Phoenix Info
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 Posted: Mon Dec 18, 2006 6:21 am Post subject: NIGHTLIFE IN PHOENIX / PHOENIX NIGHTLIFE GUIDE |
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NIGHTLIFE IN PHOENIX
If you're looking for nightlife in the Valley of the Sun, you won't have to look hard, but you may have to drive quite awhile. Although much of the nightlife scene is centred on Old Scottsdale, Tempe's Mill Avenue, and downtown Phoenix, you'll find things going on all over.
The weekly Phoenix New Times tends to have the most comprehensive listings for clubs and concert halls. The Rep Entertainment Guide in the Thursday edition of the Arizona Republic also lists upcoming events and performances. Get Out, published by the Tribune, is another tabloid-format arts-and-entertainment publication that is available free around Scottsdale, Phoenix, and Tempe. Other publications to check for abbreviated listings are Valley Guide, Key to the Valley, Where Phoenix/Scottsdale, and Quick Guide Arizona, all of which are free and can usually be found at hotels and resorts.
Tickets to many concerts, theatre performances, and sporting events are available through Ticketmaster (tel. 480/784-4444; www.ticketmaster.com), which has outlets at Wherehouse Records, Tower Records, Robinsons-May department stores, and Fry's Marketplace stores.
The Performing Arts
Although downtown Phoenix claims the Valley's greatest concentration of performance halls, including Symphony Hall, the Orpheum Theatre, and the Herberger Theater Center, there are major performing-arts venues scattered across the Valley. No matter where you happen to be staying, you're likely to find performances being held somewhere nearby.
Calling these many valley venues home are such major companies as the Phoenix Symphony, Scottsdale Symphony Orchestra, Arizona Opera Company, Ballet Arizona, Center Dance Ensemble, Actors Theatre of Phoenix, and Arizona Theatre Company. Adding to the performances held by these companies are the wide variety of touring companies that make stops here throughout the year.
While you'll find box-office phone numbers listed below, you can also purchase most performing-arts tickets through Ticketmaster (tel. 480/784-4444; www.ticketmaster.com). For sold-out shows, check with your hotel concierge, or try Tickets Unlimited (tel. 800/289-8497 or 602/840-2340; www.ticketsunlimitedinc.com).
Two-for-One Fun--If you expect to be going to any shows while you're in town, be sure to first pick up a Culture Pass. These free passes, issued by the Greater Phoenix Chamber of Commerce (tel. 602/495-6484) will get you two-for-one tickets to shows by a wide range of performing arts companies in the area. The Culture Pass also provides two-for-one admission to more than a dozen museums.
Major Performing-Arts Centres
Phoenix's premier performance venue is Symphony Hall, 225 E. Adams St. (tel. 602/262-7272), home to the Phoenix Symphony and the Arizona Opera Company. It also hosts touring Broadway shows and various other concerts and theatrical productions.
The Orpheum Theatre, 203 W. Adams St. (tel. 602/262-7272), is the most elegant hall in the Valley. The historic Spanish-colonial baroque theatre was built in 1929, and at the time was considered the most luxurious theatre west of the Mississippi. Today, its ornately carved sandstone facade stands in striking contrast to the glass-and-steel City Hall building, with which the theater shares a common wall.
Although it isn't the largest performance venue in town, the Celebrity Theatre, 440 N. 32nd St. (tel. 602/267-1600; www.celebritytheatre.com), manages to book some of the best shows in town. With its revolving stage and no seat farther than 75 feet from the performers, this is a great place to catch the likes of James Brown, The Temptations, or Wynonna.
The Dodge Theatre, 400 W. Washington St. (tel. 602/379-2888; www.dodgetheatre.com), is another of Phoenix's major downtown performance halls and seats from 2,000 to 5,000 people. It books many top names in entertainment as well as Broadway shows and international touring companies.
The Frank Lloyd Wright-designed Grady Gammage Auditorium, Mill Avenue and Apache Boulevard, Tempe (tel. 480/965-3434; www.asugammage.com), on the Arizona State University campus, is at once massive and graceful. This 3,000-seat hall hosts everything from barbershop quartets to touring Broadway shows.
