Mastodon at The Arizona State Fair
2025-10-17 19:00 - 20:30 (America/Phoenix) | Arizona State Fairgrounds, 1826 W. McDowell Rd, Phoenix, 85007, United States
Atlanta’s Mastodon are one of the most original and influential American metal bands to appear in the 21st century. Their wide-angle progressive approach encompasses stoner and sludge metal, punishing hardcore and metalcore, neo-psych, death metal, and more. The group’s playing style incorporates technically complex guitar riffs, lyric hooks, long, melodic instrumental passages, and intricate, jazz-influenced drumming with syncopated time signatures. Their second album, 2004’s Leviathan, was a concept set based on Moby Dick, Herman Melville‘s iconic novel of whaling and obsession, and became the band’s commercial breakthrough. The record is regarded critically as one of the most important albums in genre history. 2011’s conceptual The Hunter reflected the band’s embrace of prog; it channeled disparate influences ranging from King Crimson to Opeth. 2017’s Emperor of Sand debuted inside the Top Ten and was nominated for a Grammy for Best Rock Album — the single “Sultan’s Curse” took one home for Best Metal Performance. Change and evolution (Mastodon’s raison d’être) are as integral to their musical identity as their personnel. 2020 saw the issue of Medium Rarities, featuring live cuts, covers, and instrumentals. In 2021, Mastodon returned to proper studio recording with the double-length Hushed and Grim, and in 2024, they teamed up with Lamb of God on the single “Floods of Triton.”
Mastodon formed in 1999 around the talents of guitarist Bill Kelliher, drummer Bränn Dailor, bassist/vocalist Troy Sanders, and guitarist/vocalist Brent Hinds. One of the more notable New Wave of American Heavy Metal acts, a genre spawned in the mid-’90s by bands like Pantera, Biohazard, and Machine Head, Mastodon’s innovative, lyrically astute blend of metal subgenres helped position the band as one of the pre-eminent metal acts of the early 21st century.
Formed out of a mutual admiration for the Melvins, Black Sabbath, Neurosis, and Thin Lizzy, Mastodon signed with Relapse Records (Today Is the Day, Dillinger Escape Plan, Coalesce) in 2001 on the strength of a four-song demo. The EP Lifesblood arrived that same year, followed by the group’s full-length debut, Remission, in 2002. The album made positive waves in the metal community, but it wasn’t until 2004’s Leviathan that the band’s eclectic brand of proto-metal began to enter the bloodstream of the entire music community. As polished and melodic as it was brutal and genre-defying, Leviathan, loosely based on Herman Melville‘s Moby Dick, signaled a turning point in Mastodon’s career, appearing on critics’ year-end Top Ten lists across the musical spectrum. Leviathan also featured a guest vocal appearance from Neurosis‘ frontman Scott Kelly, which marked the beginning of a tradition: He has appeared on each of the band’s full-length recordings ever since.
Mastodon’s newfound popularity eventually landed them a deal with Warner Bros., but not before fulfilling their contract with Relapse in 2006 with Call of the Mastodon, a remastered version of the group’s first two demo EPs, and Workhorse Chronicles, a DVD that chronicled the band’s story thus far with interviews and concert footage. Their third album, Blood Mountain, debuted at number 32 on the Billboard charts and received a Grammy nomination in the Best Metal Performance category for the song “Colony of Birchmen.” Blood Mountain marked the group’s highest chart peak to date and set the stage for its long-awaited 2009 follow-up Crack the Skye. In 2011, the band released the CD/DVD package Live at the Aragon, which was recorded in Chicago during the Crack the Skye tour. Mastodon quickly followed with new material, taking a step back from their more prog-oriented approach on their fifth studio album, The Hunter. It gave them huge commercial success, hitting number ten on the Billboard charts.
Later in 2011, Troy Sanders took some time out from the band, forming the metal supergroup Killer Be Killed with Dillinger Escape Plan vocalist Greg Puciato, Soulfly‘s Max Cavalera, and former Mars Volta drummer Dave Elitch. He worked with the group on and off for the next few years; their debut album was eventually released in 2014. Mastodon was still a priority, however. After touring Europe and South America in 2012, they started work on their sixth album the following year with producer Nick Raskulinecz. The record, eventually titled Once More ‘Round the Sun, was released in June 2014, preceded by the sludgy single “High Road.”
Over the next two years, several of the bandmembers’ relatives suffered from cancer. Sanders’ wife, Jeza, received treatment for breast cancer, recovering in 2015; the following year, Kelliher’s mother died of a brain tumor and Dailor‘s mother also received a diagnosis. These traumatic experiences informed the lyrics of the band’s seventh album, Emperor of Sand, produced by Brendan O’Brien and released in 2017. Its concept, revolving around the curse placed on a wandering traveler by a desert ruler, was acknowledged by Dailor in interviews as a metaphor for cancer. The late summer of 2020 saw the release of Medium Rarities, a stopgap compilation of instrumentals, live tracks, and covers. Led by the previously unissued single “Fallen Torches” (recorded with Neurosis‘ Kelly as guest vocalist), the 16-song set included readings of Feist‘s “A Commotion,” Metallica‘s “Orion,” Flaming Lips‘ “A Spoonful Weighs a Ton,” and “Atlanta” with guest Gibby Haynes. The comp also included “White Walker,” their contribution to the HBO series Game of Thrones.
In October 2021, Mastodon issued the sprawling, double-length Hushed and Grim. Produced by David Bottrill (Tool, Rush, Peter Gabriel) the 15-track set was penned and recorded over the course of a year. Its stylistic palette crisscrossed death and sludge metal, alt and hard rock, psychedelia, punk, and prog. In 2024, the band issued the kinetic single “Floods of Triton,” a collaboration with tourmates Lamb of God, celebrating the 20th anniversary of their classic albums Leviathan and Ashes of the Wake. ~ James Christopher Monger & John D. Buchanan, Rovi

Judas Priest + Alice Cooper at Talking Stick Resort Amphitheatre
2025-10-22 18:30 - 23:30 | Talking Stick Resort Amphitheatre, 2121 N 83rd Ave, Phoenix, 85035, United States
Judas Priest are one of the most influential and long-lasting heavy metal groups of all time. Emerging at the dawn of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal, Priest combined straightforward rock & roll muscle with a more theatrically minded performance presence. This sound was made more unique by the dynamic banshee wail of Rob Halford and the vicious dual-lead guitar attack of Glenn Tipton and K.K. Downing. While issuing metal anthems like “Breaking the Law,” “Living After Midnight,” and “You’ve Got Another Thing Coming,” Judas Priest set the pace for the genre from 1975 until 1985 with iconic albums like British Steel (1980), Screaming for Vengeance (1982), and Defenders of the Faith (1984), and helped lay the groundwork for speed and death metal. The group struggled after Halford‘s departure in the early ’90s but were restored to prominence in the 2000s upon his return, issuing a string of acclaimed efforts — Angel of Retribution (2005), Nostradamus (2010), Redeemer of Souls (2014), and the U.S. and U.K. Top Five-charting Firepower (2018) — that skillfully married melody, pageantry, and force. Judas Priest were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2022, two years before the arrival of Invincible Shield, their 19th studio LP.
Formed in Birmingham, England, in 1970, the group’s core members were guitarist K.K. Downing and bassist Ian Hill. Joined by Alan Atkins and drummer John Ellis, the band played their first concert in 1971. Atkins’ previous group was called Judas Priest, yet the members decided it was the best name for the new group. The band played numerous shows throughout 1971. During the year, Ellis was replaced by Alan Moore; by the end of the year, Chris Campbell replaced Moore. After a solid year of touring the U.K., Atkins and Campbell left the band in 1973 and were replaced by vocalist Rob Halford and drummer John Hinch. They continued touring, including a visit to Germany and the Netherlands in 1974. By the time the tour was completed, they had secured a record contract with Gull, an independent U.K. label. Before recording their debut album, Judas Priest added guitarist Glenn Tipton.
Rocka Rolla was released in September 1974 to almost no attention. The following year, they gave a well-received performance at the Reading Festival and Hinch departed the band; he was replaced by Alan Moore. Later that year, the group released Sad Wings of Destiny, which earned some positive reviews. However, the lack of sales was putting the band in a dire financial situation, which was remedied by an international contract with CBS Records. Sin After Sin (1977) was the first album released under that contract; it was recorded with Simon Phillips, who replaced Moore. The record received positive reviews and the band departed for their first American tour, with Les Binks on drums.
When they returned to England, Judas Priest recorded 1978’s Stained Class, the record that established them as an international force in metal. Along with 1979’s Hell Bent for Leather (Killing Machine in the U.K.), Stained Class defined the nascent New Wave of British Heavy Metal movement. A significant number of bands adopted Priest’s leather-clad image and hard, driving sound, making their music harder, faster, and louder. After releasing Hell Bent for Leather, the band recorded the live album Unleashed in the East (1979) in Japan; it became their first platinum album in America. Les Binks left the band in 1979; he was replaced by former Trapeze drummer Dave Holland. Their next album, 1980’s British Steel, entered the British charts at number three, launched the hit singles “Breaking the Law” and “Living After Midnight,” and was their second American platinum record; Point of Entry, released the following year, was nearly as successful.
At the beginning of the ’80s, Judas Priest was a top concert attraction around the world, in addition to being a best-selling recording artist. Featuring the hit single “You’ve Got Another Thing Comin’,” 1982’s Screaming for Vengeance marked the height of their popularity, peaking at number 17 in America and selling over a million copies. Two years later, Defenders of the Faith nearly matched its predecessor’s performance, yet metal tastes were beginning to change, as Metallica and other speed/thrash metal groups started to grow in popularity. That shift was evident on 1986’s Turbo, where Judas Priest seemed out of touch with current trends; nevertheless, the record sold over a million copies in America on the basis of name recognition alone. However, 1987’s Priest…Live! was their first album since Stained Class not to go gold. Ram It Down (1988) was a return to raw metal and returned the group to gold status. Dave Holland left after this record and was replaced by Scott Travis for 1990’s Painkiller, arguably the band’s heaviest set to date. Like Ram It Down, Painkiller didn’t make an impact outside the band’s die-hard fans, yet the group were still a popular concert act.
In the early ’90s, Rob Halford began his own thrash band, Fight, and soon left Judas Priest. In 1996, following a solo album by Glenn Tipton, the band rebounded with a new young singer, Tim “Ripper” Owens (formerly a member of a Priest tribute band and of Winter’s Bane). They spent the next year recording Jugulator amidst much self-perpetuated hype concerning Priest’s return to their roots. The album debuted at number 82 on the Billboard album charts upon its release in late 1997. Halford had by then disbanded Fight following a decrease in interest and signed with Trent Reznor‘s Nothing label with a new project, Two. In the meantime, the remaining members of Judas Priest forged on with ’98 Live Meltdown, a live set recorded during their inaugural tour with Ripper on the mike. Around the same time, a movie was readying production to be based on Ripper‘s rags-to-riches story of how he got to front his all-time favorite band. Although Priest was originally supposed to be involved with the film, they ultimately pulled out, but production went on anyway without the band’s blessing (the movie, Rock Star, was eventually released in the summer of 2001, starring Mark Wahlberg in the lead role). Rob Halford in the meantime disbanded Two after just a single album, 1997’s Voyeurs, and returned to his metal roots with a quintet simply named Halford. The group issued their debut in 2000, Resurrection, following it with a worldwide tour that saw the new group open Iron Maiden‘s Brave New World U.S. tour and issue a live set one year later (which included a healthy helping of Priest classics) — Live Insurrection.
In 2001 the Ripper-led Priest released a new album, Demolition, and Priest’s entire back catalog for Columbia was reissued with remastered sound and bonus tracks. In 2003 the band — including Halford — collaborated on the liner notes and song selections for their mammoth career-encompassing box Metalogy, a collaboration that brought Halford back into the fold. Owens split from the group amicably in 2003, allowing the newly reunited heavy metal legends to plan their global live concert tour in 2004 (including a set alongside Black Sabbath at Ozzfest), with their 16th studio album, Angel of Retribution, to be released the following year. In 2008, the band released Nostradamus, a sprawling, two-disc conceptual piece that charted the life and times of the famous French seer and that hit the Top 30 across Europe and in the U.S. (number 11) and Australia (number 17). 2009’s Touch of Evil: Live included a rendition of their 1977 song “Dissident Aggressor” that won the Grammy for Best Metal Performance. Before their next tour commenced, founding member Downing left the band over differences with the other members and their management; he was replaced by Richie Faulkner.
Priest worked on their new album during the tour, which ran until 2012. The record’s release was delayed several times, but it would eventually see the light of day in July 2014. Entitled Redeemer of Souls, it was described by Priest as a traditional, crowd-pleasing return to their roots, and went on to become the group’s first Top Ten album in the U.S., landing at the number six slot on the Billboard 200 chart. A lengthy tour followed, and in early 2016 Priest issued the concert album Battle Cry, which featured highlights from their August 1, 2015 performance at Germany’s Wacken Festival.
Judas Priest began loosely demo’ing ideas for their 18th studio album in 2016, but they didn’t enter the studio as a band until a year later. They revisited their original, organic way of recording, with the entire band playing together at the same time in the studio. They underscored this by enlisting producers Tom Allom — who worked on all the band’s records from 1979 through 1988 — and Grammy-winning veteran Andy Sneap. In February 2018, guitarist Tipton — diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease a decade earlier — announced that it had progressed to the point where he had to retire from touring. Sneap would fill his slot on the road. Firepower was issued that March and soared to number five in the U.K., making it their first Top Ten album there since British Steel. It was accompanied by tours including a North American run with Deep Purple. They only took a break from touring when forced off the road by the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, and then by Faulkner’s ill health in 2021. They were able to launch their delayed 50th anniversary tour of the U.S in early 2022, which they followed with dates worldwide throughout the rest of the year. That November, the lineup of Rob Halford, Glenn Tipton, Ian Hill, and Scott Travis were inducted into Rock & Roll of Hall Fame.
Judas Priest continued to take their show on the road into 2023 with a schedule that included co-headlining California’s PowerTrip Music Festival with AC/DC. That October, they released “Panic Attack,” the lead single from their 19th studio album, Invincible Shield. The album was once again produced by guitarist Sneap (who also produced Firepower) and was released in March of 2024. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine & Greg Prato, Rovi

The man (and the band) who first brought shock rock to the masses, Alice Cooper became one of the most successful and influential acts of the ’70s with their gritty but anthemic hard rock and a live show that delivered a rock & roll chamber of horrors, thrilling fans and cultivating outrage from authority figures (which made fans love them all the more). The name Alice Cooper originally referred to both the band and its lead singer (born Vincent Furnier), as they played dark, eccentric, psychedelic rock on their first two albums, Pretties for You (1969) and Easy Action (1970). After a spell in Detroit where they soaked up the high-energy influence of the Stooges and the MC5, Alice Cooper scored breakthrough hits in 1971 with “I’m Eighteen” and the album Love It to Death, in which the group finally stumbled upon the formula that made them stars, blending tough, dirty, guitar-fueled hard rock with Cooper’s sneering vocals and lyrics that were by turns relatable (“I’m Eighteen,” “Body”) and willfully spooky (“Black Juju,” “The Ballad of Dwight Frye”). Coupled with a live show that included snakes, electric chairs, fake blood, and mock hangings, Alice Cooper had something to offend everyone, and from 1971’s Killer to 1973’s Billion Dollar Babies, they could seemingly do no wrong. Following the commercial and critical disappointment of 1973’s Muscle of Love, the Alice Cooper band broke up, and Alice went forward as a solo act, delivering a cleaner and more professional variation on the themes of his early ’70s hits, while the band attempted to continue as Billion Dollar Babies, with little success. Cooper’s glossy 1975 solo debut, Welcome to My Nightmare, was a massive hit, and his shows became even more elaborate as he became a regular fixture on television, but subsequent solo releases saw his following dwindle until 1989’s Trash and 1991’s Hey Stoopid, where he blended his trademark sound with hair metal arrangements and production and gained a new audience. Cooper’s dedicated fan base kept him in the game long after his ’70s peak, touring regularly and releasing albums like 2021’s high-spirited Detroit Stories and 2023’s tightly wound, live-sounding set Road.
Vincent Furnier formed his first group, the Earwigs, as an Arizona teenager in the early ’60s. Changing the band’s name to the Spiders in 1965, the group was eventually called the Nazz (not to be confused with Todd Rundgren‘s band of the same name). The Spiders and the Nazz both released local singles that were moderately popular. In 1968, after discovering there was another band with the same name, the group changed its name to Alice Cooper. According to band legend, the name came to Furnier during a Ouija board session, where he was told he was the reincarnation of a 17th century witch of the same name. Comprised of vocalist Furnier — who would soon begin calling himself Alice Cooper — guitarist Mike Bruce, guitarist Glen Buxton, bassist Dennis Dunaway, and drummer Neal Smith, the group moved to California in 1968. There they met Shep Gordon, who became their manager, and Frank Zappa, who signed Alice Cooper to his Straight Records imprint.
Alice Cooper released their first album, Pretties for You, in 1969. Easy Action followed early in 1970, but failed to chart. The group’s reputation in Los Angeles was slowly shrinking, so the band moved to Furnier’s hometown of Detroit. For the next year, the group refined their bizarre stage show. Late in 1970, the group’s contract was transferred to Straight‘s distributor Warner Bros., and they began recording their third album with producer Bob Ezrin. With Ezrin’s assistance, Alice Cooper developed their classic heavy metal crunch on 1971’s Love It to Death, which featured the number 21 hit single “Eighteen”; the album peaked at number 35 and went gold. The success enabled the group to develop a more impressive, elaborate live show, which made them a highly popular concert attraction across the U.S. and eventually the U.K. Killer, released late in 1971, was another gold album.
Released in the summer of 1972, School’s Out was Alice Cooper’s breakthrough record, peaking at number two and selling over a million copies. The title song became a Top Ten hit in the U.S. and a number one single in the U.K. Billion Dollar Babies, released the following year, was the group’s biggest hit, reaching number one in both America and Britain; the album’s first single, “No More Mr. Nice Guy,” became a Top Ten hit in Britain, peaking at number 25 in the U.S. Muscle of Love appeared late in 1973, yet it failed to capitalize on the success of Billion Dollar Babies. After Muscle of Love, Furnier and the rest of Alice Cooper parted ways to pursue other projects. Having officially changed his name to Alice Cooper, Furnier embarked on a similarly theatrical solo career; the rest of the band released one unsuccessful album under the name Billion Dollar Babies, while Mike Bruce and Neal Smith both recorded solo albums that were never issued. In the fall of 1974, a compilation of Alice Cooper’s five Warner albums, entitled Alice Cooper’s Greatest Hits, became a Top Ten hit.
For his first solo album, Welcome to My Nightmare, Cooper hired Lou Reed‘s backing band from Rock ‘N’ Roll Animal — guitarists Dick Wagner and Steve Hunter, bassist Prakash John, keyboardist Joseph Chrowski, and drummer Penti Glan — as his supporting group. Released in the spring of 1975, the record was similar to his previous work and became a Top Ten hit in America, launching the hit acoustic ballad “Only Women Bleed.” Its success put an end to any idea of reconvening Alice Cooper the band. Its follow-up, 1976’s Alice Cooper Goes to Hell, was another hit, going gold in the U.S. After that album, Cooper’s career began to slip, partially due to changing trends and partially due to his alcoholism. Cooper entered rehab in 1978, writing an album about his treatment called From the Inside (1978) with Bernie Taupin, Elton John‘s lyricist. During the early ’80s, Cooper continued to release albums and tour, yet he was no longer as popular as he was during his early-’70s heyday.
Cooper made a successful comeback in the late ’80s, sparked by his appearances in horror films and a series of pop-metal bands that paid musical homage to his classic early records and concerts. Constrictor, released in 1986, started his comeback, but it was 1989’s Trash that returned Cooper to the spotlight. Produced by the proven hitmaker Desmond Child, Trash featured guest appearances by Jon Bon Jovi, Richie Sambora, and most of Aerosmith; the record became a Top Ten hit in Britain and peaked at number 20 in the U.S., going platinum. “Poison,” a midtempo rocker featured on the album, became Cooper’s first Top Ten single since 1977. After the release of Trash, he continued to star in the occasional film, tour, and record, although he wasn’t able to retain the audience he’d recaptured with Trash. Still, 1991’s Hey Stoopid and 1994’s The Last Temptation were generally solid, professional efforts that helped Cooper settle into a comfortable cult status without damaging the critical goodwill surrounding his ’70s output. After a live album, 1997’s Fistful of Alice, Cooper returned on the smaller Spitfire label in 2000 with Brutal Planet, and Dragontown a year later. The Eyes of Alice Cooper appeared in 2003 and found Cooper and company playing a more stripped-down brand of near-garage rock. Dirty Diamonds from 2005 was nearly as raw and hit the streets around the same time Cooper premiered his syndicated radio show Nights with Alice Cooper. Three years later he returned with Along Came a Spider, a concept album that told the story of a spider-obsessed serial killer. In 2010, he released the live album Theatre of Death, along with a download-only EP of redone Cooper classics titled Alice Does Alice. 2011’s Welcome 2 My Nightmare, a sequel to his 1975 conceptual classic of the same name (minus the 2), was recorded with longtime co-conspirator Bob Ezrin, and featured 14 brand-new cuts that spanned multiple genres and relied on the talents of a host of previous members of the Alice Cooper band (including Steve Hunter), as well as a guest spot from pop superstar Ke$ha. The same year, he was awarded the Kerrang! Icon Award.
Advancing years didn’t prevent Cooper from maintaining a hectic schedule, and by 2012 he was touring with Iron Maiden and headlining Bloodstock Open Air. Aside from his musical pursuits, he also starred in Tim Burton’s adaptation of Dark Shadows, playing himself alongside Helena Bonham Carter, Johnny Depp, and Michelle Pfeiffer. He returned to touring in 2014 as the opening act for Mötley Crüe‘s final tour, and the following year he unveiled a new supergroup called Hollywood Vampires, which included Johnny Depp and Joe Perry. They subsequently released an album of rock covers. He reunited with Ezrin yet again for his 27th studio record. Paranormal was released in 2017, featuring contributions from ZZ Top‘s Billy Gibbons, Deep Purple‘s Roger Glover, and U2‘s Larry Mullen, alongside original bandmembers Smith, Dunaway, and Bruce. The album was also released in a special edition with a bonus disc of live material. Early the following year, an EP was released, centered around Paranormal single “The Sound of A,” which included a handful of live cuts from his 2017 tour. In August 2018, Cooper released A Paranormal Evening at the Olympia Paris, a live album drawn from his European tour in support of the Paranormal album. A 2019 EP, Breadcrumbs, saw Cooper paying tribute to his hometown of Detroit with songs written about his early garage rock heroes. He continued the Detroit homage on his next full length, 2021’s Detroit Stories. In addition to many new songs of his own, the album included covers of Bob Seger, Detroit indie mainstays Outrageous Cherry, and the Velvet Underground‘s “Rock & Roll” presented in the style of Mitch Ryder & The Detroit Wheels‘ 1971 rendition. The LP peaked at number 47 on the Billboard 200 and at number seven on the Top Independent Albums chart. The following year saw the release of the concert album Detroit Stories/Paranormal/A Paranormal Evening with Alice Cooper at The Olympia, Paris. In August of 2023, Cooper released a new album, Road. This set of new, guitar-heavy tunes sought to capture the power his band had in an on-stage setting. In addition to the album’s live sound, Road was held together by the loose conceptual theme of situations unique to the rock & roll touring life. The album fared well on the Billboard charts, making the Hard Rock Top Ten, while topping the U.K.’s Rock and Metal chart. Tours with Mötley Crüe, Def Leppard, and Rob Zombie followed. Cooper’s 2024 output was mainly archival, though he did issue a new acoustic recording of his 1973 cut “Teenage Lament ’74” as part of a deluxe reissue of its parent album, Muscle of Love. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine & Mark Deming, Rovi

