Global AZ Media

Insane Clown Posse at Marquee Theatre
2026-04-19 19:00 - 23:30 (America/Phoenix) | Marquee Theatre, 730 N Mill Ave, Tempe, 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, United States
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.

Florence + The Machine at Desert Diamond Arena
2026-05-09 19:30 - 23:30 | Desert Diamond Arena, 9400 W Maryland Ave, Glendale, AZ, 85305, United States
South London’s Florence + the Machine blends Baroque pop, pastoral folk, and artful alternative rock to create a rousing sound which they debuted on 2009’s Lungs. Led by namesakes Florence Welch and Isabella “Machine” Summers, the group broke into the mainstream on the strength of their platinum singles “Dog Days Are Over,” “You’ve Got the Love,” and “Shake It Out,” which were elevated by Welch‘s powerhouse vocals. As their first three releases topped U.K. charts, they made a steady climb in the U.S., hitting number six on the Billboard 200 with 2011’s Ceremonials. In 2015, they secured their first Billboard number one with How Big, How Blue, How Beautiful, which became a worldwide smash. That same year they headlined the Glastonbury Festival and returned to the Top Five of the global album charts with 2018’s High as Hope. Following non-album singles like 2019’s “Jenny of Oldstones” and 2020’s “Light of Love,” Welch and company released 2022’s choreomania-influenced set Dance Fever. They returned in 2025 with Everybody Scream.
Formed in 2007 by vocalist Welch and keyboardist Summers, Florence + the Machine released their debut single, “Kiss with a Fist,” on the Moshi Moshi label in June 2008. Once a full band was recruited, they signed with Island Records in November. Their critically acclaimed debut album, Lungs, followed in July 2009 and quickly became one of the year’s most popular releases in the U.K., where Florence charted four Top 40 singles in less than 12 months. The songs gathered steam in other parts of the world, too, particularly in America, where the anthemic “Dog Days Are Over” peaked at number 21 and went platinum. Lungs was reissued the following year in a two-disc package entitled Between Two Lungs, adding a bonus 12-track disc that featured live versions, remixes by the Horrors and Yeasayer, and Twilight soundtrack inclusion “Heavy in Your Arms.”
In 2010, Florence + the Machine returned to the studio with producer Paul Epworth (Bloc Party, Adele) to begin work on their second full-length outing. The resulting Ceremonials, which successfully expanded on the group’s already huge sound, arrived on Halloween in 2011. In addition to the lead single “Shake It Out,” the chart-topping set also included “No Light, No Light” and the Australian multi-platinum Top Three hit “Never Let Me Go.”
The following year saw the release of CD and DVD versions of MTV Unplugged, an 11-track set filmed before a small studio audience that featured fan favorites along with a pair of covers, including “Try a Little Tenderness” and the Johnny Cash/June Carter classic “Jackson,” the latter of which featured guest vocals by Queens of the Stone Age frontman Josh Homme. That same year, Welch announced an upcoming period of inactivity, during which time the band crafted its next record and Welch scored a chart-topping dance hit, “Sweet Nothing,” with Scottish producer Calvin Harris.
Her third studio long-player, the Markus Dravs-produced How Big, How Blue, How Beautiful, arrived in May 2015. Nominated for five Grammy Awards, it was the band’s third consecutive number one U.K. album, topping charts in Australia, the U.S., and across Europe. A yearlong international tour and short film The Odyssey extended How Big‘s promotional cycle into 2016.
Their fourth effort, High as Hope, followed in 2018. Featuring production by Welch and Emile Haynie, the album included the singles “Sky Full of Song,” “Big God,” and “Hunger.” Upon release, it entered the Top Three across the globe. While on the road promoting the effort, Welch issued the singles “Moderation” and “Jenny of Oldstones.” The latter track appeared on the final season of television series Game of Thrones and became a modest chart hit.
Another single, “Light of Love,” arrived in April 2020 as a charity song released in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, with proceeds going to Britain’s Intensive Care Society. Welch also contributed the song “Call Me Cruella” to the soundtrack to Disney’s live-action 2021 film Cruella.
The Jack Antonoff co-produced “King” arrived in February 2022 as the first single released off the band’s fifth studio album, Dance Fever. Antonoff joined Glass Animals‘ Dave Bayley and Kid Harpoon on production of the anthemic, healing LP, which also included the urgent hit singles “Free” and “My Love.” Released that May, the album topped the U.K. Albums chart, as well as Billboard’s Top Rock and Alternative charts, and peaked at number seven on the Billboard 200. The band toured the album through 2023. In 2024, Welch was joined by Jules Buckley and his Orchestra for the BBC Proms series, performing Lungs in its entirety.
Florence + the Machine’s next era kicked off in 2025 with the single “Everybody Scream” from the album of the same name. That set, their sixth studio effort, featured input from Idles guitarist Mark Bowen, Mitski, and the National‘s Aaron Dessner.

Mannequin Pussy’s music feels like a resilient and galvanizing shout that demands to be heard. Across four albums, the Philadelphia rock band that consists of Colins “Bear” Regisford (bass, vocals), Kaleen Reading (drums, percussion), Maxine Steen (guitar, synths), and Marisa Dabice (guitar, vocals) has made cathartic tunes about despairing times. “There’s just so much constantly going on that feels intentionally evil that trying to make something beautiful feels like a radical act ,” says Dabice. “The ethos of this band has always been to bring people together.” Their latest I Got Heaven, which is out March 1 via Epitaph Records, is the band’s most fully realized LP yet. Over 10 ambitious tracks which abruptly turn from searing punk to inviting pop, the album is deeply concerned with desire, the power in being alone, and how to live in an unfeeling and unkind world. It’s a document of a band doubling down on their unshakable bond to make something furious, thrilling, and wholly alive.
Following the 2019 release of their critically acclaimed third album Patience, Mannequin Pussy returned in 2021 for their EP Perfect. They toured that release relentlessly and added guitarist Maxine Steen to the band’s official lineup. Where the band members’ personal lives were in transition with breakups, changing living situations, and periods of self-reevaluation, their time together on the road was a grounding and clarifying force.

Poison The Well and Converge at Nile Theater
2026-05-12 18:00 - 23:30 | The Nile Theater, 105 West Main Street, Mesa, 85201, United States
In the space of barely a breath, Poison The Well pacify fits of jarring brutality with moments of fragile beauty. Their unmistakable melodic hardcore gently dilutes the residue of pain, betrayal, depression, and loss with hard-won wisdom and diligently earned self-acceptance. For as much force as they commit to the riffs and the breakdowns, there’s an equal amount of naked emotion encoded in their hooks. Poison The Well’s 1999 debut, The Opposite of December… A Season of Separation has claimed spots on Brooklyn Vegan’s “15 ‘90s Metalcore Albums That Still Resonate Today,” KERRANG!’s “21 Best U.S. Metalcore Albums of All Time,” Loudwire’s “25 Best Metalcore Albums of All Time,” and Revolver’s “10 Most Influential Metalcore Albums of All Time.” Stereogum put it best, “The Opposite of December… influenced a whole generation of metalcore bands.” Meanwhile, 2003’s You Come Before You remains regarded among Metal Hammer’s “100 Greatest Metal Albums of the 21st Century” and Rock Sound’s “250 Greatest Albums of Our Lifetime.”
After touring in 2015 and 2021, they’ve commemorated birthdays of both You Come Before You and The Opposite of December with in-demand headline jaunts. Once again, the members—Jeff Moreira [vocals], Ryan Primack [guitar], and Chris Hornbrook [drums]—felt an intense need to create as a unit. Rallying together, the guys channeled the spirit of their most celebrated material through a prism of new experience on their sixth full-length offering, Peace In Place.

You feel it before you hear it. When you hear it, you can’t un-hear it. A low, persistent noise throbbing in the background. Scientists say it registers between 30 and 40 hertz. It’s been heard in Ipswich, Massachusetts. Auckland, New Zealand. Windsor, Ontario. It’s been haunting the population of Taos, New Mexico, for decades. It’s been linked to suicides in the UK.  Not everyone can hear it. No one knows where it’s coming from. They call it The Hum.
Converge have taken this mysterious real-world phenomenon and re-imagined it as a physical manifestation of human suffering.  “What if the Hum is the culmination of all the pain in the world creating an audible hum across the universe?” vocalist and lyricist Jacob Bannon posits. “Something noticeable to others operating on a similar frequency.”
Hum of Hurt  follows Love Is Not Enough as Converge’s second full-length release of 2026. Like its predecessor, the album presents a bleak but empathetic assessment of the human condition and its ongoing deterioration. Unlike Love Is Not Enough, the songs are rawer and more exposed. “When we got together to write, we ended up with a lot of material,” Bannon says. “We realized it was two separate albums.”

Yungblud at Arizona Financial Theatre
2026-05-25 19:30 - 23:30 | Arizona Financial Theatre, 400 W Washington St, Phoenix, AZ, 85003, United States
English musician Yungblud twists genres and societal conventions, incorporating rock, punk, and hip-hop into a rebellious mix that has endeared him to the outcast masses around the globe. Blending punk spirit with pop savvy, he made a steady climb in the late 2010s before scoring a trio of hits with Halsey, Machine Gun Kelly, Dan Reynolds, and frequent collaborator Travis Barker. While his full-length debut, 21st Century Liability, landed in 2018, he made his mainstream breakthrough a year later with the EP The Underrated Youth. That burgeoning success helped push his 2020 sophomore LP, Weird!, to the top of the U.K. albums chart. In 2022, he rode the contemporary pop-punk revivalist wave with his third set, Yungblud, followed by a clutch of singles in 2023. Ambitious fourth album Idols appeared in 2025.
Born Dominic Harrison in Yorkshire, the singer/songwriter was raised in a musical family. His father was a vintage guitar dealer and his grandfather played with T. Rex. Influenced by Bob Dylan, the Clash, and the Beatles, he played guitar and sang from a young age. In 2017, when he was 19, he issued his debut single, “King Charles,” a genre-blending protest song that fell somewhere between early Arctic Monkeys, Jamie T, and Rat Boy. He followed with the song “I Love You, Will You Marry Me,” which incorporated some dub and grime elements. A major-label deal with Geffen yielded Yungblud’s first collection, an eponymous 2018 EP that included his first two singles alongside three new tracks. His debut full-length, 21st Century Liability, appeared in May of that year and made a solid chart showing in Australia and Belgium.
Yungblud returned in early 2019 with “Parents,” “Loner,” and “11 Minutes,” the latter of which was a collaboration with Halsey and Travis Barker. Later that year, another track with Barker helped push Yungblud higher up the U.S. rock chart, this time with rapper Machine Gun Kelly on the raucous “I Think I’m Okay.” Primed by these chart placements, he scored his first spot on the Billboard 200 at the end of the year with his third EP, The Underrated Youth, which included his third Top Ten single on the Billboard Hot Rock & Alternative Songs chart, “Original Me,” featuring Imagine Dragons‘ Dan Reynolds. Rounding out 2019, Yungblud teamed with Marshmello and Blackbear on “Tongue Tied.”
At the start of the next decade, he began a fresh blitz with the ecstatic pop of “Weird!” He later issued collaborations with rapper Denzel Curry (“Lemonade”) and fellow Englishmen Bring Me the Horizon (“Obey”). Yungblud closed 2020 with the release of his official sophomore effort, Weird!, which topped the U.K. albums chart. He returned in 2021 with a stirring live cover of David Bowie‘s “Life on Mars,” which was used as the soundtrack to NASA’s livestream following the Perseverance Mars rover’s touchdown. Yungblud started off 2022 with the fiery pop-punk single “The Funeral,” following it with “Memories,” a collaboration with fellow pop-punk revivalist Willow. His eponymously titled third album arrived later that year. Yungblud included those singles, as well as “Don’t Feel Like Feeling Sad Today.” He returned to his alt-rock roots in 2023 with the anthemic, inward-looking single “Lowlife,” followed by the brash “Hated” and “Happier” featuring Oli Sykes. Another collaboration, “When We Die (Can We Still Get High?)” with rapper Lil Yachty, appeared in January 2024. Full-length Idols arrived in 2025, drawing inspiration from Brit-pop and artists including David Bowie, Oasis, and My Chemical Romance, and was expanded as Idols [Complete] the following year, with help from the Smashing Pumpkins.

A familial Mexican hard rock band that blends savvy riffage, fist-pumping beats, and stadium-ready choruses, the Warning have evolved from viral sensations to festival faves with the release of their 2017 debut album, XXI Century Blood. Comprised of sisters Daniela (guitar, lead vocals), Paulina (drums, vocals, piano), and Alejandra Villarreal (bass, piano, backing vocals), the trio inked a deal with Universal imprint Lava Records in 2021 and issued the full-length ERROR in 2022. The group spent much of 2023 touring before ramping up for their fourth album, 2024’s Keep Me Fed.
The Villarreal sisters began posting videos online around 2014 and soon attracted attention due to the teen siblings’ instrumental precocity as well as a repertory made up of heavy metal covers by Metallica, Guns N’ Roses, and AC/DC. Signed by Victoria Records, the Warning issued their first EP, Escape the Mind, in 2015. The group’s debut album, XXI Century Blood, appeared in 2017, and before long the trio were sharing the stage with the likes of Def Leppard and the Killers. They released their sophomore full-length effort, Queen of the Murder Scene, in 2019, and caught the attention of Lava Records, which quickly added the band to its roster. “Choke,” the Warning’s debut single for the major label, arrived in 2021, and appeared on the 2022 long-player ERROR. Throughout 2023, they toured heavily, opening for Muse and Gun N’ Roses and visiting Europe for the first time. A string of 2024 singles like “S!CK” and “Burnout” preceded the release of the Warning’s fourth album, Keep Me Fed.

The Cab at Nile Theater
2026-05-26 19:30 - 23:30 | The Nile Theater, 105 West Main Street, Mesa, 85201, United States
The Cab is a pop-rock band from Las Vegas, Nevada, known for their emotionally rich songwriting, genre-blending sound, and sharp musicality. Since forming in 2005, the band has carved out a lasting place in the alternative music scene—fusing sleek pop production with rock instrumentation, R&B influences, and lyrical depth.
The Cab gained early momentum with their breakout debut album, Whisper War (2008). In 2011, they made a bold creative leap with Symphony Soldier—a self-funded, independently released album that elevated their sound to cinematic levels and featured fan favorite “Angel with a Shotgun.” “Angel with a Shotgun” has surpassed 260M+ streams and, despite its pre-tiktok release, found massive success on shortform, reaching 400M+ views across 300K+ TikTok creates.
After an extended hiatus, The Cab officially returned in 2025, announcing their first new music in over a decade alongside live touring dates. Their new material dives deeper into themes of growth, reinvention, and emotional clarity—filtered through the lens of lived experience and creative maturity—while still delivering the cinematic energy and relatable themes that made them fan favorites over 10 years ago.
On Sept 26, 2025, the band marked their return with the release of a new EP, Road To Reign: A Prelude.
The lineup features returning members Alex DeLeon (vocals), Alex Marshall (guitar, keys), Dave Briggs (drums), and Joey Thunder (bass).

