-eyed soul with up-tempo pop-rock, funk and R&B, The 1975 could easily triple bill with The Blue Nile and Hall & Oates. Healy may cop a bad boy attitude but his music’s vibes are 100% pure Adult Contemporary: plush, lush and not here to make a fuss. 7:30 p.m., $57-$315 via ticketmaster.com. Ashley Naftule
$uicideboy$
Friday, Oct. 6
Phoenix Raceway, 7602 Jimmie Johnson Dr., Avondale
Call them punk-rap, trap-metal or whatever you like, $uicideboy$ have since 2014 become one of the most popular acts in the underground rap scene, earning a devout cult following that has gotten the group out of the clubs and into huge venues. $uicideboy$ started their journey to the top as SoundCloud rappers releasing dozens of mixtapes and EPs filled with abrasive beats and confessionalist lyrics about substance abuse, self-harm and Satan-worship. Lyrical content like that has certainly made the New Orleans duo a lightning rod for controversy in recent years, but as with any artist that becomes a pariah for overprotective parents, $uicideboy$ artistry overpowers its controversy. For their fans, $uicideboy$’s lyrics and music are about catharsis — a kind of international group therapy built around music that may not be happy, but is honest. With Ghostemane, City Morgue, Freddie Dredd, Sematary and Ramirez; 6:30 p.m., $139 via tixr.com. Phoenix New Times
The Dandy Warhols and The Black Angels
Friday, Oct. 6
Marquee Theatre, 730 N. Mill Ave., Tempe
The name of this tour isn’t “Lock Up Your Drugs,” but it should be. Bohemian rapscallions The Dandy Warhols are hitting the road with psych-rockers The Black Angels. While both groups hail from different parts of the country and explore different facets of the sonic underground—The Black Angels digging into the fuzzy, scuzzy space-rock of bands like Spacemen 3 while the Dandy Warhols bang a more poppy, wry take on slacker rock — they share a similar stubborn, we’re-doing-things-OUR-way philosophy and a fondness for decadence (on and off their records). While the Warhols are best known for their ’90s hits “Bohemian Like You” and “Not If You Were the Last Junkie on Earth,” they have a deep catalog of songs to draw from (as do The Black Angels, who have been dropping one bad acid-drenched album after another since 2006’s “Passover”). Be sure to bring your best party favors to the Marquee for an ear-splittingly good time. With DAIISTAR; 7:30 p.m., $39.50-$69.50 via seetickets.us. Ashley Naftule
The All-American Rejects
Saturday, Oct. 7
Talking Stick Resort Amphitheatre, 2121 N. 83rd Ave.
It’s no “Dirty Little Secret” — longtime pop-punk hitmakers and 2000s radio favorites The All-American Rejects are still performing and recording these days. The Oklahoma-born band, whose biggest success came in 2002 with their self-titled debut studio album, are best known for such chart-topping anthems as “Swing, Swing,” “Move Along,” “Gives You Hell” and the aforementioned “Dirty Little Secret.” Such songs will never be considered high art, but they were certainly catchy as hell, earning the All-American Rejects vast commercial success. Their current tour features support from fellow pop-punk acts New Found Glory, Motion City Soundtrack and the Get Up Kids. It’s a bit like the now-defunct Warped Tour, only without the oppressive summertime heat. 7 p.m., $25-$175 via livenation.com. Benjamin Leatherman
The Darkness
Saturday, Oct. 7
Marquee Theatre, 730 N. Mill Ave., Tempe
U.K.-based rock act The Darkness made an enormous splash with their 2003 debut album, “Permission to Land,” which featured the hit single “I Believe In a Thing Called Love.” The band’s brash and theatrical performance style and music sounded like they could have existed alongside bombastic ’70s rock bands like Queen and AC/DC. But bassist Frankie Poullain has stated that he and lead vocalist Justin Hawkins bonded over their love of ’80s and early ’90s alternative bands including My Bloody Valentine, Suede and the Smiths. And it’s that unexpected depth of influences, not to mention their spirit of over-the-top fun, that has separated The Darkness from other bands that have tried to mine the sound and spirit of the classic rock era. They’ve released a half-dozen other albums since then, including 2021’s “Motorheart.” With The Comancheros; 7:30 p.m., $32.50-$62.50 via seetickets.us. Phoenix New Times
