Concerts from p 19 the bill for the 8 p.m. concert. Tickets are $27.50 to $30. MATTHEW KEEVER Alanis Morissette and Garbage Sunday, October 3 Ak-Chin Pavilion You oughta know by now that after a too- long wait, Alanis Morissette is finally com- ing to Ak-Chin Pavilion on her Jagged Little Pill 25th anniversary tour. The album that shook the world and changed the land- scape of alternative rock music — helping launch the careers of many others — has been cited by countless artists including Katy Perry and Kelly Clarkson as a major source of inspiration. Morissette will have opening support from fellow ’90s female- fronted rock act Garbage and alt-indie singer-songwriter Cat Power. Tickets are $30 to $80 for the 7 p.m. show. DAVID FLETCHER Flogging Molly and Violent Femmes Friday, October 8 Mesa Amphitheatre If you were bummed out about Flogging Molly canceling their St. Patrick’s Day concert in 2020 because of COVID-19, the Celtic punk band are bringing their bagpipes back to Arizona this fall and alt- rock legends Violent Femmes are along for the ride for a co-headlining tour. Gordon Gano and company will be celebrating the 30th-anniversary re-release of 1991’s Why Do Birds Sing? while Flogging Molly will be raising their usual ruckus. Punk acts Thick and Me First and the Gimme Gimmes will provide support. Gates open at 4 p.m. and the concert begins at 5:30 p.m. Admission is $49.50. BENJAMIN LEATHERMAN Judas Priest Saturday, October 9 Arizona Federal Theatre Judas Priest has been hitting it hard for more than 50 years. The band of leather- wearing British metal gods helped define the genre in the ’80s with albums like Screaming For Vengeance and British Steel. Though he left the band for a few years back in the ’90s, frontman (and Phoenix resident) Rob Halford’s high- pitched, operatic screams have been a staple of their signature sound since the beginning. Today, they continue to keep the genre alive by continuing to release new albums (their most recent is 2018’s Firepower) and providing killer, head- banging performances. Judas Priest is a force to be reckoned with that cannot be stopped. The concert gets going at 7:30 p.m. and Sabaton shares the bill. Tickets are $48.50 to $78.50. JACOB VAUGHN JPEGMAFIA Sunday, October 10 Crescent Ballroom Baltimore-based rapper/producer JPEGMAFIA plugs current affairs into his music in hilarious and provocative ways: dissing everyone from Morrissey to Kellyanne Conway, referencing weird internet phenomena, and even releasing a song called “I Might Vote for Donald Trump.” Onstage, he’s less a ball of energy than a rolling boulder, screaming lyrics and diving into the crowd. Whether his music will age well or not — and we’re betting it will, thanks to his forward- thinking, kinetic production style in full effect on 2018’s Veteran and 2019’s All My Heroes Are Cornballs — JPEGMAFIA is without a doubt one of the most entertain- ing voices in contemporary hip-hop. His Crescent Ballroom gig starts at 8:30 p.m. Tickets are $22.50. DOUGLAS MARKOWITZ Luis Blanco/CC BY 2.0/Flickr 20 Judas Priest frontman and Valley resident Rob Halford. Country Thunder Arizona 2021 Thursday, October 14, to Sunday, October 17 Canyon Moon Ranch, Florence Up for an adventure and a little bit of a road trip, pardner? Pack up your boots and blue jeans and hit the dusty trail down to Florence, as Country Thunder Arizona is finally going off after three pandemic- related postponements. As is the norm for the four-day outdoor music festival, radio-friendly country artists dominate the massive lineup, with names like Luke Combs, Eric Church, Old Dominion, Dustin Lynch, Ashley McBryde, Parmalee, Chicks With Hits, and Chris Janson set to perform at this year’s event. Tens of thousands are expected to attend, though the boot-scootin’ bacchanal won’t be lim- ited to the main stage. The campground is an infamous party zone (and almost a phy. Tickets are $48.75. ALMA SCHOFIELD Karli Evans Erykah Badu during a 2019 performance. festival in and of itself ) with hootin’ and hollerin’ going on until the wee hours. General admission is $99 per day and $200 for the whole festival. BENJAMIN LEATHERMAN Erykah Badu Wednesday, October 20 Arizona Federal Theatre Erykah Badu has transcended musical genres, taking on