The Scottsdale Center for the Arts, 7380 E. Second St., Scottsdale (tel. 480/994-ARTS; www.scottsdaleperformingarts.org), hosts a variety of performances and series, ranging from alternative dance to classical music. This centre seems to get the best of the touring performers who come through the Valley.
In Scottsdale, near the Borgata shopping centre, you'll find ASU's Kerr Cultural Center, 6110 N. Scottsdale Rd. (tel. 480/596-2660; www.asukerr.com), a tiny venue in a historic home. It offers up an eclectic season that includes music from around the world.
Outdoor Venues & Series
Given the weather, it should come as no surprise that Phoenicians like to attend performances under the sun and stars.
The city's top outdoor venue is the Cricket Pavilion, a half-mile north of I-10 between 79th and 83rd avenues (tel. 602/254-7200; http://cricket-pavilion.com). This 20,000-seat amphitheatre is open year-round and hosts everything from Broadway musicals to rock concerts.
The Mesa Amphitheater, at University Drive and Center Road, Mesa (tel. 480/644-2560; www.mesaamp.com), is a much smaller amphitheatre that holds a wide variety of concerts in spring and summer, and occasionally other times of year as well.
Throughout the year, the Scottsdale Center for the Arts, 7380 E. Second St., Scottsdale (tel. 480/994-ARTS; www.scottsdaleperformingarts.org), stages outdoor performances in the adjacent Scottsdale Amphitheater on the Scottsdale Civic Center Mall. The Sunday A'fair series runs from October to April, with free concerts from noon to 4:30pm on selected Sundays of each month. Performances range from acoustic blues to zydeco.
Two perennial favourites of Valley residents take place in particularly attractive surroundings. The Music in the Garden concerts at the Desert Botanical Garden, 1201 N. Galvin Pkwy. in Papago Park (tel. 480/941-1225; www.dbg.org), are held on Sundays between January and March. The season always includes an eclectic array of musical styles. Tickets are $16 and include admission to the gardens. Sunday brunch is served for an additional charge. There are also Friday night jazz concerts. Up on the north side of the Valley, just outside Carefree, El Pedregal Festival Marketplace, 34505 N. Scottsdale Rd., Scottsdale (tel. 480/488-1072; www.elpedregal.com) stages occasional jazz, blues, and rock concerts and sometimes has free live music on weekends.
Outdoor concerts are also held at various parks and plazas around the Valley during the warmer months. Check local papers for listings.
Opera, Classical Music & Dance
The Phoenix Symphony (tel. 800/776-9080 or 602/495-1999; www.phoenixsymphony.org), the Southwest's leading symphony orchestra, performs at Symphony Hall (tickets mostly run $20-$55), while the Scottsdale Symphony Orchestra (tel. 480/945-8071; www.scotsymph.org) performs at the Scottsdale Center for the Arts (tickets go for $17-$20).
Opera buffs may want to see what the Arizona Opera Company (tel. 602/266-7464; www.azopera.org) has scheduled. This company stages up to five operas, both familiar and more obscure, and splits its time between Phoenix and Tucson. Tickets cost $25 to $115. Performances are held at Symphony Hall.
Ballet Arizona (tel. 888/3-BALLET or 602/381-1096; www.balletaz.org) will be performing at the Orpheum this year and stages both classical and contemporary ballets; tickets run $12 to $102. The Center Dance Ensemble (tel. 602/252-8497; www.centerdance.com), the city's contemporary dance company, stages several productions a year at the Herberger Theater Center. Tickets cost $20. Between September and April, Southwest Arts & Entertainment (tel. 800/905-3315 or 602/262-7272; www.southwestae.com) brings acclaimed dance companies and music acts from around the world to Phoenix, with performances staged primarily at the Orpheum. Tickets range from $20 to $45.
Theatre
With nearly a dozen professional companies and the same number of nonprofessional companies taking to the boards throughout the year, there is always some play being staged somewhere in the Valley.