Goldrush: Sonoran Skies
Saturday, October 7, to Sunday, October 8
Phoenix Raceway, 7602 Jimmie Johnson Drive, Avondale
The fall concert season is in full swing, which means music festivals galore. As such, local electronic dance music promoter Relentless Beats is bringing back its annual Goldrush fest at Phoenix Raceway in Avondale. Most everything about the two-day EDM event is the same: Multiple stages will host sets from more than 50 different DJs and attractions like a silent disco and roller disco will be available. This year’s lineup will include such renowned artists as Tiësto, Zeds Dead, Zhu, Amémé, ATLiens, Ben Böhmer, Blond:ish, Bou, Brondo, Champagne Drip, Cloonee, Dion Timmer, Dombresky, Jessica Audiffred, Kai Wachi, Madeon, Nostalgix, Pawsa, Riot Ten and Slushii. 5 p.m., $179.50-$729.50 via tixr.com. Benjamin Leatherman
Owl City
Sunday, Oct. 8
The Van Buren, 400 W. Van Buren St.
Brian Eno once said of the Velvet Underground that only 10,000 people bought their records, but each one of those people started a band. You couldn’t say the same about The Postal Service (they sold a lot more than 10,000) but the gist of this quote holds true for Owl City’s Adam Young, who built an entire career out of being a guy who bought a copy of “Give Up.” A devout Christian who started writing songs while working at a Coca-Cola warehouse, Young built a following through MySpace, self-releasing songs until eventually landing a major label deal. 2009’s “Ocean Eyes” made Young almost as big a household name as his idols when “Fireflies” (the most “I Can’t Believe It’s Not Ben Gibbard” song ever recorded) became inescapable. 2023’s “Coco Moon” is his latest record, and displays all the Owl City trademarks: swoony electronics, Young’s yearning voice and lyrics that oscillate wild between “almost poetic” to “cornier than a field in Omaha.” 8 p.m., $59 via livenation.com. Ashley Naftule
Sting
Monday, Oct. 9
Arizona Financial Theatre, 400 W. Washington St.
Gordon Matthew Thomas Sumner, better known to millions of music lovers as Sting, may have been born into a working-class British family, but he’s transcended his meager beginnings to become a musical icon and all-around rock god. Emerging as the frontman for The Police in the late ’70s, his distinctive voice and songwriting prowess helped make beloved hits like “Roxanne” and “Every Breath You Take” a reality. After the band went bust, Sting’s solo career flourished as he seamlessly blended rock, jazz, reggae and world music influences in such landmark multiplatinum albums as 1985’s “The Dream of the Blue Turtles” 1987’s “… Nothing Like the Sun” and 1993’s “Ten Summoner’s Tales.” His current My Songs tour is a retrospective of two dozen hits and deep cuts from his 52-year career. 8 p.m., $53-$183 via livenation.com. Benjamin Leatherman
Pink
Monday, Oct. 9
Chase Field, 401 E. Jefferson St.
Pop and R&B star Alecia Beth Moore Hart, better known as Pink, is practically an institution by this point. While many of her late ’90s/early-aughts contemporaries have either retired or been marooned on the island of irrelevancy, Pink has continued to release a steady stream of hits and records. After going on a hiatus for a few years, she’s back with 2023’s “Trustfall” and eager to show off the punky, confident attitude that made her stand out in the “TRL” era. With Brandi Carlile, GROUPLOVE and KidCutUp; 6:30 p.m., $40-$359 via ticketmaster.com. Ashley Naftule
Dethklok and Babymetal
Tuesday, October 10
Arizona Financial Theatre, 400 W. Washington St.