One of the first punk-metal fusion bands, Corrosion of Conformity were formed in North Carolina by guitarist Woody Weatherman during the early ’80s. In their early years, C.O.C. became known for their aggressive sound, intelligent political lyrics, and willingness to break away from both hardcore and metal conventions. In the ’90s, their shift to a more stripped-down, deliberate sound — sort of Black Sabbath filtered through the Deep South — brought them enough in line with the alt-metal Zeitgeist to bring them a measure of mainstream popularity.
C.O.C. debuted in 1983 with the thrashy, Black Flag-influenced Eye for an Eye, featuring a lineup of Weatherman, drummer Reed Mullin, vocalist Eric Eycke, and bassist Mike Dean. They began to build up a cult following with 1985’s Animosity, but their label at the time, Death, grew tired of their internal instability — lineup changes found Eycke replaced by vocalist Simon Bob — and dropped them following 1987’s Technocracy. It took several years for a new lineup to come together — featuring Weatherman, guitarist Pepper Keenan, Mullin, vocalist Karl Agell, and bassist Phil Swisher — but when it did, the result was 1991’s Blind, a powerful, focused, more metallic record that increased their audience by leaps and bounds. Agell was fired following its success, and he and Swisher went on to form Leadfoot; meanwhile, Keenan became the full-time lead vocalist on 1994’s even more Sabbath-esque Deliverance, which also featured the return of original bassist Mike Dean. During 1995, Keenan took a short detour into the Southern metal supergroup Down (which also featured Pantera‘s Phil Anselmo and members of Crowbar).
Thanks to a shift in popular taste in favor of the ultra-heavy brand of alternative metal, the group had helped pioneer, C.O.C. found themselves with a larger audience than ever before when they released 1996’s Wiseblood, which continued and expanded their rock radio success. After a lengthy break from recording and a world tour with Metallica, C.O.C. returned with a new album in the fall of 2000, titled America’s Volume Dealer. Another break ensued, resulting in the release of the live recording Live Volume in 2001. It wasn’t until April of 2005 that the band regrouped for the hard-hitting and complex In the Arms of God. C.O.C. went on hiatus, with the members working on various side projects until 2010, when drummer Reed Mullin rejoined the band, reuniting the Animosity lineup while Pepper Keenan continued working with his other band, Down. The remaining trio began work on new material, and in 2012 released their eighth album, the eponymous Corrosion of Conformity, on Candlelight Records. Their ninth album, aptly titled IX, arrived in 2014. Shortly after the latter LP’s release, C.O.C. reunited with Keenan and began work on their tenth studio long-player, No Cross No Crown, which dropped in January 2018. The band announced the death of Reed Mullin on January 27, 2020. ~ Steve Huey, Rovi

The Cult at The Arizona State Fair
2025-10-25 19:00 - 20:30 | Arizona State Fairgrounds, 1826 W. McDowell Rd, Phoenix, 85007, United States
Fronted by vocalist Ian Astbury and featuring guitarist Billy Duffy, the Cult evolved from a Gothic post-punk outfit in 1984, transforming themselves into England’s leading hard rock revivalist act. Their image combined the pseudo-mysticism and Native American cultural obsessions of the Doors with the guitar orchestrations of Led Zeppelin, and the three-chord crunch of AC/DC, with blended traces of post-punk goth rock. Their 1984 debut Dreamtime performed well, but follow-up Love amplified their hard rock direction and chart success with breakout single “She Sells Sanctuary.” 1987’s Rick Rubin-produced Electric, was their hardest record yet and went Top 40 stateside thanks to the smash singles “Lil’ Devil,” “Love Removal Machine, and “Wildflower.” 1989’s, Sonic Temple became their most successful album, peaking at ten in America behind single “Edie (Ciao Baby).” The spoils of success began tearing at the members, and they disbanded in 1995. Astbury and Duffy resurrected the Cult for 2001’s Beyond Good and Evil. Subsequent efforts included Born Into This (2007), Choice of Weapon (2012), and Under the Midnight Sun (2022).
The origins of the Cult lie in the Southern Death Cult, a goth rock outfit formed by vocalist Ian Astbury (born May 14, 1962) in 1981. Astbury was the son of a merchant navy man, which meant he moved frequently during his youth; at one point in his childhood, his family lived in Canada, where the young Astbury became fascinated with Native Americans, who would become a recurring theme in his songwriting. Astbury eventually settled in Bradford, Yorkshire, where he met a group comprising David Burrows (guitar), Barry Jepson (bass), and Haq Quereshi (drums). Ian joined the group as its lead vocalist (performing with the last name of “Lindsay,” which was his mother’s maiden name) and had the group renamed the Southern Death Cult. By only their fifth concert, the band was attracting audiences of 2,000. In December 1982, the Southern Death Cult released their first single — the double A-side “Moya”/”Fatman” — and the following month, they supported Bauhaus on tour. Though the group’s future was looking bright, Astbury pulled the plug on the band because he was frustrated with the positive articles he was receiving in the press. The remaining three members joined Getting the Fear, which eventually became Into a Circle; in the late ’80s, Quereshi became a member of Fun^Da^Mental. All of the Southern Death Cult recordings were eventually released in 1986.
Following the breakup, Astbury shortened the name of the group to Death Cult and recruited guitarist Billy Duffy — who had previously played with Morrissey in the pre-Smiths band the Nosebleeds, as well as Theatre of Hate — and drummer Ray Mondo and bassist Jamie Stewart, who had previously played with Ritual. Death Cult released an eponymous EP in the summer of 1983; on the EP, Astbury reverted back to his given name. Later in the year, Mondo was replaced by Nigel Preston, who had previously played with Duffy in Theatre of Hate; coincidentally, Mondo became the drummer for Preston’s previous group, Sex Gang Children.
In early 1984, the bandmembers decided to excise “Death” from the title, fearing that the word gave them the misleading appearance of being a goth band. Where both Southern Death Cult and Death Cult had been overtly influenced by post-punk, the Cult were a heavy hard rock band with slight psychedelic flourishes. Dreamtime, the group’s first album, was released in the fall of 1984, accompanied by the single “Spiritwalker.” Dreamtime reached number 21 on the U.K. charts. In the spring of 1985, Preston left the group. For the group’s summer single, “She Sells Sanctuary,” the band was joined by Big Country‘s drummer, Mark Brzezicki. “She Sells Sanctuary” became a major U.K. hit, peaking at number 15. During the recording of the group’s second album, drummer Les Warner joined the group. Love, released in the fall of 1985, continued the hard rock direction of its teaser single and became a number four hit in Britain.
For their third album, the Cult shuffled their lineup — Stewart moved to rhythm guitar, while former Zodiac Mindwarp bassist Kid Chaos joined the lineup — and hired Rick Rubin as producer, and the result, Electric, was their hardest, heaviest record to date. The first single from the album, “Love Removal Machine,” became a number 18 hit in the spring of 1987, while the album itself reached number four in the U.K. upon its April release. Later that year, Electric gained the Cult a fan base in America, and the album cracked the U.S. Top 40.
In 1988, the group fired Chaos and Warner, replacing the latter with Matt Sorum; the band failed to hire another bassist. The new lineup released Sonic Temple, which would prove to be the band’s most successful effort. The hit single “Fire Woman” helped propel the album into the American Top Ten, and within no time, the Cult were seen hanging out with the likes of Mötley Crüe and Aerosmith, as well as supporting Metallica on the Damaged Justice tour. Though the group was experiencing its best sales, it was fraying behind the scenes due to infighting and substance abuse. By the time they recorded their follow-up to Sonic Temple, Sorum had left to join Guns N’ Roses and Stewart had quit; they were replaced by drummer Mickey Curry and bassist Charlie Drayton. The resulting album, Ceremony, was released in the fall of 1991 to weak reviews and disappointing sales.
Following the release of Ceremony, the group took a break for the next three years. In 1993, the band released the U.K.-only hits compilation Pure Cult, which debuted at number one. By summer 1993, the Cult had a new rhythm section, featuring former Mission bassist Craig Adams, second guitarist Mike Dimkich (Channel 3), and drummer Scott Garrett. This lineup recorded The Cult, which was released in late 1994 to poor reviews and sales. In spring 1995, the Cult disbanded, with Ian Astbury forming the Holy Barbarians later in the year. Billy Duffy briefly played with Miles Hunt‘s Vent 414 before leaving to pursue a solo project. In 2000, the band’s catalog was remastered and reissued, and Pure Cult was released in the U.S. (despite a similar compilation, High Octane Cult, having appeared four years earlier). It was followed by Rare Cult, a six-disc box set of rarities.
A new Cult, with Matt Sorum, Martyn LeNoble, and Chris Wyse joining Astbury and Duffy, made their debut in June 1999 at the Tibetan Freedom Festival. This band produced the 2001 album Beyond Good and Evil before the Cult were retired again, as Astbury joined former Doors members Robbie Krieger and Ray Manzarek in the Doors of the 21st Century (later renamed Riders on the Storm). In 2007, it was announced that Astbury had left the band to rejoin Duffy in a new version of the Cult, with Chris Wyse on bass and John Tempesta on drums. They signed to Roadrunner and released Born Into This in 2008, which they promoted over the next few years on their highly publicized Love Live tour. They returned to the studio in 2011 after inking a deal with Cooking Vinyl Records and released their ninth studio album, Choice of Weapon, the following year.
In 2013, Duffy announced in an interview that the Cult were working on new material for 2015. However, personnel changes put a bit of a damper on the band’s plans: after 20 years, Dimkich left to play with Bad Religion and Wyse left for Ace Frehley‘s band. Longtime friend James Stevenson took the second guitar chair, while Grant Fitzpatrick took over on bass to play the band’s 2014 world tour. Jane’s Addiction bassist Chris Channey came on board in the studio for the band’s tenth studio album. With Bob Rock producing, the Cult completed Hidden City in 2015. The first two singles, “Dark Energy” and “Deeply Ordered Chaos,” were issued in November and December, respectively, with a third, “Hinterland,” appearing in January of 2016. The album followed in February of that year.
Following two world tours, and summers spent playing sheds and festivals on both sides of the Atlantic, the Cult took a well-deserved breather extended by the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. In July 2022, they quietly released the video single for “Give Me Mercy.” In October they released the full-length Under the Midnight Sun. Produced by Tom Dalgety (Pixies, Ghost) it appeared from hard rock indie Black Hill Records, offering eight tracks that also included a second single in “A Cut Inside.” ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Avatar at The Van Buren
2025-11-05 19:30 - 23:30 | The Van Buren, 401 W Van Buren St, Phoenix, AZ, 85003
The journeyed, eccentric, Gothenburg, Sweden-founded melodic death metal act formed in 2001 and enjoyed major home country success with their fourth and fifth albums, 2009’s Avatar and 2012’s Black Waltz. It was between these releases that Avatar debuted the look which ultimately defined them, with their lead vocalist Johannes Eckerström presenting himself as a cross between the Joker and a ringmaster leading a group of jesters. It was a distinct image and made Avatar well-known internationally. Eckerström maintained this look into the 2020s with the release of 2023’s Dance Devil Dance.
Formed by two kindred musical souls who realized that their previous band was holding them back, Avatar were born when drummer John Alfredsson and guitarist Jonas Jarlsby decided that their positions in Lost Soul were going nowhere, so they left and regrouped under their new moniker. Eventually, Alfredsson and Jarlsby would be introduced to Eckerström, and the core of Avatar would be in place. To round out their membership, bassist Henrik Sandelin and guitarist Simon Andersson joined the fold in 2003, just in time to record the band’s first demo, Personal Observations. While gigging to promote this, Avatar stepped back into the studio to record their debut EP, 2004’s 4 Reasons to Die. Following the EP’s release, Avatar were given the opportunity to tour outside Sweden for the first time. They next entered the studio to work on a debut full-length and scored a deal with Gain Records during the recording process. That album, Thoughts of No Tomorrow, was released in 2006 and followed by two European tours, one with Impaled Nazarene, the other with Evergrey. Their busy year was rounded out with two shows alongside original Iron Maiden vocalist Paul Di’Anno.
Avatar had an equally busy 2007, starting off as the opening act for major metal band Stone Sour and finishing it with a new album. Schlacht, released in October of that year, was followed by a support slot on the 2008 Obituary tour. The group’s eponymous third studio album was released in 2009, and the next two years found Avatar hitting the tour circuit hard and embarking on their first-ever U.S. jaunt. Two nights before Halloween 2011 — in Helsingborg, Sweden — Eckerström stepped on-stage sporting his unhinged Joker look for the first time.
A couple of months later Andersson left the band and was replaced by the guitarist Tim Öhrström, who also provided backing vocals. Arriving in 2012, the well-received Black Waltz peaked at number 25 in their native Sweden, and 2014’s Hail the Apocalypse became the first Avatar outing to crack the Billboard 200. In 2016, the band issued its sixth studio long-player, Feathers & Flesh, a conceptual piece about an owl who declares war on the world. Their seventh effort, Avatar Country, arrived in early 2018. Produced by Jay Ruston (Stone Sour, Anthrax, Steel Panther), the album featured the singles “A Statue of the King” and “The King Wants You,” as well as Avatar’s spin on the Swedish royal anthem “Glory to Our King.” The following year, the band released their first live outing, The King Live in Paris. 2020 found them returning to the studio with Ruston to record their eighth album. The resulting Hunter Gatherer was issued toward the end of the year. In 2021, they founded their own label, Black Waltz Records, and it was on this imprint that they unveiled 2023’s Dance Devil Dance, featuring a duet with Lzzy Hale of Halestorm.

In the recent history of heavy metal, there have been few emerging bands that have shaken up the scene in the way Alien Weaponry has. Since releasing their acclaimed Napalm Records debut Tū in 2018, the New Zealand band’s kinetic presence and unique sound – combining thrash metal with lyrics in the native indigenous language, te reo Māori — has attracted throngs of fans and media supporters across the globe that have responded to the sheer ruthlessness, untempered passion, and unbelievable noise created by the three-piece.
Rising even higher with the release of their second acclaimed album, Tangaroa (2021), the band has amassed millions of streams, video views and success at SiriusXM Liquid Metal, was hailed the “future of metal” by Metal Hammer, and has performed with the likes of Guns N’ Roses, Gojira, Slayer and the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra. Most recently, the band capped off 2024 with the release of a documentary film, Kua Tupu Te Ara, which premiered at the renowned Tribeca Film Festival.
New Zealand modern groove metal trio Alien Weaponry will release their heaviest, most powerful and mature offering to date, Te Rā, on March 28, 2025 via Napalm Records.

SpiritWorld is a heavy metal band from Las Vegas, formed in 2017 by vocalist Stu Folsom, known for its “death-western” style that blends thrash, death metal, and hardcore with outlaw country and horror themes. The band’s aesthetic combines elements of the Old West with supernatural horror, presented through high-energy, aggressive metal music. Folsom’s background, including growing up in a country-western environment, is a major inspiration for the band’s unique concept and imagery.

The Hondo Rodeo Fest at Chase Field
2025-11-07 18:00 - 2025-11-09 23:30 | Chase Field, 401 E Jefferson St, Phoenix, AZ, 85003, United States
Join us for an unforgettable experience at the Hondo Rodeo Fest in Phoenix, AZ! Witness the incredible skills of professional rodeo athletes as they compete for the title & prize money! Don’t miss out on the thrilling rodeo and live concerts that will keep you entertained all day long. Grab your tickets now and be part of this exciting celebration of rodeo culture!

The Hondo Rodeo Fest today unveiled its star-studded 2025 lineup for its return to Chase Field, home of the Arizona Diamondbacks, in Phoenix, AZ on November 7-9th. This year’s headliners include some of the biggest artists in rock and country music today, including Nickelback, Cody Johnson and Jason Aldean, in addition to Treaty Oak Revival, Jon Pardi and Riley Green.
The Hondo Rodeo Fest launched in November of 2024 with a new three-day rodeo competition and nightly, full two-hour country music concert with top music acts. The Hondo Rodeo’s invite-only format featured world champion cowboys and cowgirls across eight categories, all competing for a $1 million prize purse. Adding to the unmatched intensity and star power to the arena, were Cord McCoy’s world-renowned roster of bucking bulls. During the day, fans could also experience a free Western culture fan festival with more music, food, shopping and innovative brand activations.
Approaching 2025 was no different, as The Hondo Rodeo Fest announced an incredible three night line-up.
Friday, November 7th – Nickelback & Treaty Oak Revival
Saturday, November 8th – Kid Rock & Jon Pardi
Sunday, November 9th – Jason Aldean & Riley Green
For more information, and to sign up for sales alerts, visit https://thehondorodeofest.com/.

Experience the ultimate in comfort and exclusivity with our VIP suites, designed to put you right at the heart of the action. Our Premium Floor Suites seat up to 14 guests and are located just steps from the excitement, with dedicated wait staff ensuring every need is met.
For larger gatherings, our Diamond Level Concourse Boxes accommodate up to 18 guests and offer a private restroom, dedicated wait staff, and a TV feed so you never miss a moment. Whether you choose the floor-level thrill or the elevated diamond view, our VIP suites deliver an unforgettable, first-class event experience.
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Billie Eilish at Mortgage Matchup Center
2025-11-18 19:00 - 2025-11-19 23:30 | Mortgage Matchup Center, 201 E Jefferson St, Phoenix, AZ, 85004, United States
Billie Eilish remains one of the biggest stars to emerge in the 21st century. Her third studio album, HIT ME HARD AND SOFT features 10 tracks written and recorded in her hometown of Los Angeles, with her brother and producer FINNEAS. In 2019, her debut album WHEN WE ALL FALL ASLEEP, WHERE DO WE GO? debuted at No. 1 in 18 countries, and was the most streamed album of that year. In 2021, her sophomore album ‘Happier Than Ever’ debuted at #1 in 20 countries. Both albums were critically acclaimed worldwide and were written, produced, and recorded entirely by Billie Eilish and FINNEAS. 9-time GRAMMY® Award-winning Billie Eilish has made history as the youngest artist to receive nominations and win in all the major GRAMMY® categories, receiving an award for Best New Artist, Album of the Year, Record of the Year, Song of the Year, and Best Pop Vocal Album, and is the youngest artist to write and record an official James Bond theme song, ‘No Time To Die,’ which won an Academy Award for Best Original Song in 2022. In 2023, Eilish also wrote and released the critically acclaimed song “What Was I Made For?” for the Greta Gerwig-directed motion picture Barbie, which also won Academy and Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song, two GRAMMY® Awards for Song of the Year and Best Song Written For Visual Media, and has solidified Billie Eilish yet again in the history books as the youngest person ever to win two Academy Awards.

