Halloween in Tempe usually means the sound of music and the smell of liquor pouring on Mill Avenue. But this year, the biggest party will be at Tempe Beach Park for the inaugural Monster Mash Music Festival.
The weekend kicks off on Saturday at 4:25 p.m. when With Our Arms to the Sun takes the stage. The Arizona-based independent band consists of three brothers who have managed to release three albums in under two years. Aeges takes the stage next, and will then be followed by the first of the night’s three headliners: Coheed and Cambria. The post-hardcore rockers released their eighth studio album, “The Color Before the Sun,” earlier this month, so fans surely have some new music to look forward to hearing.
Following Cambria are experimental rockers Primus. Though perhaps best known for singing the South Park theme song, the band’s most recent effort has defined a new era for them. “Primus and the Chocolate Factory” is a re-imagining of the soundtrack of the classic 1971 Mel Stuart directed Willy Wonka musical that fuses the film’s story together perfectly with the band’s signature, bass-heavy experimental sound. Renditions of “Golden Ticket” and “Pure Imagination” are among the highlights and will hopefully make for some of the most entertaining moments of the group's set.
Closing out Halloween night is California rock group Tool. The festival marks the band’s first live performance of the year. The band is currently working on its first studio album in eight years.
Tool front man Maynard James Keenan will also return to the festival Sunday with his band Puscifier. The band has a new EP set for release on Friday.
Ghost and the Deftones will also make appearances on Sunday, but the festival closes with two of the biggest names in rock hitting the stage back to back. Goth rocker and filmmaker Rob Zombie will bring his signature show to the festival. Known for big spectacle performances, seeing him in a venue such as Tempe Beach Park will make for one of the most exciting sets of the weekend.
Two-time Grammy award winners Linkin Park close out the festival. The band is currently preparing a new album, but this year marks the 15th anniversary of its debut record “Hybrid Theory.” Hopefully, the group plays some new music but also celebrates their freshman record (which Kerrang Magazine ranked as number eight on that magazine's list of the Top 50 rock albums of the 2000’s).
As with Summer Ends, food and merchandise vendors will be on hand at the festival. Though Saturday has sold out, tickets for Sunday are still available at the festival’s website, www.monstermashaz.com. Four pack tickets start at $75 each. For more information about the appearing artists and set times, check the website as well.
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