Metro Phoenix isn’t wanting for great concerts this weekend. Over the next three nights, your options include gigs by openly gay rapper Lil Nas X, emo/pop-rock favorite Panic! At the Disco, and alt-rock legends The Smithereens (who will be fronted by Robin Wilson of Gin Blossoms fame).
Other notable shows happening from Friday, October 21, to Sunday, October 23, include a local benefit for Puerto Rico at Crescent Ballroom, a sold-out performance by EDM star Deorro at The Van Buren, and all-female mariachi act Flor de Toloache at the MIM.
More info about each gig can be found below. If you’re looking for more live music this weekend in the Valley, hit up Phoenix New Times’ online concert calendar.
The Smithereens feat. Robin Wilson
Friday, October 21
Marquee Theatre, 730 North Mill Avenue, Tempe
In 1988, Brad Singer, owner of Zia Records, told an employee, “The Smithereens are coming in for an in-store appearance to promote their new album, Green Thoughts. I need you to decorate the store with their posters and albums.” That employee was Robin Wilson, already a member the Gin Blossoms, and a big fan of the New Jersey-based Smithereens. Fast forward 32 years, and Wilson will perform with The Smithereens this weekend in Tempe. The Smithereens — singer Pat DiNizio, guitarist Jim Babjak, bassist Mike Mesaros, and drummer Dennis Diken — composed catchy songs often played on college and alternative radio from 1988 until about ’94. Their unique brand of ’60s-influenced power pop, with chiming Rickenbackers and Marshall-driven power chords, was a bit like The Byrds on steroids. DiNizio most often sang about heartache, desire, and various other vulnerabilities, but always with a trademark vibrato. When DiNizio died in 2017, friends and family organized a tribute show in New Jersey. By that time, Wilson was living in New York, and he was asked to perform. Wilson’s participation would be the beginning of a connection that has evolved into him playing occasionally with the band. With Fat Gray Cat, Carol Pacey and the Honeyshakers, Koza, and The Sintrics; 7:30 p.m., $25-$60 via ticketweb.com. Tom Reardon
¡Viva Puerto Rico!
Friday, October 21
Crescent Ballroom, 308 North Second Avenue
When Hurricane Fiona slammed into Puero Rico earlier this month, it was devastating. The category 1 storm caused countless millions of dollars in damage to the U.S. territory, which is still recovering from the lingering effects of Hurricane Maria in 2017. In response, a cadre of local Latin artists and acts are teaming up for a one-night fundraiser benefiting Taller Salud, a Puerto Rico-based feminist non-profit organization providing aid to the island. The lineup for the event includes sets by Las Calakas, Grupo BombAZo, Taeps, Josué Kinter and His Empty Pleasures, Miguel El Mambo, and Las Chollas Peligrosas. DJs will also spin reggaeton and salsa music in Crescent’s lounge and the Cocina 10 kitchen will serve special menu selections all evening. 7:30 p.m., $15 via seetickets.us. Benjamin Leatherman
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Lil Nas X
Friday, October 21
Arizona Financial Theatre, 400 West Washington Street
Built on a Nine Inch Nails sample and a lot of swagger, “Old Town Road” conquered the year 2019 like Napoleon running roughshod over western Europe. This out-of-left-field synthesis of country music and hip-hop (whose lyrics emphasize the feeling-yourself self-mythology that’s common to both genres) seemed like a textbook novelty song at the time. The biggest surprise behind the rise of Lil Nas X is that there was no fall. Unlike the Tacos and Haddaways of the past, he’s still going strong. The openly gay Lil Nas X (born Montero Lamar Hill) is a new type of rap star: meme-savvy, funny, and with a sartorial sensibility that puts him somewhere between Funkadelic and Elton John. His 2021 single “Montero (Call Me By Your Name)” raised more than a few eyebrows with its romantic (and unambiguous) lyrics and gleefully Satanic music video. While so many pop stars and rap artists still sound like they’re performing from the bottom of a codeine bottle, Lil Nas X brings a visceral joy and playfulness to his work that’s refreshing. Here’s hoping he doesn’t ride off into the sunset for a long time to come. 8 p.m., $34.44-$467 via livenation.com. Ashley Naftule
Deorro
Saturday, October 22
The Van Buren, 401 West Van Buren Street
Learning music production and DJing was an obsession for Erick Orrosquieta, better known as Deorro. As a teenager growing up in Southern California, Deorro hung out at Guitar Center, where the employees let him experiment with a display DJ mixer. He was still crossfading from one track to the next until a stranger showed him how to mix tracks and beat-match. Parties led to club nights, and Deorro cultivated a following among house-music enthusiasts. He worked for promoters handing out flyers, and worked his connections until he was booked to play various high-profile gigs. He eventually gave up his onetime dreams of being a trauma surgeon and go with Plan B: making music. These days, Deorro is an international success story. He’s a regular at EDM’s biggest festivals, and his original productions – many released through his own label, Panda Funk – are staples in his peers’ setlists. He may not be saving lives in a hospital, but he’s still safeguarding people in his role as a mentor to the DJ community. With Ookay, Redtape & Cafe Caderas; 9 p.m., tickets are available on the secondary market. Benjamin Leatherman
Panic! At the Disco
Sunday, October 23
Footprint Center, 201 East Jefferson Street
Emo is back but Brendon Urie has never left. Flashback to the early 2000s when the kinda emo, kinda pop-punk scenester music that Urie’s Panic! at the Disco put out was a punchline. Now it’s big business as nostalgia, critical reappraisal, and a changing musical landscape have made the world ready to receive their MySpace aesthetic and theater kid energy. “I Write Sins Not Tragedies” may not be your “Stairway to Heaven” but it is for someone who wore too much eye makeup when they were 16. From flop era to star era, this is Urie’s time to shine. While Panic! at the Disco started as a full-on band, the group has paired down over the years until only Urie remains. An accomplished frontman, Urie knows how to work a crowd with his florid vocals and energetic keyboard player. Hailing from Las Vegas, he’s got that Wayne Newton showman energy in his blood. Like Newton, Urie knows his shit is corny and he doesn’t care. There’s power in that, and the Panic singer-songwriter knows how to use it. With Marina and Jake Wesley Rogers; 7 p.m., $25.50-$75.50 via ticketmaster.com. Ashley Naftule
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Flor de Toloache
Sunday, October 23
Musical Instrument Museum, 4725 East Mayo Boulevard
New York’s all-woman mariachi band Flor de Toloache is appropriately named. Translate the moniker and it means “toloache flower,” a Mexican medicinal plant known for its healing properties and use in magical practices, like the creation of love potions. There’s plenty to soothe and hypnotize you in this group’s fusion of traditional mariachi music with modern sounds. They’ve mixed things up with Dan Auerbach of The Black Keys, opened for his side project The Arcs and joined them on stage. The versatile group started in 2008, led by founder Mireya I. Ramos and founding member Shae Fiol. Both sing. Flor de Toloache originally started out as a trio, but now operate as a full mariachi band. They’ve toured the world extensively the last few years, and it’s not just fans they’re collecting. In 2017, the band picked up the Latin Grammy award for Best Ranchero/Mariachi Album for Las Caras Lindas, which blends the country sound with touches of soul and Latin jazz. With Las Chollas Peligrosas; $38.50-$49.50 via mim.org. Amy Young