Experimental indie rockers Animal Collective return to Marquee Theatre on Tuesday, October 22, and the whole thing has left us conflicted. If the band plays some old songs we'll be happy. Heck, if the band plays anything we know we'll be happy.

My experience seeing the band at Coachella in 2011 was less than stellar, but a lot of that had to do with my expectations.

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These vibrant young people aren't dead yet...

The atmospheric, bluesy local rockers in Mergence may already be known for keeping it weird with communes, nomads and robots with the release of their first album, Those Vibrant Young People Are Dead--but with their upcoming EP they are taking it to an entirely new level.

It makes sense, since the name Mergence describes the future evolution of their influence on the industry and their sound, which has been compared to the likes to The Black Keys, Led Zeppelin and Pink Floyd. Up On The Sun talked with front man Adam Bruce over a post-band practice phone call, punctuated by the clinking of ice from glasses of whiskey and gin. He discussed how he lived up to his statement in our last interview of writing the second album in the middle of the desert, why the band didn't appear in the "White Bark" music video, and the new experimentation the band dabbled with in the studio.

Mergence is scheduled to perform at Crescent Ballroom on Saturday, June 1.

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Justin Timberlake is coming to Phoenix in December, and because he's Justin Timberlake that means tickets are on sale today at 10 a.m. Also because he's Justin Timberlake: The tickets, at least during limited presages, ranged in price from $62.50 to $1,950.

That $62.50 ticket will get you high enough up the steps at US Airways Center that you'll be able to pretend the rest of *NSYNC is there with him. The $1,950 ticket will get you "a table for two in the 20/20 VIP Bar & Lounge" and some other perks (detailed herein) that unfortunately do not include, say, Justin Timberlake recording "Take it to the bri-i-i-dge!" onto your outgoing voicemail message.

All the information you could possibly need to either buy Justin Timberlake tickets or sneer at those who do, after the jump.

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FYF Fest

My Bloody Valentine is headlining -- of course you should buy FYF Fest tickets; this is a no brainer. Okay, the decision isn't necessarily that simple. Backing up: FYF Fest is a two-day festival that takes place in downtown Los Angeles, featuring a variety of indie, electronic, punk, and comedy acts. Previous years have included surprising reunions from bands like The Faint, Desaparecidos, Descendents, Death From Above 1979, and Kid Dynamite.

We'll assess the lineup to determine if it's worth the drive and ticket price after the jump.

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All right!

Earlier in May, Justin Timberlake announced he would be coming through Phoenix on his enormous solo tour, which set off a concert-excitement bomb the likes of which hadn't been seen since -- well, since those Prince shows, I guess, even earlier in May. More recently, the Backstreet Boys announced they'd be playing a concert in September. It was not quite such a big deal, which has to be rough for all the people out there who touted Millennium over No Strings Attached.

More Phoenix and Phoenix-area show announcements -- including some early State Fair news -- after the jump:

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One of these Beach Boys will be coming through Flagstaff.

Until very recently, it was not necessary to point out that the Beach Boys who were on tour were not necessarily all of the surviving Beach Boys. Alas, we're spoiled: Last year's totally unexpected new album and tour brought the warring Beach Boys factions together for some extremely poignant (and occasionally uncomfortable) performances and a really-pretty-good album. But that tour -- like summer, in every Beach Boys ballad -- is over, and now The Touring Beach Boys are a Mike Love-led affair, with an assist from Bruce Johnston.

That's the band that will play a Mother's Day Brunch in Flagstaff's Pepsi Amphitheater, to benefit Flagstaff Medical Center, on May 12. You could do worse than two out of five surviving Beach Boys, but as of pretty recently, you could also have done better.

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Justin Timberlake's 20/20 Experience tour will be coming to Phoenix on December 2. Tickets will be available May 17, which gives you 11 days to figure out how you're going to get tickets, and then six months or so to figure out how you're going to camp in front of US Airways Center and yell Justin!!!! Justin!!!! until he sees you and he looks into your eyes and it's true love, is what it is, and you don't need the tickets anymore after all.

Other option: You can join his Tennessee Kids fan club, which exists, and participate in a pre-sale on May 7.

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Of all the bands that managed to go diamond (that's 10 million albums sold) back in the mid-'90s, when conditions were right for it, Matchbox Twenty looked the most like one-superhit wonders. It wasn't their fault; it just seemed like there were 10 million themselves-or-someones-like-them doing similar (if less effective) open-hearted post-grunge. Between "Smooth" and Mad Season, it didn't work out that way; Rob Thomas and company, as it turned out, had more hooks than we were giving them credit for.

If you're interested in hearing all of them -- I'm a "Bent," "Real World," "Push" guy, in that order -- I have good news: They're playing Comerica Theatre on Friday, July 26. Tickets go on sale a week from today, which leaves you just enough time to dig up your "Back 2 Good" CD single.

After the jump: Two songs from the past 10 years they'll probably play.

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Wikipedia

Legendary film composer John Williams is scheduled to appear at a benefit performance by the Phoenix Symphony on September 28. It's not like he needs to tour to help raise money for his kids' college fund, and he's probably busy with the Jurassic Park IV and new Star Wars soundtracks. There's no reason for him to perform in Phoenix aside from the pure love of it.

We're just thankful Williams is making an appearance, and that he'll stick to his film scores. The music will be accompanied by film clips, so anticipate lots of Spielberg flicks. What's even cooler is that all proceeds will go to The Phoenix Symphony's Education and Community Outreach programs, even though tickets range from $90 to $500.

We're excited enough about his visit that we took a look at his five most iconic film scores. Check them out after the jump.

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The Monkees are coming through Mesa -- it's called "A Midsummer's Night with The Monkees" -- which should not surprise anybody who's ever heard an Arizona stereotype. The show's on August 9, at the Mesa Arts Center, and it will (for obvious reasons) not feature the Davy Jones, the group's TV lead singer, who died a little more than a year ago.

Read More: Davy Jones: This Monkee's Going to Heaven

As the post-Beatles generation of rock bands reaches their dotage, this is a question you're going to find yourself asking a lot: Should you go see The Monkees, or bands like them, while you have a chance, even if they're without some founding members?

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