Singer and songwriter Lucy Dacus’ rich, buttery voice commands both her thoughtful indie rock tunes and more intimate confessionals. Emerging from Richmond, Virginia’s indie scene in the mid-2010s, she broke through the blogosphere and onto major indie outlets with lead single “I Don’t Wanna Be Funny Anymore” from her 2016 debut album, No Burden. It showcased the songwriter’s playful and also heartrendingly candid way with words. The critical success of the more dramatic follow-up, Historian, in 2018 was followed the same year by membership in Boygenius, a trio with similarly lauded contemporaries Julien Baker and Phoebe Bridgers. Dacus’ more tender and more autobiographical third solo album, Home Video, arrived in 2021 and landed just outside the top half of the Billboard 200. As Boygenius‘ popularity surged, Dacus’ first appearance in the Top Five came in 2023 with her trio’s Grammy- and Brit Award-winning full-length debut, The Record. Her Boygenius bandmates, Hozier, and album co-producer Blake Mills were among the guests on Dacus’ adult-relationship-themed fourth solo outing, 2025’s Forever Is a Feeling, her major-label debut. A companion set subtitled The Archives arrived later in year and featured new material along with alternate versions.
Born and raised in Mechanicsville just outside of Richmond, Dacus grew up singing; her mother was a music teacher. She began writing regularly in her journal in the sixth grade and attended concerts and connected with the Richmond music scene throughout high school. After graduating, she tried studying film at Virginia Commonwealth University with a plan to make music on the side, but soon dropped out to concentrate on writing songs.
Dacus’ debut was put together relatively last-minute when a friend who worked at Starstruck Studio in Nashville let her know they had an open day. She had assembled a band from area musicians in guitarist Jacob Blizard, bass player Christine Moad, and drummer Hayden Cotcher, and the songs, which had been written solo, were arranged for the quartet in the week leading up to a ten-hour recording session. The friend at the studio, Collin Pastore, engineered and mixed the album, which was co-produced by Dacus, Pastore, and Blizard. Richmond label Egghunt Records took interest in the results, including late 2015’s “I Don’t Wanna Be Funny Anymore,” and released No Burden in early 2016.
The album quickly received buzz in the indie music press, and the band did an Audiotree Live session in March that was released as a digital EP. That June, the 21-year-old Dacus signed with Matador Records, which reissued No Burden in September 2016. She then toured with acts including the Decemberists, Sylvan Esso, and Car Seat Headrest before returning to the studio with the same team to record her second album. Featuring a similar demeanor but fleshier arrangements, Historian saw release in March 2018 and reached number five on Billboard’s Heatseekers chart. Later that year, Dacus formed the collaborative indie supergroup Boygenius with fellow singer/songwriters Julien Baker and Phoebe Bridgers, releasing a self-titled EP in October and then embarking on a three-way co-headlining tour.
On Valentine’s Day 2019, Dacus released a cover of Édith Piaf‘s “La Vie en Rose,” the first in a series of holiday-themed original songs and covers that coincided with select occasions throughout the year. They were collected on the EP 2019, issued by Matador that November. During 2020, Dacus started writing and recording her third album, which looked back at her coming-of-age experiences for lyrical inspiration. The resulting Home Video was released in June 2021 and accompanied by opening slots for Bright Eyes and Shakey Graves as well as a headlining tour. The critically acclaimed LP appeared on several charts both at home and abroad, peaking at 104 on the Billboard 200. The tongue-in-cheek “Kissing Lessons,” which was recorded during the sessions for Home Video, appeared on Valentine’s Day the following year.
Dacus rejoined Boygenius in the studio for their full-length debut. Written both separately and together, it showcased a unified front, with the three songwriter’s voices meshing to create a hefty, hooky, and slightly bittersweet album. Titled The Record, it was released on Interscope in March 2023 and went as high as number four on the Billboard 200 while charting internationally, including topping the charts in the Netherlands, the U.K., and Ireland. The album went on to win Best Alternative Music Album at the Grammys, while their song “Not Strong Enough” took home the trophies for Best Rock Song and Rock Performance; the band collected the Brit Award for best international group. They followed it up with a folkier four-song EP, the rest, that October. In the meantime, the group’s escalating popularity was reflected in a tour that included a sold-out show at Madison Square Garden.
Over the course of Boygenius‘ rise, Dacus contributed to some of her bandmates’ solo work, including Bridgers‘ Punisher (2020) and Baker‘s Little Oblivion (2021), and Dacus’ next solo LP included appearances from both of them in addition to a feature spot by Hozier and contributions from Blake Mills, Bartees Strange, Madison Cunningham, and Jay Som‘s Melina Duterte, among others. Turning her focus from her youth to navigating complex contemporary relationships, the resulting Forever Is a Feeling was co-produced by Mills and released on Geffen Records in March 2025. After her performance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon earlier in the year, the single “Ankles” marked her debut in the Top Ten of the Billboard Adult Alternative Airplay chart and the rock airplay Top 40. Later that year, Dacus compiled various demos, alternate versions, and new songs like “Bus Back to Richmond” into the companion album Forever Is a Feeling: The Archives.

Lily Rose at The Van Buren
2025-11-22 19:30 - 23:30 | The Van Buren, 401 W Van Buren St, Phoenix, AZ, 85003
Atlanta, Georgia native Lily Rose burst onto the scene with her viral hit “Villain,” instantly propelling her into the national spotlight almost overnight. Lily toured with country’s hottest stars as she hungrily chased down her dreams and married her wife Daira in 2023. Amidst the whirlwind of success, Lily felt a tug to reassess her priorities and find balance between her career aspirations and personal fulfillment. Out of that period of reflection comes the long-awaited EP and Lily’s first batch of new music since 2022, Runnin’ Outta Time, out May 10. A co-writer on each track, it’s Lily at her most personal and honest, bundling her beliefs and contradictions into six new songs that explain who she is, where she came from and where she’s heading. It’s the perfect soundtrack for the intense push and pull in Lily’s life and a potent reminder of how important it is to take a breath and focus on the things that matter most. Lily has been on multiple tours with Sam Hunt and opened shows for Shania Twain, and even experienced her own global pop moment when she sang on Diplo’s “Sad in the Summer” as she introduced herself to a whole new group of fans through performances on NBC’s The Voice and ABC’s Good Morning America. She’s already been nominated for ACM New Female Artist of the Year and took home GLAAD’s Outstanding Breakthrough Artist Award in 2022, and now, she emerges with a crisp, edgy new sound and a renewed understanding of what matters most to her.

Orianthi at Talking Stick Resort
2025-11-22 20:00 - 23:30 | Talking Stick Resort, 9800 E. Talking Stick Way, Scottsdale, AZ, 85256, United States
Australian-born guitarist and singer Orianthi Panagaris, aka Orianthi, is a virtuoso performer whose sound is steeped in hard rock traditions. She first began wowing audiences in her teens, opening for Steve Vai and jamming with Carlos Santana. After issuing her debut long-player Violet Journey in 2005, Orianthi relocated to Los Angeles where she performed on national television with Carrie Underwood and was part of Michael Jackson‘s planned This Is It tour. She broke through to a wider audience with 2009’s Believe, netting the international hit single “According to You.” Along with her own albums, like 2013’s Heaven in This Hell, she has continued to earn respect from veteran rock icons, including forming the group RSO with Richie Sambora, with whom she released Radio Free America in 2018. Through it all, Orianthi’s searing fretboard skills and passion for anthemic rock remain her focus, as evidenced by 2020’s O and 2022’s Rock Candy.
Born in 1985 in Adelaide, Australia, Orianthi Panagaris was only six when she fell in love with the electric guitar, thanks to her dad’s record collection. Legendary names like Clapton, Hendrix, and Santana influenced decision to take lessons. She spent five years learning the acoustic guitar before switching to the electric at the age 11. Playing in bands since she was 14, she performed in her first stage show for Steve Vai at the age 15. Subsequently, she left school, turned her focus to songwriting, and began her professional career. Three years later, at 18, while working as a studio and utility player, Orianthi met and jammed with Carlos Santana in Adelaide. He invited her on-stage to play during his soundcheck and was so impressed he asked her to perform with him that night. The single-song guest spot evolved into a 30-minute jam. With Santana‘s enthusiastic endorsement, she went on to share stages with Prince, ZZ Top, and others. In 2006 she independently released her debut album Violet Journey. Not only did it receive enthusiastic press response, it won her a record deal with Geffen. The album was reissued a year later by Universal, while she played as an opener for guitarist Steve Vai on a world tour.
Upon her return, Orianthi emigrated to Los Angeles. While working on her sophomore album she played extensively as a session and touring musician. Her abilities were noted by millions of television viewers when she joined Carrie Underwood‘s band for a 2009 Grammy Awards performance. That same year, an email invitation arrived asking her to audition for Michael Jackson, who was assembling a band for a 50-date residency at London’s O2 Arena. One blistering rendition of the “Beat It” solo was enough to land the gig, but the King of Pop unexpectedly passed in June of that same year. Orianthi sang at the memorial service, and rehearsal footage of the guitarist backing Jackson was featured in the popular film Michael Jackson’s This Is It.
Her second long-player, Believe, arrived several days before the movie’s release, featuring the Top 20 single “According to You.” It was re-released in 2010 as Believe (II) with four different songs, including a cover of John Waite‘s “Missing You.” It also featured a guest spot from Vai on the tune “Highly Strung.” The set charted inside the top half of the Top 200. The following year, Orianthi released the digital EP Fire featuring production from the Eurythmics‘ Dave Stewart. In 2013, Orianthi returned with her third full-length album, Heaven in This Hell. Also produced by Stewart, it contained all five tracks from the EP and centered on modern country and blues. It charted inside the Top 40 on the Independent Albums chart. Orianthi also appeared during the Top Seven week on season 12 of American Idol to play guitar for each of the performances.
While working with Cooper in 2013, she met former Bon Jovi guitarist Richie Sambora who was vacationing in Hawaii. Cooper, who was playing a benefit for the Maui Food Bank, invited Sambora on-stage. He and Orianthi played Hendrix‘s “Voodoo Child” and Montrose‘s “Rock Candy” (the latter was sung by its original vocalist Sammy Hagar). The pair hit it off professionally and personally. A month later, Sambora invited Orianthi to join him for a tour of Europe and Australia. By the time it ended, they were a romantic couple. After fulfilling her remaining commitments to Cooper (while fending off numerous invites from Prince to join his band), Orianthi and Sambora built a home studio while making plans for a recorded musical collaboration. It took two years, but by 2015, the pair’s band, called RSO (after their respective initials) enlisted Bob Rock as producer and began tracking some of the 70-plus songs they had penned together. In 2017 they released the five-track EP Rise and followed it a year later with the album Radio Free America. In May of 2018, they performed during the 11th season of the PBS performance series Soundstage. Though they eventually split as a couple, RSO remained a going concern.
In November of 2020, Orianthi released her fourth solo album, O, produced by Marti Frederiksen on Frontiers Records. It was followed two years later by Live from Hollywood, a concert album recorded at L.A.’s Bourbon Room. On the heels of that release, she delivered her fifth studio album, 2022’s Jacob Bunton-produced Rock Candy. ~ Matt Collar & Thom Jurek, Rovi

Queensryche + Accept at The Van Buren
2025-12-16 19:00 - 23:30 | The Van Buren, 401 W Van Buren St, Phoenix, AZ, 85003
With a career that not only spans, but has charted the course of multiple genres, QUEENSRŸCHE remains a force in their own right. “Digital Noise Alliance”, QUEENSRŸCHE’s 16thstudio album, that will be out October 7th, 2022, continues the ever-evolving legacy the Bellvue Washington born band began in 1982 when they first took hold of the flame with their hugely received self-titled 4-song EP. Their recent U.S. tour with Judas Priest proved that the band’s time off the road and in the studio only stoked their ambition and fire. Once again teaming up with producer Zeuss (Rob Zombie, Hatebreed), “Digital Noise Alliance” not only refracts QUEENSRŸCHE’s past accomplishments but also pushes into the band’s future. It is the band effortlessly moving from strength to strength: immediate and thought-provoking. Quintessentially QUEENSRŸCHE.

Teutonic metallers ACCEPT were already able to achieve tremendous worldwide success with »Blood Of The Nations« and »Stalingrad« but with »Blind Rage« they reached the pinnacle of their career in the form of the pole position, a #1 album. In 2017 their new album »The Rise Of Chaos« cemented their status as genre leaders once again and there’s no doubt that with “Too Mean To Die” Accept are once again playing at the top of the Champions League of the genre. Wolf Hoffmann & Co. present the (music) world eleven masterpieces at the beginning of 2021 – eleven songs for eternity!

The Atomic Punks at Marquee Theatre
2026-01-03 18:30 - 23:30 | Marquee Theatre, 730 N Mill Ave, Tempe, AZ, 85281, United States
In the heart of Pasadena, California, where the iconic Van Halen first ignited their meteoric rise to stardom, a tribute band emerged that would come to embody the very essence of the legendary rock group’s early years. The Atomic Punks, formed in 1994, are more than a tribute band—they are a sonic time capsule, faithfully recreating the magic and energy of Van Halen’s David Lee Roth era.
Boasting an impressive resume of over 1000 shows worldwide, The Atomic Punks have firmly established themselves as the quintessential Van Halen tribute. Recognized as “Best Tribute Band” by LA’s esteemed “Rock City News” multiple times, their influence extends far beyond the stage. The band made history as one of the original acts featured on AXS TV’s “The World’s Greatest Tribute,” and their national following continues to swell, reaching new heights with each performance.
In 1997, former Van Halen front man David Lee Roth, in his autobiography “Crazy from the Heat,” bestowed the ultimate compliment upon The Atomic Punks, proclaiming them “The best tribute to Van Halen ever!” This endorsement would evolve into a collaboration, as original Punks guitarist Bart Walsh joined Roth’s “DLR Band” tours from 1999-2001. Brian Young, Walsh’s successor, so authentically replicated Eddie Van Halen’s unparalleled guitar mastery that Roth enlisted him for his 2002 national tour alongside ex-Van Halen frontman Sammy Hagar.
Van Halen bassist Michael Anthony, having shared the stage with The Atomic Punks on multiple occasions, declared, “I feel like I am back in 1982 performing with the old band!” Howard Stern echoed the sentiment on his radio show, affirming, “The Atomic Punks become Van Halen. It’s the total experience; they do Van Halen better than Van Halen themselves!”
Renowned Sirius XM host Eddie Trunk and celebrated Van Halen photographer Neil Zlozower both frequent guests at Punks shows, have lauded the band, further solidifying their status in the rock pantheon.
Lead singer Brian Geller, with his uncanny vocal prowess and dynamic stage presence, has been recognized beyond the tribute scene, being invited on stage by Van Halen’s second lead singer Sammy Hagar and hired to impersonate David Lee Roth’s voice on Comedy Central’s Celebrity Roast and in automotive commercials.
Lead guitarist Frankie Lindia, a former member of RATT, joins a prestigious lineage as the third Atomic Punks guitarist to grace David Lee Roth’s solo band.
Drummer Scott Patterson, the original Atomic Punk, lays down a rock-solid rhythm and has collaborated with rock royalty Ace Frehley and Bret Michaels.
The newest Punk, bassist Danny Spree, brings professional excitement to the band, sharing his talents with both Adler’s Appetite and Phil X and the Drills.
You never know who may turn up at a Punks show. Throughout their illustrious career, The Atomic Punks have shared the stage with luminaries such as Nunu Bettencourt (Extreme), Jani Lane (Warrant), George Lynch (Dokken), Mike Tramp (White Lion), James Lomenzo (David Lee Roth/Megadeth/John Fogerty), Fred Coury (Cinderella), Michael Sweet (Stryper), Zak Wylde (Ozzy Osbourne), Taylor Hawkins (Foo Fighers) , Dave Grohl (Foo Fighers/Nirvana), and Chad Smith (Red Hot Chili Peppers). They’ve opened for Heart, Foo Fighters, Night Ranger, .38 Special, Stephen Pearcy, Warrant, Sweet, KIX, and Zebra, and participated in monumental events like Cal Jam, Monsters of Rock Cruises, Rocklahoma, Moondance Jam, and playing for KISS twice at the KISS Arena Football League games.
However, amidst all these accolades, The Atomic Punks remain humble, emphasizing at every show that they aren’t Van Halen; they simply love to play the timeless music of vintage Van Halen. Their note-for-note performances and the electrifying energy of their stage shows transport audiences back to the golden era of “Diamond” Dave and the “Mighty” Van Halen. For those who crave the authentic experience of early Van Halen, The Atomic Punks stand as the ultimate tribute, ensuring that the flame of Van Halen’s legacy burns brightly for generations to come.

Twice at Mortgage Matchup Center
2026-01-28 20:00 - 23:30 | Mortgage Matchup Center, 201 E Jefferson St, Phoenix, AZ, 85004, United States
TWICE is a K-Pop girl group produced by JYP Entertainment through the reality program [SIXTEEN]. The group is composed of 9 members: NAYEON, JEONGYEON, MOMO, SANA, JIHYO, MINA, DAHYUN, CHAEYOUNG, and TZUYU. Debuted on October 20th, 2015 with the 1st EP [THE STORY BEGINS] that featured the title track “Like OOH-AHH”, the group then achieved bigger fame in 2016 with the 2nd EP [PAGE TWO] that featured “CHEER UP.” Since then, the group has won several big awards with TWICE’s own music style ‘color pop’ and continued to release the unique bright, energetic and catchy songs: “TT”, “KNOCK KNOCK”, “SIGNAL”, “LIKEY”, “Heart Shaker”, “What is Love?”, “Dance The Night Away”, “YES or YES” ,”The Best Thing I Ever Did”, “FANCY”, “Feel Special”, “MORE & MORE” ,”I CAN’T STOP ME”, “Alcohol-Free”, “The Feels”, “SCIENTIST”, “Talk that Talk”, “SET ME FREE”, “I GOT YOU”, “ONE SPARK”, “Strategy”, “THIS IS FOR” and “ME+YOU”. Recognized as one of Asia’s top girl groups, TWICE continues to break records worldwide, from headlining Lollapaloza Chicago as the first K-pop female group, to making history as the first overseas female artists to perform at multiple stadiums such as Nissan stadium in Japan.

Nothing More + Catch Your Breath and More at The Van Buren
2026-01-31 18:30 - 23:30 | The Van Buren, 401 W Van Buren St, Phoenix, AZ, 85003
NOTHING MORE combines the cerebral and sublime. The music Jonny Hawkins, Mark Vollelunga, Daniel Oliver, and Ben Anderson make together is primal, elemental, and even carnal. Their foundation is heady and heavy, filled with creative nuance that rewards repeated listens, while the catchy hooks always soar, intertwined in a delicious dance between accessibility and experimentation. They’ve already earned three GRAMMY nominations and two gold plaques along the journey. 2022’s SPIRITS, which produced songs like “YOU DON’T KNOW WHAT LOVE MEANS” and the Top 5 smash “TIRED OF WINNING,” indulged the outer edges of NOTHING MORE’s esoteric leanings without sacrificing melody. Two years later, CARNAL brings them full circle with focused precision. CARNAL harkens to their breakthrough 2014 self-titled set and the bombastic energy of songs like “This is the Time (Ballast),” while powerful interludes and trippy transitions anchor it all together. If SPIRTS was water, CARNAL is fire. NOTHING MORE sound biting, visceral, and in-your-face. Kerrang! named NOTHING MORE one of 22 Artists Shaping the Future of Rock, alongside Nine Inch Nails, Twenty One Pilots, and Bring Me The Horizon. And frontman Hawkins, who met guitarist Vollelunga before they were old enough to drive, appeared with Billie Joe Armstrong, Dave Grohl, and Hayley Williams in the English tastemaker’s Top 50 Greatest Rockstars in the World. Built to last, here to stay.

A fresh, burgeoning Hard Rock band based out of Austin, Texas. Comprised of vocalist Josh, guitarist Teddy, bassist Cianan, and drummer Onell, Catch Your Breath injects a unique mix of synth soundscaping elements, imaginative production, and refined songwriting for an intense amount of emotion. The secret ingredient of their music is their relatable core. Says Teddy of the sound, “We want to mix it up with a new gen of rock… there’s almost never just our instruments playing by themselves”. With their hit single “Dial Tone” debuting on Sirius XM Octane radio, hitting #3 on Spotify Metal’s worldwide chart, and #7 on Billboard’s Hot Hard Rock Songs, this track gave the band the surge they’ve deserved from the start. Whether it’s a design at Hot Topic, coverage on Knotfest.com, or on tour with Falling in Reverse, fans can instantly connect with Catch Your Breath more than ever before.

ARCHERS combine massive melodies and crushing heaviness with unrivaled passion and precision. The music of the Midwestern quartet connects deeply via confessional tales of broken hearts and mental anguish, building an intimate sense of community with outsiders from all corners of the world.
After years of honing their craft on the road, at major rock festivals and touring alongside bands such as Asking Alexandria, Catch Your Breath, From Ashes to New, Magnolia Park and Imminence, the band has developed a knack for delivering high octane, head turning performances that resonate with their fans while continuing to win over a dedicated army of new fans with each performance.

Columbus native Doobie has carved out his place as one of the most prominent independent artists in the underground scene, known for his raw storytelling and genre-blending sound. His breakout single, “When the Drugs Don’t Work,” earned a platinum certification and racked up over 115 million views on YouTube — a major milestone for an artist who built his career from the ground up. Doobie’s music has always drawn influence from rock icons like Alice in Chains, Nirvana, Metallica, and KISS, blending gritty lyricism with emotional depth.
In 2024, that rock influence took center stage with the release of his first rock single, “Early Bird Gets the Whiskey,” followed by his 2025 full-length rock album Give ’Em Hell Until You Get to Heaven. The project’s lead single, “Worth A Shot,” broke into the Top 30 at radio and marked a powerful debut in the rock space. Through battles with addiction and personal struggles, Doobie continues to keep his music honest — often producing it himself to stay true to his story. As the first independent artist from Columbus to go platinum, he’s just getting started.