The HU + Apocalyptica at The Van Buren
2026-05-29 19:00 - 23:30 | The Van Buren, 401 W. Van Buren St, Phoenix, AZ, 85003, United States
The Hu are a Mongolian band whose fusion of heavy metal, throat singing, and traditional Mongolian instrumentation brought them global attention and commercial success at the end of the 2010s. Their single “Wolf Totem” enjoyed a surprising run in the U.S., topping two Billboard charts, making them the first band from their country to do so. Following the breakout success of their 2019 debut, The Gereg, the Hu toured heavily, took part in a 2020 Metallica tribute album, and in 2022 began teasing singles from their follow-up LP, Rumble of Thunder.
Formed in 2016 in the capital city of Ulaanbaatar by Gala (morin khuur, vocals), Jaya (tumur khuur, tsuur, vocals), Enkush (morin khuur, vocals), and Temka (tovshuur, backing vocals), the quartet take their name from the ancient Mongolian empire known as the Hunna, which in Western culture is referred to as the Huns. Utilizing the distinctive, multi-octave droning technique known as throat singing as well as the traditional string and wind instruments of their homeland, the Hu and their producer, Dashka, married this sound with electric guitars, bass, and heavy metal drums to great success. Their first two singles, “Yuve Yuve Yu” and “Wolf Totem,” appeared in 2018 and went viral, notching millions of streams worldwide; the latter song hit number one on Billboard’s Hard Rock Digital Sales chart as well as the World Music chart. Both tracks appeared the following year on the Hu’s debut album, The Gereg, which saw international release from Eleven Seven Records.
The end of 2019 proved to be a fruitful period, with the group’s first North American tour and the release of collaborative mixes of “Yuve Yuve Yu” and “Wolf Totem,” featuring American singers Danny Case (From Ashes to New) and Jacoby Shaddix (Papa Roach), respectively. The band also landed a song on the soundtrack to the popular Star Wars video game Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order. The collaborations continued into 2020 with another Hu track, “Song of Women,” featuring Halestorm vocalist Lzzy Hale. That same year, they contributed a cover of Metallica‘s “Sad But True” to the Metallica Blacklist tribute album. In May 2022, the Hu delivered “This Is Mongol,” the lead single from their second album, Rumble of Thunder. A second song, “Black Thunder,” arrived two months later.

A listen to Apocalyptica’s Apocalyptica brings with it the nagging urge to figure out where, exactly, the music fits. Certain moments — entire tracks, even — are given over to classical formality, and it is in those moments, steeped as they are in traditional loveliness, that a listener can come dangerously close to thinking he is hearing something lofty and important. He is not. Apocalyptica, the genre-splicing Finnish instrumental band that changed headbangers’ perception of the cello, is not pretentious exactly, but its effect is the same as that of a rock band whose lead singer is audibly British: it sounds smart. Too smart, for instance, to issue from the headphones of a kid just discovering Black Sabbath or lining up for Slipknot tickets. Where Apocalyptica might fit, then, is not with heavy rock scenesters but with aging metal heads. It is not hard to envision tracks like “Fatal Error” and “Fisheye” booming from the speakers of a splashy convertible with a bald guy at the wheel. Elaborate fantasy-concocting gamers — Dungeons & Dragons players and their descendants — also stand a better chance than most of finding relatable rock bliss here.

The album Weirdo (2025) is The Rasmus’ 11th full-length outing, produced and co-written by Desmond Child and Marti Fredriksen. The band was formed in 1994 while the members were still in high school. Their debut, Peep, rapidly went gold in Finland, making them rock stars at the age of 16. The follow-up, Playboys, also went gold and earned the group an Emma, Finland’s version of a Grammy. Their third album, Hell of a Tester, included “Liquid,” a track voted Best Single of the Year by Finnish music critics. 2001’s Into went double platinum, with its debut single, “F-F-F-Falling,” topping the charts. An international audience started to build, and the band toured Europe. Their fifth album, Dead Letters (2003), became their breakthrough, due in large part to the single “In the Shadows.” 2005’s Hide from the Sun went platinum in Finland. Their fourth Finnish chart-topper, Black Roses, was released in 2008, also produced by Desmond Child. After the Best of The Rasmus: 2001–2009 compilation, they released their self-titled eighth album in 2012. The band returned in 2017 with Dark Matters. In January 2022, they announced the departure of founding guitarist Pauli Rantasalmi and introduced new guitarist Emilia ‘Emppu’ Suhonen. The album Rise was released the same year, including “Jezebel,” Finland’s entry in the Eurovision competition. The Rasmus are vocalist Lauri Ylönen, bassist Eero Heinonen, guitarist Emppu Suhonen, and drummer Aki Hakala.

Killswitch Engage + Machine Head at Marquee Theatre
2026-06-24 18:30 - 23:30 | Marquee Theatre, 730 N Mill Ave, Tempe, 85281, United States
Killswitch Engage first shook the structure of heavy music upon climbing out of snowy industrialized Western Massachusetts in 1999. A musical outlier, the band pioneered a union of thrashed-out European guitar pyrotechnics, East Coast hardcore spirit, on-stage hijinks, and enlightened lyricism that set the pace for what the turn-of-the-century deemed heavy. 2002’s Alive Or Just Breathing became avowed as a definitive album, being named among “The Top 100 Greatest Metal Albums of the Decade” by Decibel and celebrated by everyone from Metal Hammer to Revolver. Not only did they bust open the floodgates for dozens to follow, but they also garnered two GRAMMY® Award nominations in the category of “Best Metal Performance” in 2005 and 2014, respectively, and gold certifications for The End of Heartache [2004] and As Daylight Days [2006]. The group landed three consecutive Top 10 debuts on the Billboard Top 200 with Killswitch Engage [2009], Disarm The Descent [2013], and their career high best bow at #6 with Incarnate [2016]. The latter two releases would also both capture #1 on the Top Rock Albums and Top Hard Rock Albums charts. Their total streams have exceeded half-a-billion to date. Along the way, the band has shared stages with some of the biggest acts in the world and has sold out countless headline gigs in six continents across the globe.
2019 represents another turning point. The quintet—Adam Dutkiewicz [guitar, production], Joel Stroetzel [guitar], Mike D’Antonio [bass], Justin Foley [drums], and Jesse Leach [vocals]—sharpens every side of this signature sound on their eighth full-length and first for Metal Blade, Atonement. The vision the band initially shared two decades ago crystallizes like never before.
“To me, the name Killswitch Engage means ‘Shut the system down’,” exclaims Jesse. “It’s anti-authority and anti-corruption. My lyrics are very spiritual and political. It’s a part of what Killswitch has been since the beginning. We carry the message through the live show. There’s a sense of fun, enjoying life, and emotional catharsis. I don’t even know if we meant to do it consciously, but this showcases all of our styles. It happened naturally. I’m proud of it.”
“This is another honest record,” says Justin. “We’re just being who we are and writing the best material we can.”
“People take themselves way too seriously,” adds Adam. “We love metal, but we also love melody and we want to have a good time. That’s who we are; we don’t act like your typical ‘metal band.’
Atonement proves that. It earmarks the culmination of a trying and turbulent two years. The musicians started kicking around ideas as early as 2017. The band recorded the bulk of the material separately, with Adam once again behind the board. They worked at Signature Sound for drums and Adam’s own Wicked Good Studios for guitars, both based in San Diego. Meanwhile, Mike cut his bass tracks wherever he could: on the road in hotels, in dressing rooms backstage, and at home. Vocals were recorded on both coasts at Mainline Recording Studios in Westfield, Massachusetts and Wicked Good Studios. In the middle of the process, a polyp developed scar tissue in Jesse’s throat, forcing him to undergo surgery. The intense three-month recovery ended with speech therapy, vocal therapy, and scream therapy.
“At first, I was wondering if I was done career-wise,” he admits. “It worked out though. Out of everything came a real determination to learn techniques and get a second chance at becoming a better vocalist. I have so much more control of my voice and can scream properly. I don’t think the album would be what it is if I didn’t go through all of this.”
His “trial-by-fire” on stage came during a 2018 tour with Iron Maiden as he regained “confidence” performing in front of sold out arena and stadium crowds. At the same time, he experienced a debilitating bout of writer’s block. By the end of this run with the metal gods, Adam took him aside and offered words of inspiration.
“I shared my unfinished lyrics, and he said, ‘You don’t even need all of these. Keep it simple.’,” Jesse goes on. “I was stressed out. I was insecure. A lot was going on in my head between writer’s block and the surgery. It was amazing to have a friend and producer like Adam mentally slap me upside the face and encourage me.”
“Jesse did a really great job with the words and melodies,” remarks the guitarist. “At the same time, I strove to write songs that were really thrash-y and aggressive. We’ve got more butt-kickers than we usually do.”
Signing to Metal Blade also stoked this fresh fire. “We were all excited to kick off a new chapter,” says Justin. “We’ve known Brian Slagel forever. We have friends who have worked with him. We went into this with a sense of optimism about what we could potentially do on this cycle with Metal Blade on our side.”
The opener and first single “Unleashed” tempers ominous drums with foreboding guitars before descending into a chantable refrain. “It’s the genesis of the whole thing,” explains the frontman. “For me, it’s about the inner animal and darkness we all have inside. Thankfully, I’ve only had it come out a few times in my life. The chorus felt like something people could relate to.”
“The Signal Fire” steamrolls from airtight thrashing towards an expansive and entrancing refrain. Boasting a guest appearance from former Killswitch Engage singer and current Light The Torch vocalist Howard Jones, it sparks a pyre of metallic mastery, joining two eras of the band on one anthem.
“I had an image from Lord of The Rings when they climb to the top of the mountain and light a fire to signal for backup,” says Jesse. “It felt powerful to me. At the same time, Howard’s Light The Torch was making new music. I thought, ‘‘Light The Torch’and ‘Signal Fire’ make sense together.’ It needed to be a call-to-arms, and I wanted to invite him to sing on it. We hit it off for the first time, recently. Afterwards, we were texting back-and-forth. We needed a song with him to show the fans there’s solidarity. It’s a perfect ode to our bond as brothers and a nice nod to Light The Torch.”
Elsewhere, legendary Testament mainman Chuck Billy brings his unmistakable guttural growl to the possessed power of “Crownless King,” which Adam rightfully refers to as “fucking awesome.” On the other end of the spectrum, the soaring chorus of “I Am Broken Too” assures “someone struggling with mental illness or suicidal thoughts not to give up, because there are more of us than you think,” as the singer reminds. Then there’s “As Sure As the Sun Will Rise,” which builds towards a triumphant chant, turning a corner thematically over thunderous percussion and punch-y guitars.
In the end, Killswitch Engage lengthen their legacy while blazing another new path—the system won’t be the same again.
“I want to take all of that energy, negativity, and shit I suffer with and turn it into something positive to make people feel a sense of hope,” Jesse leaves. “Acknowledge the darkness and fight through it. If you keep pushing, you will persevere. There will always be a ray of hope.”
“I want fans to enjoy this,” Adam concludes. “When I listen to metal records, I get pumped up and excited. I hope our fans can get just as excited when they hear our songs and watch us play live. Do you really want to pay money to look at someone pretending to be a badass? It’s not what we do. If we’re laughing, we’re enjoying it—and we are enjoying this one.”
BOILER
Killswitch Engage first shook the structure of heavy music upon climbing out of snowy industrialized Western Massachusetts in 2000. A musical outlier, the band pioneered a union of thrashed-out European guitar pyrotechnics, East Coast hardcore spirit, on-stage hijinks, and enlightened lyricism that set the pace for what the turn-of-the-century deemed heavy. 2002’s Alive Or Just Breathing became avowed as a definitive album, being named among “The Top 100 Greatest Metal Albums of the Decade” by Decibel and celebrated by everyone from Metal Hammer to Revolver. Not only did they bust open the floodgates for dozens to follow, but they also garnered two GRAMMY® Award nominations in the category of “Best Metal Performance” in 2005 and 2014, respectively, and gold certifications for The End of Heartache [2004] and As Daylight Days [2006]. The group landed three consecutive Top 10 debuts on the Billboard Top 200 with Killswitch Engage [2009], Disarm The Descent [2013], and their career high best bow at #6 with Incarnate [2016]. The latter two releases would also both capture #1 on the Top Rock Albums and Top Hard Rock Albums charts. Their total streams have exceeded half-a-billion to date. Along the way, the boys have shared stages with some of the biggest acts in the world and have sold out countless headline gigs in six continents across the globe.
2019 represents another turning point. The quintet—Adam Dutkiewicz [lead guitar], Joel Stroetzel [rhythm guitar], Mike D’Antonio [bass], Justin Foley [drums], and Jesse Leach [vocals]—sharpen every side of this signature sound on their eighth full-length and first for Metal Blade, Atonement. The vision they shared two decades ago crystallizes like never before as evidenced by the first single “Unleashed,” “The Signal Fire” [feat. Howard Jones], “Crownless King” [feat. Chuck Billy], and “I Am Broken Too.”

Very few bands make it to their 11th album. Even fewer do so with the same fire and fury that defined their early years. But Machine Head isn’t just any band. For over three decades, the personification of determination, Founder/Vocalist/Guitarist Robb Flynn, has led Machine Head on an uncompromising path – one fueled by defiance, reinvention, and a relentless pursuit of evolution. Now, with ‘UNATØNED’ (out April 25, 2025 on Nuclear Blast), they’ve once again sharpened their sound into its most direct and impactful form to date.
Determined to challenge himself, Flynn set strict songwriting parameters for ‘UNATØNED,’ shorter, more focused songs with a decidedly American feel, unconventional key changes, and shifting structures that break expectations. That self-imposed restraint resulted in a lean, unrelenting album that captures Machine Head at their most potent.
The album drips with melancholy melodies, and yet hammers with bludgeoning riffs, soars with anthemic sing-a-longs of love-lost and sadness, to bellowing power and undeniable confidence.
‘UNATØNED’ is Machine Head proving once again that longevity in metal isn’t about comfort – it’s about taking risks, standing firm in conviction, and refusing to stagnate. Eleven albums deep, they remain as fierce, relevant, and unstoppable as ever.

Although many have tried to bring the raw sound of crossover thrash back to life, Iron Reagan are one of the few bands with the pedigree to do it right. Based out of Richmond, Virginia, singer Tony Foresh (of Municipal Waste), guitarist Phil Hall (of Cannabis Corpse), guitarist Mark Bronzino (of A.N.S.), bassist Paul Burnette (of Darkest Hour), and drummer Ryan Parrish (also of Darkest Hour) came together in 2012 to resurrect one of heavy metal’s lost arts. In 2013, the band unleashed its sound on the world with its first full-length, Worse Than Dead. In 2014, Iron Reagan signed to Relapse Records, where they made their label debut with their sophomore effort, The Tyranny of Will, later that year. Also in 2014, Paul Burnette left the band, and new bassist Rob Skotis (of Hellbear) came on board. In 2017, Iron Reagan delivered their third album, Crossover Ministry, followed in 2018 by a split LP with Arizona-based death metal unit Gatecreeper, and the EP Dark Days Ahead.