The Herberger Theater Center, 222 E. Monroe St. (tel. 602/254-7399; www.herbergertheater.org), which is located downtown and vaguely resembles a Spanish colonial church, is the city's main venue for live theater. Its two Broadway-style theatres together host hundreds of performances each year, including productions by the Actors Theatre of Phoenix (ATP) and the Arizona Theatre Company (ATC). ATP (tel. 602/253-6701; www.atphx.org) tends to stage smaller, lesser-known off-Broadway-type works, with musicals, dramas, and comedies equally represented; tickets go for $20 to $44. The annual production of A Christmas Carol is always a big hit. ATC (tel. 602/256-6995; www.arizonatheatre.org) is the state theatre company of Arizona and splits its performances between Phoenix and Tucson. Founded in 1967, it's the major force on the Arizona thespian scene. Productions range from world premieres to recent Tony award-winners to classics. Tickets run $20 to $61.
The Phoenix Theatre, 100 E. McDowell Rd. (tel. 602/254-2151; www.phxtheatre.org), is located in the Phoenix Art Museum building and has been around for almost 80 years. Musicals are the mainstays here; tickets are $20 to $34. If your interest lies in Broadway plays, see what Broadway in Arizona (tel. 480/965-3434; www.broadwayacrossamerica.com/tempe) has scheduled. The series, focusing mostly on comedies and musicals, is held at the Gammage Auditorium in Tempe; tickets cost roughly $22 to $80, with the occasional higher prices for a real blockbuster show. The Theater League (tel. 602/952-2881 or 602/262-7272; www.theaterleague.com) is another series that brings in Broadway musicals. Performances are held in the Orpheum Theatre, and tickets range from $37 to $43.
Scottsdale's small Stagebrush Theatre, 7020 E. Second St. (tel. 480/990-7405; www.stagebrush.com), is the home of the Scottsdale Community Players and stages tried-and-true comedies and musicals, with the occasional drama thrown in. Tickets are $18 to $20. The Arizona Jewish Theatre Co. (tel. 602/264-0402; www.azjewishtheatre.org), which stages plays by Jewish playwrights and with Jewish themes, performs at Playhouse on the Park, in the Viad Corporate Center, 1850 N. Central Ave. (at Palm Lane). Tickets range from $28 to $31.
Lunch & a Show
At downtown Phoenix's Herberger Theater Center, 222 E. Monroe St. (tel. 602/254-7399), lunch break means the actors hit the stage while the audience grabs sandwiches. Between March and August, 30- to 45-minute plays are staged at noon on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays. Tickets are only $5, as are sandwiches.
The Club & Music Scene
Even if it were not in the middle of the desert, the Scottsdale club scene would be red hot. Packed into a couple of dozen blocks surrounding Old Town Scottsdale, near the corner of Camelback and Scottsdale roads, there are dozens of trendy dance clubs and chic bars. This is where the wealthy fashionistas (and the wannabes) come to party. The crowd is young, affluent, and attractive. With all the beautiful people cruising around in Porsches and limousines, it's easy to think you're in L.A. Cruise along Stetson Drive, which is divided into two sections (east and west of Scottsdale Rd.) to find the latest hot spots.
While Scottsdale is the nexus of nightclubbing for the fashion conscious, the Valley also has plenty of other clubs and bars for those who don't wear Prada. Other nightlife districts include Tempe's Mill Avenue and downtown Phoenix. This latter area comes into its own after basketball and baseball games and concerts at the America West Arena.
Mill Avenue in Tempe is a good place to wander around until you hear your favourite type of music. The bars and clubs here are mostly within walking distance of one another. Because Tempe is a college town, the crowd tends to be young and rowdy.
Downtown Phoenix is home to Symphony Hall, the Herberger Theater Center, and several sports bars. However, much of the action revolves around games and concerts at the America West Arena and Bank One Ballpark (BOB).
As we're sure you know if you're a denizen of any urban nightlife scene, clubs come and go. To find out what's hot, get a copy of the New Times. Many dance clubs in the Phoenix area are open only on weekends, so be sure to check what night the doors will be open. Bars and clubs are allowed to serve alcohol until 2am.
Cocktails with a View
The Valley of the Sun has more than its fair share of spectacular views. Unfortunately, most of them are from expensive restaurants. All these restaurants have lounges, though, where for the price of a drink (and perhaps valet parking) you can sit back and ogle a crimson sunset and the purple mountains' majesty. Among the best choices are Different Pointe of View, at the Pointe Hilton Tapatio Cliffs Resort; Rustler's Rooste, at the Pointe South Mountain Resort; and Top of the Rock, at The Wyndham Buttes Resort. |
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