Lady Gaga at Desert Diamond Arena
2026-02-14 20:00 - 23:30 | Desert Diamond Arena, 9400 W Maryland Ave, Glendale, AZ, 85305, United States
Academy Award and 14-time GRAMMY-winner Lady Gaga is a one-of-a-kind artist and performer. She has amassed an outstanding 110 million global album sales, 175 billion streams, and 758 million song consumption units, making her one of the best-selling musicians of all time. Her most recent pop album, Chromatica, became her sixth consecutive #1 on the Billboard 200 chart, making her the first female artist to achieve this over a ten-year period (2011-2020). Gaga’s collaboration with Ariana Grande on “Rain On Me” had the biggest Spotify debut of 2020, reaching #1 on the Global and US Spotify Charts. In 2023, her debut single “Just Dance” became her third diamond-certified single by the RIAA, joining “Bad Romance” and “Poker Face.” In 2018, she won an Academy Award for Best Original Song for “Shallow,” featured on the soundtrack of Best Picture nominee A Star is Born (2018), in addition to claiming a Golden Globe, a Critics’ Choice Award, and four GRAMMYs for both “Shallow” and “I’ll Never Love Again,” also from the same soundtrack. Lady Gaga knows no bounds, from producing her classic pop hits to exploring the classic American Songbook with her albums Cheek to Cheek and Love For Sale with Tony Bennett, both #1 albums. Beyond music, she excels in business as the founder of Haus Labs and thrives as an actress (A Star Is Born, House of Gucci, Joker: Folie à Deux), as well as a passionate activist for mental health and LGBTQ+ rights through her Born This Way Foundation.

Robin Thicke at Wildhorse Pass Casino
2026-02-27 18:30 - 2026-02-28 23:30 | Wild Horse Pass, 5040 Wild Horse Pass Blvd, Chandler, AZ, 85226, United States
Robin Thicke has established himself as one of the most respected singer songwriters in soul/R&B music today. Born in Los Angeles, Robin taught himself to play piano at the age of 12 & by 16 was writing/producing songs for top R&B artists. At the age of 21, he had written/produced songs on over 20 gold & platinum albums including Michael Jackson, Marc Anthony, Pink, Christina Aguilera, Usher & others. One year later he signed with Jimmy Iovine & Interscope records. The musician & composer released his critically acclaimed debut album, A Beautiful World, in 2003 under the name Thicke. The collection was followed by a succession of five critically acclaimed gold & platinum selling album releases. Robin’s sixth studio album, Blurred Lines, was released in July on 2013. The album garnered four GRAMMY nominations. The collection debuted at #1 on Billboard Top 200 while, “Blurred Lines,” the single, continued its 12 week reign on the Billboard Hot 100 chart making Robin the first artist to take the top spot on both lists since December 2012 & only the 17th act to earn the distinction in the past ten years. “Blurred Lines” scored the highest audience ever recorded & broke records by climbing to #1 on 5 radio charts simultaneously (Top 40, Rhythm, Urban, Hot AC & Urban AC) –the first time this has ever been done by an artist. Robin’s recent singles include the undeniably danceable pop record “Back Together” featuring Nicki Minaj, “Deep” featuring Nas, & a R&B classic “Morning Sun”.

Cardi B at Mortgage Matchup Center
2026-03-01 19:30 - 23:30 | Mortgage Matchup Center, 201 E Jefferson St, Phoenix, AZ, 85004, United States
Rapper and entertainer Cardi B draws from a seemingly never-ending supply of confidence, charisma, and evisceratingly sharp flows. She broke through in 2017 with her debut commercially released single, “Bodak Yellow,” topping the Billboard Hot 100 and becoming the first female rapper to do so in nearly two decades. Her 2018 debut studio album, Invasion of Privacy, followed shortly thereafter, reaching number one and breaking additional records with the summer smash “I Like It.” The record also made her the first solo female rapper to win a Grammy for Best Rap Album. Heading into the next decade, Cardi continued to dominate with chart-topping singles like 2020’s “WAP” with and 2021’s “Up.” She again teamed with for 2023’s “Bongos” before joining for 2024’s “Puntería” and teasing her sophomore album with “Enough (Miami).”
Spitting raw and aggressive rhymes in the tradition of , , and , the former stripper and social media star born made her television debut in late 2015 on VH1’s Love & Hip Hop: New York, joining a cast that also included fellow New York rapper . A year later, she made her musical debut alongside dancehall singer on ‘s “Boom Boom” single. The solo single “Cheap Ass Weave” and the mixtape Gangsta Bitch Music, Vol. 1 soon followed in early 2016. Two more singles, “Foreva” and “Wash Poppin’,” arrived that summer. A second mixtape, Gangsta Bitch Music, Vol. 2, was released in early 2017.
That same year, Cardi B signed with and scored a hit with the single “Bodak Yellow,” which climbed to the top spot of the Billboard Hot 100 in late September; it made her the first solo female rapper to do so since 1998. Her chart run continued with features on ‘s “No Limit” and ‘ “MotorSport,” two additional Top Ten hits that crowned Cardi as the first female rapper to have her first three entries land in the Top Ten of the Hot 100 and Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs charts. After the release of her single “Bartier Cardi” with , Cardi hopped onto a remix of ‘ “Finesse.” The new jack swing revival track soared to number three in the U.S. and topped charts across the globe. With these singles, Cardi became the first woman in history to have five simultaneous Top Ten singles on the R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart.
Her official debut studio album, Invasion of Privacy, arrived in spring 2018. Including her two breakthrough singles, the effort also featured appearances by (“Drip”), (“Best Life”), (“Ring”), (“I Do”), (“She Bad”), and and on “I Like It.” The latter track was issued as a single and made a steady climb to the top of the Hot 100 in July 2018, making Cardi the first female rapper to achieve two number ones. That summer, she was also featured on hit singles with (“Dinero”) and (“Girls Like You”). To cap her banner year, she was nominated for multiple Grammy Awards and Invasion of Privacy was included on numerous year-end critics’ lists. The album went on to win a Grammy for Best Rap Album, making Cardi the first solo female rapper to achieve the honor. The next year, she was nominated again in the category of Best Rap Performance for her collaboration “Clout.”
In August 2020, she topped the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart with the song “WAP,” a collaboration with . Six months later, Cardi landed another smash hit with 2021’s “Up,” a drill-inspired solo single that earned global success and topped four different Billboard charts. That same year, she contributed to hits by (“Wild Side”) and (“Rumors”) before returning in 2022 with the and collaboration “Hot Shit.” “Bongos,” a second collaboration with , arrived in September 2023 as the fourth single off Cardi’s sophomore album. It landed at number 13 on the Hot 100. That same month, the duo performed the song at the MTV Music Video Awards ceremony. A fifth single, the DJ SwanQo, , and Romano-produced “Enough (Miami),” appeared in March 2024. That same month, Cardi joined for the single “Puntería,” off the “Hips Don’t Lie” singer’s 12th album, Las Mujeres Ya No Lloran. ~ Neil Z. Yeung, Rovi

Nine Inch Nails at Desert Diamond Arena
2026-03-06 19:00 - 23:30 | Desert Diamond Arena, 9400 W Maryland Ave, Glendale, AZ, 85305, United States
Pulling the harsh sounds of industrial rock into the mainstream, Trent Reznor and his band Nine Inch Nails became the face of industrial music in the ’90s with “Head Like a Hole,” “Closer,” and “Hurt” becoming hits and The Downward Spiral (1994) and The Fragile (1999) topping the charts. Nominated for over a dozen Grammys, NIN won Best Metal Performance awards in 1992 and 1996 for two tracks — “Wish” and “Happiness in Slavery” — from their metallic EP Broken. Extending into the 2000s, Reznor maintained his chart success, even as the band’s style shifted to incorporate atmospheric electronic elements influenced by his Oscar-winning film scores. In 2016, after decades as the only official member of the band, he welcomed English producer Atticus Ross — his longtime film scoring partner and bandmate in side project How to Destroy Angels — as NIN’s official second member. Over the next five years, the duo enjoyed a prolific period that saw additional new film scores as well as NIN projects like 2018’s Bad Witch LP and a continuation of their ongoing instrumental Ghosts series which saw two new entries in 2020’s Ghosts V: Together and Ghosts VI: Locusts.
Michael Trent Reznor was born May 17, 1965, in New Castle, Pennsylvania and raised in Mercer, a small town outside Pittsburgh. His parents divorced when he was six and he was raised by his maternal grandparents. As a child, Reznor had already developed a keen interest in music. He learned to play piano, tenor sax, and tuba, playing in his school’s jazz and marching bands while also acting in high-school productions of Jesus Christ Superstar and The Music Man. Outside of the classical sphere, his biggest rock influence was Kiss, whose theatricality and live shows would later inform NIN’s acclaimed stage production. While studying music and computer engineering at local Allegheny College, he was a fleeting member of new wave outfit Option 30, contributing vocals and keyboards before parting ways with the band when he dropped out of school to pursue music full-time. He packed up and moved to Cleveland, Ohio with his friend Chris Vrenna, who later became a founding member of the first incarnation of NIN.
While in Cleveland, Reznor was drawn to new wave and the industrial sounds of Ministry and Skinny Puppy. He gigged around town for a few years, playing in cover band the Urge before joining the Innocent as their keyboardist. The latter band released a single full-length, 1985’s Livin’ in the Street (Red Label Records), before Reznor quit. He soon hooked up with synth pop group Exotic Birds, contributing keys, programming, and backing vocals, while also recruiting Vrenna on drums. Despite their brief run together, Reznor appeared with the band in the 1987 Michael J. Fox/Joan Jett film Light of Day as a fictional band dubbed The Problems. His final roles in the local keyboardist circuit were with pop outfit Slam Bamboo — they issued a single “White Lies”/”Cry Like a Baby” in 1988 — and new wavers Lucky Pierre, whose vocalist Kevin McMahon would later form Prick, one of the first signees to Reznor‘s future record label, Nothing Records.
During these stints, Reznor continued to work on his own material while employed as an assistant engineer and handyman at Cleveland’s Right Track studio. When the shop closed for the day, owner Bart Koster allowed Reznor to use the facilities for free. The seeds from these early recording sessions — on which he played keyboards, drums, guitars, and samplers himself — would grow into Nine Inch Nails’ first demo, Purest Feeling. After making NIN’s live debut as tour openers for Skinny Puppy, Reznor shopped the demo tape around the U.S., landing a deal with indie label TVT Records. Reznor quickly returned to the studio to polish existing Purest Feeling tracks and record some new songs. The result, 1989’s Pretty Hate Machine, presented a dark, synth-soaked vision of industrial that was also hook-heavy and accessible. Combined with a lyrical focus on sex, self-loathing, betrayal, angst, and religion, these attributes would become hallmarks of Reznor‘s early-era material. Pretty Hate Machine only peaked at number 75 on the Billboard 200, but a burgeoning cult following helped maintain its chart presence and sales. Buoyed by radio and MTV airplay for singles “Down in It” and “Head Like a Hole,” it became the first independent release to receive platinum certification to date.
Promotion of Pretty Hate Machine kept the band (then primarily composed of Reznor, Richard Patrick, Chris Vrenna, and various drummers/keyboardists) on the road for years, spreading NIN’s fan base across genre lines by not only opening for Skinny Puppy, but also alternative/goth acts the Jesus and Mary Chain and Peter Murphy of Bauhaus. Their American reach expanded in 1991 when they joined inaugural Lollapalooza tour, playing alongside Siouxsie and the Banshees, Living Colour, Violent Femmes, Rollins Band, Lords of Acid, Jane’s Addiction, and more. Days after the conclusion of Lollapalooza, NIN shipped off to Europe, opening a pair of shows for Guns N’ Roses and penetrating the German industrial market.
When NIN returned to the U.S., Reznor became embroiled in a lengthy legal feud with TVT, which was eager to pump out another, similar-sounding hit album, constricting his creativity in the process. In secret, he signed a new deal with Interscope Records and created the vanity label Nothing Records. The band relocated to a new studio in Los Angeles and began recording a batch of aggressive songs inspired by punk and metal. With production by Flood and drumming by Martin Atkins and Vrenna, the Broken EP landed in September 1992, peaking inside the Top Ten on the Billboard 200. In addition to the Grammy-winning single “Wish,” the effort also included covers of Adam and the Ants‘ “(You’re So) Physical” and Reznor‘s collaboration with Pigface, “Suck.” Reznor enhanced his reputation as a provocateur with a widely banned music video for “Happiness in Slavery,” which depicted S&M performance artist Bob Flanagan being torn apart by a machine. There was also a near-mythical, long-form clip for Broken that was never officially released commercially due to its graphic content (a torture victim is dismembered while viewing NIN videos). Bootleg versions became a prized fan commodity and a remastered version found its way onto the Internet in 2006. The Broken era came to a close with NIN’s first remix EP, Fixed.
Still based in the Los Angeles studio dubbed Le Pig — coincidentally built in the same house where actress Sharon Tate was murdered by Charles Manson‘s followers in 1969 — Reznor began work on the highly anticipated follow-up to Pretty Hate Machine. A concept album centered on the protagonist’s titular descent into self-destruction, The Downward Spiral arrived in March 1994 and debuted at number two. Widely considered to be Reznor‘s masterwork, The Downward Spiral is often cited as one of the most important albums of the ’90s, presenting a bleak, nihilistic version of NIN that would nonetheless break the band into the mainstream. Hit single “Closer” was a staple on both MTV and radio, despite its graphic music video and lyrical content, while “Hurt” became a live fixture for NIN, receiving a second life in 2003 through Johnny Cash‘s stripped-down cover version.
The Downward Spiral was anything but for the band, launching them further into the public consciousness and prompting an industry push for soundalikes Gravity Kills, Stabbing Westward, and Filter on rock radio. NIN promoted the effort with the Self Destruct Tour, which featured Vrenna on drums, James Woolley on keyboards, Robin Finck on guitar, and Danny Lohner on bass. Already a formidable concert presence, NIN’s reputation grew with chaotic performances that often ended in destroyed equipment and serious injuries. That intense commitment to their live show reached into American living rooms in the summer of 1994 with their show-stealing, mud-covered set from Woodstock ’94, which won them another Grammy for the live recording of “Happiness in Slavery.” After the release of the remix album Further Down the Spiral, NIN continued to tour, supported by then-newcomers Marilyn Manson, before joining major influence David Bowie on the co-headlining Dissonance Tour.
During this period, Reznor took his first step into the world of film, assembling the soundtrack to Oliver Stone‘s controversial movie Natural Born Killers, which included the previously unreleased NIN song “Burn,” as well as edits of “Something I Can Never Have” and “A Warm Place.” Another track, a cover of Joy Division‘s “Dead Souls,” was featured on the soundtrack for The Crow. Reznor also contributed vocals to Tori Amos‘ “Past the Mission” from her album Under the Pink.
After the conclusion of the Spiral era, NIN entered a period of hibernation. Although Reznor remained active — producing Marilyn Manson‘s breakthrough sophomore effort, Antichrist Superstar, and contributing the NIN single “The Perfect Drug” to the Reznor-produced soundtrack to David Lynch‘s Lost Highway — a growing case of writer’s block, struggles with drug and alcohol addiction, and public pressure put a hold on album number three. Encamped at the newly constructed Nothing Studios in New Orleans, a reclusive Reznor spent five years crafting that follow-up, which arrived in 1999.
Influenced by the passing of Reznor‘s maternal grandmother, the deterioration of his friendship with Manson, and his increasing addictions, the conceptual double-disc opus The Fragile debuted at the top of the charts and was certified double platinum within months. Meticulously produced by Reznor and Alan Moulder, the album included singles “We’re in This Together,” “The Day the World Went Away,” “Into the Void,” and “Starfuckers, Inc.” The remix LP Things Falling Apart featured interpretations of Fragile tracks, as well as the unreleased “10 Miles High” and Gary Numan cover “Cars.” On the supporting Fragility tour, the NIN lineup featured Reznor, Finck, and Lohner, as well as newcomers Charlie Clouser on keyboards and Jerome Dillon on drums. That trek spawned a tour documentary titled And All That Could Have Been, which was accompanied by a live recording and limited-edition EP, Still, which featured stripped-down versions of NIN deep cuts, as well as previously unreleased recordings from the era.
Toward the end of the Fragile years, Reznor entered rehab after an unexpected overdose in London, putting NIN on hold until they returned in 2005. Sober and refocused, Reznor inaugurated this new chapter with an equally hungry release, fourth LP With Teeth.
Unlike prior albums, With Teeth traded gloom, frustration, and pain for outward aggression, matured emotions, and Reznor‘s first attempts at sociopolitical commentary, also marking a turning point for NIN that informed the vocal delivery, production, and collaborative spirit of the band into the next decade. In addition to production by Reznor and Moulder, the taut set featured programming by Atticus Ross and live percussion by Dave Grohl. In addition to being the band’s second straight number one, With Teeth also included a trio of chart-topping singles: “The Hand That Feeds,” “Only,” and “Every Day Is Exactly the Same.” A lengthy tour — featuring the lineup of Reznor, bassist Jeordie White (aka Marilyn Manson‘s Twiggy Ramirez), keyboardist Alessandro Cortini, guitarist Aaron North, and drummers Josh Freese/Jerome Dillon — accompanied the release, documented on 2007’s Beside You in Time.
While the first decade of NIN’s existence was marked by mystery and long periods of silence between major releases, the reinvigorated outfit began churning out material in earnest after With Teeth. In early 2007, a multimedia promotional effort was rolled out to earnest fans who deciphered clues found on T-shirts, websites, and strategically placed USB drives placed hidden throughout Europe. Part of a high-concept alternate reality game, they revealed a fictional story of a future dystopian America and a burgeoning resistance movement, all of which was inspired by George W. Bush‘s presidency and the post-9/11 Iraq invasion. This overtly political concept was at the core of Year Zero, which arrived in April on Interscope Records. Delving deeper into digital soundscapes, Reznor was once again joined by Ross, who was promoted from assistant to producer (a position he would hold until becoming an official member of NIN a decade later). The promotional tour took the band through Europe, Australia, the U.S., and Asia, notable for featuring NIN’s first stop in mainland China at the Beijing Pop Festival that September. While a television show and movie were planned to accompany the Year Zero story, those never came to fruition. The album cycle closed with Year Zero Remixed, which featured reinterpretations by Ladytron, Bill Laswell, the Faint, and rapper Saul Williams, whose third effort, 2007’s The Inevitable Rise and Liberation of NiggyTardust!, was produced by Reznor.
During this prolific period, NIN also released the four-part ambient instrumental album Ghosts I-IV — released on Reznor‘s new label, The Null Corporation — as well as the surprise album The Slip. Both 2008 efforts were available for free in their digital formats. While The Slip charted outside the Top Ten on the Billboard 200 and the single “Discipline” became another rock chart hit, Ghosts was nominated for a pair of Grammy Awards (and the track “34 Ghosts IV” would crash the mainstream in an interesting way in 2019). Continuing the direct-to-fans approach, NIN later provided live footage from their accompanying Lights in the Sky tour to online fans, who stitched the pieces together to create a documentary dubbed Another Version of the Truth.
The next year, NIN embarked on another trek, the forebodingly dubbed Wave Goodbye tour. When the journey concluded, the band entered an official extended hiatus, during which time Reznor and Ross focused on film scores for director David Fincher (2010’s Oscar-winning The Social Network, 2011’s The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, and 2014’s Gone Girl). The pair also formed a side project with Reznor‘s wife, Mariqueen Maandig, called How to Destroy Angels. Essentially NIN with a female vocalist, the outfit released a pair of EPs in 2010 and 2012, as well as a full-length album in 2013. Months after the conclusion of their first tour, NIN returned with their eighth album.
The Grammy-nominated Hesitation Marks (Columbia/The Null Corporation) was issued in August 2013. Produced by Reznor, Ross, and Moulder, it debuted at number three on the charts and included the Top Ten single “Came Back Haunted” as well as “Copy of A” and “Everything.” Guest collaborators on the album included Pino Palladino, Lindsey Buckingham, and Adrian Belew. The ensuing Tension arena tour featured backup vocalists Lisa Fischer and Sharlotte Gibson alongside another revamped lineup that included Reznor, Finck, Cortini, Palladino, drummer Ilan Rubin, and guitarist Josh Eustis. NIN extended the Hesitation Marks cycle into 2014 with a co-headlining tour with fellow ’90s mainstays Soundgarden. That same year, NIN were nominated for induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
The following year, NIN began the rollout of remastered reissues of past albums. The Fragile appeared in instrumental form exclusively on a streaming platform, with an accompanying collection of instrumental, alternate, and unreleased songs collected as The Fragile: Deviations 1. After the completion of scores for Before the Flood and Patriots Day, Reznor announced a multi-year project that resulted in a NIN EP/short album trilogy, which started with late 2016’s Not the Actual Events. A return to the abrasive industrial of the band’s earlier days, the five-song set featured the brooding track “She’s Gone Away” and special guests Mariqueen Maandig, Dave Grohl, and Dave Navarro. Also, after decades of NIN liner notes reading “Nine Inch Nails is Trent Reznor,” it was announced that Ross had become a permanent member of the band.
In the summer of 2017, the second installment of the series arrived. Add Violence debuted in the Top 20 and spawned the radio hit “Less Than,” which climbed the Mainstream Rock and Alternative Songs charts. A year later, the trilogy ended with Bad Witch, which was officially issued as the band’s ninth album. Notable for lead single “God Break Down the Door” — featuring jazz saxophone and Reznor singing with a Bowie-esque croon — Bad Witch also included vocals from the Cult‘s Ian Astbury and Mariqueen Maandig on “Shit Mirror.” In support of the effort, NIN embarked on a 2018 tour dubbed Cold and Black and Infinite, which reunited Reznor with the Jesus and Mary Chain after opening for them almost three decades prior.
In 2019, NIN experienced a pop culture resurgence, reaching a fresh audience through some unlikely sources. In addition to a savvy pairing with Captain Marvel — which saw the titular superhero donning a vintage NIN shirt throughout much of the film — the band returned to the charts through a clever cover (a pop makeover of “Head Like a Hole” called “On a Roll,” which was performed by fictional pop star Ashley O, depicted by Miley Cyrus) and a strategic sample (Lil Nas X‘s use of “34 Ghosts IV” in his record-breaking hit single “Old Town Road,” which later made Reznor and Ross Country Music Award winners). To close the year, the pair crafted a trio of very NIN-esque scores for the HBO series Watchmen.
At the start of the 2020s, as the world was in the grip of a global pandemic, NIN revived their Ghosts series with the sequels Ghosts V: Together and Ghosts VI: Locusts, nearly two-dozen additions to the series inspired by the need for connection in an uncertain time. NIN were also inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame as part of the Class of 2020 (by Iggy Pop no less), which would be celebrated years later as the pandemic eased. In the interim, Reznor and Ross won another Oscar for their score to the animated film Soul, hopped onto HEALTH‘s song “Isn’t Everyone,” and produced Halsey‘s Grammy-nominated If I Can’t Have Love, I Want Power. In 2022, NIN were finally able to celebrate their Rock Hall induction with a historic hometown show in Cleveland that featured a surprise encore featuring Richard Patrick, Chris Vrenna, Danny Lohner, Alessandro Cortini, Robin Finck, Ilan Rubin, and Charlie Clouser. In addition to performing a selection of early NIN classics, they even performed Filter‘s “Hey Man Nice Shot.”
While NIN remained quiet through 2023, Reznor and Ross appeared on Fever Ray‘s “Even It Out” from Radical Romantics and they crafted scores for Bones and All, Empire of Light, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem, The Killer, and Challengers. ~ Neil Z. Yeung, Rovi