Inspired by the burgeoning American thrash metal revival of the mid-2000s, Denver, Colorado’s Havok emerged in 2004 with an aggressive, neck-snapping style that evoked Bay Area thrash legends like Exodus, Metallica, and Testament. They broke into the Billboard 200 in 2013 with their acclaimed third full-length effort, Unnatural Selection, and continued to refine their uncompromising sound on future endeavors like Conformicide (2017) and V (2020).
Havok assembled in 2004 and proceeded to ply their retro-fitted classic thrash trade via a series of self-financed releases: a 2005 demo, a 2006 single, and a 2007 EP, curiously named Pwn ’em All. These efforts duly got them signed to Candlelight Records, which released Havok’s debut album, Burn, in 2009 and then sent them off to tour with bands like Exodus, Anthrax, Destruction, Primal Fear, and Hammerfall. All of this roadwork only tightened up the group’s impressive chops, and prepared members David Sanchez (lead vocals, rhythm guitar), Reece Scruggs (lead guitar), Jessie de los Santos (bass, backing vocals), and Pete Webber (drums) for the recording of their sophomore album, Time Is Up (produced by thrash stalwart James Murphy: Death, Obituary, Disincarnate, Testament, etc.), which was released in early 2011.
Michael Leon replaced de los Santos on bass for 2013’s Unnatural Selection, which earned positive reviews and saw Havok make their Billboard debut. The band toured steadily during the rest of the year, and they switched labels from Candlelight to Century Media. Leon left the group after three years to join Soulfly and was replaced by Nick Schendzielos of Cephalic Carnage, who made his studio debut on Havok’s fourth album, Conformicide, which was released in March 2017. Three years later, the band returned with new bassist Brandon Bruce in tow and issued their aptly named fifth long-player, V.

Jinjer at Marquee Theatre
2026-06-30 19:00 - 23:30 | Marquee Theatre, 730 N Mill Ave, Tempe, 85281, United States
A versatile, progressive groove metal unit based out of Ukraine, Jinjer have found success both in their Eastern European homeland and abroad with their punitive blend of post-hardcore and death/progressive/nu-metal. Drawing from a wide array of influences, including R&B, soul, hip-hop, and the full spectrum of heavy metal, the band formed in 2009 and features a lineup consisting of Tatiana Shmailyuk (vocals), Roman Ibramkhalilov (guitar), Eugene Abdiukhanov (bass), and Vladislav Ulasevich (drums). Jinjer issued a pair of EPs, 2009’s OIMACTTA and 2012’s Inhale, Do Not Breathe, before breaking big at home with the release of a full-length version of the latter album in 2013. The group’s sophomore long-player, 2014’s Cloud Factory, caught the attention of heavy metal institution Napalm, which signed Jinjer and released their third full-length effort, King of Everything, in 2016. The group toured heavily in support of the LP, hitting the European festival circuit and making their presence known overseas as well. In early 2019, the band returned with the Micro EP, again on Napalm. By the end of the year, its natural counterpoint, Macro, arrived. ~ James Christopher Monger, Rovi

Formed in Tokyo in 2002, Crystal Lake is a dynamic five-piece band.
Their distinctive sound draws from hardcore and metalcore influences, seamlessly blending infectious melodies with powerful heaviness.
Their exceptional music has garnered widespread international recognition, surpassing national boundaries. With their relentless and electrifying stage presence, Crystal Lake continues to captivate audiences worldwide.
As they continue to tour the world in support of their 2026 album “The Weight of Sound”, the band will perform with guest vocalists on global tours while preparing for the official addition of a new permanent singer.

California’s Entheos is a punishing technical death metal unit with ties to Animosity, Animals as Leaders, and The Faceless. The self-styled “death fusion” group blazed onto the U.S. rock charts in 2016 with The Infinite Nothing. 2017’s Dark Future and 2023’s Time Will Take Us All saw the band add more progressive elements to their uncompromising deathcore sound.
Entheos were formed in 2015 around the talents of drummer Navene Koperweis (Animosity, Animals as Leaders), bassist Evan Brewer (Animosity, the Faceless), guitarist Frank Costa (Animosity), and vocalist Chaney Crabb (Systems). After the 2008 breakup of Animosity, Koperweis, Brewer, and Costa bounced around between other projects. Koperweis, who had produced Crabb‘s former band Systems, was impressed by her intense vocal style, and thought she would be the perfect fit for his and his ex-Animosity bandmates’ new project. The band came together quickly, issuing its debut EP, Primal, independently in early 2015. They inked a deal with Artery Records shortly thereafter, followed by a tour with Veil of Maya and Oceano as well as festival dates with Between the Buried and Me and the Red Chord. Infinite Nothing, the group’s debut studio long-player, appeared in early 2016 and reached number 24 on Billboard’s hard rock chart. Switching over to the Spinefarm label, Entheos returned in November 2017 with their follow-up LP, Dark Future, which also made a strong showing on the U.S. indie and hard rock charts. The band signed with Metal Blade before unveiling their next full-length effort. Released in 2023, Time Will Take Us All saw Entheos add new sonic textures to their progressive metal palette, including elements of groove-metal, grunge, electronica, and jazz-tinged goth-rock.

Joji at Mortgage Matchup Center
2026-07-10 18:30 - 23:30 | Mortgage Matchup Center, 201 E Jefferson St, Phoenix, 85004, United States
Japanese-Australian musician Joji laces R&B and hip-hop with textured electronics on his atmospheric meditations for the digital age. As part of the 88Rising crew, he experienced a creative rebirth that rebranded him as a serious artist after years as a popular Internet personality. Following his first EP, 2017’s lo-fi In Tongues, he hit a chart peak, reaching the Top Ten of the Billboard 200 with his gold-certified full-length Ballads 1, home to the hit single “Slow Dancing in the Dark.” Riding the high of that record’s international success, he again made the Top Ten with his big-budget 2020 sophomore effort, Nectar. In 2022, he dialed it back for his brisk third set, Smithereens. After a short hiatus, he returned with his fourth album, 2026’s Piss in the Wind.
Born George Kusunoki Miller in Osaka, he built a massive online following in the early 2010s with his comedy skits (including the viral phenomenon for “Harlem Shake”) before changing lanes to fully focus on music, crafting downtempo, moody reflections under the Joji moniker. Joining the 88Rising collective, he released 2017’s In Tongues, a six-song EP of introspective musings and piano-based electronic explorations. Following the collaborative single “18” with Kris Wu and Rich Brian, Joji issued a deluxe version of In Tongues in early 2018 that expanded the original EP with ten more tracks, including remixes by Lapalux, Ryan Hemsworth, and Actress. That same year, he kicked off a fresh cycle with the single “Yeah Right,” from his official full-length debut, Ballads 1. Released that October, the LP rose to number three on the Billboard 200 and topped the R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart. Second single “Slow Dancing in the Dark” was also a chart hit, earning platinum status in Australia and the U.S.
Joji swiftly began work on his next album, releasing the gold-certified single “Sanctuary” in June 2019. Subsequent international chart hits “Run” and “Gimme Love” continued the promotion for his sophomore full-length, Nectar, in 2020. In addition to appearances by Omar Apollo, Lil Yachty, Yves Tumor, and Benee, the record also featured production by Diplo on “Daylight.” It reached number three on the Billboard 200.
In 2022, Joji returned with the single “Glimpse of Us,” a piano-backed heartbreaker that soared to number one in Australia, New Zealand, and Southeast Asia. That track landed on his third album, Smithereens, which arrived in November. Following a three year hiatus, Joji returned in 2025 with “Pixelated Kisses” from his fourth studio set, 2026’s Piss in the Wind.

Los Angeles’ Nate Sib uses his powerful vocals to propel his slick hyperpop-driven sound. After finding success with early singles like “Why can’t you see” and “famous,” Sib’s career grew alongside friend and collaborator 2hollis’ in 2024 and 2025, culminating in the EPs for you (2024) and for us (2025).
The son of WAX frontman Joe Sib, Los Angeles-born Nathan Subbiondo began writing original music during his high school years, working alongside close friend and future collaborator 2hollis. Taking the alias of Nate Sib, he began issuing since-deleted tracks like “I can sound like rex” online through the early 2020s before finding his first major success when 2023’s “Why can’t you see” (produced by 2hollis) landed on the soundtrack for videogame NHL 24. With a varied, powerful vocal tone often compared to Justin Bieber, his career grew in tandem with 2hollis’ throughout 2024: his February debut EP, for you, paired his vocals with hyperpop instrumentals from kimj before the nocturnal “famous” and hyperpop-led “hold on” and “don’t fall” carried him through the rest of the year. He continued in this direction through 2025 with tracks like “tonight” and “back & forth” (feat. 2hollis), both of which landed on the glitchy sophomore EP for us in May. In September, he collaborated with producer NOTION for the electronic single “Unconditional.”

Mysterious vocalist and producer Corbin’s bleak, funereal blend of lo-fi R&B, hip-hop, and darkwave attracts a dedicated cult following. The reclusive artist has routinely refused interviews, letting his recordings and music videos do the talking. He became an online sensation when his 2014 video “Without You” went viral, and additionally received exposure as a member of the group the Stand4rd. His cathartic full-length debut Mourn appeared in 2017, and he’s sporadically surfaced since then, issuing Ghost with Skin in 2021 and Crisis Kid in 2025.
Born in Baltimore, Maryland but based in Saint Paul, Minnesota, Corbin Smidzik made his debut as Spooky Black in 2013, when he was only 15 years old, with an EP titled Forest. Unlike his later material, the release featured Smidzik‘s rapping on every track, and was an exercise in horror-tinged hip-hop. This was followed in early 2014 by Black Silk, which marked his switch to R&B, debuting his smooth crooning voice. The endearingly amateur video for the track “Without You” became a viral sensation, and several websites named it one of the best songs of the year. Another release, Leaving, appeared that year, garnering comparisons to Yung Lean and King Krule. In addition, Smidzik formed a hip-hop/R&B group called the Stand4rd along with Allan Kingdom, Psymun, and Bobby Raps. Their self-titled album appeared in November, and the group embarked on a sold-out headlining tour of the United States.
By the end of the year, Smidzik had dropped his original moniker and simply went by the name Corbin. He and Bobby Raps released an EP titled Couch Potato in 2015, but Corbin largely stayed quiet for the next two years. After unexpectedly releasing a song titled “Destrooy” in early 2017, his debut album Mourn appeared later in the year. Significantly more cathartic than much of his earlier work, with Corbin nearly shouting on several tracks, the album was produced by D33J and Shlohmo and was released by their collective, WeDidIt. The three artists then toured North America together. Smidzik sporadically issued solo tracks, and appeared on releases by Future, the Kid LAROI, Dua Saleh, and others.
The second Corbin album, Ghost with Skin, appeared in 2021, leaning back somewhat from the aggressively bleak mood of Mourn. The artist was featured on releases by Boys Noize, Skrillex, Lyrical Lemonade, Trippie Redd, and others. Crisis Kid, his third full-length, was issued in 2025, and the album found the artist leaning into alternative and post-punk influences.

Suki Waterhouse at Arizona Financial Theatre
2026-07-22 20:00 - 23:30 | Arizona Financial Theatre, 400 W Washington St, Phoenix, AZ, 85003, United States
Along with a weary vocal delivery that comes with an implied frown, Suki Waterhouse offers a combination of dingy, lovelorn retro-pop, generous reverb, and sturdy melodic hooks. On the strength of self-released singles like “Brutally” (2016) and “Good Looking” (2017), she eventually landed on Sub Pop’s roster. Meanwhile finding steady acting work in film and on television, the singer/songwriter/actor/model made her full-length debut on the label with I Can’t Let Go in the first half of 2022. Before the end of the year, the Milk Teeth EP collected early material including “Brutally” and “Good Looking,” and 2023 brought a 7″ collaboration with Belle and Sebastian (“Every Day’s a Lesson in Humility”). When Waterhouse delivered her sophomore LP in 2024, it took the form of the dramatic double album Memoir of a Sparklemuffin, which featured her lushest arrangements yet alongside an emotional range worthy of Lana Del Rey. She took a more uplifting, rock-injected approach to 2026’s Loveland, which was inspired by favorite bands of her youth as well as by first-time motherhood.
Born in Hammersmith, London, and raised in nearby Chiswick, Alice Suki Waterhouse began modeling at the age of 16 when she was discovered in London by a clothing retailer. She had added several major apparel brands and cover shoots for the international editions of fashion magazines like Vogue and Elle to her résumé by the time she turned 20. Around that time, she landed her first minor film role in 2012’s Pusher, gradually moving up the billing by 2016’s Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, where she played one of the Bennet sisters. That year, she also had a cameo in Absolutely Fabulous: The Movie, and her pining acoustic ballad “Brutally” appeared on her own This Rough Magic label.
In 2017, Waterhouse could be seen in the historical miniseries The White Princess and in the title role of the indie film The Girl Who Invented Kissing. She was among the main ensemble cast of the next year’s action-comedy Assassination Nation, and acted increasingly frequently into the next decade, including parts in Woody Allen‘s A Rainy Day in New York (2019) and Séance (2021), directed by Blair Witch franchise writer Simon Barrett. All the while, Waterhouse issued periodic self-released singles, such as 2017’s “Good Looking” and 2019’s “Coolest Place in the World,” which collectively garnered tens of millions of streams.
While continuing to work as an actress, Waterhouse signed with Sub Pop Records in 2021, having recorded her debut LP with Grammy nominee Brad Cook (Bon Iver, Snail Mail). The album, I Can’t Let Go, followed in April 2022, shortly before Waterhouse co-starred in the Amazon miniseries Daisy Jones & the Six, about a fictional ’70s rock band. A stand-alone single co-written and produced by John Mark Nelson (Taylor Swift, Amy Allen), “Nostalgia,” appeared that September, and in November, Waterhouse issued the EP Milk Teeth, consisting of five early-career tracks and the new song “Neon Signs.” In June 2023, the Sub Pop Singles Club produced the Suki Waterhouse and Belle and Sebastian collaboration “Every Day’s a Lesson in Humility.”
Meanwhile, Waterhouse returned to the studio with Cook to work on songs for her next full-length release, a double-length project that found her also working with Foxygen‘s Jonathan Rado (Weyes Blood, Father John Misty), Cigarettes After Sex‘s Greg Gonzalez, Rick Nowels (James Blake, Lana Del Rey), courtship. member Eli Hirsch, and others. Named for a species of spider known for its bright coloring and elaborative courtship rituals, the resulting Memoir of a Sparklemuffin was her most elaborately arranged and emotionally dramatic album yet. It arrived on Sub Pop in September 2024. That year, Waterhouse also welcomed her first child (with her husband, actor Robert Pattinson). The resulting change in her outlook and newfound identity as a nurturer helped inform the songs on her next record. A brighter set of tracks on average, partly inspired by favorite bands ranging from the Stone Roses and PJ Harvey to T. Rex, Loveland included collaborations with writer/producers including Aaron Dessner, who hosted recording sessions at his Long Pond studio in upstate New York. Featuring Mick Fleetwood on the ’70s-inflected song “Morals,” the album marked her Island Records debut in July 2026.

