Maria Vassett

Going in, there was a fear that Glen Campbell's Goodbye Tour concert would devolve into little more than a nostalgia act. That Campbell, struggling with the early onset of Alzheimer's disease, would duly try his best to work through carefully guarded and pre-arranged songs with the minimum effort.

Fortunately, those fears were laid to rest with the opening number, "Gentle On My Mind." Campbell, dressed in black pants, boots, shirt and sparkly jacket, tightened his jaw and completely nailed the solo -- though he looked a little relived when it was over.

"I'm happy to be here," he told the large, multigenerational crowd. "I'm happy to be anywhere."

See the full Glen Campbell slideshow.

But as he stuttered over his next words, bringing back the fear that the disease would affect his abilities as a showman, Campbell showed that his wit was as sharp as ever, even if he stammered getting it out. "Ya'll remember Mel Tillis," he smiled, recalling the stuttering county star. This self-effacing humor kept the evening light as the hits rolled on by.

Photos by Melissa Fossum

The Darkness is doing pretty well for a band that could be a considered a one-hit wonder. After a five-year hiatus and some rehab visits, the band is back in full force with its original lineup.

See the full slideshow of The Darkness at Celebrity Theatre.

They still look trapped in the '70s, too, with frontman Justin Hawkins sporting a mess of curly blond hair and a bare, tattooed chest that he's all too eager to expose. He made lots of jokes about being naked, which wasn't that surprising after seeing his blurred out bum in the "I Believe in a Thing Called Love" video. His brother Dan Hawkins shared guitar duty and headbanged more than the standard metalhead at a Metallica show. Frankie Poullain is back in the band, now dressed like a bizarre version of Jimi Hendrix or MGMT's Andrew VanWyngarden.

Photos by Anthony Sandoval

Digital Leather rocking out.

Last night's show at the Rhythm Room was in desperate need of clarity.

For the record, Digital Leather, Acid Dawgz, Weird Ladies, and Scorpion vs. Tarantula all played punk rocking sets. Figuring out who was who was a painful process of elimination, however.

Fortunately, closing act Scorpion vs. Tarantula includes at least one New Times staffer, so they were easy for us to spot. Digital Leather's Shawn Foree's deep monotone pitch was easy to distinguish, too. (Not to mention, his mug matches every picture we've seen of him). But if you didn't show up on time, you missed Weird Ladies, who opened the set, and Acid Dawgz after that.

Photos by Melissa Fossum

It felt a lot like a high school dance: On stage, this cool Canadian indie pop band played a good mix of fast and slow tunes, perfectly suited for dancing, yet most of the crowd sat still. Apparently some sort of Footloose-esque "no dancing" memo must have circulated, but one brave girl shouted at singer/guitarist Nick Thorburn, asking his permission to cut a rug.

See the full slideshow of Islands at Crescent Ballroom.

Thorburn seemed puzzled that she needed to ask in the first place. "Yeah, kick the seats over," Thorburn said. "Shit is so weird." Dressed in a button down and blazer, he stood with three other similarly well-dressed musicians that put the rest of the crowd to shame. Because Islands is classy like that.

Maria Vassett

Lenni and Lenny, together at last. Until last night, I had been waiting years to say that.

The baby-making music was full-speed ahead at Lenny Kravitz's show Sunday night. Clearly, the crowd was disgustingly excited, everyone on their feet before Kravitz even took the stage.

He easily proved that he's still the same rock 'n' roll sex symbol he's been for so many years. Plus, the guy's still cool enough to pull off wearing sunglasses (indoors!) on stage.

See the full slideshow of Lenny Kravitz with special guest Raphael Saadiq.

His backup band -- which he referred to as "the guys that stand side by side with me every night" rather than some guys that make him look good -- was fantastic, especially the trumpet player. His guitarist sure knew how to shred, too. Lenny's guitars were beautiful, the music was great, and the show was everything people expected and more.

Photo by William Westfall

Jason DeVore sings with Aarin Lugar of Inept Hero for a song

Two stages: check.

Fourteen bands: check.

Sound: check.

The New Times Soundcheck Festival concluded last night at Club Red with 14 kickass local acts. Day two emulated Friday's kickoff with a varied musical palate that included an injection of Valley hip-hop flavor for your ear.

The bands were divvied up between the second and main stages and provided a welcome ebb and flow to the night.

See the full Soundcheck 2012 Day Two slideshow.

The smaller Red Owl stage played host to the bouncing hip-hop fans, while rock and roll ska heads perused around the main stage.

Taylor Moon

​Casey Donahew Band

Denim & Diamonds

Friday, February 10, 2012

"Up all night sippin' on whiskey n' drinkin' beer."

Well that definitively described the concert by the Casey Donahew Band last night.

The energy level was so high, you almost didn't notice that drummer TAZ was missing. He was in the hospital, but the band stepped it up and soldiered on without him.

J.J. Soto, lead guitarist played drums for the night, while A.C. Copeland, keyboardist took over lead guitar for the night.

The parking lot was already packed, lines out the door and everyone was singing and dancing, of course.

Photos by Melissa Fossum

The Love Me Nots: bringing sexy back.

It's been a great week for local music fans. The much-anticipated 100 Years of Music That Defined Arizona article came out a couple days ago, and we're halfway through a pretty big music festival.

Check out the full Phoenix New Times Soundcheck slideshow.

Last night, the New Times Soundcheck kicked off with 14 diverse and talented bands. Regardless of personal tastes, every performer was entertaining to watch. Like most music festivals, the artists played at overlapping times and made for some difficult decisions. Fortunately, the festival is arranged so that you can spend at least 15 minutes watching every band on the lineup.

Photos and video by Melissa Fossum

Unwritten Law has had an interesting career. Lineup changes are to be expected with any band that's been around for over 20 years, but most frontmen don't have "physical arguments" with (soon-to-be-former) bandmates.

That leaves Scott Russo, the only original member of Unwritten Law. Fronting a four-piece band, he continues to create new material. Did you know Unwritten Law released two full-length albums after 2002's Elva? Yeah, I forgot, too. After a brief tango with mainstream success (thanks to songs like "Up All Night" and "Seein' Red,") the band kind of fell off the radar.

Maria Vassett

Phoenix loves Social Distortion, and the band loves Phoenix, including not one but two stops on their most recent tour. Last night was business as usual: The band played a packed venue to a sea of drunk burly guys and tiny girls trying to make their way to the front as if their lives depended on it. Lost in the sea of circle pits and crowd surfers are a few young children whose parents were brave, or foolish, enough to bring them along.

See the full Social Distortion slideshow here.

That's how it's always been since the band formed in the late '70s. Okay, I wasn't alive then, so I can't justify that claim, but I can say that every Social D show I've been to in the past decade or so has panned out a little something like that.