BOYS NOIZE (Alex Ridha) builds worlds, then builds bridges between them. Propelled by an infatuation with sonic invention and a prescience for subculture, the German-Iraqi artist, DJ and producer has developed a peerless practice that is both deeply informed by electronic music history and determinedly transcending conventions. As an international festival headliner and A-list producer, BOYS NOIZE embodies the transformation and expansion of 21st century techno, house and electro into the current zeitgeist, and he has the GRAMMY win to prove it. Yet as a Berliner and lifelong DJ, he remains dedicated to the underground, regularly flexing the decks at techno meccas and experimenting through a multiplicity of multi-genre aliases. Some fans find BOYS NOIZE through his productions for A$AP ROCKY and FRANK OCEAN, or his film scores for OLIVER STONE’s “Snowden”; through his house hit “Mvinline”, or his collaborative projects OCTAVE MINDS and DOG BLOOD with SKRILLEX, as well as an EP and OFF-WHITE capsule collection with VIRGIL ABLOH; through his remixes for DAFT PUNK, YEAH YEAH YEAHs and DEPECHE MODE, his features with RICO NASTY, PUSSY RIOT and KELSEY LU, or reworks of SHYGIRL, SEGA BODEGA and SOPHIE; through this year’s blazing run of 140+ bpm techno tracks and remixes, or the massive “Fine Day Anthem” with SKRILLEX. BOYS NOIZE’s most important collaboration of all, however, is with the ravers that join him across the globe from basements to warehouses to the main stage.

Black Label Society at Arizona Financial Theatre
2026-03-10 19:30 - 23:30 | Arizona Financial Theatre, 400 W Washington St, Phoenix, AZ, 85004, United States
Black Label Society bandleader wields his guitar like a Viking weapon, bashing out thick riffage and squeezing out expressive squeals as if the glory of his Berserker brotherhood depends upon every single note, which of course, it does. Charismatic beast and consummate showman, Wylde puts his massive heart and earnest soul on display with unbridled, unchained, animalistic passion in Black Label Society, whether it’s a crushingly heavy blues-rock barnstormer or a piano-driven ode to a fallen brother. Each Black Label Society album is another opportunity to top the one before it, but like AC/DC or The Rolling Stones, BLS isn’t here to reinvent the wheel. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. It’s a brand we can trust. Mighty missives like , , , , and have amassed millions of downloads and streams. They are the soundtracks to sweat soaked revelry, jubilant evenings that descend into bewildering mornings, and adrenaline fueled sports. , the band’s tenth full-length studio album and follow-up to Billboard Top 5 entries and , Black Label Society submit new anthems like the bluesy and Southern-fried to the BLS faithful; 12 unstoppable tracks to add to that lifestyle soundtrack.

Dark Chapel, fronted by guitarist/singer Dario Lorina (Black Label Society), blends precise guitar work, sludgy grooves, melodic hooks with bluesy touches and grunge allure. Dark Chapel’s 2025 debut LP, *Spirit in the Glass* (MNRK Heavy), balances heavy, ethereal, and passionate elements.
Dario Lorina began his professional career at 16 as the touring guitarist with the late Jani Lane (ex-Warrant) and later joined Lizzy Borden. In 2014 he notably joined Black Label Society, logging thousands of miles on the road with the band, shredding alongside Zakk Wylde on 2021’s Doom Crew Inc. and accompanied the Black Label Society mastermind and six-string legend on the cover of Guitar World. Dario also unleashed two instrumental solo albums through Shrapnel Records, namely Dario Lorina (2013) and Death Grip Tribulations (2017) before assembling Dark Chapel in 2024.
The album’s first single, “Glass Heart,” combines gritty vocals and searing riffs, while “Hollow Smile” explores internal battles with thrash-inspired rhythms. Other tracks like “Corpse Flower” evoke gothic imagery, and “Dead Weight” delivers emotional blues. “All That Remains” pays tribute to a lost friend, and “Bullet In Our Chamber” channels Bukowski’s idea of being consumed by passion. Dark Chapel’s debut captivates with raw emotion and dynamic storytelling

Snow Tha Product at The Van Buren
2026-03-20 20:00 - 23:30 | The Van Buren, 401 W Van Buren St, Phoenix, AZ, 85003
Singer, rapper and actress are just a few of the many ways you can begin to describe musical powerhouse, Snow Tha Product. Born Claudia Feliciano, the Grammy nominated bilingual rapper has garnered massive recognition following her bright melodic hits, collaborative projects and heavy social media presence. Born in San Jose and raised in San Diego, the rapper first emerged into the public eye, after capturing the attention of Latin pop artist Jaime Kohen who featured her on his 2009 hit “Alguien.” Pushing her musical career even further, she signed with major-label Atlantic in 2013 where she released hits, “Play” “Doing Fine,” and “Hola”. In 2016, Snow her eight-track EP, Half Way There and was featured on The Hamilton Mixtape along with rappers K’naan, Riz MC, and Residente on the track “Immigrants (We Get the Job Done)” which music video won a VMA in 2017. Since then, she has released hits “Bilingue,” “Say Bitch” and her most recent viral track “BZRP Music Sessions #39” alongside Argentine DJ BZRP has garnered over 147 million views and a Latin Grammy nomination. Snow’s song “Esto No A Terminando” was featured in the blockbuster film The Forever Purge and she recently just collaborated with the multi talented rapper Ludacris and producer Drumma Boy on “I Said What I Said.” Along with a trailblazing musical career, Snow has garnered massive recognition through her YouTube vlog everydaydays and starring role as “Lil’ T” on USA Network’s massive hit Queen of the South

Puscifer at Arizona Financial Theatre
2026-03-21 20:00 - 23:30 | Arizona Financial Theatre, 400 W Washington St, Phoenix, AZ, 85004, United States
Puscifer is a band of three creative confidants, namely Mat Mitchell, Carina Round, and Maynard James Keenan, who fuse music, performance, and visual art into a singular experience. Over the years, Puscifer has carved an indelible mark on the cultural landscape, releasing a series of acclaimed albums, selling out famed venues, appearing on the lineups of Coachella, Bonnaroo, and other major festivals, and even curating their own touring festival, Sessanta. They’ve provided what was essentially the soundtrack to the first season of “Yellowstone,” and their albums regularly land on the top 30 of the Billboard Top 200. They’ve made memorable appearances on “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” and the “The Late Show,” bringing their signature blend of precision, wit, and theatricality to late night television.
Puscifer has also welcomed a revolving door of collaborators, from musicians like Greg Edwards, Gunnar Olsen, and Sarah Jones to remixers including Trent Reznor, Atticus Ross, Phantogram, and Sir Mix-A-Lot, as well as actors Bob Odenkirk and Milla Jovovich. It’s also a universe for the (mis)adventures of original characters: Billy D, (his wife) Hildy Berger, Major Douche, and Special Agent Dick Merkin. More than a band, Puscifer is a creative ecosystem; a boundary-pushing collective where sound, story, and spectacle collide

Dave Hill is a comedian, writer, actor, and musician. He has appeared on Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, Joe Pera Talks with You, Inside Amy Schumer, @midnight, Full Frontal with Samantha Bee, The Tick and The Jim Gaffigan Show among others. Dave has also starred in his own TV series, The King of Miami, on the MOJO Network, which was cancelled even though Dave really liked it.
Dave is a regular contributor to public radio’s This American Life and Live from Here with Chris Thile and also hosted his own radio show, The Goddamn Dave Hill Show, on WFMU in Jersey City, New Jersey for five years. Dave also hosts the podcasts Dave Hill’s Podcasting Incident, So…You’re Canadian, and History Fluffer. Dave performs live comedy in theaters, prisons, and basements all over the world.
Dave plays guitar and sings in his own rock band, Valley Lodge, whose song “Go” is the theme song for HBO’s Last Week Tonight with John Oliver in addition to fronting Painted Doll with Chris Reifert (Autopsy, Death). He is also the founding member of Witch Taint (go to www.theblackmetaldialogues.com for more info).
Dave has written for The New York Times, The Paris Review, Salon, GQ, and McSweeney’s among other publications, and is author of three books, Parking the Moose (2019 Doubleday Canada/Penguin Random House), Dave Hill Doesn’t Live Here Anymore (2016 Blue Rider Press, and Tasteful Nudes:…and Other Misguided Attempts at Personal Growth and Validation (2012 St. Martin’s Press).

Snoop Dogg at Gila River Resort & Casino
2026-03-21 20:00 - 23:30 | Wild Horse Pass, 5040 Wild Horse Pass Blvd, Chandler, AZ, 85226, United States
One of the most iconic figures to emerge from the early-’90s G-funk era, Snoop Dogg has evolved beyond his gangsta rap beginnings to become a lovable pop culture fixture with forays into television, movies, football coaching, and wrestling while expanding his musical reach far beyond his primary genre. Introduced through ‘s Top Five rap hit “Deep Cover” (1992), Snoop quickly became one of the most famous stars in rap, partially due to his drawled, laconic rhyming, and the realistic violence implied in his lyrics. His own Doggystyle (1993) become the first rap debut album to enter the Billboard 200 at number one, and featured the Top Ten pop hits “What’s My Name” and “Gin and Juice.” After the popularity of gangsta rap waned in the late ’90s, he proved himself to be a masterful chameleon, riding his pot-loving image in various directions that helped buoy his career through the 2000s. His biggest hits as a lead artist during the first decade of the 21st century included “Beautiful” (2003) and the chart-topping “Drop It Like It’s Hot” (2004), and he was also featured on a slew of major hits by fellow rappers, R&B crooners, and pop groups alike. The 2010s saw him branch out into reggae (2013’s Reincarnated), house (as a DJ), and gospel (2018’s Bible of Love), but he has remained hip-hop at his core, releasing projects in the 2020s such as The Algorithm (2021), his first album as executive creative consultant for , and BODR (2022), which marked a return to , his first label home. In 2024, Snoop released his 20th studio album, the -produced Missionary.
Nicknamed Snoop by his mother because of his appearance, Calvin Broadus was raised in Long Beach, California, where he frequently had trouble with the law. Not long after his high school graduation, he was arrested for possession of cocaine, beginning a period of three years when he was often imprisoned. He found escape from a life of crime through music. Snoop began recording homemade tapes with his friend , who happened to be the stepbrother of ‘s . gave a tape to , who was considerably impressed with Snoop’s style, and began collaborating with the rapper.
When decided to make his tentative first stab at a solo career in 1992 with the theme song for the film Deep Cover, he had Snoop rap with him. “Deep Cover” started a buzz about Snoop that escalated into full-fledged mania when released his own debut album, The Chronic, on late in 1992. Snoop rapped on The Chronic as much as , and his drawled vocals were as important to the record’s success as its P-Funk-inspired bass grooves. ‘s singles “Nuthin’ But a ‘G’ Thang” and “Dre Day,” which prominently featured Snoop, became Top Ten pop crossover hits in the spring of 1993, setting the stage for Snoop’s much-anticipated debut album, Doggystyle. While he was recording the album with in August, Snoop was arrested in connection with the drive-by shooting death of Phillip Woldermarian. According to the charges, the rapper’s bodyguard, McKinley Lee, shot Woldermarian as Snoop drove the vehicle; the rapper claimed it was self-defense, alleging that the victim was stalking Snoop. Following a performance at the MTV Music Awards in September 1993, he turned himself in to authorities.
After many delays, Doggystyle was finally released on in November of 1993, and it became the first rap debut album to enter the charts at number one. Despite reviews that claimed the album was a carbon copy of The Chronic, the Top Ten singles “What’s My Name?” and “Gin & Juice” kept Doggystyle at the top of the charts during early 1994, as did the considerable controversy over Snoop’s arrest and his lyrics, which were considered exceedingly violent and sexist. During an English tour in the spring of 1994, tabloids and a Tory minister pleaded for the government to kick the rapper out of the country, largely based on his arrest. Snoop exploited his impending trial by shooting a short film based on the Doggystyle song “Murder Was the Case” and releasing an accompanying soundtrack, which debuted at number one in 1994. By that time, Doggystyle had gone quadruple platinum.
Snoop spent much of 1995 preparing for the case, which finally went to trial late in the year. In February 1996, he was cleared of all charges and began working on his second album, this time without as producer. Nevertheless, when The Doggfather was finally released in November 1996, it bore all the evidence of a -produced G-funk record. The album was greeted with mixed reviews, and it initially sold well, but it failed to produce a hit along the lines of “What’s My Name?” or “Gin & Juice.” Part of the reason for the moderate success of The Doggfather was the decline of gangsta rap. , who had become a friend of Snoop’s during 1996, died weeks before the release of The Doggfather, and had left to his partner Suge Knight, who was indicted on racketeering charges by the end of 1996. Consequently, Snoop’s second album got lost in the shuffle, stalling at sales of two million, which was disappointing for a superstar.
Perhaps sensing something was wrong, Snoop began to revamp his public image, moving away from his gangsta roots toward a calmer lyrical aesthetic. He also began making gestures toward the rock community, signing up to tour with Lollapalooza 1997 and talking about two separate collaborations with and . The solo Da Game Is to Be Sold Not to Be Told, Snoop’s first effort on , followed in 1998; No Limit Top Dogg appeared a year later, and Dead Man Walkin’ the year after that. Tha Last Meal followed in December of that same year. The heavy release schedule resulted in varying musical quality from album to album, but by the turn of the century, Snoop had become such a cultural phenomenon that his albums became almost secondary to the personality behind them. An autobiography appeared in 2001, followed by a stream of movie roles in several high-profile pictures. Late in 2002, Snoop released his first album for , Paid tha Cost to Be da Bo$$. He then switched to for 2004’s R&G (Rhythm & Gangsta): The Masterpiece. The hit album spawned Snoop’s first number one single, the -produced “Drop It Like It’s Hot,” as well as the hit “Signs” with and . R&G was followed a year later by Welcome to tha Chuuch: Da Album, a collection of tracks from the Welcome to the Chuuch mixtape series. That same year, he hosted a West Coast peace summit in hopes of squashing all beefs.
In 2006, he appeared on ‘s Cali Iz Active and ‘s Laugh Now, Cry Later. Toward the end of the year, the intentionally leaked “My Peoples” freestyle appeared. The track paid tribute to many of those involved in Cali’s Latin rap community, so it was no big surprise when “Vato,” with ‘s , became his next album’s lead-off single. The hard and very G-funk Tha Blue Carpet Treatment triumphantly capped off a year of heavy West Coast activity. In late 2007, he recruited two hip-hop veterans — new jack swing legend and West Coast hero — and formed the production team QDT Muzic. The team oversaw Snoop’s 2008 album, Ego Trippin’, which included the single “Sensual Seduction.”
In 2009, he issued Malice N Wonderland, the maiden release of a new alliance with the reactivated label, which also signed him on as its creative chairman. He promoted the album a couple months prior to its street date when he hosted the live wrestling television broadcast WWE Raw. A year later, the CD/DVD set More Malice rounded up some odds and ends from the album and packaged them with a DVD featuring the Malice N Wonderland short film. He maintained his mainstream image with a star appearance on ‘s “California Gurls,” nabbing Snoop his third number one on the Billboard Hot 100. In 2011, he released Doggumentary, an album he considered the sequel to his classic debut. The record featured production from the likes of Swizz Beats, DJ Khalil, and Scott Storch, with guest artists including , , , and . Also arriving that same year was a feature film with , Mac + Devin Go to High School, along with its accompanying soundtrack.
After a 2012 trip to Jamaica, Snoop Dogg returned rechristened as , and with the help of producer , he released his first all-reggae album, Reincarnated, on in 2013. Another name change came later in the year when he became Snoopzilla and joined modern funkster for the project/album 7 Days of Funk. He returned to Snoop Dogg in 2015 when he partnered with for the hip-hop effort Bush. The album included the single “Peaches N Cream” and featured guest appearances from , , , and . Coolaid, a back-to-basics effort for which served as executive producer, was released in 2016. That same year, Snoop teamed up with Martha Stewart for VH1’s Martha & Snoop’s Potluck Dinner Party, a variety show that featured bits with guest actors and performances by hip-hop musical guests. The show aired into 2017, the same year that Snoop issued the simultaneously nostalgic and in-the-moment Neva Left, which referenced classics by and .
For his 16th set, Snoop once again changed course, this time dipping into the gospel world for 2018’s Snoop Dogg Presents Bible of Love. The collection featured guests from both the gospel and hip-hop worlds, topping the Billboard Gospel Albums chart upon release. A year later, Snoop returned to the streets for his 17th album, I Wanna Thank Me, a nostalgic set that celebrated his legacy while asserting his enduring place in contemporary hip-hop. In addition to guests and , the LP also included an appearance by the late . In 2020, while locked down in quarantine due to the global threat of COVID-19, Snoop released the restless single “I Wanna Go Outside,” setting his feelings of housebound frustration and concerns for the world’s health to a funky, old-school instrumental. The swaggering “C.E.O.” appeared in early 2021 on From tha Streets 2 tha Suites, a brief set which included appearances by , , and , and was released on April 20. Snoop was hired as ‘s executive creative consultant in June, and his first album with the label, The Algorithm, appeared in November. The sprawling set included guests such as , , , , and dozens of others. Snoop offered yet another album only four months later. The February 2022 release of BODR — short for “Bacc on Death Row” — coincided with Snoop acquiring the trademark rights to the label that issued his first two albums. 2022 also brought the debut album from supergroup , which included California rap legends Snoop, , , and . The appropriately named album Snoop Cube 40 $hort was first released via blockchain, but later found its way to streaming services with additional material. Snoop’s next solo effort was the 2024 album Missionary, his 20th album and one that reunited him with producer . As the duo neared the 30th anniversary of 1993’s groundbreaking Doggystyle, Missionary returned to the thick, party-focused, G-funk sound of Snoop’s earliest albums. Missionary included guest appearances from , , , , and , just to name a few. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine & Neil Z. Yeung, Rovi

BAD OMENS - Do You Feel Love North American Tour at Desert Diamond Arena
2026-03-24 19:00 - 23:30 | Desert Diamond Arena, 9400 W Maryland Ave, Glendale, AZ, 85305, United States
Bad Omens exceed boundaries on their self-titled full-length debut for Sumerian Records. It’s something of a mission statement for the Los Angeles-based quintet—Noah Sebastian [vocals], Nicholas Ryan [guitar], Joakim “Jolly” Karlsson [guitar], Vincent Riquier [bass], and Nick Folio [drums].
“We tried to spread awareness about being open minded when it comes to heavy music,” exclaims Noah. “We wanted to go beyond the realm of heavy and incorporate everything from industrial to soundtrack-style moments.”
It’s a goal that Noah’s possessed since first writing for what would become Bad Omens in 2013. The Richmond, VA native logged time in a prominent local band, but he wanted to focus on his own artistic vision. He wrote and recorded a handful of solo songs without mentioning a word to anybody. When it came time to recruit other players, he linked up with old friend Nicholas. He added another buddy Vincent who introduced him to “Jolly”—all the way in Sweden. Nick joined last after submitting a cover online.
“The band started as me and two of my close friends and two other guys I’d never even met outside of Face Time or Skype,” he smiles. “This music just spoke to everyone, and we felt a bond.”
It also spoke to Sumerian Records who offered Bad Omens a deal in 2015 based off the strength of the demos and songwriting. The guys spent months rehearsing in Nick’s basement before hitting the studio with Will Putney [Upon A Burning Body, The Amity Affliction, Body Count] to record the album.
“We chose Will because he specializes in a more raw sound,” Noah goes on. “It’s not over-produced. It’s real.”
Early 2016 saw the group unveil the single “The Worst In Me.” With its jagged riffs, sweeping harmonies, and towering chorus, the track immediately set the internet ablaze, racking up over 860,000 views on YouTube in less than a month.
“For me personally, it’s about a very intense and unhealthy relationship I was in, but we wrote it in a format that’s universal to all bad habits,” he says. “More specifically, it’s something you can’t let go of even though it’s not good for you—whether it’s a relationship, a drug problem, or terrible situation. You’re addicted.”
On the other end of the spectrum, the record concludes with the sprawling epic “The Fountain.” Tempering an industrialized hum and sweeping soundscapes punctuated by flutes and booming war drums, Alternative Press debuted the cinematic music video.
“We watched The Fountain with Hugh Jackman while we were recording,” he goes on. “It’s a sci-fi thriller romance with an insane plot and 3 different universes. The romantic aspect resonated with me. It’s unique for us and metal at large, because we’re using a lot of atypical instruments.”
Over the past year, Bad Omens has amassed a diehard following, delivering live alongside everyone from Born of Osiris and After the Burial to Veil of Maya, Upon a Burning Body, and Erra. Now, they’re ready to break more ground.
“I want people to feel inspired the way I do when I listen to music, because I’m listening all day,” Noah leaves off. “I want to share that inspiration to do something different.”

