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PHOENIX — Lindsey Stirling, the awe-inspiring dancing violinist, brought her Brave Enough Tour to Comerica Theatre last night. Hailing from Gilbert, Arizona, it’s no surprise that the venue posted low ticket warnings on social media, and a horde of fans came out to see her live.
High production light shows and other grand visual effects are a staple of her concerts, and they make for a truly magical experience. Watching her spirit take flight when she does what she was meant to do, and fought to succeed, sends chills through your body. Lindsey Stirling is a strong inspiration and encouragement for her fans, especially in Arizona, to aspire for great things and persevere.
PHOENIX — With the word “FUCK” emblazoned in flames behind them, Blink-182 opened their set to a packed house at the Ak-Chin Pavilion on Saturday, Sept. 24. Despite steep ticket prices, the long-awaited return of the pop-punk headliner, along with openers All Time Low and A Day to Remember, brought fans out in droves. And they didn’t disappoint. Even after 24 years, Blink-182 was able to bring the same energy and bawdiness fans have come to expect.
The set opened with “Feeling This” from Blink’s self-titled album, followed by “What’s My Age Again?” “Family Reunion” and “The Rock Show.” Finally, they gave the audience a taste of their new release, California, with the song “Cynical.”
Since hitting record stores in July, California has already topped the Billboard 200, making it Blink’s first number-one album since their 2001 success, Take Off Your Pants and Jacket. It was also their first album produced by John Feldmann whose past production work has included albums for Good Charlotte, The Used, All Time Low, and 5 Seconds of Summer.
However, what was perhaps most notable to long-time Blink fans was the absence of founding band member Tom DeLonge, who was replaced by Alkaline Trio lead vocalist and guitarist Matt Skiba at the start of 2015. The change came after DeLonge decided (for the second time in the band’s history) to take an indefinite hiatus from the group.
His announcement was a match in the powder keg of turmoil that had been brewing after DeLonge’s work with Angels & Airwaves and other projects were cited as the cause of long delays to recording a new Blink-182 album. But with Skiba in the band as a ready and willing partner, it looks like Blink-182 has finally put an end to the false starts and opened a new chapter.
If Phoenix fans had any reservations about Skiba, there was certainly no evidence of it Saturday night. During one of several “audience participation” segments, Mark Hoppus told concert-goers, “Oh Phoenix, you’re in for a fucking treat now. This is ‘Sing Along with Matt.'” He paused, looked back at the crowd sternly, then repeated more seriously, “I said, this is ‘Sing Along with Matt.'”
Without hesitation, the entire venue erupted into a cacophonous choir and joined Skiba in singing “Reckless Abandon.” Then after playing “Kings of the Weekend,” Hoppus and drummer Travis Barker jammed together for a moment to loud cheers and applause, clearly having a good time. “You’re welcome because that was me and Travis time right there,” Hoppus said.
“We’re switching out the set a little bit tonight,” Hoppus announced at one point. “Just for you… Fuck all the other cities we’re going to,” he joked. Then during the part of the set when Blink would normally play “Not Now,” they gave concert-goers an unexpected treat and played “Man Overboard” instead. “Just for you, Phoenix!”
The show was rife with special effects, from fountain fireworks flowing from the rafters at the end of “Down,” to plumes of flames shooting up from the back of the stage during “Bored to Death.” During “Dumpweed,” several blow-up dolls were passed out to the audience and bounced around like beach balls. And later, the group turned off all the lights and played “Happy Holidays, You Bastard” to the light of thousands of mobile phones.
“You guys having fun? Not anymore. Not. Any. More. This next song is fucking sad,” Hoppus told concert-goers before playing “Stay Together for the Kids.” He joked that the song was so sad, it was practically emo, comparing it to what would result if Jimmy Eat World and The Used had a baby. He also dedicated “I Miss You” to all the ladies.
[Setlist] #1 Feeling This #2 What’s My Age Again? #3 Family Reunion #4 The Rock Show #5 Cynical #6 First Date #7 Down #8 I Miss You #9 Bored to Death #10 Built This Pool #11 Dumpweed #12 Stay Together for the Kids #13 Reckless Abandon #14 San Diego #15 Man Overboard (replaced “Not Now” on printed setlist) #16 Violence #17 Kings of the Weekend #18 Happy Holidays, You Bastard #19 Dysentery Gary #20 Los Angeles -Encore- #21 Carousel #22 All the Small Things #23 Brohemian Rhapsody #24 Dammit
But it was Blink-182’s encore that really hit it out of the park. Skiba and Hoppus returned to the stage with neon pink and white guitars and played “Carousel” to more fireworks. They followed it up with “All the Small Things,” turning a kiss cam on the audience. Then they rounded it out with “Brohemian Rhapsody” and “Damnit,” which ended with thick plumes of confetti spewing from either side of the stage onto the audience. And even when everyone had cleared the stage, Hoppus still came back one more time and gave concert-goers a short drum-solo to wrap up a wild night.