neo-soul, hip-hop, pop, and even the occasional jazz track during her 27-year career. She made a name for herself after her 1997 debut, Baduizm, went on to win two Grammy Awards and sell over 3 million copies. Since then she’s re- leased five studio albums and cultivated a loyal mass of fans across the globe with her eccentric style, philosophy, and lyricism. Badu isn’t just an icon, she’s practically a mythological figure, one who’s built a leg- end larger than her work. Rapper Westside Gunn will open the 8 p.m. show. Tickets are $49.50 and up. JACOB VAUGHN AND EVA RAGGIO Machine Gun Kelly Thursday, October 21 Mesa Amphitheatre Machine Gun Kelly rose to fame after his 2012 single “Wild Boy” featuring Waka Flocka Flame. The song was an anthem for the badly behaved and the first intro- duction to Kelly’s badass personal brand- ing. Despite often being labeled a rapper, Kelly’s made a living off of his rock star lifestyle. When it comes to his musical accolades, putting him solely in the box of hip-hop is a gross underestimation of his talent. His fourth studio album, 2019’s Hotel Diablo, was a mashup of alt-rock and rap while 2020’s Tickets to My Downfall was more pop-punk than hip-hop, as evidenced by the fact it was produced by Blink-182’s Travis Barker. And his lat- est album, Born with Horns, delves into grunge territory. But with whatever style he chooses, MGK’s still mad as hell and embracing his angst and expressing it on his terms. His Mesa Amphitheatre con- cert, which starts at 7 p.m. and features rappers Kenny Hoopla and Jxdn, will include songs from across his discogra- Phish Friday, October 22 Ak-Chin Pavilion A lot of musicians spent the pandemic figuring out new ways to connect with their fan bases over the web. The jam band Phish was way ahead of all of them; the group has been innovating on the internet since the ’90s, whether by encouraging tape-trading of its shows in chat rooms or later setting up livestreams a decade before that was a household word. Phish didn’t disappoint during the pandemic, either, debuting a free Tuesday-night series called “Dinner and a Movie” that unearthed videos of archived shows and streamed them through the Phish website and Facebook page. The live, IRL Phish experience is what its fans truly want, though, and after a year and a half with- out it, expect to see some very excited wooks and chads at this amphitheater outing. Tickets start at $33. DAVID HUDNALL Robert Earl Keen Sunday, October 24 Crescent Ballroom Robert Earl Keen combines folk, blue- grass, country and Americana into an inimitable sound that fans will cherish for generations to come. Like fellow Texas- born musicians Guy Clark, Townes Van Zandt, and Lyle Lovett, singer-songwriter Robert Earl Keen paints pictures with every song. While he’s put out a dozen albums (including Happy Prisoner: The Bluegrass Sessions, his most recent release) since 1984, his live shows are the best place to appreciate his craft and his dry humor. Not one to let a pandemic get in the way of some good tunes, he’s scheduled to visit Crescent Ballroom in late October. The concert begins at 7 p.m. with an opening set by Kevin Galloway. Tickets are $35 to $45. MATTHEW KEEVER AND SERENE DOMINIC Dead and Company Monday, October 25 Ak-Chin Pavilion Since the Grateful Dead formed in the ’60s, the music of Jerry Garcia, Bob Weir, and countless other contributors has gained a true cult status. Even after Garcia’s death in 1995, the band kept on truckin’. And the music hasn’t stopped. A few years after the band’s 50th-anniversary Fare Thee Well Tour in 2015, the group be- gan touring as Dead and Company. The lineup includes John Mayer alongside original members Bob Weir, Mickey Hart, and Bill Kreutzmann. Oteil Burbridge and Jeff Chimenti are also in the mix. Mayer’s strong blues background aids in the faithful delivery of wavy riffs from the days of Garcia. Tickets for the 7 p.m. concert start at $51.50. KAYLA CLANCY Soccer Mommy Tuesday, October 26 Crescent Ballroom Sophie Allison, a.k.a. Soccer Mommy, has opened for a lot of impressive acts: Wilco, Paramore, Kacey Musgraves, >> p 22 SEPT 23RD – SEPT 29TH, 2021 PHOENIX NEW TIMES | MUSIC | CAFE | FILM | CULTURE | NIGHT+DAY | FEATURE | NEWS | OPINION | FEEDBACK | CONTENTS | phoenixnewtimes.com