President, arguably heavy metal’s biggest breakout band of 2025, are working on their debut album.
The masked project’s anonymous frontman says that he’s written four songs already, with three of them being among the best things he’s ever done.

He also reveals that the music will build upon the groundwork set by this year’s EP King Of Terrors while exploring new territory.
“I’m writing a full-length album,” Mr President tells us. “I’ve got four songs written already, and I’d say three of those are the best I’ve ever written. This album is going to be an evolution. It takes bits of the EP, and it’s pushing certain elements even further. Obviously music is subjective, so people might not agree, but I am my fiercest critic – if I love it, that’s a great start.”
President have had a 2025 for the history books, having not even been a band at the start of the year. Their existence was first revealed when they were added to the poster of Download festival in February. After that, they launched a mysterious countdown and released a string of singles, starting with In The Name Of The Father in May. When they played Download in June, they performed in front of a packed-out Dogtooth tent.
King Of Terrors was self-released in September and received mixed-to-positive reviews.

The fearlessly determined and creative Ohio-based powerhouse perfected a sound sought by a generation of bands, equal parts solitary musical confession and celebratory exorcism. BEARTOOTH music is an outright refusal to suffer in silence, weaponizing radio-ready bombast to deliver raw emotion mixed with noise-rock chaos. They combine hard rock and hardcore in a way that’s smart, lean, melodic, and irresistible, without apology. After over 900 million streams from songs like “The Past is Dead,” “Fed Up,” and “In Between”, in addition to the band’s fourth album, Below, topping charts and finding its way into Best Rock/Metal Albums of the Year in 2021, Rolling Stone introduced BEARTOOTH as one of 10 New Artists You Need To Know. The 2013 Sick EP was an emotionally stranded Shomo’s “message in a bottle,” tossed into a figurative ocean. Disgusting (2014), Aggressive (2016), Disease (2018), and Below (2021) expanded those themes of desperation, each sonically getting a step closer to the magical balance between the blood, sweat, and tears of classic recordings and the smooth gloss of modern production. Their latest single “Riptide” is the culmination of that battle: a furiously courageous song of self-empowerment serving as a victory lap to memorialize a struggle with mental health and self-acceptance, which has defined so much of BEARTOOTH since its inception. BEARTOOTH offers no cure, but the recovery comes in the process; the journey is the destination. So enjoy the ride.

Bob Moses & Cannons: Afterglow Tour at Arizona Financial Theatre
2026-03-31 19:30 - 23:30 | Arizona Financial Theatre, 400 W Washington St, Phoenix, AZ, 85004, United States
Bob Moses, the Vancouver-bred duo of Tom Howie and Jimmy Vallance, came to life in the Brooklyn underground scene in 2012. Early single releases on taste-making label Scissor & Thread led to signing with Domino and the late 2015 release of their debut Days Gone By.
Meshing guitar licks, a moody smolder and a dash of dance-floor ambience with lyrical depth and classic songwriting, the duo created a sound that appeals equally to club goers and rock music fans. Translating their sound seamlessly to the live performance realm, years of nonstop global touring -including appearances at every major festival from Glastonbury and Coachella, to Lollapalooza and beyond -cemented the duo’s live reputation and repeated recognition as Resident Advisor’s Best Live Act. A standout performance on The Ellen Show, a pair of nominations at both the Junos and the Grammys (and a Grammy win), and a top 15 US Alternative radio hit with “Tearing Me Up,” have further sealed the band’s burgeoning mainstream success.
2018’s Battle Lines met with praise upon release, found the duo expanding their sonic palette, embracing their most inventive instincts and infusing their lyrics with a more outward-looking perspective and was named one of Billboard’s “Best Electronic Albums of 2018.”
Now, with the world in quarantine, Bob Moses has been connecting with fans through weekly livestream sets dubbed the “BobCast” and with the summer 2020 release Desire including the title track collaboration with ZHU.

Los Angeles-based trio Cannons, comprised of Michelle Joy (vocals), Ryan Clapham (lead guitar), and Paul Davis (drums, keys), have established themselves as one of electro-pop’s most compelling modern acts. Through their seamless blend of hypnotic synth-craft, atmospheric production, and evocative lyricism, the group has amassed over 1.4 billion global streams, a performance on Jimmy Kimmel Live!, major festival slots, and sold-out headline shows under their belt. With all this success it would be reasonable to take their foot off the gas but Cannons is ready to take the next step in their musical journey with their entrancing fifth album, Everything Glows. Everything Glows radiates a strong sense of camaraderie between the band, who bear witness to one another through travails and triumphs and highs and lows of the past few years. The record’s 11 songs navigate heartbreak and codependence, brokenness and, ultimately, liberation, spotlighting a group that found new ways to move forward and absolute excitement in both the process and its results. Everything Glows is Cannons, cutting itself free.

Lamb of God at Arizona Financial Theatre
2026-04-05 19:00 - 23:30 | Arizona Financial Theatre, 400 W Washington St, Phoenix, AZ, 85004, United States
With more than 25 years at the forefront of heavy music, Lamb Of God have become one of metal’s most enduring and influential forces. Rising from their underground beginnings as to five Grammy nominations and over two million albums sold, the Richmond, VA band has maintained a fierce punk ethos while operating at metal’s highest level.
Their tenth album, , finds Lamb of God fully embracing their status as veterans with nothing to prove. Drawing from every era of their career, the record fuses their signature groove-driven aggression with expanded dynamics and new sonic textures. Guitarist describes the album as creatively unrestrained—honoring the band’s roots while pushing forward without limits.
Songs like the explosive lead single “ ” and the brutal “Blunt Force Blues” pay tribute to the early ’90s Richmond underground that shaped the band, while lamenting the loss of regional identity in modern music culture. Elsewhere, the apocalyptic title track delivers a blistering vision of societal collapse, and “El Vacio” reveals a more atmospheric, melodic side.
Lyrically, vocalist confronts themes of social decay, personal responsibility, and the erosion of the social contract. Produced by longtime collaborator Josh Wilbur and recorded across legendary studios, stands as a powerful statement of creative freedom from a band still evolving, still dangerous, and still essential.

Struggle spurs strength. Trials and tribulations mold and fortify character. Embodying these truths, Kublai Khan turn hardships into hypnotic and heavy metalcore upheld by nimble metallic fury and pit-splitting spirit on their fourth full-length offering, Absolute [Rise Records].
“A lot of the record is about our struggle with what we do and the fact we’ve been doing this for over a decade, hit a lot of roadblocks, ate a lot of shit, and still kept going,” exclaims frontman Matt Honeycutt. “We’ve done far more than we ever expected, so it’s always about picking yourself up, dusting yourself off, and letting nothing get you down. You have the opportunity to take responsibility for what you do wrong and right. We’re spinning the negative into a positive.”
The Sherman, TX quartet—Matt [vocals], Nolan Ashley [guitar, vocals], Eric English [bass], and Isaac Lamb [drums]—quietly emerged as a fiery force since their 2008 formation straight out of high school. They built a devout following through airtight consistency on Balancing Survival and Happiness [2014], New Strength [2015], and Nomad [2017]. The latter impressively tallied over 6 million cumulative streams with “The Hammer” surpassing 2.6 million on Spotify and “Antpile” exceeding 1.1 million. Meanwhile, acclaim came from Metal Hammer, Alternative Press, New Noise, and more as the boys toured relentlessly.
In early 2019, they retreated to New Jersey and hit the studio with longtime collaborator, engineer, and producer Randy LaBoeuf to record what would become Absolute. Taking advantage of a full month to create, they changed up the process, recording the drums last for the first time. Additionally, Randy provided space for Matt to hone his voice.
These techniques enriched the sonic punch.
“Everything could be folded around the drums, and it made for a better vision, to be honest,” continues Matt. “That’s how Randy records bands now. It allowed us to have more space to think. We were able to shape everything into exactly what we wanted. It was a game changer. The best thing about this record was the learning curve we experienced.”
The first single “Self-Destruct” showcases their evolution. Underpinned by airtight riffing, the track steamrolls through eerie samples and guttural growls before subsiding on a bashing reprieve of lone bass and drums.
“The polarization between everyday citizens in our country is unlike anything I’ve ever experienced,” he sighs. “In person, we can have discussions and logical conversations as friends. On social media, it’s incredibly toxic. They’re going for each other’s necks 24/7. If we keep going, we’re going to self-destruct. Everyone is a ticking time bomb. You can’t do or say anything without somebody taking offence. We need to calm down, back off, listen to each other, come together, and understand it’s okay for us to be different. That makes our country beautiful. Canceling conversation is dangerous.”
Elsewhere, “Boomslang” tosses and turns between a distorted chug, searing scream, and pensive lyrics about “touring in general, how difficult it can be on your nerves, and the internal warfare of what we do.” Then, there’s “The Truest Love.” It urges for preservation of the family unit as Matt barks, “You call yourself a man, but you just leave…just protect your young!”
“It concerns my qualms with the current state of male responsibility,” he states. “You see so many guys run out on their kids. They don’t stop to realize they helped create another life. You can’t say you’re a man and just abandon your family. It’s my irritation with how normal it’s becoming for the breakdown of the family unit to occur. Everything comes down to responsibility, self-love, and love of your family.”
In the end, Kublai Khan’s music siphons power from pain on Absolute.
“We put a lot into the record,” Matt leaves off. “There are so many different tones and lyrical aspects. It really shows how far we’ve come. I hope people connect and get something good from it. We’ll keep going no matter what.”

The crushing music of Fit For An Autopsy is for any fan of extreme metal, its sound and fury is absolutely unflinching in purpose. The band expertly blends excessive, force-fueled death metal with atmospheric groove and impassioned personal diatribes.
The Nothing That Is, Fit For An Autopsy’s seventh and latest album (third for Nuclear Blast), bears no sign whatsoever of commercial concession or rehashed past glories. Instead, the ten-song album finds the band exploring moodier textures and deeper emotions that add new power and dynamics to their already brutal and complex music, while also completely tuning out the ambient noise of passing musical trends and the expectations of the outside world.
Produced by Will Putney at his Graphic Nature Audio studio in Kinnelon, New Jersey, The Nothing That Is is an album filled with anger, frustration and crushing despair. It flows like the gripping soundtrack to a documentary film of our increasingly dystopian existence.
A ringing wake-up call for humanity and a thoroughly intense listening experience, The Nothing That Is brims with both aggression and melody, its bracing music delivered with the confidence of a band that has honed its skills and forged its sense of purpose through fifteen-plus years of all-out live shows. Sufficiently secure of their place in the metal firmament to let their music go wherever feels right for a particular song, Fit For An Autopsy have delivered what may well be the greatest album of their career.

Absurdist Ohio extreme metal band Sanguisugabogg ply an absolutely filthy, savagely downtuned brand of death metal with disgusting, gory but resolutely tongue-in-cheek lyrics.
Formed in 2019 in Columbus, Ohio, the band initially comprised vocalist (and sometime-standup comedian) Devin Swank, guitarist Cameron Boggs, bassist Steph Barnes, and drummer Cody Davidson. Later, Boggs and Barnes were replaced by Cedrik Davis and Drew Arnold, respectively. Their unusual name comes from a combination of sanguisuga, the Latin word for leech, and the British slang word bog, meaning toilet — with the aim of evoking a bloodsucking toilet. Songs with titles like “Turkish Blood Orgy,” “Gored in the Chest,” “Urinary Ichor,” “Black Market Vasectomy,” and “Testicular Rot” give a good idea of where they are coming from.
The whole band had been fans of old-school death metal from an early age; Swank‘s first show, at age 12, was Cannibal Corpse. Inveterate jokers arguably as famous for their prodigious consumption of psychedelics as for their music — they claimed to have recorded the entirety of both their albums while tripping on acid — they dubbed themselves “drug death metal.” While the band’s tone was goofy and jokey, they took their music very seriously, utilizing crushing drop-G tuning and eschewing solos for a relentless groove and piledriving riffs.
Picked up by metal giant Century Media on the strength of their first demo EP, 2019’s Pornographic Seizures, they recorded their first full-length album for the label, Tortured Whole, and released it in 2021. Following complaints over the EP’s lyrics about violence against women, the band switched it around and made all the album’s lyrics about violence against men. Their second album, Homicidal Ecstasy, followed in 2023.

Hanabie at The Van Buren
2026-04-07 19:00 - 23:30 | The Van Buren, 401 W Van Buren St, Phoenix, AZ, 85003
HANABIE. is a Tokyo-based all-girl rock band that has been making waves since 2015, when YUKINA, MATSURI, and HETTSU came together for a high school club activity. With the addition of CHIKA in May 2023, the band has evolved into a force to be reckoned with. Don’t be fooled by their cute, girlish image—their sound is a hard-hitting blend of powerful shouts, heavy riffs, and unique Japanese flair, capturing fans at home and abroad. Their hit single “Pardon Me, I Have To Go Now” has amassed over 10 million views on YouTube and 5.3 million views on TikTok.
In December 2024, HANABIE. released their EP, Bucchigiri Tokyo, further showcasing their dynamic range and signature style. Next, the band will release their latest EP, HOT TOPIC, on Wednesday, January 28, 2026.
2023 marked the beginning of their overseas ventures, and in August 2024, they made history as the first Japanese women to perform on the main stage at Lollapalooza in Chicago, USA. The quartet will soon bring the heat on their first North American headliner beginning mid-March 2026. With a rapidly growing international following, HANABIE. is actively expanding their presence and making a bold statement on the global stage.

The world’s premiere goblin metal masters, Nekrogoblikon, are set to unleash their latest sonic assault in the form of The Boiling Sea EP. Formed in 2006, the band catapulted from obscurity to global cult stardom with their 2012 viral anthem “No One Survives,” cementing a legacy of chaotic melodic death metal and zany, goblin-themed lore.
After years of relentless touring and five studio albums, the band has entered a bold new era. The Boiling Sea marks a historic milestone as the first official studio release to feature the band’s new vocal powerhouse duo: John Goblikon and Dickie Allen.
Once the band’s longtime mascot, insurance salesman, and podcast host, John Goblikon has finally been promoted to permanent lead vocalist, handling the melodic and clean singing duties.
Dickie Allen, renowned for his “throat-shredding” prowess in Infant Annihilator, the “goblin-in-human-form” now spearheads the band’s signature harsh vocals, bringing a new level of “carnage” to their recorded sound
Produced and mixed by veteran “part-goblin” Jason Suecof (Job for a Cowboy, The Black Dahlia Murder), this new EP serves as a high-octane testing ground for the duo’s dynamic chemistry — first teased by the 2025 singles “Show Me Your Goblin” and “Fiend.”
As Nekrogoblikon prepares to submerge fans in the murky depths of The Boiling Sea, they prove that even after nearly two decades, they are still the undisputed kings of the goblin-core realm.

Taking their name from a confluence of Illuminati and other conspiracy theories, Enterprise Earth is a punishing technical deathcore outfit founded in 2014 by ex-Infant Annihilator vocalist Dan Watson and ex-Takeover guitarist BJ Sampson. The band rose to the fore of the deathcore scene with the punitive and critically acclaimed Embodiment and Luciferous, released in 2017 and 2019, respectively. After the departures of Sampson in 2019 and Watson in 2022, the band started a new chapter with the release of 2024’s Death: An Anthology with new frontman Travis Worland.
Based out of Spokane, Washington, Enterprise Earth issued their debut EP, XXIII, shortly after forming. In 2015 they inked a deal with Attila frontman Chris Fronzak‘s Stay Sick Recordings and released their debut studio long-player, Patient 0. Featuring guest appearances from Rings of Saturn guitarist Joel Omans and Oceano vocalist Adam Warren, the LP reached number five on Billboard’s Heatseekers/Top New Artist Chart. Enterprise Earth spent the next two years touring hard in support of the album, but eventually found the time to head back into the studio and lay down tracks for their sophomore release. The resulting Embodiment appeared in early 2017, and the set reached number six on Billboard’s Heatseekers chart. December 2018 saw the band issue the single “He Exists” before releasing their lauded third full-length effort, Luciferous, which arrived in April 2019 and appeared on numerous year-end lists. After dropping 2020’s surprise Foundation of Bones EP, the group returned to the studio and began work on album number four. Released in 2022, The Chosen saw Enterprise Earth deliver an assured, uncompromising deathcore set with considerably more melodic elements than previous efforts. Frontman Dan Watson left the fold shortly after that, making way for new vocalist Travis Worland, who made his studio debut on 2024’s punishing Death: An Anthology.

Country Thunder 2026 at Talio Ranch
2026-04-09 08:00 - 2026-04-12 23:30 | Talio Ranch, 20585 E WATER WAY, Florence, AZ, 85132, United States
Thursday, April 9th.

Gavin Adcock
Gavin Adcock, dubbed by Billboard as “one of country music’s most buzzed-about artists,” is a Georgia native from Watkinsville. A former football player at Georgia Southern University, he grew up on his family’s cattle farm and dreamed of riding bulls in the PBR. He started writing songs in high school, but after tearing his knee in 2021, Adcock used his recovery time to record and release his first single. Since then, he has amassed more than 1.5 billion global streams, fueled by hits like the RIAA Platinum-certified “A Cigarette” and Gold-certified tracks “Run Your Mouth,” “Deep End,” and “Four Leaf Clover.” His 2024 album Actin’ Up Again became the year’s largest major-label country debut by a solo male artist and the top streaming major-label debut in the genre. In 2025, Own Worst Enemy debuted at No. 4 on the Billboard 200 Country Chart and No. 14 on the all-genre chart, earning over 25 million U.S. streams in its first week. A MusicRow Awards “Discovery Artist of the Year” nominee and ACM New Artist of the Year nominee, Adcock continues to sell out headline tours nationwide and internationally. He will also join Morgan Wallen for a second time on 16 dates of Wallen’s 2026 Still The Problem Tour.

Waylon Wyatt
Waylon Wyatt’s songs, with their no-frills acoustic arrangements and old-soul lyrics, have proven resonant with country music audiences. After releasing the breakthrough singles “Arkansas Diamond” and “Everything Under the Sun,” Wyatt enjoyed a banner year as a rising artist, opening for acts like Dwight Yoakam and signing a major-label deal and releasing 2025’s Out of the Blue EP — all before earning his high school diploma.
Waylon Wyatt Potter was born in Hackett, Arkansas, in 2006. Named after outlaw country icon Waylon Jennings, he in turn gravitated toward modern country songsmiths like Tyler Childers and Zach Bryan. He was initially content to share covers of his songs on social media — keeping original songs a closely guarded secret that he would tinker on at home. He finally caved into a friend’s demands and posted himself singing the heartbroken lover’s plea “Everything Under the Sun,” and as his songs started to gain streams in the millions, he fielded an offer from indie label Music Soup, which took the bold step of calling Wyatt’s father’s construction company to schedule a meeting after seeing him wear a hat with the company logo in a video.
Wyatt recorded originals like “Everything Under the Sun,” “Arkansas Diamond,” and “Back to Then” in the kitchen of his family home, accompanying himself on acoustic guitar. Those tracks formed the backbone of his debut EP, 2024’s Til the Sun Goes Down. He gained additional exposure after another rising country songwriter, Bayker Blankenship, covered “Arkansas Diamond” in a video; the duo met up in Nashville and wrote a catchy heartland folk number, “Jailbreak.” It became one of Wyatt’s first releases in partnership with Darkroom Records, best known for signing Billie Eilish. Wyatt became the label’s first country artist, and they reissued Til the Sun Goes Down with a new, road-tested fan favorite called “O.D.” Wyatt spent part of 2024 as an opening act for Dwight Yoakam and appeared at the Stagecoach Festival in California in 2025, just months before completing his senior year of high school. He delivered the Out of the Blue EP, featuring “Smoke & Embers,” a duet with Willow Avalon, later in 2025.