PHOENIX — The Rocket Summer has an intense fan base. They love frontman Bryce Avary, and nowhere was that more evident than at The Rebel Lounge on Tuesday, May 10, when the indie rock headliner played there as part of their Zoetic tour.
Opening for The Rocket Summer, local band The Foxies got the crowd warmed up for the show with some indie-pop beats and melodies. Their undeniably charismatic lead vocalist, Julia Lauren, invited the audience to dance with her, and by the third song in their set, she had everyone at the front of the house moving. Like any good opening act, The Foxies left concert-goers excited and ready for more.
Arriving on the stage to the sound of screams and applause, The Rocket Summer opened the show with “So in This Hour” from the 2007 album Do You Feel, with Avary showing off his skills on the guitar while simultaneously singing the vocals. It was followed up with “Cold War” from Avary’s latest album Zoetic. Then he switched to playing the piano and singing “Of Men and Angels” from the 2010 album of the same title.
Known for his skill as an instrumentalist, Avary’s talent was evident all throughout the show. He frequently swapped instruments between songs, effortlessly transitioning from piano to drums back to guitar again. And the passion he poured into the performance made it easy to see why fans were so eager to swoon for him.
“Let’s celebrate the community that is The Rocket Summer,” Avary told fans, “You, us, all of us together.” For the entirety of the night, concert-goers were packed tightly around the stage of the intimate venue. They knew the words to the songs so well, that in some parts of the show, it was almost as if Avary was being backed by a choir.
When The Rocket Summer finished “Circa ‘46” and started playing “Same Air,” there was hardly a pause between songs. Avary played and sang with such ease and familiarity that one song simply transitioned into the next. Then for “Roses,” he waded into the crowd with a mic and guitar and performed from the center of the audience. Avary interacted with concert-goers all throughout the night and surprised and delighted fans when, during “Brat Pack,” confetti exploded out above the crowd.
“This is pretty freakin’ rad for a Tuesday night,” Avary said in response to the high level of energy and engagement in the room. “I’ve played a lot of places around Phoenix,” he continued, giving a nod to all of the local venues of his past performances—including some that have long since closed. He also joked about playing when it was “impossibly hot” outside. “God bless you people,” he said before playing “FL, CA” and changing the lyrics to, “Arizona, you’re an earthquake.”
A lot of Avary’s music is about a message of hope and positivity, but the soulfulness with which he performed and his affection for his fans made it all the more genuine. “Even when you’re alone, you’re not alone,” he told concert-goers before playing “Walls.” Holding one long note, he elicited more applause and cheers from the audience. “Let’s make this epic!” he said, as he was rejoined by the choir of his fans.
[Setlist] #1 So in This Hour #2 Cold War #3 Of Men and Angels #4 Do You Feel #5 Save #6 Circa ’46 #7 Same Air #8 UNI #9 Roses #10 Break It Out #11 Help Me Out #12 Brat Pack #13 FL, CA #14 Walls –Encore– #14 Hills and Valleys #15 Around the Clock #16 200,000 #17 Never Knew #18 Cross My Heart #19 Hanginaround (Cover) #20 Revival #21 So Much Love #22 You Are, You Are
After leaving the stage and then coming back out for an encore performance, Avary left it up to the audience. “What do you guys want to hear?” he asked the crowd. With so much enthusiasm from concert-goers fueling his already energetic performance, Avary proceeded to play nearly an entire second set, including “Hills and Valleys,” “Around the Clock,” “200,000,” “Never Knew,” “Cross My Heart,” and “Revival.” He even covered “Hanginaround” by the Counting Crows just to change things up a bit. “I like to play my own songs, but sometimes it’s fun to jam to other things,” he smiled.
“There’s something about Phoenix that brings out all the good stuff,” Avary told fans. He then played “So Much Love,” while, at one point, he hung from the rafters of the building’s low ceiling. “Thank you for being a part of this. You’re just as much a part of this as we are,” he said afterward.
When The Rocket Summer finally closed with “You Are, You Are,” Avary didn’t just sing it for the audience, he sang it to them.
I had the honor of being asked to produce a video for Nate Ruess, as he paid homage to the late, great Prince last night at Alt AZ 93.3’s FestivALT in downtown Phoenix, Arizona!
Check out the mind-blowing performance from Nate Ruess and The Band Romantic below!
