Hot tickets

Eminem and 50 Cent
Tuesday at Cricket Pavilion
It will be a veritable rap-stravaganza Tuesday when two of the hottest names in hip-hop throw down at the Cricket Pavilion. Eminem (nee Marshall Mathers) has risen from the Detroit ghetto to become arguably the most popular rapper of his time, releasing several critically lauded smash-hit albums and starring in the largely autobiographical film “8 Mile.” And he's never even been shot at. The same can't be said for his protégé, 50 Cent, who was pumped with lead nine times during his former career as a New York City drug dealer, and his entourage recently traded bullets with the crew of his former protégé, The Game, outside a New York City radio station. Between Eminem and 50 Cent, the two have sold multiple millions of records, and this show should be exciting, even without random gunfire.

Reel Big Fish
Thursday at Marquee Theatre
Southern California's Reel Big Fish deliver their frenetic ska and punk with a healthy dose of sophomoric humor, making them a popular live draw. Riding the crest of the resurgence of ska-punk in the late ’90s, when Sublime and No Doubt were at the top of the pops, Reel Big Fish scored a Top 10 modern-rock track in 1997 with the jumpy “Sell Out.” The band is touring behind their 2005 release, “We're Not Happy Until You're Not Happy.”

Authority Zero
Saturday at Marquee Theatre
Mesa's own Authority Zero will blow the roof off Tempe's Marquee Theatre on Saturday with their patented skate/ska/punk/reggae hybrid. The band's “One More Minute,” from their debut album “A Passage in Time,” recently scored No. 21 in Get Out's list of the top 50 Valley rock songs. (See entire list at getoutaz.com)

Megadeth
Saturday at Cricket Pavilion
The Gigantour is here! Heavy-metal madmen Megadeth, led by East Valley resident Dave Mustaine, have been grinding out the thrash metal since 1985's “Killing Is My Business ... and Business Is Good.” The band is headlining the summer metal tour that also features Dream Theater. Megadeth's latest release, “The System Has Failed,” cruised into the Top 20 upon release in 2004. The group's intense following, well practiced in the art of headbanging, is sure to pack the Cricket Pavilion on Saturday.

Ted Nugent
Tuesday at Arizona Beach Club
Wild-man gonzo rocker, rabid right-winger, avid hunter and reality TV star Ted Nugent (or “The Nuge,” if you prefer) brings his over-the-top antics to Tempe on Tuesday to play, of all places, a beach club. The only known rocker ever to take the stage naked save for a loincloth covering his junk, Nugent had a bevy of hits in his 1970s heyday, including “Free for All,” “Stranglehold” and “Cat Scratch Fever.”

Rusted Root
Tuesday at Marquee Theatre
Pittsburgh-based jam band Rusted Root plays Tempe on Tuesday, and the drum circles are probably already forming in the Marquee Theatre parking lot. Adding the sounds of Africa, South America and the Middle East to their Grateful Dead-influenced vibe, Rusted Root use a variety of instruments onstage, including winds and all kinds of percussion, creating a sound that has earned the band a solid following.