Jey Webb
Jay Webb writes songs that hit like a gut punch. Raised between the backroads of North Alabama and the city in the south, music was how he made sense of the chaos around him. What started as a way to process a turbulent childhood quickly became his purpose — gritty storytelling over genre-blurring beats, delivered with zero filter. He started cutting demos in high school and never stopped, releasing track after track on his own and building a following from the ground up. His lyrics cut deep, his voice carries the scars and his sound refuses to stay in one lane. Webb doesn’t clean up the mess — he leans into it, and has a good time doing it.
Pulling from a wide range of influences, he pairs the weight of Johnny Cash and Hank Williams with the edge of Juice WRLD and Post Malone. It’s not traditional country — and he doesn’t want it to be. He calls it “music for real people with real problems,” and his fans know exactly what that means. In 2022, a viral TikTok pushed his music to a wider audience. Since then, he’s dropped standout tracks like “” “” and “” racking up over 415M streams and more than 2M fans. Webb is charging forward — not as a trend-chaser, but a truth-teller. And the numbers prove people are listening.

Logan Layman
Logan resides in Nashville, Tennessee and is a very busy and active professional musician who plays and tours extensively. Logan is an Indiana University alumnus, where she studied Music and Psychology. She grew up making music with her brother since grade school. Logan is no stranger to accolades. In 2013, she was named “Blues Kid of the Year,” and was inducted into The Brotherhood of the Guitar, an elite group of young musicians from all over the world. She was the Sea Level Singer/Songwriter’s Emerging Artist of 2014. Logan was named Veer Magazine’s Emerging Artist of the Year in 2015. She was featured in Bass Player Magazine in 2016. Logan endorses Ernie Ball Music Man basses and Sennheiser microphones.

Friday, April 10th

Lainey Wilson continues to take over the world, capturing the hearts of fans, the excitement of the industry and the respect of her peers. Adding to her monumental rise, Wilson will host the 2025 CMA Awards, where she is also tied for the most nominations with six nods: Entertainer of the Year, Female Vocalist of the Year, Album of the Year, Single of the Year, Song of the Year and Music Video of the Year.
These are just the latest milestones for the 9x CMA, 16x ACM, Grammy-winner and Grand Ole Opry member, who will headline Stagecoach Festival 2026, is featured on the 2025 TIME100 Next list and recently released the deluxe version of her acclaimed album, Whirlwind. In addition to the original 14 songs, the extended edition features five more tracks including “Somewhere Over Laredo,” which is currently top 10 at country radio and rising.
A sought-after songwriter, Wilson has eight #1s including “4x4xU,” “Watermelon Moonshine” and the 2x Platinum “Heart Like A Truck,” in addition to collaborations with Jelly Roll (“Save Me”) and HARDY (“wait in the truck”). Moreover, Wilson wrote “Out of Oklahoma” for the Twisters movie, has worked with artists such as Reba McEntire, Dolly Parton and Post Malone, and will make her film debut 2026’s adaptation of Colleen Hoover’s Reminders of Him, after first acting in “Yellowstone.” Wilson is in the midst of her sold-out Whirlwind World Tour, and recently launched her 4th collection with Wrangler as well as her own boot & jewelry lines.

A native son of Wyoming, Ian Munsick has accumulated over 1 billion global streams across 3 albums – Coyote Cry, White Buffalo and Eagle Feather – and a host of accolades, including 19 awards and 14 festival selections for his documentary, White Buffalo: Voices of the West. Having painted a spirited portrait of the American West with his sophomore album White Buffalo in 2023, Munsick expanded on the concepts of the land, people, culture and stories that inspire him, with the project’s follow-up 20-track album, Eagle Feather, released on April 18, 2025. In addition to selling over 100,000 headlining tickets in 2024 and 2025, Munsick also opened on select dates of Lainey Wilson’s Country’s Cool Again Tour and supported Morgan Wallen on select dates of his One Night At A Time Tour. He has been named an “Artist to Watch” by Spotify, CMT, Fender, MusicRow, headlined Cheyenne Frontier Days and founded WEST TO THE REST RECORDS. Standout RIAA-Platinum duet “Long Live Cowgirls” (with Cody Johnson) off of White Buffalo hit No. 1 on SiriusXM’s The Highway Hot 30 Countdown, was named one of Amazon Music’s Best Country Songs of 2022 with “Long Haul” and “Horses Are Faster” receiving RIAA Gold-certification alongside “God Bless the West” named as one of Spotify Hot Country Presents’ Best Songs of 2025. As he partners with Triple Tigers for new music in 2026 and beyond, fans will always find an open heart, natural awe and plainspoken honesty as he rides on… bringing the West to the rest.

One of Nashville’s most intriguing artists with his strong gravel-toned vocals, wayward spirit, intentional songwriting and overall mystique, the fast-rising singer/songwriter Jackson Dean is quickly earning a reputation for his impressive live show and thought-provoking, lyric-driven music. The young talent burst on the scene in 2022, showing people how real music can be with his atmospheric, musically-forward debut album that featured his debut single, “” (which cemented Jackson as the youngest solo male Country artist to reach the top of the charts with a debut) and his Top 10 follow up single “”. The demand for Jackson skyrocketed after landing on Spotify’s Hot Country Artists to Watch 2023, the CMT Listen Up class of 2023, CRS New Faces 2023, as well as a slew of other artist to watch lists and nominations. A vocalist who truly thrives on stage (as evident in his album), the Maryland native has leaned hard into touring, joining bills with superstar acts like , , , , , and as well as his own headline tour. Dean wows audiences and has built a passionate fanbase that connects on a deeper level. As a result, his live show stand out “” has evolved to become his latest single—and lead track from his sophomore album On The Back Of My Dreams, out now (via Big Machine Records).

After an acclaimed album debut and a year-plus on the road with stars like Morgan Wallen, Riley Green, and Lainey Wilson – plus Billboard accolades and a monumental first appearance on the Grand Ole Opry – Big Loud Records / Songs & Daughters artist Lauren Watkins has emerged as a proudly defiant projection of pure country-music moxy. But with her second full album, In A Perfect World, Watkins learns that the highway life is only part of her path. A Nashville native inspired by crowd-pleasing outlaws like Willie Nelson, Sheryl Crow, Lee Ann Womack and Miranda Lambert, Watkins’ 17-track 2024 debut, The Heartbroken Record, introduced a mainstream maverick with a thirst for lyrical truth – and an old-school country rebel whose modern instincts never succumb to trends. Coming to know the fast lane by heart, the modern-classic singer-songwriter has racked up millions of streams and rocked full-on stadiums, while learning from the legendary songwriters like Nicolle Galyon, Luke Laird and The Warren Brothers. Yet In A Perfect World finds Watkins in a fresh phase, featuring an earthy mix of sunset country and hazy heartland grit, she’s no longer expecting to get her heart broken, and not pushing the idea of home away. Produced by husband and CMA/ACM Award winner Will Bundy, with additional co-production from hit maker Joey Moi on select tracks, Watkins builds on her of-the-moment and always-organic sound; 10 co-written songs capturing the passion and promise of a new outlook.

Saturday, April 11th
Raised in Sunnyside, WA, Zach Top grew up on classic country music around the family farm. At the age of seven, he formed a band with his siblings which set the stage for his musical ambitions. Hailed by Rolling Stone as one of the “hottest acts right now,” Top is quickly establishing himself as a preeminent artist to watch. Released to widespread acclaim, his debut album, Cold Beer & Country Music, garnered over 3.5 million streams in just its first week with The Tennessean declaring it full of “star-making tunes” and Country Central calling it a “masterclass in traditional country music.” In 2024, he was awarded Discovery Artist of the Year at the MusicRow Awards and received his first nomination for New Artist of the Year at the 58th Annual CMA Awards. Known for his “thrilling” live performances (Holler), Top’s “Cold Beer & Country Music” headline tour sold out just hours after tickets went on sale, coinciding with the debut of his viral single “I Never Lie” on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. This summer, Top has been on Lainey Wilson’s “Country’s Cool Again” tour and will be direct support for select Alan Jackson dates in 2025.

Lonestar is an American country music group currently consisting of Dean Sams, Michael Britt, Keech Rainwater and Drew Womack. Lonestar has charted more than 20 singles on the Hot Country Songs chart, including 10 that reached No. 1. Not every band can revisit and even potentially improve upon their biggest hits. But on the forthcoming TEN to 1 record, the award-winning band Lonestar are taking a fresh look at all 10 of their chart-topping country songs. This streak started in 1996 with the band’s second single, the rock-edged “No News,” and continued with the following year’s “Come Cryin’ to Me” and “Everything’s Changed.” The band’s quadruple-platinum 1999 album Lonely Grill spawned four No. 1 hits (including the beloved global smash “Amazed”) and established Lonestar as music’s preeminent pop-country band—a status they’d maintain through the 2000s and beyond. Fittingly, TEN to 1 reflects the ways Lonestar’s hits have evolved over the years during the band’s rousing, high-energy concerts. Such talent has contributed to the band winning many of music’s top honors, including Academy Of Country Music awards for New Vocal Group in 1996, Single and Song Of The Year in 2000, along with Humanitarian Of The Year in 2002. They also won Country Music Association’s Vocal Group of the Year and International Artist Achievement award in 2001. All told, Lonestar have sold more than 10.5 million records since their formation.

RECORDS Nashville artist-songwriter George Birge fast-follows two back-to-back #1s (“Cowboy Songs” and “Mind On You”) in one consecutive year (2024) with current Top 25-and-climbing single “It Won’t Be Long.” Boasting 217 MILLION global streams across his catalog, American Songwriter praises, “George Birge has a talent for taking a simple concept and turning it into an in-depth song,” as PEOPLE hails that he’s “Always Meant for the Solo Spotlight.” Named Billboard’s Country Rookie of the Month (January 2024) and one of Nashville Lifestyles’ “Artists You Need To Know,” the Austin, TX, native’s star is on the rise after earning his first award show nomination at the 2025 iHeartRadio Music Awards, and making his TV debut on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.

Lanie Gardner’s extraordinary journey is a testament to her unmatched talent and unwavering determination, from her roots in the Appalachian Mountains to international stages. A gifted storyteller and songwriter from an early age, she crafted a distinctive blend of classic rock, R&B, and country that quickly set her apart. Her career skyrocketed after her cover of Fleetwood Mac’s “Dreams” went viral, amassing over 100 million views. With her debut self-penned album A Songwriter’s Diary, released in late 2024, Gardner delivered a deeply personal 10-track journey through her creative beginnings. Her rise includes being named a “2025 Artist to Watch” by the Recording Academy, a member of CMT’s Next Women of Country: Class of 2025, and a SiriusXM Highway Find. This year alone, she made her Grand Ole Opry debut, performed at Stagecoach, joined Corey Kent’s Black Bandana Tour, and is on the road again this summer and fall with Gavin Adcock. From movie soundtracks (Queen of the Ring, Twisters) to touring with the Jonas Brothers, Jelly Roll, Cody Johnson, and ZZ Ward, Gardner is on the fast track to stardom. Recent collaborations include Thomas Rhett (“What Could Go Right”) reaching #1 on the SiriusXM charts, Warren Zeiders (“Love In Letting Go”), and Dorothy (“Tombstone Town”). With her sophomore album Faded Polaroids, Gardner delivers more than an album. It is a collection of memories and stories that reflect her journey while pointing to an extraordinary future.

The Wilder Blue began in 2019 when Zane Williams, already a seasoned troubadour with seven solo albums under his belt, pulled together a select group of multi-talented musicians from the Texas music scene. Their debut album Hill Country (2020) and its follow-up The Wilder Blue (2022) garnered comparisons to early Eagles and 80’s-era Alabama by interweaving five-part harmonies with bluegrassy arrangements of folk-rock and country songs.
For their newest release Super Natural in the fall of 2023, the band enlisted Grammy-nominated Brent Cobb to produce the album and perform on the title track, a song he and the band co-wrote in the studio. Brent’s groovy, vintage sensibilities proved a natural fit for a band with influences as diverse as Little Feat, Del McCoury, and Robert Earl Keen. A cover of the Eagle’s classic “Seven Bridges Road” also features band admirer Luke Combs, who has added The Wilder Blue to his 2024 stadium tour lineup.

Sunday, April 12th

With 20 No. One hits stretching back to 1991, two Grammy awards, dozens of ACM and CMA honors and a discography counting more album sales than any country duo in history – regardless of genre – Brooks & Dunn’s influence on today’s country has never been in question. Hits like “Boot Scootin’ Boogie,” “My Maria,” “Only in America,” and “Believe” have propelled the duo to more than 30 million albums sold, with the New York Times heralding “together they helped drive the power-country era of the early-to-mid 1990s and continued to benefit from the sea change in the genre they helped initiate right through their most recent albums.” Their original “ meets ” vibe made them progressive stars in their own right. In 2014, the duo announced their reunion along with long-time friend, , for a residency called “Together in Vegas” at The Colosseum at Caesar’s Palace in Las Vegas, which received rave reviews and continues to be extended including more shows throughout this year. The duo recently announced their upcoming collaboration album REBOOT, available on April 5. The project will see the duo team up with , , , , , , , , , , and on re-ignited versions of their biggest hits. It was also revealed that Brooks & Dunn will be inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in the “Modern Era Artist” category.

Scotty McCreery has been a household name for nearly half his life, ever since making history in 2011 as both the first country artist and the youngest male artist of any genre to debut his first studio album, the Platinum-certified Clear as Day, at No. 1 on the all-genre Billboard Top 200 Albums chart. His new single “Bottle Rockets” features the iconic Hootie and the Blowfish. The 31-year-old has sold more than 4 million albums and achieved 6 No.1 hits including the most recent “Cab in a Solo” from his album Rise & Fall. The North Carolina native has earned one Triple Platinum, five Platinum and four Gold singles; one Platinum and two Gold albums; won the 10th season of “American Idol” in 2011 at age 17; was named the ACM New Artist of the Year in 2011; won two CMT Music Awards, the first for Breakthrough Video of the Year (“The Trouble with Girls”) in 2012, and the second for Digital-First Performance of the Year (‘It Matters to Her’ from “CMT Stages”) in 2024; and BMI Awards for writing One of the Top 50 Country Songs of the Year six times. McCreery was inducted into the North Carolina Music Hall of Fame in 2023. Last year, he was inducted into the Grand Ole Opry by Josh Turner and Randy Travis, after being invited by Garth Brooks.

Since she was a child, Dasha never questioned if she’d make it in music—only when. After years of grinding and writing over a thousand songs—including her breakout hit, the 40x platinum “Austin (Boots Stop Workin’)”—her moment finally arrived. What came next was nothing short of explosive. In 2024, she hit the country circuit hard, with standout performances at Stagecoach, Austin City Limits, the CMT Awards, and CMA Fest. She sold out her first global headlining tour, Dashville USA, and lit up two of the biggest stages on TV: the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade and Dick Clark’s Rockin’ New Year’s Eve. “Austin” became one of the most-streamed country songs of the year and earned her the People’s Choice Country Award for Female Song of the Year. She’s currently on the road again, this time as support for Kane Brown and Thomas Rhett. “This is exactly where I’m meant to be,” she says. “I love this community… and I think it shows just how excited I am to be here.”

Fusing hard-rocking sonic aggression with the deep-feeling confessions of a country troubadour, River House Artists/Warner Music Nashville’s Austin Snell is an emerging country talent for whom the rules have never really applied. A Georgia native and Air Force vet who grew up on a steady diet of Nickelback, Three Doors Down, Creed and Alan Jackson, the Nashville newcomer has bucked Nashville’s “10 year town” moniker, arriving in 2022 and quickly starting work to make “grunge country” a household name. With distorted, dark-energy guitars, thundering drums and a wounded vocal at the end of its emotional rope, his gritty debut single “Excuse the Mess,” co-written with Presley Aaron and Christian Yancey, leads the charge into Snell’s opening chapter. The rising star now counts a rare SiriusXM Highway Find accolade – the same one bestowed on now-superstars like Maren Morris and Luke Combs. He is also the second artist ever chosen for SiriusXM’s Artist Accelerator program, and with a growing touring footprint that has put him on the road with country’s brightest stars. Mixing blacked-out rock aggression with late-night country reflection, “Pray All the Way Home” (co-written by Snell, Andrew Baylis, Michael Whitworth, Cam Walker) points the way ahead for one of Nashville’s most exciting new talents, proving once and for all: Some rules are really more like suggestions. His latest single, “Circles,” along with his EP ‘Home Sweet Hell’ is out now.

Raised in California’s Central Valley as a farmer’s daughter, Annie Bosko blends the grit of her roots with the firepower of her influences—including The Judds, Shania Twain, Deana Carter, and George Strait—on her debut album California Cowgirl, available now via QHMG / Stone Country Records. The 19-song collection, featuring collaborations with Darius Rucker, Dwight Yoakam and Joe Nichols, brings traditional country instrumentation into sharp focus while celebrating female strength, vulnerability and joy. Bosko first broke out with the SiriusXM / CMT favorite “Crooked Halo” and was named a Rolling Stone Country Artist to Watch, later making her late-night debut on Jimmy Kimmel Live! with “Neon Baby,” which marked her first charting single at country radio. Bosko’s latest track, “Goodbye California,” is a heartbreaking unrequited love song for her home state. She has written songs recorded by Willie Nelson and Jessica Simpson, toured with Tim McGraw, Dierks Bentley and Blake Shelton, and sold out Los Angeles’ famed Troubadour. Bosko will join Dolly Parton for Dolly: Live in Las Vegas at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace on Sept. 23, 2026.

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Lacuna Coil at The Van Buren
2026-04-12 19:30 - 23:30 | The Van Buren, 401 W Van Buren St, Phoenix, AZ, 85003
If you know Lacuna Coil then you’ll already be aware that every album entry in their storied career is more than just a sound. Each one is a richly textured soundtrack to a specific time and a place. With Sleepless Empire, that place is dark, cinematic, and unmistakably true to the unique characteristics that have given Lacuna Coil such a celebrated entry in the annals of heavy music.
As founding songwriter-in-chief Marco Coti Zelati, aka Maki explains, while the writing process for Lacuna Coil’s tenth studio record began in December, the record’s real creative birth coincided with the release of 2022’s Comalies XX, a 20th-anniversary reimagining of their landmark 2002 record, Comalies. It was more than an epic and rapturously received reinvention of that 21st century classic. It would serve to align the past, the present, and the future of Lacuna Coil as they take their first steps into the fourth decade of their remarkable career.
“I never get stuck in the past,” says Maki. “Sure, I still love Type O Negative and Paradise Lost, but I also love soundtracks: big orchestral stuff like Hans Zimmer, Danny Elfman or even John Williams. If people had a chance to listen to Sleepless Empire without the voice, guitars or drums – the orchestral part – it’d be a soundtrack because it’s very cinematic and that’s how I spend most of my time. I grew up watching movies all day long, even with my father – there was this massive culture of movies and soundtracks, even iconic horror ones like Friday the 13th or Halloween and obviously growing up in Italy, Goblin and their incredible soundtracks for Profondo Rosso and Suspiria.”
And from the colossal refrains of album opener The Siege to the wickedly catchy I Wish You Were Dead and the irrepressibly classic feel of Sleepless Empire’s title track, there’s no mistaking the confidence of Lacuna Coil’s latest, and it has its share of surprises, too. They come in the form of two very special guest appearances from none other than New Years Day banshee Ash Costello on their epic In The Mean Time and an ear-splittingly over-the-top contribution from Lamb of God singer Randy Blythe on Hosting the Shadow. According to founding vocalist Andrea Ferro, Randy’s inclusion was a family affair.
“We met Randy when we did Ozzfest together back in 2004,” he says. “We were on the same stage and we started a friendship and always stayed in touch – we toured together in so many different situations and at so many festivals, so we know each other – he’s really like a part of the family to us. Finally doing a collab with him was both a natural thing but also a huge honor for us, as we’re friends but also fans.”
As for the addition of Ash Costello to the proceedings, it came from a place of mutual admiration and wanting to bring her celebrated vocal style into the fray.
“We were searching for that perfect ‘rock’ voice,” Ferro explains. “Not too clean or symphonic but rather something with fire in it, and she has it – exactly what we needed for that part. We really loved what she did to the song, it’s absolutely perfect.”
And if there’s a special edge to Sleepless Empire it’s about more than that vocal cross pollination alone. As Ferro explains, the key to Lacuna Coil’s eternally youthful aura is their curiosity and ability to respond creatively to new inspiration without losing sight of the qualities that make them who they are – and he counts Sleep Token, Spiritbox, Bad Omens, and Bring Me The Horizon as examples of other bands who are doing the same to keep the scene and their own sounds vibrant. That independent spirit has been key to balancing Lacuna Coil’s artistic prerogative against the weight of expectation, and Ferro is emphatic when describing how these strange times have generated no shortage of material to influence Sleepless Empire’s weighty lyrics and mood.
“Our sound is dark because it reflects the society we’re living in – it’s a portrait of our times,” he says. “We’re from a unique generation that remembers the analog world but lives in the digital one, we’re the first generation that’s lived through both so we’ve been witnesses the change to our society and that’s the Sleepless Empire. Everyone is always on their phone, always scrolling, always doing something – morning to night, it just never stops.”
And it’s perhaps the simultaneous promise and peril of our increasingly tech-governed world that’s been on Cristina Scabbia’s mind for some time, an unease she’s channeled into Lacuna Coil’s latest. It’s a feeling she’s unafraid of expressing outside of the studio, too.
“Before Comalies XX we literally stopped creating,” she says. “With the pandemic going on, everything was so negative around us that we didn’t want to connect to anything and in some way, it was like a comeback for us because it renewed our love of songwriting, but we needed to find a spark that’d create the concept for our record. We love singles, but we like an idea of a whole record that tells a story – the kind that captures a moment in time.”
It’s a philosophy that’s reflected in every aspect of Sleepless Empire. The album’s box set includes an Oracle divination game which the band have playfully hidden in the booklet for fans to find. It also influenced their decision to work with Neapolitan illustrator Roberto Toderico, whose stunning cover art is something that Cristina explains reflects a deeper sentiment than a purely aesthetic choice. It’s an expression of the band’s desire to remain defiantly authentic in an increasingly challenged creative landscape.
“I met Roberto at a comic convention. I love his work because it’s completely handmade,” she says. “People pretend that AI is creating something new and I disagree with that. I’m not against tech, what I’m against is people confusing tech with 100% creativity like music or painting or drawing that comes from what you have inside. I understand people’s pain from all this because I feel that too.”
It’s perhaps that perspective that gives Sleepless Empire such a timely but timeless feel. It’s a portrait of these times, and a powerful statement of intent from a band at ease with their past and defiantly forging ever-forward.

