August Burns Red in Phoenix

About August Burns Red

August Burns Red formed in Lancaster, Pennsylvania in 2005 and spent the better part of two decades becoming one of metalcore's most reliable names. They're not trendsetting, which is kind of the point. Their albums maintain a consistent approach to technical riffing and controlled aggression without chasing trends. Messengers put them on people's radar, but they've basically been putting out solid records ever since. They tour constantly, which means they've actually built a fanbase of people who've seen them multiple times rather than once at a festival. The band's tighter than they need to be, songs are tighter than they need to be, and their attitude seems to be that if you're going to do this, do it properly. Not flashy, not reinventing anything, just consistent metalcore from people who clearly still want to play shows.

Their crowds are focused, not frenzied. People know every word and the pit moves with the song rather than mindlessly circulating. No stage banter to speak of. They just play, and it feels like they're working as hard as the crowd is sweating.

Known for Messengers, Consumer, The Reflective Property, Identity, Barbarian

August Burns Red + Phoenix

August Burns Red rolled through Arizona Financial Theatre in April, working through a setlist that balanced their technical prowess with some genuinely unexpected choices. They opened with "Chop Suey," then carved through deeper material like "Bloodletter" and "Exhumed" — songs that reward the people who actually know their catalog. "Marianas Trench" hit different in a venue that size, all those intricate guitar layers filling the space. They closed with "White Washed," which feels right for a band that's spent two decades refining their sound without chasing trends. Phoenix has been good to them over the years, and shows like this one prove why.

August Burns Red in Phoenix News

• Spite Schedule North American Tour Exclaim! · Jan 6, 2026
• AUGUST BURNS RED and THE AMITY AFFLICTION announce North American co-headline tour Revolver Magazine · Dec 2, 2025
• August Burns Red and The Amity Affliction Plot Horizons Tour antiMusic · Dec 2, 2025
• AUGUST BURNS RED And THE AMITY AFFLICTION Announce Spring 2026 North American Tour BLABBERMOUTH.NET · Dec 2, 2025
• Fit For A King announce Fall 2025 tour Metal Insider · Jun 19, 2025

Live Music in Phoenix

Phoenix's metal community has quietly built something solid over the years. The city sits in this interesting middle ground—close enough to California's massive scene to get regular touring traffic, but far enough removed to maintain its own identity. Metalcore and heavy music in general have always had a foothold here, with venues like Arizona Financial Theatre providing actual infrastructure for bands that aren't going to pack an arena. August Burns Red fits naturally into that ecosystem, the kind of band Phoenix crowds show up for consistently.

Phoenix road trip to see August Burns Red?

Stay in Arcadia, where tree-lined streets and restored Craftsman homes give you actual neighborhood texture instead of generic sprawl. Eat at Otro, where the cooking is precise without being pretentious. Hit the Heard Museum if you want to understand what Arizona actually is beneath the tourism layer. Hike Camelback Mountain early morning before the heat makes it punishing. Spend an afternoon at Taliesin West, Frank Lloyd Wright's winter home, which feels oddly fitting for a band that cares about emotional architecture. The whole city slows down at sunset in a way that makes Dashboard's introspection feel less like melancholy and more like clarity.