If you watched Adult Swim in the early 2000s and weren’t already a metalhead, Brendon Small’s “Metalocalpyse” was one hell of a gateway drug. A hilarious and ultra-violent cartoon following the exploits of the very hardcore and very dumb band Dethklok, the show was also an excuse for Small (a musician in his own right) to write and record some bangers. Now, the voice of Nathan Explosion is hitting the road with a new album to promote (2023’s “Dethalbum IV”) along with a long-awaited new “Metalocalypse” film (“Metalocalypse: Army of the Doomstar”). Joining this cartoon band is a real-life band that feels like they were also pulled out of animation. The heavy metal/pop trio Babymetal hails from Japan and features three photogenic and fierce musicians who make deeply compelling and strange music. Their vocals can give Dethklok a run for their money in the throat-shredding department, and their striking look (Japanese pop idols run through a heavy metal/goth-y filter) only enhances the oddity of their music. 7 p.m., tickets are available on the secondary market. Ashley Naftule
Corey Feldman
Wednesday, Oct. 11
Marquee Theatre, 730 N. Mill Ave., Tempe
Throughout his lifetime, actor Corey Feldman has been a constant source of entertainment in one way or another over the decades. Besides memorable turns in ’80s classics like “The Lost Boys,” “Stand By Me” and “The Goonies,” he’s been a human train wreck on a few different reality shows (does anyone remember “The Surreal Life”?). Feldman also has had an off-and-on career as a pop-rock musician, fronting bands like Corey Feldman and the Truth Movement or Corey’s Angels (which featured a backing band of women dressed in angelic costumes). As he told Phoenix New Times in 2022, he’s more about making music these days. His current tour comes to the Marquee Theatre in Tempe on Oct. 11. Local FeldFans can expect to hear material from throughout his musical oeuvre, including catchy pop-rock ditties and love songs aplenty. With Practically People, Chrome Rhino, Bogan Via and Alibi; $18-$55 via seetickets.us. Benjamin Leatherman
Guns N’ Roses
Wednesday, Oct. 11
Chase Field, 401 E. Jefferson St.
Guns N’ Roses were the greatest cock-rock band of the late ’80s; their epoch-defining Appetite For Destruction came factory-installed in the tape deck of every IROC, Mustang and Firebird of the time. For one blazing moment, they embodied everything transcendent in American life, everything orgiastic, flamboyant in form and fashion, drug-thin (because they were all on all the drugs), brimming with maudlin extravagance and a total contempt for the world outside their own bleary Paradise City. Original members Axl Rose, Duff McKagan and Slash are back in the hot tub time machine and crisscrossing the country on their latest stadium tour, so there’s a good chance you’ll be feeling like a space brain one more time during their stop at Chase Field in downtown Phoenix. With Alice in Chains; 6 p.m., $25-$367 via ticketmaster.com. Phoenix New Times
Tav Falco
Thursday, Oct. 12
Valley Bar, 130 N. Central Ave.
