THE BEST CONCERTS TO SEE IN METRO PHOENIX THIS DECEMBER
It’s the most wonderful time of the year. Unless, of course, you’re really into seeing concerts, in which case the holiday season can feel a bit slow.
A few of this month’s highlights are, in fact, Christmas-related or we might have even fewer opportunities to see live music.
Having said that, December got off to a really good start with an actionpacked weekend whose highlights range from ZZ Top to a cool new festival in downtown Phoenix topped by Beach House, Portugal. The Man and Bleachers.
And it will finish strong with a two-day blowout for the EDM crowd at the Valley’s biggest New Years bash, Decadence Arizona.
Here are metro Phoenix concert highlights for December.
K-LOVE Christmas Tour
The contemporary Christian music network has rounded up a number of biggest stars for this year’s Christmas tour, which features sets by Matt Maher, Jordan St. Cyr, Katy Nichole, Mac Powell, Josh Baldwin and Blanca.
Details: 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 6. Arizona Financial Theatre, 400 W. Washington St., Phoenix. $34.25 and up. 800-745-3000, ticketmaster.com.
The Wallflowers
Jakob Dylan is touring the States in continued support of “Exit Wounds,” the first Wallflowers album in nearly a decade. You could call it a return to form (because it is), but Mojo took it one step further, proclaiming it the singer’s “best original work by some yards.” One thing’s for certain. There’s no reason to believe he’s singing to himself when he opens the album with a rootsy ballad called “Maybe Your Heart’s Not in it Anymore.”
Details: 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 6. Marquee Theatre, 730 N. Mill Ave., Tempe. $67.50. 480829-0607, luckymanonline.com.
Metz
These Toronto punks bring the noise with a pulsating post-punk intensity that feels as cathartic as ever on “Atlas Vending,” their electrifying fourth release. But they’ve also expanded the scope of their sound, from the tension they build on their way to the inevitable explosion of “Pulse” to the haunting harmonies that offset the pile-driving forward momentum of “Blind Youth Industrial Park.” They’re on tour celebrating their 10th anniversary.
Details: 8 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 7. Valley Bar, 130 N. Central Ave., Phoenix. $12.50. valleybarphx.com.
Geoff Tate
Tate rose to fame at the helm of progressivemetal legends Queensryche, whose landmark concept album “Operation: Mindcrime” was certified platinum in 1991. By that point, they’d conquered the mainstream with a Top 10 power ballad called “Silent Lucidity” from an album that remains their biggest seller, 1990’s “Empire.”
Details: 8 p.m. Friday, Dec. 9. Celebrity Theatre, 440 N. 32nd St., Phoenix. $25-$65. 602-2671600, celebritytheatre.com.
The Mavericks’ Very Merry Christmas Tour
The Mavericks’ Very Merry Christmas Tour with special guest JD McPherson will feature selections from both artists’ holiday albums. The Mavericks’ “Hey! Merry Christmas!” is a brilliant blend of eight originals in their group’s distinctive style plus two yuletide standards; “Happy
Holiday” and a very soulful “Christmas (Baby Please Come Home).”
Details: 8 p.m. Friday, Dec. 9. Talking Stick Resort, Loop 101 and Pima Road, Salt River Reservation. $30. 480-8507734, talkingstickresort.com.
Yuridia
Coming off a three-year hiatus, the formerly local Latin pop sensation brings her much-anticipated Pa Luego Es Tarde Tour to town in support of a very personal new project that reconnects her with her Norteño roots, produced by famed regional Mexican singer-songwriter and producer Edén Muñoz.
Details: 8 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 10. Arizona Financial Theatre, 400 W. Washington St., Phoenix. $49 and up. 800745-3000, ticketmaster.com.
Cave In
These alt-metal veterans are touring “Heavy Pendulum,” an aptly titled show of force that more than lives up to their legacy, blurring the lines between stoner-rock, space-rock, thrash and doom along the way. It’s their first full studio recording in more than a decade, following “Final Transmission,” an album of practice-space demos recorded with bassist Caleb Scofield, who died in a car accident in 2018. They’re joined on bass by Converge’s Nate Newton.
Details: 7 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 10. The Nile Theater, 105 W. Main St., Mesa. $22. 480-559-5859, theniletheater.com/ shows.
Wild Pink
There’s a widescreen sense of grandeur to the brand of indie-rock Wild Pink indulge in on their latest effort, “ILYSM,” that’s sure to speak directly to the heart of anyone who’s ever raised a light to the War on Drugs. It feels like music meant to overwhelm the senses while also resonating on a very human scale. And yet, it represents a scaling down of the sound they managed on “A Billion Little Lights,” this album’s equally consuming precursor.
Details: 7:30 p.m. Monday, Dec. 12. Valley Bar, 130 N. Central Ave., Phoenix. $16. valleybarphx.com.
Rod Wave
The rapper whose biggest hit remains his triple-platinum breakthrough “Heart on Ice,” which went viral on YouTube and TikTok, is touring on “Beautiful Mind,” his second album in two years to top the Billboard charts. He’s joined by Toosii and Mariah the Scientist.