Charlotte Lawrence makes moody electro-pop with larger-than-life production values. Originally earning notice as a model, Lawrence got into the music industry in the mid-2010s, but it was her slow-burning rendition of the Grease standard “You’re the One That I Want” that made her a viral sensation in 2017. She quickly capitalized on its success by releasing the digital singles “Seventeen” and “Sleep Talking.” After releasing her debut EP Young in 2018, Lawrence moved to Atlantic Records, releasing the mini-album Charlotte in 2021. Along with taking on acting roles, Lawrence released singles including “Boys Like You” and “Dog.”
The daughter of actress Christa Miller, who is best known for the sitcoms The Drew Carey Show and Scrubs, and TV producer Bill Lawrence, who created Scrubs and co-created Spin City and Cougar Town, Lawrence was born on June 8, 2000. She began modeling as a teenager. Her first major gig was for Chanel, which led to her landing spots in Vogue and Galore. Around the same time, she started her musical career, releasing the digital single “The Finish Line” in 2014. A second single, “Ever After,” appeared in 2015.
Lawrence received her first big boost as a singer when Natalie Maines invited her to perform with the Chicks at the Hollywood Bowl in 2016. Early in 2017, Lawrence released her simmering version of the Grease soundtrack classic “You’re the One That I Want,” and its viral success helped push her into the spotlight. She signed to Human Re Sources and released two additional singles, “Seventeen” and “Sleep Talking,” by the end of the year, with “Keep Me Up” and “Young and Reckless” arriving in 2018. The latter appeared on Young, the debut EP Lawrence released in June 2018.
Lawrence signed with Atlantic in 2019; her first release for the label was the single “Why Do You Love Me.” She continued to release digital singles into 2020, then received a big break when “Joke’s on You” was featured on the soundtrack to the 2020 DC Comics superhero film Birds of Prey. Her second EP, Charlotte, appeared in March 2021, supported by the singles “Talk You Down,” “You,” and “Cowboys.” Lawrence embarked on a new series of singles with 2022’s “Morning,” followed by songs like 2023’s “Bodybag,” “Boys Like You,” and 2024’s “Collateral.” She also expanded her work into acting, appearing on the Apple TV+ dark comedy Bad Monkey and the medical drama Doctor Odyssey. The single “Dog” arrived in February 2025.

The Fray + Dashboard Confessional at Arizona Financial Theatre
2026-07-27 19:00 - 23:30 | Arizona Financial Theatre, 400 W Washington St, Phoenix, AZ, 85003, United States
Following a triumphant 2024 return after a decade-long hiatus, The Fray continues to move fans with their emotional, cinematic alt-rock sound. Rising to multi-platinum prominence in the early 2000s, the Colorado group (Joe King, Dave Welsh, & Ben Wysocki) introduced a uniquely soul-searching sound—timeless yet inventive, arena-sized yet profoundly intimate. Over the years, The Fray has earned x4 GRAMMY nominations, x3 Billboard Music Awards, multiple Billboard Top 10 hits & a deeply devoted global fanbase. Their breakout single “How To Save A Life” spent 58 weeks on Billboard’s Hot 100 and became a cultural touchstone via Grey’s Anatomy. Praised by Rolling Stone & the LA Times, their debut album remains one of the best-selling digital debuts in history. The next chapter of music is on the way with the latest album, ‘A Light That Waits,’ out now.

Singer/songwriter Christopher Carrabba became the poster boy for a generation of emo fans in the early 2000s, having left behind his former band (the post-hardcore Christian outfit ) to concentrate on vulnerable, introspective solo musings. Armed with an acoustic guitar and soul-baring song lyrics, he christened his new project Dashboard Confessional — named after a lyric in “The Sharp Hint of New Tears” — and began releasing material in 2000. By 2001’s The Places You Have Come to Fear the Most, Dashboard Confessional had evolved into a full-fledged band, but Carrabba nevertheless remained the focal point of both the group and the rejuvenated emo genre. The band hit its mainstream peak with mid-decade releases A Mark, A Mission, A Brand, A Scar (2003) and Dusk and Summer (2006), releasing two more studio albums before retreating from the spotlight for almost a decade. Their only 2010s effort, Crooked Shadows, was issued in 2018. By the time they released a greatest-hits retrospective in 2020, they had become respected scene veterans with decades of earnest, timeless tracks. In 2022, following pandemic lockdowns and a major motorcycle accident, Carrabba returned with All the Truth That I Can Tell.
Dashboard Confessional took root in Boca Raton, Florida, Carrabba’s home since the age of 16. The singer had previously fronted the Vacant Andys and before joining the ranks of , but the desire to pursue something simpler led him to create Dashboard Confessional as a side project. Carrabba molded simple acoustics with passionate, personal wordplay on his 2000 debut, Swiss Army Romance, and a devout audience began to gather around the naked honesty of his lyrics. entered the studio that September to record their inaugural full-length, but Carrabba’s plans to mount a solo career had already taken precedence over his current band. Nevertheless, he and his bandmates finished the album before amicably parting ways, with later recruiting former Affinity frontman Jason Gleason to replace their departed vocalist.
By late 2000, Carrabba was free to devote his undivided time to Dashboard Confessional. The Drowning EP was released in early 2001, with the full-length album The Places You Have Come to Fear the Most following soon after. The latter release featured a full band on several tracks — a vast departure from Carrabba’s previously unaccompanied material — and the heart-rending single “Screaming Infidelities” found an immediate home on modern rock radio. Dashboard Confessional toured for several months, and Carrabba rounded out the year by collaborating with former guitarist Dan Hoerner on the So Impossible EP, which was released in mid-December.
Dashboard Confessional issued Summers Kiss, a companion piece to the So Impossible EP, in April 2002. Later that year, Carrabba recorded an installment for the MTV Unplugged series, accompanied by a devoted studio audience that sang along to every word. The show was released as MTV Unplugged 2.0 and served as his breakthrough performance, eventually going platinum. Now a staple on both radio and MTV, Carrabba returned in 2003 with a permanent lineup — including bassist Scott Schoenbeck, guitarist/pianist , and drummer Mike Marsh — and a new album, A Mark, a Mission, a Brand, a Scar. The record topped the Billboard charts and spawned another hit single, “Hands Down,” which peaked at number eight. However, it was the band’s contribution of the song “Vindicated” to 2004’s Spider-Man 2 soundtrack that truly resonated with a wide audience, with the song rising to number two.
At a peak in popularity, Carrabba collaborated with producers (, ) and Don Gilmore (, ) on the band’s 2006 release Dusk and Summer. Released in June, the album entered the Billboard charts at number two and was supported by nationwide tour dates alongside , , and . Dashboard Confessional then returned to the studio with , recording the band’s fifth album, The Shade of Poison Trees, in March 2007. The album was released the following October, with its acoustic-heavy sound marking a return to the band’s introspective roots. Chris Carrabba explored both sides of his personality — the acoustic, campfire-worthy songwriter and the full-band frontman — with 2009’s Alter the Ending, which featured songs from both camps and even included a second disc comprised of stripped-down performances of the track list. After touring in support of the effort, Carrabba released a remastered version of the band’s debut, The Swiss Army Romance, embarking on a solo tour to celebrate the album’s tenth anniversary.
After an extended, nearly decade-long hiatus, Carrabba resurrected Dashboard Confessional for 2017’s Covered and Taped EP, which featured covers of songs by , , and others. Early in 2018, Carrabba returned with Crooked Shadows, his first collection of original material in eight years. Vastly different from anything they’d done before, the set featured appearances by electronic dance act (“Belong”), electro-violinist (“Open My Eyes”), and Chrissy Costanza (“Just What to Say”). The next year, Carrabba surprised fans with re-recorded acoustic versions of A Mark…, Dusk and Summer, and Alter the Ending as a set dubbed “Now is Then Is Now.” Continuing down the retrospective path, Carrabba celebrated the 20th anniversary of the band’s debut with a greatest-hits collection, 2020’s The Best Ones of the Best Ones, and was slated to kick off a celebratory anniversary tour. Carrabba even had a newly-written album ready to go. However, the planned trek was halted by the COVID-19 pandemic and, months later, Carrabba suffered another major setback after he was in a severe motorcycle accident in June. After surgery and physical therapy, he resumed Dashboard activities in 2021 with the release of the single “Here’s to Moving On” from the group’s 2022 album, All the Truth That I Can Tell. A clear reversal of Crooked Shadows, the introspective set recalled Dashboard’s first two acoustic guitar-based albums, going so far as to recruit the same producer, James Paul Wisner. ~ Andrew Leahey & Neil Z. Yeung, Rovi

Colony House’s fifth studio album, 77, is both a sonic departure and a spiritual arrival, a retro-futurist meditation on eternity, nostalgia, and the invisible threads that hold us together. Steeped in the aesthetics of 1990s sound, 77 finds the Tennessee-based four-piece—brothers Caleb and Will Chapman, alongside Scott Mills and Parke Cottrell—reaching beyond what can be seen, touched, or even easily explained.
“77, the number, means a lot of things to a lot of people,” Caleb explains. “Biblically, it’s the number of forgiveness. Spiritually, it represents completion or wholeness. For us, it’s become a symbol of eternal perspective—a lens to look at love, loss, and life with a little more intention.” For a band that built its name on emotion-driven, heart-on-sleeve rock and roll, 77 is a natural evolution: a mature, longing album that doesn’t pretend to have all the answers but is brave enough to keep asking the questions.

Lindsey Stirling at Arizona Financial Theatre
2026-07-28 19:30 - 23:30 | Arizona Financial Theatre, 400 W Washington St, Phoenix, AZ, 85003, United States
Combining her love of classical music with electronic dance and hip-hop, California artist Lindsey Stirling is a violinist, dancer, and performer who surpassed early viral fame with a solo career that captured an audience in the pop mainstream. Early on, she was known for her YouTube cover videos and for competing on the 2010 season of America’s Got Talent, but she quickly became a crossover success after the release of her self-titled 2012 solo debut. As the decade progressed, she issued multiple Top Five, gold-certified albums, including 2014’s Shatter Me and 2016’s Brave Enough, both of which found her expanding her sound with singers including Lzzy Hale, Dia Frampton, Christina Perri, Rivers Cuomo, and others. Stirling has continued to explore new musical territory, releasing the 2017 holiday album Warmer in the Winter and collaborating with vocalists Amy Lee and Elle King on her chart-topping 2019 LP Artemis. After another holiday album, 2022’s Snow Waltz, she returned with the existentially charged Duality in 2024.
Born in Santa Ana, California, Stirling grew up in Arizona and began studying classical violin at the age of five. In her teens, she played in a rock band called Stomp on Melvin and competed in the Junior Miss competition, winning the Arizona Junior Miss title. An active member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, she studied therapeutic recreation at Brigham Young University. In 2010, Stirling appeared as the “hip-hop violinist” on NBC’s America’s Got Talent, in which she showcased her unique performance style of dancing and playing the violin at the same time accompanied by electronic backing tracks. After finishing in the quarter-finals of the show, Stirling began focusing more on filming videos for her YouTube channel. Working with director/cinematographer Devin Graham, she produced a series of videos featuring her in beautiful, evocative outdoor settings or with striking visual accompaniment; one of her videos, “Crystallize,” ended up being viewed more than 100 million times. She issued her self-titled debut album of all-original material in 2012 through her own Lindseystomp label. The set sold over 200,000 copies in the United States as an independent release, and was certified gold in Germany (selling over 100,000 copies there), Austria, and Switzerland.
After successful concert tours throughout the United States, Europe, Asia, and Russia, Stirling signed a deal with Lady Gaga‘s management firm, Atom Factory, and reissued her eponymous debut album through Universal Music. In 2013, Stirling released a pair of collaborative EPs — one with Tyler Ward, the other with Ward and Chester See. Her sophomore long-player, Shatter Me, arrived the following year. It was her first to include collaborations with other vocalists (Lzzy Hale, Dia Frampton), and it debuted at number two on the album charts. Along with taking part in several new collaborations (Jesse J, Pentatonix, Joy Enriquez), Stirling devoted much of 2014 and early 2015 to a massive world tour that took her across North America, through Europe, and into Oceania.
In June 2015 she announced the completion of an autobiography, The Only Pirate at the Party, and began work on a new album. Released in 2016, Brave Enough was a partially fan-funded production that included the single “Arena.” The album — which debuted atop both the Billboard classical and dance/electronic charts — featured appearances from Weezer‘s Rivers Cuomo, Indian-American rapper Raja Kumari, Christian rapper Lecrae, Christina Perri, and Andrew McMahon in the Wilderness. Her collaboration with the latter, “Something Wild,” was chosen as the theme song to the Disney reboot of Pete’s Dragon, which was released in 2016. At the end of the year and into 2017, Stirling embarked on a mammoth world tour in support of the album, taking in dates in the U.S., Europe, Australia, and into South America. In May, she was awarded the Top Dance/Electronic Album at the 2017 Billboard Music Awards for Brave Enough. The single “Love’s Just a Feeling” appeared at the same time and featured guest vocals from Irish singer/songwriter Rooty.
In October 2017, Stirling released her fourth studio album, the holiday-themed Warmer in the Winter, which featured guest spots from Trombone Shorty, Alex Gaskarth of All Time Low, and Sabrina Carpenter. That same year, she competed on the 25th season of Dancing with the Stars. She returned to music in 2019, releasing the single “Underground” and announcing her fifth studio album, Artemis. The record, which used the eponymous goddess as a framework for exploring perseverance, was released in September of the same year. Artemis featured guests Amy Lee of Evanescence (“Life Goes On and On”) and Elle King (“The Upside”). Lee returned the favor, including Stirling on Evanescence‘s 2020 song “Use My Voice.” The violinist was also featured that same year on singer Avril Lavigne‘s song “We Are Warriors.”
In 2021, she released the stand-alone single “Lose You Now” featuring Mako. Building upon the Artemis instrumental “Guardian,” Stirling tasked Mako with penning the lyrics for the track, which was created as a tribute to her late father. The following year, Stirling returned to holiday standards with her second themed set, Snow Waltz, which featured the rock-tinged “Ice Storm.” By 2024, she had readied her seventh full-length Duality. Exploring themes of inner conflict, Stirling delivered another reliably charged set of pop-violin anthems, this time featuring guests Royal & the Serpent (“Inner Gold”) and Walk off the Earth‘s Sarah Blackwood (the Gloria Gaynor-interpolating “Survive”).

