Best Phoenix Concerts This Week: The Black Keys, Karol G, The War on Drugs – Phoenix New Times

Octobers busy slate of concerts continues this week with gigs by blues rockers The Black Keys, Colombian singer-songwriter Karol G., and video game rock act Bit Brigade. Also on tap this week are indie darlings Dehd and heartland rockers The War on Drugs. And on Wednesday night, five different local acts will square off in a battle of the bands to claim a spot on the lineup for this years Dusk Music Festival in Tucson.

Read on for more details about these shows or click over to Phoenix New Times concert listings for even more live music in the Valley from Monday, October 10, to Thursday, October 13. The War on DrugsMonday, October 10The Van Buren, 401 West Van Buren StreetThe actual war on drugs has been a national disgrace since Nixon coined the term in 1971, months after the president met a visibly high Elvis in the White House. As a band, The War on Drugs have had an altogether more positive effect on the national spirit. Theyre tapping into a vein of heartland rock that Bruce Springsteen and John Mellencamp mined so deeply in the 80s: deeply sincere lyrics, traditional instruments in lock-step with synths, weary masculine voices, and a wide-open sense of space in the production. But what makes the band sound so modern is how they mix in shoegaze guitars and krautrock motorik rhythms into songs that expand and recede like the shore. Fronted by Adam Granduciel, the Philadelphia band has grown rapidly to become the heirs apparent to Wilcos dad-rock throne. Their latest album, 2021s I Dont Live Here Anymore, builds on the promise of their early work. Meditative and engaging, its the perfect record to get lost in while driving for hours on the highway. With Adam Miller and Inner Magic; 8 p.m., $39.50/$45 via ticketmaster.com. Ashley Naftule The Black KeysMonday, October 10Ak-Chin Pavilion, 2121 North 83rd AvenueBack in the distant, ancient pre-pandemic years Sun Kil Moon singer/career misanthrope Mark Kozelek sparked a beef with The War on Drugs by calling their music "beer-commercial guitar shit." Few bands more aptly fit that description than Akron, Ohio, blues-rock duo The Black Keys. Whether you consider that to be an insult or not depends on your tolerance for their reverent blues-inflected garage licks and dads-cutting-loose-in-Vegas swagger. The Black Keys emerged around the same time as The White Stripes, drawing similar inspiration from Flat Duo Jets and other garage-rock revivalists. But whereas the Stripes were kinda arty and twee (Beat Happening is as much a part of the bands DNA as the Mississippi Delta), The Black Keys made their bread by being unpretentious dude rockers who just wanna boogie. Pat Carney bangs the drums with metronomic precision while Dan Auerbach shreds and wails like hes auditioning to front a Sonics cover band. The Black Keys make music that makes you want to pound brews, drive fast, get divorced, and alienate your co-workers with your sudden Blind Lemon Jefferson fandom. With Band of Horses and The Velveteers; 7 p.m., $34.50-$169.50 via livenation.com. Ashley Naftule Karol GTuesday, October 11Footprint Center, 201 East Jefferson StreetColombian-born pop/reggaeton star Karol G is in the midst of her blockbuster $trip Love arena tour, which is powered by her award-winning 2021 album KG0516. Shes been selling out venues across the country, including her gig this week at Footprint Center in downtown Phoenix (dont worry, you can still score tickets through resellers), and the tour qualifies as her biggest to date. All that said, her media coverage lately has been focusing on her on-again/off-again relationship with Puerto Rican rapper Anuel AA. Its kind of a shame, considering Karol G. is a groundbreaking artist with an astounding voice who earned the shared honor of having the first song by two female artists to debut at number one on Billboards Hot Latin Songs in 2019 when Tusa, her collaborative track with Nicky Minaj topped the charts. Its on Karol Gs current tour setlist along with her hits "Mi Cama," "Secreto," and "Creme. With Agudelo888; 8 p.m. Benjamin Leatherman

The entrance to Valley Bar in downtown Phoenix.

Benjamin Leatherman

Eric McGrady (left), Emily Kempf (center), and Jason Balla of Dehd.

Alexa Viscius

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Best Phoenix Concerts This Week: The Black Keys, Karol G, The War on Drugs - Phoenix New Times