Gustavo Antonio “Tav” Falco is as much a historian as he is a musician. A fixture in the underground since 1979, Falco is a musician, performance artist, filmmaker, author and photographer. Whether as frontman for the garage rock/rockabilly band Tav Falco’s Panther Burns or cutting jazzier, tango-influenced solo records under his own name, Falco invests his songs with showmanship, flair, and a deep love and respect for the older artists he draws influence from. Falco does more than pay lip service to the people who influenced his wildman style. He’s taken photos and made short films of greats like blues legend R.L. Burnstine, feral country star Charlie Feathers and cut records with beloved legends like Cordell Jackson and James Luther Dickinson. Falco’s written books on the weird cultural history of Memphis and filmed several striking scene reports/histories of his stomping grounds that have ended up in the esteemed Cinemateque Francais. That all might like so much dusty history but Falco makes it come alive whenever he opens his mouth to croon, howl and whoop it up like his life depended on it. 7 p.m., $16/$20 via ticketweb.com. Ashley Naftule
Walker Hayes
Friday, October 13
Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum, 1826 W. McDowell Road
Walker Hayes — the Alabama-born country pop singer, songwriter and guitarist behind such hits as 2017’s “You Broke Up With Me” and 2021’s “Fancy Like” — will have the honor of staging the first concert at the Arizona State Fair in four years. Fans who attend the gig can expect to hear other big hits from his repertoire, including “Don’t Let Her,” “U Girl” and “AA,” all of which are likely to bring the house down inside the Veterans Memorial Coliseum. Like much of Hayes’ other material, the songs are polished country pop with infectious melodies that tackle such issues as women, booze and regret (a.k.a. the same subject matter of most songs from the genre these days). Not that will matter much to the fair-going masses, who are there raise some hell, have a few brews and listen to some rip-roaring music. And Hayes will be happy to oblige them. 7 p.m., $20-$60 via etix.com. Benjamin Leatherman
The Wallflowers
Friday, Oct. 13
Gila River Hotels & Casinos — Wild Horse Pass, 5040 Wild Horse Pass Blvd., Chandler
What are the perks of being a member of The Wallflowers? If you’re frontman Jakob Dylan, you have your famous father’s amazing songwriting lineage flowing through your veins, not to mention the pressure of living up to daddy’s legacy. Will he ever do that? Very unlikely, but that’s not the say his musical output is worth dismissing. After debuting in 1989, the rock band released its best-known album, “Bringing Down the Horse,” seven years later. It went quadruple platinum and produced such singles as “6th Avenue Heartache,” “The Difference” and “Three Marlenas,” as well as their biggest hit, “One Headlight.” The Wallflowers’ various releases since then, up to and including last year’s “Exit Wounds,” may not have equaled the success of “Bringing Down the Horse,” but Dylan has won over plenty of hearts with his solo releases, including the T-Bone Burnett-produced “Women + Country” from 2010. You’ll hear songs from the album in The Wallflowers’ set list when they roll through the Valley. 7:30 p.m., $67.50-$97.50 via ticketweb.com. Benjamin Leatherman
Becky G
Saturday, Oct. 14
Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum, 1826 W. McDowell Road
Southern California-born Latin pop singer Becky G — real name Rebbeca Marie Gomez — has multiple claims to fame. She’s not only voiced Khaji-Da in the recently released “Blue Beetle” and played the Yellow Ranger in 2017’s “Power Ranger,” but she’s also sung the theme song to “Hotel Transylvania” and appeared on more than a few television shows. She also has an equally stellar career as a recording artist, topping the charts with albums like 2019’s “Mala Santa” and last year’s “Esquemas.” She’s got a new record out, the recently released “Esquinas” and wowed both music fans and critics alike at this year’s Coachella with her captivating vocal talents. 7 p.m., $27-$60 via etix.com. Benjamin Leatherman
Lil Yachty
Sunday, Oct. 15
Marquee Theatre, 730 N. Mill Ave., Tempe
Lil Yachty is a true eccentric. Rapping with a one-of-a-kind voice — one that seems to simultaneously slur, yelp and elongate every vowel — Lil Yachty brings an infectious, excitable energy to his music. He often sounds like a kid who made an amazing discovery and can’t wait to share it with you. No better introduction to the weird world of Lil Yachty exists than his monster hit “Broccoli.” Driven by pianos and a start-stop rhythm, “Broccoli” is a joyous and hilarious ode to getting fucked up. No other weed song on Earth sounds like it. 2023’s “Let’s Start Here” marks a pretty wild departure for Lil Yachty. Instead of the trap sound he’s cultivated for years, Atlanta’s goofiest son is going all-in on … psych rock? While rappers suddenly getting the urge to play guitar historically has had dire results, this is the rare case where Yachty finds something interesting and vital in this new style. With Kanye lost in a fugue of sour right-wing vibes, someone has to fly the pop weirdo flag in rap and Lil Yachty is stepping up to hoist that banner high. 8 p.m., $49.50-$175 via seetickets.us. Ashley Naftule
Janelle Monáe
Sunday, Oct. 15
Arizona Financial Theatre, 400 W. Washington St.
