So you’ve just spent a beautiful day at the TPC Scottsdale golf course watching the greatest show on grass.
In other words, you were dressed as preppy as can be, hanging with your friends drinking at the bar or drinking by the third hole and waiting to find a seat in the grandstand of hole 16. Maybe you might have even caught ASU alumnus Phil Mickelson drop a putt or two.
But once the sun starts setting on the great desert course and the golfers fill in their day’s scorecard so they can go home, it would appear that the party is over at the Phoenix Open.
That is where you are wrong.
Part of the great history of the party atmosphere surrounding the Phoenix Open has been the concert series surrounding the tournament after the golfing is over for the day.
The Bird’s Nest is a series of concerts held at night right after the tournament in a giant tent adjacent to the golf course. This year the Bird’s Nest offers a star-studded lineup that reaches across several genres of music.
Each show is $35 for general admission and comes out to a total of about $41 with the processing fee online. It is a very affordable price for a student who is looking to continue their good time in Scottsdale. Students can purchase tickets on TicketMaster.com or at open the day of the show.
The Bird’s Nest is a 21-and-over venue. The tent opens at 3:30 p.m. with bands usually performing until 10 p.m.
Here is a list of the headliners and what a student should expect with each show.
Make the effort to see O.A.R.
The golf tournament does not start until Thursday morning, but the Bird’s Nest has a jump on it.
Wednesday night kicks off the concert series with the Maryland-based jam band called Of A Revolution, more commonly known simply as O.A.R. The band has been a Bird’s Nest regular after playing the event a couple years ago.
If you do not know any of the headliners for the concert series, this is the one to see. Ever since O.A.R. dropped their live album called “Any Time Now,” it has been known as one of the best live performing artists.
Get ready for good-mood songs about life on the road, partying and drinking with friends back home, crazy games of poker and even some heartbreak.
But even when lead singer Marc Roberge is singing about a rough break-up like in the song “Get Away,” you wouldn’t even know it because he has a smile on his face and every song features a brilliant, jubilant solo by saxophone player Jerry DePizzo.
Even if you do not know any of the songs, O.A.R. at the Bird’s Nest will be an atmosphere you won’t forget.
Give Jake Owen a chance
OK, a lot of people do not like country music. I get that.
But say you’re at the open on Thursday with some friends and they happen to like country and they want to buy tickets and check out the concert that night. What are you going to do, grab a taxi home by yourself?
If you find yourself in that situation, give Jake Owen a shot; he is not a typical country musician. Before his album, “Barefoot Blue Jean Night,” he went through a rebirth. Instead of writing songs about trucks and riverbanks, he focused on songs about partying and beaches.
After a couple drinks and when Jake Owen busts into his road trip hit song “Anywhere With You,” you’ll forget how much you dislike country.
Weezer performs for the seniors and graduate students
All the students that are about 22 and older know which band was the first to make nerdy cool. Hipsters don’t have anything on lead singer Rivers Cuomo and the spectacle sporting '90s rock group.
Weezer first busted onto the scene way back in 1994 with their debut album called “Weezer,” also known as the Blue Album. The four geeks have rotated band members, but the mantra has always been the same: play great alternative music.
This show offers some nostalgia for older students. If they want to kick back after the golf tournament and be reminded of playing the Blue Album on their boom box while they do their grade school homework, then this would be the best concert to see.
Reach the reporter at ehubbard@asu.edu and on Twitter @Edmund_Hubbard