Blending atmospheric electronic textures with dark alternative rock, PVRIS evolved from a post-hardcore underground favorite to a pop-savvy international headliner within a decade. Helmed by singer/songwriter, producer, multi-instrumentalist, and LGBTQ+ icon Lyndsey Gunnulfsen, the project (pronounced “Paris”) made its 2014 debut with White Noise, an alternative chart hit in the U.S. and U.K. Three years later, PVRIS returned with the pulsing sophomore effort All We Know of Heaven, All We Need of Hell. At the turn of the decade, the band’s sound had matured into an urgent, melodic hybrid of beat-driven synth rock, which could be heard on their third set, Use Me. At this time, Gunnulfsen revealed that she had been the main architect behind PVRIS all along, handling songwriting, production, and instrumentation from the start. She returned in 2023 with the empowering fourth LP Evergreen.
Formed in 2012 in Lowell, Massachusetts, the group’s earliest incarnation was as a local metalcore outfit before vocalist Gunnulfsen branched off to start PVRIS with the help of bassist Brian MacDonald, drummer Brad Griffin, and guitarist Alex Babinski. At this initial stage, the project echoed contemporaries such as , , and , a sound heard on the self-titled debut EP released in early 2013. Meanwhile, Gunn and her bandmates built a devoted following as a live act with summer dates on the Vans Warped Tour and the Rise Up Tour with , , and . In late 2013, Griffin parted ways with the group, leaving a core trio led by Gunn. Teaming up with producer Blake Harnage (), they entered the studio to work on their first official album.
In June 2014, PVRIS announced that they had signed with , becoming the first female-fronted act on the famed metalcore label’s roster. Their debut LP, White Noise, arrived in November of that year. Peaking within the Top Ten on the U.S. Alternative chart, the album was also a hit in the U.K. After a year of consistent touring, PVRIS announced their first headlining trek, which coincided with the re-release of White Noise, featuring the previously unreleased single “You and I.” In 2017, they joined and on the road, just before the release of their sophomore set, All We Know of Heaven, All We Need of Hell. The album featured the singles “Heaven” and “What’s Wrong.” A remix by of the album track “Same Soul” appeared in 2018 featuring singer .
In 2019, Gunnulfsen returned with a new label () and a new sound heard on the single “Death of Me,” a pulsing synth-washed dance tune co-written with ‘s Daniel Armbruster. Another electronic-influenced track, the -assisted “Hallucinations,” followed a month later. Both songs were included on the five-track Hallucinations, a stopgap EP issued to sate fans before the next release cycle. While awaiting that album, Gunnulfsen shared the singles “Dead Weight” and “Gimme a Minute,” which pushed the project even further into electronic territory. After months of waiting and delays, the cathartic Use Me finally arrived that August. Collaborating with JT Daly (), Gunnulfsen dove deep for the LP, touching upon everything from relationship woes to her struggles with autoimmune disease. The week of the album’s release, it was announced that Babinski had parted ways with the project.
Over the next few years, Gunnulfsen collaborated with the likes of , , , , , , , , and more. She also released the stand-alone PVRIS single “Monster.” In 2022, she issued the tracks “Anywhere But Here” and “Animal,” which were accompanied by a short film directed by friend and tourmate Jax Anderson. In addition to 2023’s rousing anthem “Goddess,” they were the first tastes of the next PVRIS era, which arrived that July in the form of Evergreen. Centered on themes of empowerment, the album further refined the project’s melodic, alt-rock hybrid sound, as heard on songs such as the -assisted “Take My Nirvana.” ~ Neil Z. Yeung

ARKAI is a GRAMMY® award-winning electroacoustic duo that has captivated audiences around the world with their creative imagination and cutting-edge string music.
Graduates of the famed Juilliard School, ARKAI’s signature sound has led them to hundreds of shows around the world that include esteemed performances at GRAMMYs On The Hill and Carnegie Hall, opening for GRAMMY and Oscar-winning musician , and joint recording projects like with piano sensation and Decca Records. They recently opened and performed with Ann at the legendary Troubadour club in LA for back to back sold out shows.
As songwriters & performers, their creative versatility has led to collaborations with GRAMMY-award winning music producers, Hollywood trailer houses, Cirque du Soleil acrobats and olympic gymnasts, contemporary dance companies, chart-topping musicians, and full-scale symphony orchestras.
ARKAI’s sophomore album, Brightside, was released in 2025, created in collaboration with producers Jonas W. Karlsson, Donny Bravo, and Charlie Heat. ARKAI is a voting member of the Recording Academy (GRAMMYs).

Motionless in White at Talking Stick Resort Amphitheatre
2026-07-29 18:30 - 23:30 | Talking Stick Resort Amphitheatre, 2121 N 83rd Ave, Phoenix, AZ, 85035, United States
An industrial city situated in Northeastern Pennsylvania, you could say Scranton quietly prides itself on a tried-and-true Rust Belt blue-collar work ethic.
For their fourth full-length album and first for Roadrunner Records Graveyard Shift, Motionless In White—Chris Motionless [Vocals], Ricky Horror [Guitar], Ryan Sitkowski [Guitar], Ghost [Bass], and Vinny Mauro [Drums]—dug into the roots of their hometown’s pervasive attitude.
“We’re a band that came out of the small town blue-collar spirit,” affirms Chris. “We put ten years into growing this and working hard to do what we love the most. We look forward to putting in another ten. Both the area we come from and the fan base brought us to this point. Graveyard Shift is all about that work ethic. It’s been instilled in us. Early on, we realized if you give the time and effort to chase a dream, it’s possible to achieve it by the sheer amount of drive and passion you have.”
Since 2006, that ethos has fueled Motionless In White’s rise to the upper echelon of modern rock. Albums such as 2010’s Creatures and Infamous in 2012 would galvanize a rabid fan base around the quintet. During 2014, Reincarnate reached new heights, bowing at #9 on the Billboard Top 200 and claiming #1 on Billboard’s Top Rock Albums Chart. The title track and lead single turned into a Top 20 Active Rock smash and notched 13.2 million YouTube views and 9.8 million Spotify streams. Simultaneously, they have shared stages alongside everyone from Slipknot, Korn, and Breaking Benjamin to A Day To Remember and Marilyn Manson in addition to making arresting festival appearances at Warped Tour, Aftershock, Rock On The Range, Rock Allegiance, and beyond.
In 2016, they entered a Los Angeles studio with producer and longtime collaborator Drew Fulk [Emmure, Crown The Empire] to record what would become Graveyard Shift.
“It was all about writing bigger, better, and more refined songs,” exclaims the frontman. “On Reincarnate, we felt like we had discovered our true identity. This record wasn’t so much centered on experimentation as it was on refinement. In the past, I feel like I always placed the vocals second to music. This time, there was a focus on trying to make sure the vocals had their big moments. That was a major key in really making Graveyard Shift separate from all of the other albums. I haven’t really been able to look back at anything I would’ve done differently or something I didn’t feel like I put my whole heart into here. I just feel incredibly confident about everything on the record.”
Motionless In White introduced this latest body of work with the galloping gut punch of “570”—the area code of Scranton and something of an homage to home. In less than three months, it amassed 3.1 million Spotify streams and amplified anticipation for the full-length’s impending arrival.
“Last summer, I had the opportunity to meet with a lot of fans on Warped Tour and have some very intense, personal, and deep discussions,” recalls Chris. “I walked away from these meetings feeling energized. Whether the conversations were dark or uplifting, I was ready to approach anything in my way with how I felt afterwards. Our current single, ‘LOUD,’ is a direct result of that energy. I wanted to encourage people to feel the same way. It’s definitely one of the more powerful and inspirational messages on the album.”
Throughout its 12 tracks, Graveyard Shift weaves together various personal vignettes. From embracing one’s dark side on “Necessary Evil” [feat. Jonathan Davis] to the hypnotic and humorous ode to Danny Elfman’s influential body of work, “Not My Type (Dead As Fuck 2),” the record remains unpredictable at every turn. “Eternally Yours” signals a first for the group.
“It’s our first true love song,” Chris goes on. “There was a very poetic and romantic approach. That’s something, as a lyricist, I have been trying to explore more of within myself over the past few albums. It’s a special song for all of us.”

Scranton plays a subtle role in the overarching narrative itself. Chris can recall finding early inspiration in the city’s once fertile music scene, which slowly dissipated over the years. At the same time, he and his bandmates have transported that energy worldwide with Graveyard Shift.
“I like to think we’re taking our favorite traits of this area on the road and showing the rest of the world what Scranton created out of all that great camaraderie, those friendships, and the memories,” he says. “We all come from the same spot. It’s something I think many people all over the world can identify with. We’re not content to just sit still and let life happen. We want to show you can take the initiative, go out there, and make a difference for yourself. That rings throughout all of the songs and speaks to the true meaning of Graveyard Shift.”
Ultimately, Motionless In White have the power to electrify a new love for rock music in the process.
“We’re quite a simple band in terms of our intent,” he leaves off. “Turn off your head, detach from reality, listen to the music, and enjoy the songs. That’s what we’re encouraging. We want to give people something to latch on to away from life’s bullshit. I hope they walk away feeling their love for music was either restored or upheld.”

Fit For A King harness the power of their brotherhood in order to perpetually push forward. The music contains traces of the members’ personal and collective experiences grafted onto an ever-evolving sonic palette of metalcore unpredictability, alternative melody, and deathcore brutality laced with electronic alchemy. As trends came and went in the background of the last decade, the quintet— Ryan Kirby [vocals], Bobby Lynge [guitar], Daniel Gailey [guitar], Ryan “Tuck” O’Leary [bass], and Trey Celaya [drums]—have weathered trials and tribulations as well as enduring the chaos of a world constantly influx. However, their bond stretches back to 2011 when Fit For A King unleashed their independent debut Descendants. They continually progressed with Creation/Destruction [2013], Slave to Nothing [2014], Deathgrip [2016], and The Path [2020]. Meanwhile, 2022’s The Hell We Create marked their fifth Top 3 debut on the Billboard Top Christian Albums Chart and third straight Top 15 debut on the Top Album Sales Chart. Outburn applauded how, “With The Hell We Create, Fit For A King takes on a new depth,” and KERRANG! assured, “It hits hard in all the right places.” In 2025, you can hear their strength and camaraderie loud and clear on their eighth full-length offering, Lonely God [Solid State Records].

Call them heroes or hell-bringers, it doesn’t matter to the men of Lorna Shore. On their fifth album—the declarative I Feel The Everblack Festering Within Me—the New Jersey quintet are putting all of metal’s subgenres on notice. Because after one listen, you’ll wonder what motivates them and what took metal so long to evolve.
There are all kinds of levels within the 10 tracks on I Feel The Everblack Festering Within Me. Andrew O’Connor’s orchestral arrangements give the songs an epic, cinematic feel that guides listeners into a mise-en-scene of their own creation. When the other members add parts, the results are positively stentorian. De Micco can thrust into light-speed, black-metal tropes and then downshift into the kind of phrasing one might hear from a ‘70s guitar hero. Ramos is clearly the heir apparent to the kind of vocal madness that Faith No More’s Mike Patton built his considerable reputation on. Add in the propulsive terror of Yager and Archey, and there’s no reason for Lorna Shore’s collective feet to ever touch the ground. Hardly ordinary by anyone’s standards whether it’s deathcore or black metal, there are things at work on Everblack that feel more like an extension of prog rock due to its extremity and big grandiose gestures. But by virtue of physical onslaught and wanting to divine truth from their music, Lorna Shore have kept themselves fired up by torching up the metal rulebook at every turn, practically demanding that other genres step up their game.

Static Dress is a British four-piece post-hardcore band from Leeds, England. Formed in 2018, the band currently consists of vocalist Olli Appleyard, guitarist Vincent Weight, bassist George Holding and drummer Sam Ogden.
The group signed to Roadrunner Records in May 2023, swiftly announcing a Redux version of their debut album Rouge Carpet Disaster, which includes 4 reimagined versions of album tracks. Until this point, the band were independent and had released a smattering of singles, an EP (Prologue) and an album (Rouge Carpet Disaster), as well as a demo version of the Prologue EP which was only available on CDs at Slam Dunk festival 2021.

AC/DC + The Pretty Reckless at Allegiant Stadium
2026-08-01 19:00 - 23:30 | Allegiant Stadium, 3333 Al Davis Way, Las Vegas, NV, 89118, United States
With a limitless supply of dirty riffs, snarling vocals, and timelessly catchy, anthemic choruses, AC/DC is one of the most important and most lasting forces in hard rock. Founded in the early ’70s by Scottish-born brothers and , the Aussie band exploded onto the international stage in 1979 with the release of their multi-platinum-selling sixth album, Highway to Hell. The death of charismatic frontman in 1980 threatened to derail the group, but AC/DC powered through. They recruited vocalist and unleashed their most successful effort to date, Back in Black, which has become the second best-selling album in history. The band continued to help define the sound of hard rock and metal throughout the ’80s, ’90s, and beyond, spawning countless imitators and enjoying steady, consistent commercial success. They also became one of the best examples of arena rock, playing to enormous crowds as the years went on, and rocking as hard as ever on studio albums like 1990’s pop-glinted The Razor’s Edge and 2020’s Power Up, both of which reached the upper tiers of multiple charts.
AC/DC were formed in 1973 in Australia by guitarist after his previous band, the Velvet Underground, collapsed (no relation to the seminal American group). With his younger brother Angus serving as lead guitarist, the band played some gigs around Sydney. Angus was only 18 at the time, and his sister suggested that he wear his school uniform on-stage; the look became the band’s visual trademark. While still in Sydney, the original lineup featuring singer Dave Evans cut a single called “Can I Sit Next to You,” with ex- Harry Vanda and George Young ( and Angus’ older brother) producing.
The band moved to Melbourne the following year, where drummer (formerly of ) and bassist Mark Evans joined the lineup. The band’s chauffeur, , became the lead vocalist when singer Dave Evans refused to go on-stage. Previously, had been vocalist for the Australian prog rock bands and . More importantly, he helped cement the group’s image as brutes — he had several convictions for minor criminal offenses and was rejected by the Australian Army for being “socially maladjusted.” AC/DC were socially maladjusted. Throughout their career they favored crude double entendres and violent imagery, all spiked with a mischievous sense of fun.
The group released two albums — High Voltage and T.N.T. — in Australia in 1974 and 1975. Material from the two records comprised the 1976 release High Voltage in the U.S. and U.K.; the group also toured both countries. Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap followed at the end of the year. In the fall of 1977, AC/DC released Let There Be Rock, which became their first album to chart in the U.S. Mark Evans left the band soon after, with taking his place. Powerage, released in spring of 1978, expanded their audience even further, thanks in no small part to their dynamic live shows (which were captured on 1978’s live If You Want Blood You’ve Got It). What really broke the doors down for the band was the following year’s Highway to Hell, which hit number 17 in the U.S. and number eight in the U.K., becoming the group’s first million-seller.
AC/DC’s train was derailed when died on February 19, 1980. The official coroner’s report stated he had “drunk himself to death.” In March, the band replaced with . The following month, they recorded Back in Black, which would prove to be their biggest album, selling over ten million copies in the U.S. alone. For the next few years, they were one of the largest rock bands in the world, with For Those About to Rock We Salute You topping the charts in the U.S. In 1983, left after the recording of Flick of the Switch; he was replaced by Simon Wright.
With Flick of the Switch, AC/DC’s commercial standing began to slip, and they weren’t able to reverse their slide until 1990’s The Razor’s Edge, which spawned the hit “Thunderstruck.” While not the commercial powerhouse they were during the late ’70s and early ’80s, the ’90s saw AC/DC maintain their status as a top international concert draw. In the fall of 1995, their 16th album, Ballbreaker, was released. Produced by , the album received some of the most positive reviews of AC/DC’s career; it also entered the American charts at number four and sold over a million copies in its first six months of release. Stiff Upper Lip followed in early 2000 with similar results. AC/DC signed a multi-album deal with in 2001 that resulted in a slew of reissues and DVDs, and they returned to the studio in 2008 for Black Ice, an all-new collection of songs that topped charts in numerous countries (including Australia, the U.S., and the U.K.) and was followed by the group’s first world tour since 2001. Two years later, the band’s music was featured heavily in the action movie Iron Man 2, and a compilation was released in conjunction with the film under the title Iron Man 2.
As AC/DC began work on a new album with producer in 2014, they announced that was suffering from dementia and had left the band; his nephew took his place at recording sessions and the accompanying 40th anniversary tour, and subsequently joined the group full-time. Just prior to the December release of Rock or Bust, drummer was arrested under charges of attempting to procure a murder, threatening to kill, and possession of cannabis and methamphetamine. Although the arranged murder charges were dropped, the others remained and the drummer’s future with the band was uncertain. Nevertheless, AC/DC marched forward with the release of Rock or Bust and plans for a tour in 2015. In 2017, died in November at the age of 64. Following a two-year hiatus, the band reunited with producer for their 17th studio album, Power Up, which became their third consecutive number one album in Australia and their third chart-topper in the U.S. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, Rovi