The accompanying visuals to Janelle Monae’s “The Age of Pleasure” have been as thirsty as that title would suggest. Shots of the stunning R&B/pop star in wet T-shirts worked the Internet up into a lather before the album’s release. The album itself finds Monae exploring themes of hedonism and joy through Afrobeat rhythms and reggae vibes. One of the early singles, “Float,” features a direct link to Afrobeat royalty: Seun Kuti, youngest son of the legendary Fela Kuti, brings the family magic to Monae’s track. An unapologetically horny album, “The Age of Pleasure” showcases Monae’s confidence and versatility as a singer. A marked stylistic shift from the electropop/synthier sounds of 2018’s “Dirty Computer,” it nevertheless sounds like the kind of brash, infectious pop music that only Monae could write. Long may we live in the age of pleasure if it keeps bringing us sounds like these. With Dreamer Isioma and Nana Kwabena; 8 p.m., $51.50-$81.50 via livenation.com. Ashley Naftule
Teddy Swims
Tuesday, Oct. 17
The Van Buren, 401 W. Van Buren St.
Teddy Swims’ 2023 debut album “I’ve Tried Everything But Therapy (Part 1)” finds the Georgia-born singer blending together R&B, country and soul to create a rugged and rootsy all-American sound. The Swims in his name comes from an online acronym (“Someone who isn’t me sometimes”) and is a good descriptor for his approach to music-making. He dives into different genres and assumes them like a performer taking on a role, drawing on the influences of greats like Stevie Wonder and Al Green while putting a more modern spin on them. Swims has swam in other waters before: he’s played in alt-rock and post-hardcore bands and even done time in the cover band scene with soul and hair band outfits. It’s as Teddy Swims that Jaten Dismdale has truly found his groove. After years of cutting EPs and doing collabs with artists as varied as All Time Low, Meghan Trainor and X Ambassadors, Swims is ready to hit the choppy waters of solo stardom. Will he stay afloat? Probably. After all, his name isn’t Teddy Sinks. With Zinadelphia; 8 p.m., tickets are available on the secondary market. Ashley Naftule
Macklemore
Tuesday, Oct. 17
Arizona Financial Theatre, 400 W. Washington St.
As an institution, the Grammys have struggled for relevancy and respect in recent years. Maybe the only time The Grammys have been fun is when someone gets snubbed, like when Steely Dan beat Radiohead or the year Macklemore washed Kendrick Lamar (a sweep so egregious that the rapper himself texted a “should have been you” message to Lamar afterward). That night will cling to Macklemore like an odd smell on a thrift store jacket. But the Seattle-born rapper deserves a bit more credit than that. He is one of the great self-made success stories of 21st-century music, hustling mixtapes out of his car and relentlessly grinding until he and partner Ryan Lewis blew up with “The Heist.” Now, after years of struggling with sobriety and falling in and out of popularity, Macklemore is back with a new comeback record, “Ben.” Packed with confessional lyrics and perceptive takes on mortality, the 12-track album has surprising thematic weight. It’s an album made by a man who’s done some hard living. Nothing on it has the verve or fun of “Thrift Shop” but if this record beat out a Kendrick-level album at the next Grammys, it wouldn’t be nearly as embarrassing. 7:30 p.m., $30.50-$130.50 via livenation.com. Ashley Naftule
VNV Nation
Wednesday, Oct. 18
The Van Buren, 401 W. Van Buren St.
