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So we’re a few days in, how about a listing of July/August concerts, courtesy of the Dust Devil?

July 10th, 2009 Posted by: Dust Devil

Yeah, yeah, it is the 10th of July, but since there was not anything worth going to yet we are good to go! Here are the Dust Devil’s picks for concerts to hit up in July and August.

July 17; Slayer at Cricket Wireless Pavilion. “Slayer! Slayer! Slayer!” I have seen these guys three times over the years, and that chant is absolutely deafening by the time Slayer hits the stage. This band took speedmetal to extreme and dizzying heights with the release of their third album, Reign in Blood, in 1986. Please, please, do not even try to claim you like metal if you don’t like Reign in Blood. 23 years later I am still blown away by the sheer power of this record when I play it, and that is quite often. Slayer is playing as part of the 2009 Rockstar Energy Mayhem Fest tour with Marilyn Manson and a slew of other bands. I hope they take notes, because the kings will show them all how it is done. I have never been a big metal fan, but Slayer quite simply is an amazing band.

July 18; Father Figures at the Ruby Room. Michael Cornelius, Tom Reardon and Bobby Lerma have put together a little project called the Father Figures. With all three members veterans of the Arizona underground music scene, this supergroup will be performing for the first time live at this great little venue in downtown Phoenix. For specifics, please check out our post about the upcoming Father Figures gig on the Insider.

July 21; Tool at US Airways Center. Long gone are the days of playing venues like the Mason Jar in Phoenix. Tool is a legitimate part of the upper echelon of progressive music, doing this while totally maintaing its creative integrity. The last time I had an opportunity to see Tool was in 2002, also at the U.S. Airways Center. Tool is one of the few bands I know that can make a ten minute opus feel like a three minute pop song. I am not saying that in a negative way, it is just that a Tool song is so complex, but has such a diverse mix of peaks and valleys, it actually ends before you know it, leaving you wanting even more. What a great band, and what an intense show they put on!

July 27; ZZ Top and Aerosmith at Cricket Wireless Pavilion. Aerosmith has some very cool songs, and the fact they will be playing their classic album Toys in the Attic in its entirety makes this a can’t miss set. However, for the Dust Devil it is all about ZZ Top. I had the joy of seeing them perform two, maybe three years ago at the Dodge Theatre here in Phoenix. What immense power and precision this trio possesses! The gravelly voices of Billy Gibbons and Dusty Hill, and the rhythmic drum work of Frank Beard fully complement the monster guitar riffs of Gibbons.

July 28; Blondie, Pat Benatar and the Donnas at Dodge Theatre. Let’s skip the Donnas, the Dust Devil has no use for them. Pat Benatar and Blondie on the other hand are a couple of wily veterans. I have seen Debbie Harry once as part of the Escape from New York Tour years ago with the Ramones. I want to say the Tom Tom Club and the Casual Gods were on the same bill. The Casual Gods was the band Jerry Harrison was fronting at the time. I have never seen Pat Benatar live. Both of these ladies are amongst my favorite female vocalists of all-time.

I was never a huge Benatar fan, but she did make some great music. If you never saw the segment on I Love the 80’s when Dave Grohl and Taylor Hawkins talk about her material, it is utterly hilarious … and true. Blondie is a band I would love to see. I heavily ignore the latter period reggae and disco material from the band, choosing instead to listen to the incendiary punk-laced power pop Blondie made, particularly on tunes such as Dreaming and Atomic. Clem Burke is a monster on the drums. I saw him play with the Plimsouls at the Mason Jar in Phoenix back in February of 1996. That guy probably broke two or three drumsticks within the first couple of songs!

August 6; English Beat at the Marquee Theatre. A tough call actually, because singer and guitarist Dave Wakeling is the only original member to be playing with the U.S. version of this band. Still, their music is so much fun and so timeless, I may have to go just from a nostalgia perspective.

August 7; Judas Priest at Dodge Theatre. As you know, the Dust Devil is not the biggest metal fan, but I do respect the real deal. The original, Rob Halford led Priest kills. They put out some great material over the years, and Halford still possesses one of the most phenomenal voices in all of rock and roll. Another show I may have to attend simply to be able to say “I saw those guys live!”

August 21; The Cult at Celebrity Theatre. Back in high school my sister turned me on to a band out of the the U.K. by the name of The Cult. The album she played for me was Love. A beautiful record, Love was an excursion into goth music laced with pyschedelia. I loved it, and still love playing it more than twenty years later. The Cult plans to play Love in its entirety during this tour. ARE YOU SERIOUS?! To say that the Dust Devil is psyched is an understatement. A chance to hear classics such as Rain, She Sells Sanctuary, Nirvana and Phoenix is one no one should pass up. Although the seats are a little small, Celebrity Theater is a great venue to catch a show at, and still has a wonderful, intimate atmosphere.

August 23; Depeche Mode at US Airways Center. Respect more than anything else is the reason for going to a Depeche Mode concert. Let’s face it, they are not going to do a whole lot onstage since everything is so keyboard driven, but Depeche Mode has such an incredible catalog of great singles to choose from that the lack of activity onstage is easily overlooked. Too bad Rush from 1993’s Songs of Faith and Devotion is not a more popular song.

August 29; Cheap Trick at Cricket Wireless Pavilion. This band’s early material was so good and has stood the test of time well, with songs like Surrender, Tonight it’s You, Dream Police and If You Want My Love remaining big favorites of mine. Why in the world they are playing with Poison and Def Leppard is beyond me, and that is why I am sure I won’t go to this concert. Bummer.

Here is a great bonus for you. Follow me to Denver July 31 to see the legendary Sonic Youth play at the Ogden Theatre. Why do so many cool bands not come to Phoenix? Sigh …

Cheers!
The Dust Devil

Filed under: Concert Tour Announcements