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The Dust Devil’s picks for concerts in June and July!

May 27th, 2009 Posted by: Dust Devil

Summer concert season is upon us, which means we are getting bombarded with some big arena rock tours right now, some good, some not so good. Luckily, the Dust Devil is here with information regarding those cool indie-rock shows that everyone knows I prefer. So let’s not waste any more of your time, here is a list of some great shows in the Valley of the Ever-Increasing in Heat Sun!

May 31 = St. Vincent; The Modified. I was cashing in a gift certificate at Stinkweeds this past Saturday and was there long enough to hear the entire new album Actor from St. Vincent. Gorgeous melodies that manuever back and forth between eclectic classical and mellow indie-pop. I was impressed to heck, and once I saw her name on the Stinkweeds marquee for upcoming shows at the Modified, buying a ticket right then was a no-brainer. Yes, it’s a Sunday night show, but come on people, $12 for a great artist at a great venue?! Dario was working at the time, and told me the show will probably sell out, so don’t delay!

June 1 = The Offspring; Mesa Amphitheater. Not a huge fan of this band, but if they play material from their Smash album and their releases before that, the show wouldn’t be too bad. They used to have a sound very reminiscient of classic DI, a band I have loved since high school.

June 8 = Yeah Yeah Yeahs; Marquee Theatre. This show is a definite maybe for me. I missed seeing them at Coachella back in April, and they do have a number of songs I do like. Their music just wears on me after a bit, but I would be curious to see them live.

June 12 = Les Claypool; Marquee Theatre. One of the best and most unique musicians around, Les Claypool still plays one of the meanest basses in the music industry. Metallica was correct when they stated he was too good to play with them after he auditioned for the band when original bass player Cliff Burton was tragically killed in a van accident. The last time I saw him play was opening for Helmet and the Rollins Band at Mesa Amphitheatre back in 1994 with his pre-Primus band Sausage.

June 16 = Viva Voce and Cut Off Your Hands; Rhythm Room. I feel bad, because I should have seen Viva Voce a few years ago when Silversun Pickups opened for them at the Modified. However, that was the first time I saw Silversun Pickups play, and I was so blown away that I left two songs into Viva Voce’s set. I am looking forward to personal redemption this time, for Viva Voce create a nice mix of indie-pop and folk music.

Cut Off Your Hands is an indie-pop band out of New Zealand that my buddy Robert Lerma turned me on to a few months ago. Good, frenetic pop and catchy vocals highlight the music. I have not heard their newest material yet, but can highly recommend the Happy As Can Be and Shaky Hands e.p.’s.

June 30 = Vans Warped Tour; Cricket Wireless Pavilion. I only mention this because Bad Religion, a great old-school punk band, will be there. It stinks, because Channel 3, DI, DOA, FEAR, Fishbone, The Adolescents, The Dickies, The Exploited and TSOL are performing on different dates of the tour, primarily in California. Now add those bands to the Phoenix show and I am there in a heartbeat!

July 17 = Rockstar Energy Mayhem Festival; Cricket Wireless Pavilion. The Dust Devil only cares about the fact that my favorite metal band of all-time, Slayer, is part of this tour! I have had the pleasure (yes, pleasure!) of seeing Slayer on four different occasions over the years, the last time being in May of 1999. Reign in Blood, released in 1986, STILL ranks as my favorite metal album of all-time and is still a bone-crushing piece of work. There are rumors their soon-to-be-released tenth album may be their last, so I highly suggest seeing these guys play. Who knows, this may be their last journey to Phoenix!

July 21 = Tool; U.S. Airways Center. Has it really been seven years since I last saw this great band? Uncompromising in every way and 100% unique in their style, Tool has created some magnificient music during their career. One of the few bands that can play a ten minute song without boring you to tears, I had a great time the last time I saw them live. This show will more than likely sell out, so be sure to check out TickCo for hard-to-find Tool tickets if need be!

July 27 = ZZ Top and Aerosmith; Cricket Wireless Pavilion. Aerosmith may be the headliner, and if they played all of Toys in the Attic I would be in heaven, but this is a concert I would go to strictly for the “opener”. By the way, calling the legendary ZZ Top an “opener” is absolute hogwash. Having seen this amazing band tear it up at the Dodge Theatre a few years ago, I can guarantee you that time has not hampered ZZ Top’s incredible live delivery one iota. “That Little Ol’ Band From Texas” joined forces with Rick Rubin in 2008 and are putting together a new album, rumored to be a return to the classic ZZ Top sound from the La Grange days. Another show with a good chance to sell out, hard-to-find and sold-out Aerosmith/ZZ Top tickets can be found from our friends at TickCo.

July 28 = Blondie and Pat Benatar; Dodge Theatre. Two of my favorite female vocalists, Debbie Harry and Pat Benatar, will team up for the first time in their respective careers on this tour. Blondie was a great band back in the late seventies and early eighties, creating a string of great singles including Dreaming and Atomic. I never got into their reggae/rap style, so for me personally Eat to the Beat was their last great album. As long as Clem Burke is on drums, I will be more than happy. He is an amazing drummer.

Joan Jett may be the toughest woman in rock music, but Pat Benatar is right behind her, and Pat Benatar is a far superior vocalist. Pat Benatar can take a rock tune and turn it into a thing of beauty with her classically trained voice. Whether belting out a classic rocker like Hit Me With Your Best Shot, or crooning to one of her biggest hits Love is a Battlefield, Pat Benatar remains a consumate performer.

I am sure more will be posted later. I hope so, not enough shows to whet my appetite yet!

Cheers!

The Dust Devil

Filed under: Concert Tour Announcements