Details: 8 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 13. Desert Diamond Arena (formerly Gila River Arena), 9400 W. Maryland Ave., Glendale. $30 and up. 623-772-3800, ticketmaster.com.
Silversun Pickups
These dream-pop revivalists topped the Alternative Songs charts in 2009 with “Panic Room,” whose shimmering blankets of fuzz guitar did little to curtail the constant use of Smashing Pumpkins as a frame of reference. They’re touring the States in support of an album called “Physical Thrills” finds them working, once again, with the great Butch Vig, the producer behind Nirvana’s “Nevermind” as well as Smashing Pumpkins’ “Gish” and “Siamese Dream.”
Details: 8 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 13. Marquee Theatre, 730 N. Mill Ave., Tempe. $34-$54. 480-829-0607, luckymanonline.com.
Soccer Mommy
Sophie Allison hits downtown Phoenix in support of yet another introspective masterstroke, “Sometimes, Forever,” cementing her status as one of the decade’s most compelling voices. As on 2020’s awe-inspiring “Color Theory,” there are times when what she’s doing here recalls the best of ‘90s alt-pop legend Juliana Hatfield, underscoring the emotion of her vocals on occasion with a mesmerizing haze of fuzz guitar fit for My Bloody Valentine.
Details: 8 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 14. The Van Buren, 401 W. Van Buren St., Phoenix. $25. 866-468-3399, thevanburenphx.com.
Senses Fail
These Jersey emo veterans are touring the States in support of “Hell Is in Your Head,” an album that effortlessly lives up to its title as singer Buddy Nielsen wrestles with his existential demons in the larger context of these troubled times. After setting tone with the anthemic “The Burial of the Dead,” whose chorus begins with a wistful reminder that “we only have so much time left,” he follows through with an explosive track set at the end of the world.
Details: 6:30 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 15. The Nile, 105 W. Main St., Mesa. $30. 480-559-5859, eventbrite.com.
Gladys Knight
In 1996, Gladys Knight and the Pips were inducted to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. In 2011, she was honored with a Legend Award at the Soul Train Awards. Her most beloved hits include “I Heard it Through the Grapevine,” “Neither One Us (Wants to Be the First to Say Goodbye)” and “Midnight Train to Georgia.”
Details: 8 p.m. Friday, Dec. 16. Celebrity Theatre, 440 N. 32nd St., Phoenix. $45-$125. 602-267-1600, celebritytheatre.com.
Dominic Fike
The Out of Order Tour is a bit of a victory lap to celebrate a banner year for Fike, who made his acting debut with a recurring role as Elliott in season 2 of HBO’s “Euphoria,” for which he cut a hit duet with his co-star Zendaya called “Elliott’s Song,” and starred in major ad campaigns for Calvin Klein and Saint Laurent. He also played a bunch of festivals this summer. The New Yorker says, “His rise to superstardom has felt like an inevitability.”
Details: 8 p.m. Friday, Dec. 16. Marquee Theatre, 730 N. Mill Ave., Tempe. $80. 480-829-0607, luckymanonline.com.
Fear
Their appearance in Penelope Spheeris’ iconic documentary on the L.A. punk scene, “The Decline of Western Civilization” made an instant fan of John Belushi, who lobbied to have them on “Saturday Night Live.” The show imported D.C. punks, including Minor Threat’s Ian MacKaye, to slam dance, and middle America got a crash course in the hardcore punk scene. Years later, Kurt Cobain listed “The Record” as one of this Top 50 albums of all time.
Details: 7 p.m. Friday, Dec. 16. The Nile, 105 W. Main St., Mesa. $30. 480559-5859, eventbrite.com.
Grupo Firme
These Tijuana-based purveyors of regional Mexican music won Best Banda Album at last year’s Latin Grammys. Now, they’re touring the States with folklórico dancers to accompany their blend of banda, norteño and mariachi music, promising “a Mexican party in the U.S.”
Details: 8 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 17. Desert Diamond Arena (formerly Gila River Arena), 9400 W. Maryland Ave., Glendale. Verified resale ticket prices vary. 623-772-3800, ticketmaster.com.
Lindsey Stirling
The dancing violinist has released a second Christmas album, “Snow Waltz,” since the last time a tour brought her home for the holidays. The title track is one of several Stirling originals sharing space with such seasonal standards as “God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen,” “Joy to the World” and “Sleigh Ride.”
Details: 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 22. Mesa Arts Center, 1 E. Main St. $65-$125. 480-644-6500, mesaartscenter.com.
Decadence Arizona
The eighth edition of Decadence Arizona splashes down at Phoenix Raceway for a two-day EDM extravaganza packed with marquee talent, from Subtronics to Louis the Child, Duke Dumont, Fisher, Porter Robinson, Zeds Dead, Flume, Malaa and more. Subtitled Ancient Future, this is Arizona’s largest New Years celebration, presented by Relentless Beats and Global Dance.
Details: 6 p.m. Friday and Saturday, Dec. 30-31. Phoenix Raceway, 7602 Jimmie Johnson Drive, Avondale. $99 single day; $149.25 weekend pass. tixr.com.