VNV Nation started as a kind of bedroom project for the band’s singer and co-programmer, Ronan Harris. By 1995, he had developed his music to the point that it was becoming part of the next wave of underground electronic pop. Some may dismiss the music as being part of the late-wave EBM that seemed to water down music that would have fit under the umbrella term “goth” at some point. But, in fact, Harris and his bandmate, Mark Jackson, had been inspired by the full range of electronic pop music and experimental and indie music from the ’70s forward. The duo plugged this knowledge directly into making what they called “futurepop.” “Futurepop” was perhaps a clever marketing term, but it’s also as good a genre stamp as anything else that could fit a band whose influences come from multiple directions. Over the last decade, VNV Nation has become one of the most popular and influential acts that emerged from the creative ferment of the late ’80s and the ’90s, when industrial music was merging with the dance music coming out of underground clubs and raves. 8 p.m., $30 via livenation.com. Glenn BurnSilver
Ne-Yo
Friday, Oct. 20
Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum, 1826 W. McDowell Road
If you need a smooth voice to falsetto all over your track, you could do worse than to give Ne-Yo a call. The Arkansas-based Shaffer Chimere Smith is a purveyor of R&B smoothness: His voice paves tracks with a smooth coating, lustrous and melodic. Pulling influences from legends (Michael Jackson, Luther Vandross) and contemporaries (Usher, Babyface), Ne-Yo has forged his own catalog of hits, winning audiences over with his easy-on-the-ears tenor. While Ne-Yo has focused more on writing songs for other artists over the years (and also making the occasional deeply unfortunate transphobic comment), he’s been getting back into his groove as a solo artist. 2022’s “Self Explanatory” finds the singer burrowed like a tick in his mid-tempo pocket, crooning loverman jams and getting nostalgic over a revolving door of guest productions. He doesn’t quite hit the magic of his early releases, but if you like that aural Velveeta he pours all over his songs you’ll find something here to like. 7 p.m., $20-$60 via etix.com. Ashley Naftule
Deer Tick
Tuesday, Oct. 24
Crescent Ballroom, 308 N. Second Ave.
Don’t you dare call Deer Tick country. The Rhode Island-born band may get their folk on with the best of them, but they don’t wear the Americana tag as a badge of honor. While the blues and country influences in their music is readily apparent, the quartet proudly continues in the footsteps of rock ‘n’ roll fuckups like The Replacements. Deer Tick are ramshackle and raw, playing songs laced with a dark, piercing wit that Warren Zevon would appreciate. Singer-songwriter John J. McCauley belts out his songs with a high rasp like he’s using the last ounce of his vocal power to get these songs while the rest of the band back him up with rowdy guitar solos and muscular rhythms. 2023’s “Emotional Contracts” may be their most fully realized work to date: a band unafraid to go for Zeppelin-esque bombast in one song and then shift to hushed, intimate reflection on the next. 8 p.m., $20/$25 via ticketweb.com. Ashley Naftule
Travis Scott
Wednesday, Oct. 25 and Thursday, Oct. 26
Footprint Center, 201 E. Jefferson St.
