Concertgoers will flood downtown Phoenix Friday night for Stateside Presents’ Viva Phoenix music festival, an event boasting more than 70 local and national bands at 14 different venues within a few blocks of each other.
Stateside Presents owner Charlie Levy said the company has been planning Viva Phoenix for about four months.
Every March, bands travel to Austin, Texas, for the annual music festival South by Southwest, stylized as SXSW. With an influx of artists traveling through or near Arizona, Levy said it was easy to get bands together in downtown Phoenix for the event. He emphasized the diverse bands and genres of music for the concert.
“There are just so many styles of music from all over the country, it’s hard for me to pick (a) favorite,” he said. “You can’t do it.”
Headliners include national bands such as The Neighborhood and Sir Mix-A-Lot along with local bands like Dry River Yacht Club and Sara Robinson & The Midnight Special.
Henri Benard, percussionist for Dry River Yacht Club, said he was especially excited to be performing for Viva Phoenix.
“Viva Phoenix is probably the biggest thing to happen to downtown Phoenix yet,” Benard said. “It’s going to be a beautiful display of what smart, intelligent promoters, musicians and artists can put together when they put their minds to it.”
He also said the festival is unique in that all 14 venues are within walking distance of each other.
“I’ve been telling everyone, ‘You’re going to be so sad if you miss this. You’re gonna be crying away in hipster heaven.’”
Brannon Kleinlein, owner of Last Exit Live, also said he liked the closeness among venues.
“The idea of having a festival where people can just bounce around (and) everything’s close within either biking or walking distance is an ideal situation,” Kleinlein said. “It’s a great thing for live music in this town.”
Last Exit Live will host seven bands during Viva Phoenix. Kleinlein said he hopes the event will bring in new people who will return to Last Exit Live for future events.
Kleinlein said the festival has had a lot of promotion which is giving the venues, including Last Exit Live, exposure. Both he and Benard agreed that the attention will be beneficial.
But Benard also emphasized Viva Phoenix’s significance in more than just business exposure.
“If you support Phoenix, if you support Arizona, you need to be at this event,” Bernard said. “Not you should be, you need to be. Just go and have a good time and support it.”
Tickets for Viva Phoenix are being sold online for $20 and can be picked up at the Monroe Street Stage or CityScape at 5 p.m. or at Crescent Ballroom at 6 p.m. Tickets purchased on Friday will cost $25 at the same locations.
To buy tickets or see the full line-up for Viva Phoenix, visit their website.
Contact the reporter at Taylor.Seely@asu.edu