A swaggering outfit influenced by rock, post-grunge, and metal, the Pretty Reckless is the main musical vehicle for lead singer and actress Taylor Momsen. Emerging in 2010 after Momsen‘s success as a star on the hit TV series Gossip Girl, the band grabbed fans with their glammy, trad-rock sound, inspired by the likes of Led Zeppelin, AC/DC, Hole, and the Runaways. Following some early chart success, the group broke through with 2014’s Going to Hell, hitting number five on the Billboard 200 and topping the mainstream rock charts with the song “Messed Up World (F’d Up World).” They have continued to build a loyal fan base, touring alongside veteran acts like Soundgarden and scoring more mainstream rock hits like “Take Me Down” (from 2016’s Who You Selling For), as well as the title track off 2021’s Death by Rock and Roll. The latter was followed a year later by a companion release called Other Worlds. The holiday-themed Taylor Momsen’s Pretty Reckless Christmas arrived in 2025, with the full-length Dear God appearing the following year.
Born in 1993 in St. Louis, Missouri, Momsen grew up acting and modeling from a young age and initially rose to fame while still in her teens starring on the popular CW TV drama Gossip Girl. While acting was a main focus, she had been raised listening to her parent’s classic rock albums and long harbored a love of singing. She formed the Reckless in 2009, later changing the band’s name to the Pretty Reckless to avoid trademark problems. With Momsen on vocals, John Secolo on guitar, Matt Chiarelli on bass, and Nick Carbone on drums, the group began finding a balance between classic hard rock and more contemporary post-grunge. They worked quickly, playing some initial shows in New York City before landing an opening slot on the Veronicas‘ North American tour several months later. The tour went well, and Interscope Records signed the band before the year was up.
The Pretty Reckless completely revised their lineup in 2010, with Momsen retaining her frontwoman role as guitarist Ben Phillips, bassist Mark Damon, and drummer Jamie Perkins all replaced her previous bandmates. After spending several months in the studio, the group released their first single, “Make Me Wanna Die,” on the Kick-Ass soundtrack. The band’s first album, Light Me Up, saw release in Europe and Australia in late summer of 2010 and the record rolled out in North America in 2011. The Pretty Reckless toured steadily behind Light Me Up, releasing the Hit Me Like a Man EP in March 2012. A year later, the group’s second full-length album, Going to Hell, appeared. Going to Hell performed better than their first LP, debuting at number five on Billboard’s Top 200, partially on the strength of the mainstream rock hits “Heaven Knows,” “Messed Up World,” and “Follow Me Down.” The album also went to number eight in the U.K.
Two years later, the Pretty Reckless returned with their third album, the Kato Khandwala-produced Who You Selling For. Buoyed by the number one mainstream rock single “Take Me Down,” the set reached number 13 on the Billboard 200 and spawned several more singles with “Oh My God” and “Back to the River.” The band toured for the album, eventually joining Soundgarden as an opening act. They were with Soundgarden for the group’s last performance with singer Chris Cornell on May 17, 2017, at Detroit’s Fox Theatre the night before his death.
By November 2019, Momsen and the Pretty Reckless were back in the studio, working on tracks with Pearl Jam and Soundgarden drummer Matt Cameron. They eventually signed with Fearless Records and in February 2021 released their fourth full-length, Death by Rock and Roll. The title-track single debuted on top of the Billboard Mainstream Rock Airplay chart and was followed by “And So It Went,” which landed at number 12 and featured Rage Against the Machine‘s Tom Morello. The album itself hit number 28 on the Billboard 200 and was followed in October 2022 by Other Worlds, a collection of covers, remixes, and alternate version of songs from Death by Rock and Roll.
Continuing her close association with Soundgarden, Momsen joined the surviving members of the band, along with guests Brandi Carlile and Mike McCready, for a live performance during their November 2025 induction ceremony into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. That same month, she released the holiday-themed EP, Taylor Momsen’s Pretty Reckless Christmas, which featured a reworked version of the song “Where Are You Christmas?” (aka “Christmas, Why Can’t I Find You?”) which she originally sang in her role as Cindy Lou Who in How the Grinch Stole Christmas. Dear God, the band’s fifth studio long-player, appeared the following year; it took an unflinching, hard-rock-leaning collection of songs, including the streaming hit “For I Am Death,” that saw the Pretty Reckless pair their signature heavy sound with deeply personal songwriting.

The Pretty Reckless at The Van Buren
2026-08-02 19:30 - 23:30 | The Van Buren, 401 W. Van Buren St, Phoenix, AZ, 85003, United States
A swaggering outfit influenced by rock, post-grunge, and metal, the Pretty Reckless is the main musical vehicle for lead singer and actress Taylor Momsen. Emerging in 2010 after Momsen‘s success as a star on the hit TV series Gossip Girl, the band grabbed fans with their glammy, trad-rock sound, inspired by the likes of Led Zeppelin, AC/DC, Hole, and the Runaways. Following some early chart success, the group broke through with 2014’s Going to Hell, hitting number five on the Billboard 200 and topping the mainstream rock charts with the song “Messed Up World (F’d Up World).” They have continued to build a loyal fan base, touring alongside veteran acts like Soundgarden and scoring more mainstream rock hits like “Take Me Down” (from 2016’s Who You Selling For), as well as the title track off 2021’s Death by Rock and Roll. The latter was followed a year later by a companion release called Other Worlds. The holiday-themed Taylor Momsen’s Pretty Reckless Christmas arrived in 2025, with the full-length Dear God appearing the following year.
Born in 1993 in St. Louis, Missouri, Momsen grew up acting and modeling from a young age and initially rose to fame while still in her teens starring on the popular CW TV drama Gossip Girl. While acting was a main focus, she had been raised listening to her parent’s classic rock albums and long harbored a love of singing. She formed the Reckless in 2009, later changing the band’s name to the Pretty Reckless to avoid trademark problems. With Momsen on vocals, John Secolo on guitar, Matt Chiarelli on bass, and Nick Carbone on drums, the group began finding a balance between classic hard rock and more contemporary post-grunge. They worked quickly, playing some initial shows in New York City before landing an opening slot on the Veronicas‘ North American tour several months later. The tour went well, and Interscope Records signed the band before the year was up.
The Pretty Reckless completely revised their lineup in 2010, with Momsen retaining her frontwoman role as guitarist Ben Phillips, bassist Mark Damon, and drummer Jamie Perkins all replaced her previous bandmates. After spending several months in the studio, the group released their first single, “Make Me Wanna Die,” on the Kick-Ass soundtrack. The band’s first album, Light Me Up, saw release in Europe and Australia in late summer of 2010 and the record rolled out in North America in 2011. The Pretty Reckless toured steadily behind Light Me Up, releasing the Hit Me Like a Man EP in March 2012. A year later, the group’s second full-length album, Going to Hell, appeared. Going to Hell performed better than their first LP, debuting at number five on Billboard’s Top 200, partially on the strength of the mainstream rock hits “Heaven Knows,” “Messed Up World,” and “Follow Me Down.” The album also went to number eight in the U.K.
Two years later, the Pretty Reckless returned with their third album, the Kato Khandwala-produced Who You Selling For. Buoyed by the number one mainstream rock single “Take Me Down,” the set reached number 13 on the Billboard 200 and spawned several more singles with “Oh My God” and “Back to the River.” The band toured for the album, eventually joining Soundgarden as an opening act. They were with Soundgarden for the group’s last performance with singer Chris Cornell on May 17, 2017, at Detroit’s Fox Theatre the night before his death.
By November 2019, Momsen and the Pretty Reckless were back in the studio, working on tracks with Pearl Jam and Soundgarden drummer Matt Cameron. They eventually signed with Fearless Records and in February 2021 released their fourth full-length, Death by Rock and Roll. The title-track single debuted on top of the Billboard Mainstream Rock Airplay chart and was followed by “And So It Went,” which landed at number 12 and featured Rage Against the Machine‘s Tom Morello. The album itself hit number 28 on the Billboard 200 and was followed in October 2022 by Other Worlds, a collection of covers, remixes, and alternate version of songs from Death by Rock and Roll.
Continuing her close association with Soundgarden, Momsen joined the surviving members of the band, along with guests Brandi Carlile and Mike McCready, for a live performance during their November 2025 induction ceremony into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. That same month, she released the holiday-themed EP, Taylor Momsen’s Pretty Reckless Christmas, which featured a reworked version of the song “Where Are You Christmas?” (aka “Christmas, Why Can’t I Find You?”) which she originally sang in her role as Cindy Lou Who in How the Grinch Stole Christmas. Dear God, the band’s fifth studio long-player, appeared the following year; it took an unflinching, hard-rock-leaning collection of songs, including the streaming hit “For I Am Death,” that saw the Pretty Reckless pair their signature heavy sound with deeply personal songwriting.

With a clear vision, open heart, and guitar in hand, paris jackson plugs into pure emotion at the source. She’s not just playing a signature brand of alternative rock; she’s tracing a lasting mark in the shape of a beautiful scar that’s cut into the skin by her raw instrumentation and relatable lyrics. The Los Angeles-based vocalist, guitarist, songwriter, and consummate creative isn’t afraid to confront tragedy, trauma, or demons of any kind with a scream, a smirk, and a power chord. She creates the kind of music that can inspire you to take a look at yourself, change your perspective, or simply appreciate the messy magic of life in the moment. She introduced her artistry on 2020’s wilted—crafted with Manchester Orchestra’s Andy Hull and Robert McDowell. It vaulted to #1 on the iTunes Top Alternative Albums Chart and incited tastemaker applause from Associated Press, Entertainment Weekly, NME, NPR, NYLON, Refinery29, and Rolling Stone. On “lighthouse,” she teamed with producer Butch Walker and tapped Mike McCready of Pearl Jam for its guitar solo. She evolved into a formidable live performer by headlining packed houses and supporting Queens of The Stone Age, Incubus, Silversun Pickups, and The Revivalists. As a renaissance woman, she extended her creativity with roles in Lee Daniels’ Star, American Horror Stories, Prime Video’s Swarm, Doctor Odyssey, Gringo, The Space Between, and One Spoon of Chocolate.

Poppy at The Van Buren
2026-08-08 20:00 - 23:30 | The Van Buren, 401 W. Van Buren St, Phoenix, AZ, 85003, United States
Los Angeles-based performance artist-turned-pop star Poppy makes music that deftly balances art and commerce as she takes on multiple genres — from metal to pop and all points in between — while never losing her essential Poppy-ness in the process. She gained a substantial following on social media with her early videos, the subjects of which grew ever more absurd and bizarre. When she began making music for Diplo‘s Mad Decent label, Poppy’s commentary on social media and fame became even more meta; the self-referential electro-pop of 2017’s Poppy.Computer and the forays into nu-metal and dance-pop on the following year’s Am I a Girl? further blurred the project’s boundaries. In 2020, she boldly re-branded with the critically acclaimed, Grammy-nominated I Disagree, which fully adopted the pop-metal direction she had been teasing. Following 2021’s EAT EP, she released the live-to-tape Flux, which focused her riff-heavy execution even further. More genre explorations include 2023’s industrial-leaning Zig and 2024’s Negative Spaces, which dips into synth pop and punk. Following an all-star collaboration with Amy Lee and Courtney LaPlante on 2025’s “End of You,” she released her sixth LP Empty Hands in 2026.
Poppy emerged on YouTube in 2014 with a video of her eating cotton candy in silence. Viewers were baffled, yet it was just the start of Poppy’s brand of smart millennial theater. Wide-eyed, platinum blonde, and decked out in precious throwback outfits, Poppy’s calculated wholesome persona, budding style icon status, and tongue-in-cheek clips — wherein she filmed herself reading the Bible for nearly an hour, repeating her name for ten minutes, or inflating a plastic rabbit — combined the satirical, the subversive, and the just plain weird. In early 2015, she began releasing music, starting with a Lana Del Rey-ified version of Mac DeMarco‘s “My Kind of Woman.” Her first official single, “Everybody Wants to Be Poppy,” arrived months later. Signing with Island Records, she released the follow-up single “Lowlife” (and a remix featuring Travis Mills), a reggae-tinged jam that would serve as the first track on her debut EP, Bubblebath. Released in February 2016, the four-song set of catchy dance-pop showcased her musical range and sensibility, attracting comparisons to Grimes, Icona Pop, Melanie Martinez, and Charli XCX. That October, she issued the experimental ambient album 3:36 (Music to Sleep To), a collaboration with polysomnographists from the Washington University School of Medicine that was designed to promote healthy sleep and dreaming. A year later, Poppy’s official debut album, Poppy.Computer (Mad Decent), arrived and peaked within the Top 40 on both the Heatseekers and Independent Albums charts. On 2018’s Am I a Girl?, Poppy worked with Diplo, Grimes, and Lady Gaga collaborator Garibay on a set of songs that incorporated mainstream pop and nu-metal sounds and explored fame, fashion, and identity. While promoting the effort, she began incorporating increasingly heavy elements into her music, inspired by Nine Inch Nails, Marilyn Manson, and Rob Zombie. In a similar vein as Am I a Girl? selections such as “Play Destroy” and “X,” Poppy’s 2019 single “Concrete” featured speedy metal riffs and pounding drums, adopting a sugar-sweet attack similar to Babymetal‘s. This new direction was fully realized on her third studio set I Disagree, which arrived in early 2020. Her first release on Sumerian Records, the album was also her first to chart on the Billboard 200. The brash, pop-metal style of I Disagree was a hit with critics and fans alike, resulting in an expanded deluxe edition, I Disagree (more). She continued an especially prolific period with Music to Scream To — the soundtrack to her graphic novel Poppy’s Inferno — and a holiday EP, A Very Poppy Christmas. To cap off her banner year, the I Disagree album cut “Bloodmoney” received a Grammy nomination for Best Metal Performance, making Poppy the first female artist ever to be nominated in that category. The next year at the actual Grammy Awards ceremony, she performed a new track — the scream-packed “Eat” — which landed on EAT (NXT Soundtrack). Arriving a month after the release of her cover of Jack Off Jill‘s “Fear of Dying,” the aggressive EP also featured the track “Say Cheese.”
At the tail-end of 2021, Poppy released her fourth album Flux. At a compact nine songs, it was her most focused offering to date, blending numerous hard rock styles on a straightforward and cohesive attack produced by Justin Meldal-Johnsen (NIN, Deafheaven). Led by the defiant and unrelenting single “FYB,” 2022’s Republic/Lava-issued Stagger EP paired thrashy, punk-metal riffs with melancholic alt-pop. Poppy started 2023 with the industrial metal-leaning “Church Outfit,” followed by a searing rendition of Canadian nu-metallers Kittie‘s 1999 track “Spit.” She also teamed with Stu Brooks and Danny Elfman for “They’ll Just Love You.” Capping a busy year, she joined PVRIS for a joint tour before the release of her fifth full-length, Zig (Sumerian), which featured additional singles such as the industrial-pop “Motorbike” and the vulnerable “Hard.”
Poppy began 2024 with a collaboration with alt-rock group Bad Omens on the song “V.A.N.” (“Violence Against Nature”), toured both as a headliner and opening act, then ended the year with her fifth album Negative Spaces. On it, she expands her already wide-ranging approach to include ’80s-inspired synth pop and pop-punk while welcoming collaborations with Knocked Loose and Bring Me the Horizon‘s Jordan Fish. In the midst of her epic They’re All Around Us tour, she teamed with Evanescence‘s Amy Lee and Spiritbox‘s Courtney LaPlante on “End of You,” which hit the Top 20 of the Hot Rock and Alternative Songs chart upon release in September 2025. She then returned to the studio with Fish for “Unravel” and “Bruised Sky” from her sixth album Empty Hands, which arrived in January 2026. The metal-laden assault featured additional single “Guardian.”

