5 Concerts to Check Out This Week (August 3-9)

Every week, we present a curated list of live music in a wide range of genres around the Valley. This week: indie darlings and a country legend who may be doing his final rodeo. 

August 5
Passion Pit 

It was 20 years ago when Michael Angelakos, then a student at Emerson College in Boston, wrote the songs that would later appear on Passion Pit’s debut EP, Chunk of Change. The man behind the indie classic “Sleepyhead” is celebrating the milestone with a nationwide tour, but Angelakos isn’t the only one taking a moment to reflect. The city of Boston recently declared July 24 to be Passion Pit Day. And while it’s too late to commemorate this one-off holiday in real time, you can at least celebrate belatedly when Passion Pit comes to the Valley. 8 p.m. Check website for ticket prices. The Van Buren, 401 W. Van Buren St., Phoenix, 480-659-1641, livenation.com 

August 7
O.A.R. 

Gavin DeGraw and Lisa Loeb will join the “Shattered (Turn the Car Around)” roots rockers as O.A.R. celebrates “30 years of music, memories and the community” on its current Three Decades Tour. 6:30 p.m. Check website for ticket prices. Arizona Financial Theatre, 400 W. Washington St., Phoenix, 602-514-2919, livenation.com 

August 7
Kali Uchis 

Good luck putting Kali Uchis in a box. After taking most of July off, the genre-fluid singer, who possesses one of the most distinctive voices in pop music today, is taking her dreamy new album, titled Sincerely, back out on the road. 7:30 p.m. Check website for ticket prices. Talking Stick Resort Amphitheatre, 2121 N. 83rd Ave., Phoenix, livenation.com 

August 8
Trace Adkins 

There are outlaws, and then there is Trace Adkins. Before releasing his debut album in 1996, Adkins was shot by then-wife during a heated argument. Though doctors told him he was lucky to have survived the incident, Adkins didn’t press charges against his ex. More than 30 years later, the “Honky TonkBadonkadonk” singer is touring to celebrate three legendary decades in country music – albeit amid rumors he’ll hang up his spurs at the conclusion of the tour. The upshot: This week is as good a time as any to see Adkins live and on stage. 8 p.m. Check website for ticket prices. Showroom at Wild Horse Pass, 5040 Wild Horse Pass Blvd., Chandler, playatgila.com 

August 9
John Mellencamp 

With a set list filled with classics that celebrate the hard-working American middle-class, John Mellencamp has often been compared to Bruce Springsteen. Currently, the two singer-songwriters share another distinction: They’ve both been publicly rebuked by President Donald Trump. While Springsteen’s latest tour has essentially doubled as a political rally, full of frequent presidential criticisms, Mellencamp’s status as a MAGA antagonist can be traced to a single incident, when he criticized the executive order that changed the name of the “Gulf of Mexico” to the “Gulf of America” during a performance of the hit “Pink Houses,” calling the law “a stupid f*****g idea.” The White House responded, saying that “nobody in their right mind cares what out-of-touch, woke Hollywood celebrities have to say.” 8 p.m. Check website for ticket prices. Talking Stick Resort Amphitheatre, 2121 N. 83rd Ave., Phoenix, 602-254-7200, livenation.com