Like him or loathe him, Travis Scott has been a groundbreaking force in contemporary rap over the last decade, helping to reshape the hip-hop landscape with his distinctive sound and genre-blurring artistry. The Houston-born rapper’s career trajectory soared to meteoric heights in the 2010s. His innovative sound, characterized by atmospheric beats and ethereal melodies, has earned him a dedicated following. Scott’s debut studio album, 2015’s “Rodeo,” marked a turning point in his career, showcasing his penchant for experimentation and collaboration with other hip-hop heavyweights. As a multifaceted artist, he continues to bridge the gap between rap, hip-hop and contemporary pop with subsequent mega-hits like 2018’s “Astroworld” solidifying his status as a trendsetter. Travis’ current tour will stop in the Valley in late October for a pair of shows at Footprint Center in downtown Phoenix. 7 p.m., tickets are available on the secondary market. Benjamin Leatherman
The Violent Femmes
Friday, October 27
Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum, 1826 W. McDowell Road
Violent Femmes have been going strong — minus a couple of breaks — since the 1970s took their last breath. And they always deliver. Their mix of styles, from stompy front-porch acoustic rock to country to jazz, blended up with an anything-goes, punk-rock attitude has resulted in too many addictive singles to count: “American Music,” “Blister in the Sun” and “Gone Daddy Gone” are just a few drops in their 44-year-career bucket. While the band’s iconic first, self-titled record was full of so much nuance and so many undeniably catchy-as-hell songs that it created a devoted fan base, their drive didn’t stop with that initial adoration. The Femmes have followed that up with several full-length records that show their interest in a wild mix of instrumentation. Their tunes are peppered with sounds from the likes of clarinets, kazoos, xylophones, horns and flutes. The group continues to add new followers on this lengthy journey — and it’s reflected in the attendees at their live shows over the decades. 7 p.m., $35-$50 via etix.com. Amy Young
Carly Pearce
Saturday, Oct. 28
Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum, 1826 W. McDowell Road
Award-winning country singer-songwriter Carly Pearce wraps up this year’s Arizona State Fair’s concert series with a 90-minute-long performance. It’s likely to include many of her best-known songs, including 2017’s “Every Little Thing” — which helped land her a major-label record deal after it broke big on satellite radio — and hits like 2018’s “Closer to You” and 2019’s “I Hope You’re Happy Now,” which she recorded along with Lee Brice. It’s not Pearce’s only collaboration with fellow country stars, as she worked with Ashley McBryde on 2021’s “Never Wanted to Be That Girl” (which earned them both a Grammy Award) and teamed up with Chris Stapleton on the recent single “We Don’t Fight Anymore.” Pearce will be the only singer onstage during her gig at the fair, of course, but her golden-toned vocals are more than enough to carry the show on her own. 7 p.m., $20-$100 via etix.com. Benjamin Leatherman
SZA
Sunday, Oct. 29
Footprint Center, 201 E. Jefferson St.
Singer-songwriter SZA calling her latest album “SOS” is only fitting, as she spent a good chunk of the last few years online sending out one SOS after another about her career. Solana Imani Rowe made a big splash with her self-assured debut in 2017. “Ctrl” turned heads with its neo-soul vibes and SZA’s confessional, disarmingly frank lyrics. Don’t call her a hip-hop artist or R&B singer: She may occasionally step foot in those worlds but she exists primarily in between them in a space that’s wholly her own. Being an artist that is distinctive and that difficult to peg can be hard to market, which is perhaps one of the reasons why her label, Top Dawg Entertainment, dragged their feet in putting out a follow-up album. It’s great to see SZA back out in the world again with a new album, and one that’s proven to be worth the wait. She builds on the intimate sound of her debut by incorporating new elements into her sonic stew: gospel, jazz and even bits of grunge and surf rock. It’s a deeply eclectic work that nevertheless offers plenty of blunt lyrical honesty on display in “Ctrl.” 8 p.m., tickets are available on the secondary market. Ashley Naftule
Beach Fossils
Tuesday, Oct. 31
The Van Buren, 401 W. Van Buren St.
“It feels like I’m living in another world,” Dustin Payseur sings on “Run to the Moon,” one of the standout tracks on 2023’s “Bunny.” “Only you can pull me back in.” A mellow, lushly melodic song, it’s as druggy as it is romantic: a song about love that makes you want to nod off. This is the sweet spot that Payseur and his brothers-in-arms in Beach Fossils have been working in for years. Starting with 2010’s self-titled record and onward, the Brooklyn band have refined a deeply nostalgic sound, one that pulls in strands of dream pop, surf and indie rock and wraps them in lo-fi productions to create a hazy dreamscape of ballads and head-nodding pop songs. Payseur’s understated vocals nudge you like the soft hands of someone in bed with you, urging you to wake up. Beach Fossils make music you just want to lounge inside; let it wash over you and carry you away. With Turnover; 7 p.m., $30-$105 via livenation.com. Ashley Naftule