Mixing elements of metalcore, pop-punk, and even some light hip-hop, LANDMVRKS have built a solid following as one of Europe’s heavy bands, coming into their own with the energetic Lost in the Waves in 2021. A favorite on the live circuit, they’ve also amassed a considerable following in Germany, where Waves and The Darkest Place I’ve Ever Been hit the upper reaches of the local album charts.
Hailing from Marseille, France, the band was the brainchild of Hate in Front singer Florent Salfati and drummer Nicolas Soriano. Initially working under the name Coldsight in 2014, Salfati intended to play only the guitar, but couldn’t find a vocalist that matched his vision. The rest of the band gelled with the addition of bassist Rudy Purkart and guitarists Thomas Lebreton (rhythm) and Nicolas Exposito (lead); the group soon changed their name to Landmarks, but amended the spelling within the year.
Amid a series of singles and well-received performances, including sets at England’s Deadbolt Festival and France’s Hellfest, LANDMVRKS released their debut album Hollow in 2016. The follow-up Fantasy arrived two years later, with new rhythm guitarist Paul Cordebard replacing Lebreton. Soriano was next to leave in 2019, with Kévin D’Agostino taking his place on the drum kit. During this period, the group toured even higher-profile dates, supporting Australian metalcore act Polaris on a trek through Japan and sharing bills with similar ensembles like While She Sleeps, Any Given Day, and Stray from the Path.
After waiting out the worst of the COVID-19 pandemic, LANDMVRKS reconvened for their third album, Lost in the Waves. It proved to be their most accessible release without sacrificing what made them unique, and reached the Top 20 in Germany (where their label, Arising Empire, is headquartered). The de facto title track “Lost in a Wave” attracted new fans, and a 2022 reissue added a live set plus well-received new tracks including “Suffocate,” featuring vocals from Bertrand Poncet of Chunk! No, Captain Chunk!, and “Death,” with a guest appearance by Drew York of Stray from the Path. The success of Lost in the Waves primed the pump for its follow-up, The Darkest Place I’ve Ever Been, which outpaced its predecessor, peaking at number six on the German charts.

Buried In Jade stands as a career-defining moment for Thousand Below, distilling nearly a decade of sonic exploration into a cohesive yet diverse body of work. The album spans multiple sonic spectrums from crushing metalcore anthems and hook-heavy modern pop elements to atmospheric rock, heartfelt ballads, and the band’s signature post-hardcore roots. It’s a bold step forward—both sonically and thematically—for a band unafraid to grow beyond genre lines.
Produced by Austin Coupe (The Devil Wears Prada, Citizen, nothing, nowhere) — as well as Josh Gilbert on select tracks (“Palace Of Dread” “The Quiet And Cold”) and mixed by Joseph McQueen, Buried In Jade captures the essence of Thousand Below’s past while boldly forging their future.

Avenged Sevenfold at Talking Stick Resort Amphitheatre
2026-08-27 18:00 - 23:30 | Talking Stick Resort Amphitheatre, 2121 N 83rd Ave, Phoenix, AZ, 85035, United States
For a legion of devoted adherents, the Avenged Sevenfold catalog is part of the DNA of modern hard rock and a constantly evolving soundtrack documenting the band’s creative twists and turns. Driven by a muscular melodicism, urgent intensity, and adventurous spirit, A7X anthems account for over two billion streams, over ten million records sold worldwide, two consecutive No. 1 albums on the Billboard 200 Top Albums chart, and multiple No. 1 rock singles. Since its formation in Huntington Beach, California, in 1999, the band combined a passion for extreme music and subculture with a determination to blaze its own path. Their newest record Life Is But A Dream… is designed to provoke and inspire, courageously broadening the New Wave Of American Heavy Metal sound pioneered by the band with confidence, attitude, and intention. Upending predictable conventions without sacrificing hooks, the band’s eighth album champions discomfort, tension, rage, and groove with esoteric abandon, exploring the absurdity of life and death. At the forefront of rapidly changing technology, cultural mile markers, and new ways for communities to engage, Avenged Sevenfold is steadily constructing its own ecosystem in real time, existing in a symbiotic relationship with its audience based on complete trust and mutual respect. Life Is But A Dream… is the natural creative anchor and sonically immersive environment for this mission.

We started in 1996, back in high school in Southern Maryland. We had no idea how the industry worked or how we’d get noticed from the middle of nowhere. So we played anywhere and everywhere around the DMV. By 1999, that grind led to a record deal with Epic Records, and we got our shot. If you listen through our catalog – , , , and – you’ll hear our highs and lows, our growth and naivety. We’ve always been honest about where we were in life, capturing the moments we might not always want to relive, but never shy away from.
Now, we’re inspired by our families, the artists we love, and the ideas that move us. Good Charlotte gave us more than music; it gave us a way to lift ourselves up, to find out who we wanted to be. We’re forever grateful for the love we get to share with everyone who listens.
This has never been just a band – it’s a journey of growth, expression, and evolution. GC will never die.

Snoop Dogg's Bucketlist Experience at Desert Diamond Arena
2026-08-28 20:00 - 23:30 | Desert Diamond Arena, 9400 W Maryland Ave, Glendale, AZ, 85305, 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

Ice Cube is one of the most crucial artists in rap history. A razor-sharp lyricist, an alternately furious and humorous MC, and an accomplished producer, Cube laid the foundation for the legacy of pioneering gangsta rap group by writing “Boyz-N-the-Hood” for partner and making his first big splash as an MC with the subsequent “Dope Man.” After ‘s Straight Outta Compton (1988) infiltrated suburban America and attracted the scrutiny of the FBI with “Fuck tha Police,” Ice Cube launched a solo career that has entailed five platinum albums and one platinum EP, including AmeriKKKa’s Most Wanted (1990), Death Certificate (1991), and The Predator (1992). A month before Cube released the first LP in that series, he appeared on ‘s critical “Burn Hollywood Burn” and within a year aided in the disruption of the track’s target with a co-starring role in John Singleton’s Boyz N the Hood. While Cube added to his filmography with projects such as the Friday franchise, his directorial debut The Players Club, and Barbershop, he devoted less time to music. He continued to record occasionally as a solo artist and as a member of , and extended a streak of RIAA-certified releases that lasted through Laugh Now, Cry Later (2006). The next decade, Cube and co-produced the acclaimed Straight Outta Compton (2015), a biographical film about , whose resurgence culminated with an induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. Cube soon returned with his first solo album in eight years, Everythangs Corrupt (2018) and formed the supergroup Mount Westmore. The typically vehement Man Down (2024) was his first solo album of the 2020s.
Raised in South Central Los Angeles, California by working class parents, Ice Cube, born O’Shea Jackson, became involved with b-boy culture in his early teens and in high school began writing rhymes. Cube rapped at parties hosted by , who soon produced his first recordings: Stereo Crew’s “She’s a Skag,” released on major-label in 1986, and an EP by C.I.A., issued in 1987 on the small independent . Stereo Crew and C.I.A. also featured , while the latter added . Along the line, Cube met through , and that trio, along with , formed the first lineup of , bolstered soon thereafter by and . and music industry veteran Jerry Heller set up , launched later in 1987 with a pair of 12″ releases: ‘s “Boyz-N-the-Hood,” and an EP from containing “8 Ball” and “Dope Man.” Cube was the MC only on “Dope Man,” but he was credited as sole lyricist on the three tracks, all of which demonstrated the writer’s flair for pointed narratives illustrated with irreverent humor.
By the time the Macola label expanded the tracks for the compilation N.W.A. and the Posse, Cube had headed to Arizona to study architectural drafting at Phoenix Institute of Technology. After he obtained a one-year degree, he returned to work on ‘s Straight Outta Compton and ‘s Eazy-Duz-It. Released by in August and September, respectively, 1988, the albums gradually crept into the mainstream, thanks in significant part to word of mouth and eventual support from Yo! MTV Raps. Nine months after its release, Straight Outta Compton peaked at number nine on Billboard’s R&B/hip-hop chart (trumping Eazy-Duz-It, which in March topped out at number 12). The extreme lyrical content of “Fuck Tha Police,” courtesy of Cube and , attracted scrutiny from the Los Angeles Police Department and eventually the assistant director of the FBI office of public affairs, who sent the group a strongly worded letter.
Deep conflicts with Jerry Heller prompted Cube to leave in late 1989. He went to New York with fellow producer and recorded his first solo album, heralded by an appearance on ‘s “Burn Hollywood Burn,” with the Bomb Squad. Released on in May 1990, AmeriKKKa’s Most Wanted was an instant Top 20 Billboard 200 hit and went gold within four months. While the album’s production and Cube’s mike skills were praised, the often violent, homophobic, and misogynist lyrics were criticized, particularly by the rock press and moral watchdogs. Even amid such controversy, the album was hailed as a groundbreaking classic — led by the title track, a number one hit on Billboard’s Hot Rap Singles chart — and established Cube as a recognized individual force. He began his own corporation, which was run by a woman, and by the end of 1990 co-produced a 12″ for and released the platinum Kill at Will EP. ‘s Make Way for the Motherlode, produced entirely by Ice Cube and , arrived the following year, as did another Cube-related project, I Wish My Brother George Was Here, the debut from cousin . Moreover, Cube made his widely praised acting debut in John Singleton’s groundbreaking urban drama Boyz N the Hood, titled after the song he wrote, filmed in his native South Central Los Angeles.
Cube’s first album may have been controversial, but its reception paled compared to that of his follow-up, Death Certificate. Released in October 1991, just after the debut went platinum, Death Certificate was more political, antagonistic, and vulgar than its predecessor, causing more scrutiny and outrage. In particular, “No Vaseline,” a vicious attack on and Jerry Heller, was perceived as anti-Semitic, and “Black Korea” was taken as an instruction to burn down Korean-owned grocery stores. The songs provoked a condemnation from the trade publication Billboard — the first time an artist had been singled out by the magazine. None of this prevented the album from reaching number two and going platinum with momentum maintained well into 1992 by “Steady Mobbin’,” a Top Ten rap hit. During 1992, Cube also performed in the second Lollapalooza tour to consolidate his white rock audience, executive-produced ‘s radical Guerillas in tha Mist, and that December appeared in Trespass and released The Predator. Cube’s third album, The Predator, became the first to debut at number one on both the pop and R&B/hip-hop charts. Promoted with three Top Ten rap singles — the ferocious Los Angeles riots response “Wicked,” the steady-rolling “It Was a Good Day,” and the collaboration “Check Yo Self” — the album eventually went double platinum.
Lethal Injection, Cube’s fourth album, was released in December 1993 and became the rapper’s third straight LP to debut within the Top Ten of the pop and R&B/hip-hop charts. Its biggest single, “Bop Gun (One Nation),” paid tribute to the enduring influence of Parliament- and featured leader . By the end of that year, Cube’s production discography included more material from , as well as ‘s Neva Again. Having released four albums in four years, Cube took a break from making solo LPs, but during 1994 reunited with for “Natural Born Killaz,” recorded for the Murder Was the Case soundtrack. Also that year, the November release Bootlegs & B-Sides bundled stray cuts. Cube was visible as ever throughout 1995. He acted in Singleton’s film Higher Learning, wrote and starred in the cult classic stoner comedy Friday, and appeared on tracks by partners and . Bow Down, ‘s first album, followed in 1996, narrowly missed the top of the pop chart, and went platinum on the strength of the hits “Bow Down” and “Gangstas Make the World Go Round.” In 1997, Cube starred in the action thriller Dangerous Ground and in the surprise hit horror film Anaconda, and contributed music to the soundtrack of the former, including “The World Is Mine,” joined by and . Another anthology, Featuring…Ice Cube, was out that December.
The Players Club, Cube’s directorial debut — which he also wrote — premiered in 1998, promoted with a Top Ten soundtrack featuring his own “We Be Clubbin’.” That November, just after he made a featured appearance on nu metal leaders ‘s “Children of the Korn,” Cube’s solo LP dry spell was broken with War & Peace, Vol. 1, the source of another rap number one, “Pushin’ Weight,” and an additional collaboration, “Fuck Dying.” Like all his previous LPs, it went platinum. Film work resumed with Next Friday, written and produced by Cube, who also reprised his starring role from the original and was present on the soundtrack. War & Peace, Vol. 2, containing a collaboration with and on “Hello,” followed in March 2000 and completed his prosperous phase with , swiftly summarized with Greatest Hits in 2001. Between studio albums, Cube devoted most of his creative energy to films. David O’Russell’s Three Kings, ‘s Ghosts of Mars, and Tim Story’s Barbershop, as well as a third Cube-written Friday film, Friday After Next — among several other titles — all appeared in theaters before he returned to music with ‘s second album, Terrorist Threats, in December 2003.
Signed to , Cube lengthened his solo discography in June 2006 with Laugh Now, Cry Later. In the Movies, a compilation of soundtrack cuts, was put together by for a 2007 release. The following August, Cube returned with Raw Footage, his seventh consecutive solo studio album to enter the Billboard 200 and R&B/hip-hop charts within the Top Ten. Yet another catalog title from , The Essentials, appeared in 2008. Cube’s September 2010 effort I Am the West was a family affair, with sons Darrell Jackson (aka Doughboy, named after Cube’s Boyz N the Hood character) and O’Shea Jackson, Jr. (aka ) among the guests, who also included longtime associate . By the end of 2011, Cube had also acted in and/or produced a multitude of projects for the large and small screens, including Are We There Yet?, Beauty Shop, Friday: The Animated Series, and The Longshots.
In 2012, Cube announced the imminence of a tenth solo album, Everythangs Corrupt. Despite several singles issued across 2013 and 2014, its release was delayed as Cube focused on film and television pursuits, as well as the legacy of . Along with , Cube worked on a biopic about the origin and rise of the trailblazing group, with son O’Shea Jackson, Jr. cast to portray him. Named after their breakthrough album, Straight Outta Compton was released in 2015 to critical acclaim. The film made over $200 million worldwide, and was nominated for an Academy Award in the category of Best Original Screenplay. The film inspired ‘s solo album Compton, which included Cube on the track “Issues.” A Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction followed for in 2016. A 25th anniversary reissue of Death Certificate was released the next year by , Cube’s new home. The week of the 2018 midterm elections, Cube issued the single “Arrest the President,” a prelude to the characteristically scathing, humorous, and funky Everythangs Corrupt, which finally arrived the next month. He then teamed with Snoop Dogg, E-40, and Too $hort under the name Mount Westmore. The quartet released an album in 2020. Over the next few years, Cube continued with a handful of singles on which he teamed with the likes of , Cypress Hill’s DJ Muggs and B-Real, and Above the Law’s Cold 187um. “It’s My Ego” heralded the November 2024 arrival of Man Down. ~ Andy Kellman & Stephen Thomas Erlewine, Rovi