In their almost 20 years as a band there have been many changes to the lineup of – with vocalist holding down vocals for 15 of them. In preparation for their upcoming album –– they have reached peak stability and happiness. They may come at the music from different directions, but both Ortiz and Mabbitt agree on the importance of the band’s live presentation. “Whether it is 500 or 50,000 people in the room, we BRING IT,” says Mabbitt. Ortiz agrees and adds “the honor of the ability to do this for a living for our amazing fans is not lost on us. We are really grateful.” Gratitude and humility are the buzzwords for the new .
Another thing that is new is the official addition of longtime bassist, Erik Jensen, to the lineup. TJ Bell has been ‘the glue’ that held the chaotic lot together in his nearly 10 years with the band. Matti Hoffman is the coffee-chugging, guitar-solo-writing, high-energy new guitarist taking on his duties while Kevin ‘Thrasher’ Gruft explores the world of production.
Laying themselves bare for the fans, it is a re-invigorated on . New label (Big Noise – run by longtime collaborator producer John Feldmann), new bandmates and a new lease on life for each of them, the only thing that has not changed is ’s love for their fans and determination to give them the very best of which they are capable.

Self-described death-pop duo VOWWS write buzzing, hook-filled songs that thread together influences such as new wave, surf rock, goth, and film scores. The duo’s music is dark and dreamy yet focused and energetic, prioritizing melodies and warmth while experimenting with unconventional song structures and textures. The group’s 2015 debut album, The Great Sun, featured a collaboration with synth pop pioneer Gary Numan, and the duo subsequently shared the stage with Deftones, Cold Cave, and the Soft Moon. After collaborating with Chino Moreno and Chelsea Wolfe, the band released their third album, I’ll Fill Your House with an Army, in 2025.
Originally from Sydney, Australia, Rizz and Matt lived in New York City for a few years, releasing an album under the name WAZU in 2012. Refining their blend of synth pop, metal, industrial, and other influences, the duo issued a self-titled EP as VOWS in 2013. In 2015, the duo relocated to Los Angeles and signed with Cleopatra Records, releasing full-length The Great Sun under the altered name VOWWS that year. Gary Numan guested on the single “Losing Myself in You,” and Swans drummer Thor Harris also contributed to the album. The duo spent the next few years writing new material and playing gigs with bands such as Sextile and Prayers. In 2018, VOWWS’ second album, Under the World, was released by Weyrd Son Records, and the duo toured across North America with Soft Kill. After VOWWS appeared at the Dia de los Deftones festival in San Diego that November, Deftones leader Chino Moreno appeared on “Structure of Love II,” a reworked version of a song off Under the World.
VOWWS released the songs “Impulse Control” and “Stay Where You Are” in 2020. A cover of Britney Spears‘ “Womanizer” appeared in 2021. “One by One”/”Shadow Man” was released in 2022, and VOWWS additionally collaborated with Chelsea Wolfe on the song “WAIT.” After signing with German label Out of Line, VOWWS returned with their third full-length, I’ll Fill Your House with an Army, in 2025. The song “SHUDDER” featured James “Munky” Shaffer from Korn and drummer Josh Freese (Nine Inch Nails, Guns N’ Roses, Foo Fighters).

Bruno Mars at State Farm Stadium
2026-04-14 19:00 - 2026-04-15 23:30 | State Farm Stadiu, 1 Cardinals Dr., Glendale, AZ, 85305, United States
A born entertainer with a stage name ideal for a showman, Bruno Mars is not only a charismatic performer but also a songwriter, producer, multi-instrumentalist, and all-around studio collaborator whose Grammy nominations and awards have recognized his full range of talent. Putting an updated pop twist on styles such as early rock & roll and R&B, new wave, and reggae, Mars rose to prominence in 2010, the year his name appeared at or near the top of the Billboard Hot 100 with B.o.B‘s “Nothin’ on You,” his own “Just the Way You Are,” and CeeLo Green‘s “Fuck You” — all three of which he had a hand in writing and producing. Those hits, along with Mars’ multi-platinum debut album Doo-Wops & Hooligans, led to a total of 13 Grammy nominations and a win for Male Pop Vocal Performance. Mars was only getting started. His 2012 return Unorthodox Jukebox, chart-topping Mark Ronson collaboration “Uptown Funk,” and production for Adele‘s 25, followed by his 2016-issued third album 24K Magic, combined for ten Grammys including wins in three of the Big Four categories. Having contemporized several shades of funk, mid-’80s pop, and new jack swing on 24K Magic, Mars then teamed with touring partner Anderson .Paak to record a set of knowing retro-soul under the name Silk Sonic. Their 2021 LP, An Evening with Silk Sonic, became Mars’ fourth platinum album with the number one pop hit “Leave the Door Open” alone taking four Grammys. The duo’s 2022 cover of Con Funk Shun‘s “Love’s Train,” fronted by Mars with typically raspy conviction, has since become an R&B radio staple. Collaborations with Lady Gaga (“Die with a Smile”) and Rosé (“APT.”) attracted further accolades before Mars returned with his fourth album, The Romantic (2026), heralded by the chart-topping “I Just Might.”
Born Peter Hernandez in 1985 in Honolulu, Hawaii, Mars kicked off his career at the age of four by fronting his uncle’s band, becoming Oahu’s youngest Elvis impersonator in the process. Ten years later, he was impersonating the King of Pop, Michael Jackson, as part of the Legends in Concert show. After graduating high school in 2003, he took his uncle’s advice and moved to California to pursue a music career. He eventually met songwriter Philip Lawrence, who convinced Mars to try his hand at writing songs for other artists. The two dubbed themselves the Smeezingtons and co-wrote Brandy‘s “Long Distance.” The duo scored their first number one hit in 2009, when they co-authored Flo Rida‘s international smash “Right Round.”
By 2010, Mars seemed to be everywhere: singing alongside B.o.B on the chart-topping “Nothin’ on You,” co-writing “Billionaire,” and collaborating with CeeLo Green on the Grammy-nominated hit “Fuck You.” He also began issuing his own material, starting with the May 2010 release of his first EP, It’s Better If You Don’t Understand. Doo-Wops & Hooligans, his full-length debut, appeared later that year and quickly produced a number one single, “Just the Way You Are.” He hit number one again with “Grenade” and remained in the Top Ten with “The Lazy Song” and “It Will Rain.” In 2012, Mars both hosted and performed as a musical guest on Saturday Night Live, debuting tracks from his upcoming album.
That record, the genre-jumping effort Unorthodox Jukebox, was released later in the year and featured the chart-topping single “Locked Out of Heaven,” along with production from Mark Ronson, Diplo, and others. “Locked Out of Heaven” topped the Hot 100, and the album reached number two in the U.S. The second single, “When I Was Your Man,” also hit number one. Unorthodox Jukebox later won a Grammy Award for Best Pop Vocal Album. All that success made Mars a natural for one of the world’s most prestigious gigs, the half-time show for Super Bowl XLVIII, where he performed with Red Hot Chili Peppers in 2014. Mars later fronted Mark Ronson‘s “Uptown Funk,” a song he co-wrote that was among the most popular singles of that year. It topped charts around the globe (becoming his sixth number one) and took home several Grammy Awards, including Record of the Year.
In 2016, Mars returned with another funk-flavored hit, “24K Magic,” and its parent album of the same title. Influenced by soul, funk, and ’90s R&B, 24K Magic peaked at number two on the Billboard 200 and produced Mars’ seventh chart-topper, “That’s What I Like,” as well as “Finesse” with rapper Cardi B and “Versace on the Floor,” which was also released as a remix by David Guetta. The album took home the Grammy Award for Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical. In February 2019, Mars again collaborated with Cardi B on the track “Please Me,” which landed at number three on the Billboard Hot 100. That July, he joined Ed Sheeran and Chris Stapleton on the song “Blow.”
In early 2021, Mars teamed with Anderson .Paak — who opened the European leg of the 24K Magic World Tour — as Silk Sonic. After releasing their first single, “Leave the Door Open,” in March, the duo made their television debut with a performance at the 2021 Grammy Awards. A year later, the pair dominated the 2022 Grammys ceremony, taking home awards for Record of the Year, Song of the Year, Best R&B Performance, and Best R&B Song for “Leave the Door Open” from their global Top Ten debut An Evening with Silk Sonic. Also in 2022, the duo returned to the airwaves with a faithful cover of Con Funk Shun‘s 1982 deep quiet storm classic “Love’s Train.” 2024 saw Mars collaborating on a pair of high-profile hits. “Die with a Smile” was a joint effort with Lady Gaga that topped the Hot 100 and earned them a Grammy Award for Best Pop Duo/Group, and it was followed in October by an appearance on “APT.,” a number three hit single for Rosé. The latter was nominated for three Grammys. Mars returned to solo recording for the first time in a decade with 2026’s The Romantic. Led by the single “I Just Might,” his first song to debut at number one in the U.S., it was produced by D’Mile and the artist himself.

Insane Clown Posse at Marquee Theatre
2026-04-19 19:00 - 23:30 | Marquee Theatre, 730 N Mill Ave, Tempe, AZ, 85281, United States
Part rap group, part societal phenomenon, Insane Clown Posse amassed an unlikely cult around their cartoonish and critically loathed horrorcore rap styles. Loosely connected themes of psychopathic clowns, Faygo soda, and the importance of friendship were enough for thousands of die-hard fans to don clown make up and proclaim themselves “juggalos,” part of a community of Insane Clown Posse superfans drawn to their lowest-common-denominator humor and shock-factor rhymes. Staunchly independent, ICP only had brief and controversy-heavy associations with major labels around the time of their 1997 album The Great Milenko, but spent most of their decades of existence releasing their albums (as well as the music of an extended family of artists) on their own Psychopathic Records label. The group’s grassroots approach resulted in millions of album sales, with a creative and commercial peak around the time of their highly conceptual late-’90s/early-2000s output. A loose narrative exposed over the course of several albums — records like 1995’s Riddle Box and 1999’s The Amazing Jeckel Brothers — was presented as different “joker’s cards,” culminating with the spiritual reveal of 2002’s The Wraith: Shangri-La. At that point, however, the wicked clowns were the center of a global counterculture, and they charged ahead for decades to come with releases like 2007’s The Tempest, and the unveiling of a second deck of joker’s cards with albums like 2011’s Bang! Pow! Boom! and 2021’s Yum Yum Bedlam.
Down to a duo, ICP were originally formed in 1989 as a hardcore Detroit rap group called Inner City Posse. After combusting in 1991, the only members left, Violent J (born Joseph Bruce) and Shaggy 2 Dope (born Joseph Utsler), slightly altered their name to reflect the fact that they had been visited by the Carnival Spirit, who ordered them to carry the word of an impending apocalypse by touring the nation and releasing six “joker cards” (popularly known as LPs) with successive revelations of the final judgment. The first, Carnival of Carnage, appeared in 1992 on their own Psychopathic Records label. The group became notorious in Detroit’s underground scene, but several tours around the region failed to ignite much more than the rage of community leaders.
Down to a duo, ICP were originally formed in 1989 as a hardcore Detroit rap group called Inner City Posse. After combusting in 1991, the only members left, Violent J (born Joseph Bruce) and Shaggy 2 Dope (born Joseph Utsler), slightly altered their name to reflect the fact that they had been visited by the Carnival Spirit, who ordered them to carry the word of an impending apocalypse by touring the nation and releasing six “joker cards” (popularly known as LPs) with successive revelations of the final judgment. The first, Carnival of Carnage, appeared in 1992 on their own Psychopathic Records label. The group became notorious in Detroit’s underground scene, but several tours around the region failed to ignite much more than the rage of community leaders.
On Halloween 2000, the group issued its sixth album, which apparently did not count (as all the other albums had) as a joker card (in the ICP fantasy world, the sixth joker card was supposed to signal the apocalypse). Similar to Guns N’ Roses‘ Use Your Illusion, the album was released in two completely different, separate versions, titled Bizzar and Bizaar. Finally needing to live up to the years of hype, 2002’s The Wraith: Shangri-La revealed that the hidden message of their music was always to follow God and make it to Heaven. Considering the murder fantasies of “Beverly Kills 50187” and the necrophiliac overtones of “Cemetery Girl,” this may have been a shock to longtime fans.
In August 2004, the band released the sixth and final joker card, Hell’s Pit, in two separate editions; both had the same CD but were packed with different DVDs. Nevertheless, the Dark Carnival wasn’t fully shuttered. Spring 2005 found ICP hyping a new direction for the mythology, to be revealed with the May release of Calm. The EP also prepped Insane Clown Posse’s devoted fan base for the sixth annual Gathering of the Juggalos that July. Their 2007 effort, The Tempest, found the duo reuniting with producer Mike E. Clark, the man behind the first four joker card releases. Clark stuck around for their 2009 Bang! Pow! Boom! album. That same year, the duo presented a second feature-length film. This time exploring a western motif, Big Money Rustlas featured the clowns in gunslinger garb and was again released outside of theaters.
Featuring Freshness, a two-disc collection of the group’s work with other artists, arrived in 2011. A year later, the conceptual The Mighty Death Pop focused on their detractors and other “certified hoes,” with Clark returning as producer. In 2015, The Marvelous Missing Link (Lost) landed as the first of that year’s two albums, while The Marvelous Missing Link (Found) landed later in the year. In 2017, while recording the next joker card, the duo released a pair of solo albums, with Shaggy 2 Dope‘s F.T.F.O.M.F. arriving months before Violent J‘s American Life/Lives. In mid-2018, the group announced that their 15th studio album, Fearless Fred Fury, would be released in October of that year, but it was ultimately pushed back until February 2019. An eight-song EP, Flip the Rat, was scheduled for release on the same day. In advance of the group’s next studio album, they released the eight-song EP Yum Yum’s Lure in February of 2021, eventually delivering a full album, Yum Yum Bedlam, on the last day of October that same year. The album represented the fifth joker’s card in the second deck of the ongoing Dark Carnival saga, and included guest appearances from Roadside Ghost and Vinnie Dombroski.

Sick New World 2026 at Las Vegas Festival Grounds
2026-04-25 10:00 - 23:30 | Las Vegas Festival Grounds, 2880 S Las Vegas Blvd, Las Vegas, NV, 89109, United States
After hitting a bump in the road in 2025, the Sick New World festival is returning in a big way in 2026, staging massive one-day events in both Las Vegas and Forth Worth, Texas, both headlined by System of a Down.
The 2026 Vegas edition, taking place April 25th at the Las Vegas Festival Grounds, boasts System of a Down, Korn, Bring Me the Horizon, Ministry, Evanescence, Marilyn Manson, AFI, Acid Bath, Knocked Loose, Danny Elfman, Cypress Hill, Mastodon, Underoath, Melvins, Filter, Clutch, and many more acts.
TICKETS
The inaugural Fort Worth edition, set for October 24th, 2026, at the Texas Motor Speedway, features System of a Down, Deftones, Slayer (celebrating the 40th anniversary of Reign in Blood), Evanescence, Ministry, AFI, Mastodon, Knocked Loose, Power Trip, The Prodigy, Underoath, Clutch, Down, Melvins, and more.
A pre-sale for the Vegas edition of Sick New World festival starts Thursday, October 23rd, at 10 a.m. local time, using the code SICK26 at this location. The pre-sale for Texas starts on Friday, October 24th, at 10 a.m. local time using the code SICK26 at this link.
The 2025 edition that was set to feature Metallica and Linkin Park in Las Vegas was abruptly canceled within weeks of its announcement, reportedly due to low ticket sales. For 2026, organizers once again tapped System of a Down, who headlined the successful first two editions of Sick New World in 2023 and 2024 in Sin City.
See the full lineups for both festivals in the posters below.

Hayley Williams at The Van Buren
2026-05-05 19:00 - 23:30 | The Van Buren, 401 W Van Buren St, Phoenix, AZ, 85003
Ego Death At a Bachelorette Party puts Hayley Williams’ full range on display. “Mirtazapine” is a late-’90s alt-rock love letter to antidepressants, while on “Glum,” she subverts her own voice—using vocal presets to striking effect as the track meditates on loneliness. Other standouts include “Whim,” an easy Americana earworm with a songwriting backbone that nods to her Nashville roots, and “Ice in My OJ,” a thoroughly modern track that pairs sharp production with some of Williams’ most biting and humorous lyrics to date. Long-time Paramore fans may quickly recognize the “Ice In My OJ” chorus, as it was first sung by Williams in 2004 on “Jumping Inside” by the Mammoth City Messengers. But perhaps all of her talents converge most impactfully on the album’s only previously unreleased track, “Parachute.” It’s a reminder of Williams ability to strike right at the heart, with not only her confessional lyrics, but her unmatched delivery. The album captures all the dynamism Williams has shown throughout her career and collaborations. At its core, these songs are the work of a supremely gifted artist with a voracious, genre-defying appetite for music and creative exploration.
These songs come as the third batch of work released from Williams as a solo artist. The COVID-era saw her release two extraordinary albums – 2020’s Petals For Armor and 2021’s Flowers for Vases. Both albums were gorgeous and stark meditations on loss and offered up a contrast to the high-energy and up-tempo muscle she displays in Paramore. “The record—epitomizing vulnerability and transformative growth—reveals a more mature and introspective side of Williams,” said Pitchfork of Petals, and went on to say of Flowers “her voice is undoubtedly the standout feature… husky and gentle, dangerous yet warm,” and explained that the minimal production “makes this a purposeful reset.”
Hayley Williams is a 3x GRAMMY winning singer, songwriter and musician best known for her role as the frontperson of legendary rock band Paramore. With her incredible range and delivery, Billboard ranked her at #13 on their list of 50 Greatest Rock Singers of All Times saying, “when it comes to singers in contemporary rock, Hayley Williams reigns supreme.” Frequently listed as a source of inspiration from contemporary performers as varied as Chappell Roan, Doechii and Billie Eilish – she’s also appeared on a wide variety of albums and singles as a collaborator and guest vocalist including Turnstile’s latest “Seein’ Stars”, Moses Sumney’s “I Like It I Like It,” and Taylor Swift’s “Castles Crumbling.” Swift went on to have Paramore open the first ever The Eras Tour show that debuted in Arizona and later they went on to open all dates on the European leg of her world tour.
At just 16 she brought the band to the masses with the release of their album All We Know Is Falling which was certified Gold and just celebrated its 20 year anniversary last week. The band’s breakthrough came with 2007’s Riot!, powered by the success of the 6X certified platinum single “Misery Business.” In 2009, Brand New Eyes solidified their place in the rock landscape. Paramore’s self-titled 2013 album marked a commercial and critical peak, with the platinum single “Ain’t It Fun” earning Paramore their first Grammy win for ‘Best Rock Song’ in 2015 and further nominations for ‘Best Rock Album.’ 2017’s After Laughter introduced a polished, ‘pop-influenced sound that continued to attract acclaim with the breakout single “Hard Times.” After a long hiatus, in 2023, they returned with This Is Why, a full grown, alternative-leaning record that earned the band two Grammy wins for ‘Best Alternative Song’ and ‘Best Rock Album’ making Paramore the first female-fronted rock band to ever win the category in its 31-year history.
Hayley Williams bandmate Zac Farro also recently released his first solo-work under his own name. Zac Farro – Operator is out everywhere now via his own label, Congrats Records.

It’s A Beautiful Place opens with zero-gravity instrumental ‘One Small Step’ – a fitting prelude for what is one giant leap for New York duo Water From Your Eyes. The album is a gleaming megalopolis, a satellite view of eras and musical forms, a reframing of the y2k songbook that is at once awe-struck and mindful of its place in the vastness. Short instrumental interludes serve as portals between towering, muscular songs. “It ended up being about time, dinosaurs and space,” says Nate Amos . “We wanted to present a wide range of styles in a way that acknowledges everything’s just a tiny blip.” Throughout It’s A Beautiful Place is a clear sense of a band who have honed their curveballs into home runs. Looming and melancholy, wide-eyed and petrified, it’s Blade Runner with a touch of WALL-E, it’s Kubrick and Asimov with a hint of Jay and Silent Bob. These are songs that look outward, conscious of our smallness and questioning our place in the universe while admiring the surrounding beauty.