Too $hort was among the first West Coast rap stars, recording three albums on his own before he made his major-label debut in 1988 with the RIAA-certified gold Born to Mack. Anticipating much of the later gangsta phenomenon, he restricted his lyrical themes to explicit tales of sexual prowess and street life, with the occasional social message track to mix things up. Likely the only rapper to have recorded with , , and — all superstars indebted to his work — he has remained an inspiration for his vulgar verses and sparse instrumentals, remaining an iconic presence in the hip-hop landscape through the ensuing decades with projects like 2020’s collaboration Ain’t Gone Do It/Terms and Conditions.
Born Todd Shaw on April 28, 1966, Too $hort grew up in South Central Los Angeles. Soon after his family moved to Oakland in the early ’80s, he began selling tapes out of the back of his car. Signed to the local label , in 1985 he released his first proper album, Don’t Stop Rappin’. Two albums followed in the next two years, after which Too $hort formed his own Dangerous Music label with friend . He released Born to Mack in 1987, and sold more than 50,000 copies just by riding around the region. New York’s picked up on the buzz from across the country, and re-released the album one year later. With virtually no radio airplay, Born to Mack went gold and its follow-up, Life Is…Too Short, achieved platinum sales by 1989.
Immense underground success and nationwide distribution primed Too $hort for radio airplay. “The Ghetto,” from 1990’s $hort Dog’s in the House, made number 12 on the Billboard R&B/hip-hop chart and enjoyed a brief stay just outside the Top 40 of the Hot 100. The roll continued with 1992’s Shorty the Pimp and 1993’s Get in Where You Fit In, both of which went platinum. By the time of 1995’s Cocktails, however, Too $hort began to be drowned out by a glut of similar-sounding West Coasters, and though Gettin’ It (Album Number Ten) eventually became his sixth platinum album, by late 1996 he decided to retire. Three years later, however, he returned with Can’t Stay Away, which debuted in the Top Ten and went gold. Back for the long term, Too $hort released four albums during the next four years, then in 2006 scored one of his biggest hits with the -produced title track for Blow the Whistle. After Get Off the Stage was released in 2007, Too $hort returned to independence. During the 2010s, he issued the albums Still Blowin’, No Trespassing, the guest-loaded Hella Disrespectful: Bay Area Mixtape, The Sex Tape Playlist, and The Pimp Tape, on his Dangerous Music label. He rounded out the decade in 2019 with the release of his 21st studio album, The Vault. The next year he returned with fellow Bay Area legend on the collaborative mixtape Ain’t Gone Do It/Terms and Conditions. In addition to the two headliners, the tape included guest spots from , , , , and many others. ~ John Bush & Fred Thomas, Rovi

Synonymous with Bay Area rap, E-40 built a devoted regional following prior to gaining national exposure with flamboyant rhymes peppered by slang inventive and extensive enough to warrant a lexicon. Throughout his career, E-40’s entrepreneurial spirit has cultivated a flourishing scene in communities such as Oakland and his native Vallejo. Among the first Bay Area rappers to sign to a major label, E-40 went platinum with his first release for , 1995’s In a Major Way. Through the 2000s, he added to his major-label discography with albums that regularly debuted within the Top Ten of the R&B/hip-hop chart, highlighted by 1996’s Tha Hall of Game, 1998’s The Element of Surprise, and 2006’s My Ghetto Report Card, all three of which went gold. Each release proved highly influential, not only on the West Coast but also in the South. The breadth of the tracks on which he is featured, including ‘s platinum “Snap Yo Fingers” (2006) and ‘s multi-platinum “I Don’t Fuck with You” (2014), is another representation of the esteem in which he is held. Concurrently, the Bay Area rap scene, invigorated by the hyphy sound it cultivated, grew in popularity. It had no bigger champion than E-40, who continued to crank out multiple full-length projects on an annual basis, including 2010’s Revenue Retrievin’, 2012’s The Block Brochure, and 2016’s six-volume The D-Boy Diary. The Gift of Gab arrived in 2018, followed by 2019’s Practice Makes Paper, which hit number 32 on Billboard’s Top Hip-Hop/R&B Albums chart. Along with collaborations with , , and , he formed the supergroup with , , and in 2022, then issued the solo album Rule of Thumb in 2023.
Born Earl Stevens on November 15, 1967, in Vallejo, California, E-40 made his rap debut in 1990 on Let’s Side, an EP by . The EP was co-produced by Mike Mosley and Al Eaton. In 1993, E-40 made his solo album debut, Federal, a nine-track LP/14-track CD produced by Studio Ton and released by in association with (), a regional distributor. In 1994, on the strength of the regionally popular, independently released single “Captain Save a Hoe” (aka “Captain Save ‘Em Thoe”) from the six-track Mail Man EP, E-40 signed a recording contract with , the home of Bay Area pioneer since 1987. re-released “Captain Save a Hoe” on 12″ and also re-released the Mail Man EP, adding two bonus tracks; all the songs on the EP, including “Captain Save a Hoe,” were produced by Studio Ton, except one of the bonus tracks, “Ballin’ Out of Control,” which was produced by Mike Mosley and .
In 1995 alone, released four E-40 albums: a reissue of ‘s [RoviLink=”MW”]Down and Dir
ty[/RoviLink]; Game Related, a newly recorded album by ; a reconfigured version of Federal; and In a Major Way, a newly recorded album produced by Studio Ton, Mike Mosley/, and . Of these numerous releases, In a Major Way proved E-40’s breakthrough. Featuring a collaboration with fellow Bay Area hardcore rappers , , and , “Dusted ‘n’ Disgusted,” in addition to several songs that would also become fan favorites, the album sold over one million copies and took the rapper’s career to a new level of respectability.
Beginning with Tha Hall of Game (1996), E-40 released six additional solo albums on — The Element of Surprise (1998), Charlie Hustle: The Blueprint of a Self-Made Millionaire (1999), Loyalty and Betrayal (2000), Grit & Grind (2002), Breakin News (2003) — plus one further album by , Money & Muscle (2001). Over the course of these albums, E-40 maintained his regional following and picked up additional fans nationally. Besides “Captain Save a Hoe,” two of his singles charted on the Billboard Hot 100 (“1-Luv,” 1995; “Things’ll Never Change,” 1996). During the late ’90s, E-40 was also featured on Southern rap albums such as ‘s Lost, ‘s MP da Last Don, and ‘s My Homies in 1998 alone.
E-40’s ties to the South became most clear in 2006, after the expiration of his contract with , when he partnered with and his label for My Ghetto Report Card, released in association with The album — featuring production from as well as Bay Area beatmakers Droop-E, , Studio Ton, and — was E-40’s most successful in years, and it marked his return to the Billboard Hot 100 with a pair of impressively charting singles: “Tell Me When to Go,” featuring (number 35), and “U and Dat,” featuring (number 13). That year, he also appeared on ‘s platinum hit “Snap Yo Fingers.” His 2008 effort The Ball Street Journal featured the production “Break Ya Ankles” as its lead single, followed by the feature “Wake It Up.”
Two years later, E-40 returned with the Revenue Retrievin’ project, a double album split into two separate releases. The Day Shift version featured the more street-oriented cuts, while the Night Shift version was filled with club tracks. The project turned into a quadrilogy in 2011 with the simultaneous release of his 13th (the varied Revenue Retrievin’: Overtime Shift) and 14th (the very dark Revenue Retrievin’: Graveyard Shift) albums. A year later, he returned with another batch of releases, this time divided into three single discs titled The Block Brochure: Welcome to the Soil, Pts. 1, 2, and 3. The year 2014 saw the launch of a four-part album as Sharp on All 4 Corners: Corner 1 and Corner 2 landed. Sharp on All 4 Corners: Corner 3 and Corner 4 were scheduled for 2015 but were preceded the following year by “books” one and two of The D-Boy Diary. Meanwhile, E-40’s status as a venerable Bay Area fixture was sustained with appearances on hits by (the multi-platinum “I Don’t Fuck with You”), (“Saved”), and (“Law”).
In 2018, E-40 collaborated with for Connected and Respected, contributed to the soundtrack for the Oakland-set Blindspotting, and released the full-length album The Gift of Gab. Practice Makes Paper, promoted with “Chase the Money” — featuring , , , and — arrived the next year. He returned in May 2020 with the EP The Curb Commentator Channel 1, featuring appearances by , , , and . Terms & Conditions, a collaboration with , arrived that December and was followed in March 2021 by the single “I Stand on That,” featuring and . In 2022, he debuted his supergroup , comprising , , and . He also issued the singles “It’s Hard Not To” (with ) and “In the Air Where It’s Fair” (with ). Returning to solo work in late 2023, E-40 delivered another full-length, Rule of Thumb. ~ Jason Birchmeier & Andy Kellman, Rovi

UFest 2026 at Talking Stick Resort Amphitheatre
2026-09-12 19:00 - 23:30 | Talking Stick Resort Amphitheatre, 2121 N 83rd Ave, Phoenix, AZ, 85035, United States
Godsmack has more Top 10 Rock Songs than Foo Fighters or their hometown heroes, Aerosmith. Stretching back to their four-times platinum self-titled debut, initially recorded in 1996 for $2500, the veteran band’s catalog of hits is enough to fill a marathon set without running out. Songs like “I Stand Alone,” “Awake,” and “Voodoo” are certified anthems deeply encoded into hard rock’s DNA.
Like the antiheroes of a heist movie planning one last score, the Lawrence, Massachusetts-bred quartet takes a victory lap with Lighting Up the Sky, dropping one more classic album as they ascend into the celebratory portion of their career. Sully Erna, Robbie Merrill, Tony Rombola, and Shannon Larkin climbed the creative mountain over and over. They are consummate rock fans themselves, so they refuse to finish as one of those bands where fans hit the beer line during “the new stuff”.
Lighting Up the Sky is undoubtedly a stunning swan song, should it truly prove to be the final studio album of new music from Godsmack. “Surrender,” the first new song in four years, earned well over a half million streams on Spotify alone in its first two weeks of release. Songs like “What About Me” and “Soul On Fire” stand up to anything in the band’s rich multi-platinum catalog. “Lighting Up the Sky is packed with melodies”, assures the frontman. The band’s body of work includes eight albums, four Grammy nominations, two iHeartRadio Music Awards noms, and a Billboard Music Award. (more at Godsmack.com)

With over 70 million albums sold, Stone Temple Pilots roared on to the scene in 1992 with their raucous debut, Core. A breakout success, the album peaked #3 on the Billboard 200 chart, and dominated radio waves with hits like “Sex Type Thing,” “Wicked Garden,” and the Grammy-Award winning smash single, “Plush.” STP quickly distinguished themselves as a band beholden to no trend. Boasting the inimitable riffs of guitarist Dean DeLeo, the propulsive rhythm section of bassist Robert DeLeo and drummer Eric Kretz, and the charismatic baritone of frontman Scott Weiland, STP ruled airways, video playlists and charts alike over their legendary career. In 2020, the band released their eighth studio album, Perdida – their second album with new lead singer, Jeff Gutt. Paste magazine described Perdida as the most sonically rich experience that Stone Temple Pilots have offered fans to date. www.stonetemplepilots.com

Dorothy Martin is the firestarter behind Los Angeles-based rock band DOROTHY—a powerhouse vocalist and songwriter known for fusing raw emotion, spiritual grit, and thunderous rock ‘n’ roll. Born in Budapest and raised in Southern California, Dorothy exploded onto the scene with ROCKISDEAD in 2016, earning massive DSP traction with anthems like “Raise Hell” and “Wicked Ones.” With each release—28 Days in the Valley (2018) and Gifts From The Holy Ghost (2022)—she’s built a global fanbase drawn to her blend of heavy guitar, gospel undertones, and fearless storytelling.
Dorothy unleashes her most personal and genre-bending work yet with her fourth album, The Way. Produced by Scott Stevens (Halestorm, Shinedown), it blends hard rock with Southern soul and Americana spirit. Tracks like “MUD,” “Tombstone Town” (feat. Slash), and “Haunted House” explore themes of addiction, rebirth, revenge, and faith—all anchored by Dorothy’s powerhouse vocals.
A born-again Christian who found faith in rehab, Dorothy infuses hope into her music. Whether she is sharing the stage and collaborating with legends like Slash or Dolly Parton, or leading her own sold-out tours, she’s rewriting the rules of rock ’n’ roll—one song at a time.
