L7 rolls into Phoenix on Friday for a sold-out show at Walter Studios, bringing its decades-spanning Last Hurrah Tour to the city before the tour continues through a November 14 show in Los Angeles, just months after the death of founding bassist Jennifer Finch. Doors open at 7 p.m. and the show starts at 8 p.m. at the 747 W. Roosevelt St. venue, with the aggressive four-piece rock band treating the farewell run as a serious send-off rather than a victory lap.
Finch died on July 18, 2026, from brain cancer, according to the Los Angeles Times, just five days after she publicly shared her diagnosis. Despite the rapid decline, Finch gave her bandmates her blessing to proceed with the tour while she sought medical care, a request that now shapes how L7 approaches every remaining stop, including Phoenix, as reported by Phoenix New Times. Bassist Janis Tanaka, who previously played with L7 from 1999 to 2001, is filling in for the final tour.
A Tour Born From a Documentary, Now Reaching Its End
The band announced the Last Hurrah Tour in May 2026, with the U.S. fall leg opening October 6 in San Diego before stopping in Phoenix on October 9 and swinging through Austin, Atlanta, New York and Chicago, concluding with a hometown show at The Wiltern in Los Angeles on November 14, 2026, according to Consequence. Frontwoman Donita Sparks has noted that what was originally supposed to be a short reunion run beginning in 2015 instead stretched into 11 additional years on the road, per the outlet's report.
That second act traces back to a 2014 reunion of L7's classic lineup. Sarah Price's documentary L7: Pretend We're Dead is another part of the band's story. The band went on indefinite hiatus in 2001 after excitement waned. Phoenix New Times notes that the group is taking its final shows more seriously than past performances, aiming to deliver a strong set without the onstage fooling around that once marked its live reputation.
Walter Studios Hosts L7's Phoenix Show
Walter Studios, the Phoenix venue hosting Friday's sold-out show, is at 747 W. Roosevelt St.
From Sub Pop Roots to Hollywood Soundtracks
L7 formed in Los Angeles in 1985 under founders Sparks and Suzi Gardner, releasing a self-titled 1988 debut on Epitaph Records. Smell the Magic was released in 1990. The band predated both the riot grrrl and grunge movements despite frequently being lumped in with each, the entry notes.
Commercial breakthrough arrived with 1992's Bricks Are Heavy, produced by Butch Vig fresh off his work on Nirvana's Nevermind, which yielded the Billboard Top 10 alternative single Pretend We're Dead, according to Pennsylvania Musician Magazine. Phoenix New Times notes the band released Hungry for Stink two years later, featuring the song Andres, and that the Shitlist track off that era was later featured in Oliver Stone's Natural Born Killers. L7 also appeared on camera as the fictional band Camel Lips in John Waters' 1994 film Serial Mom, Pennsylvania Musician Magazine reports. The band's commercial fortunes cooled with 1997's The Beauty Process, which had less commercial appeal than L7's earlier work before the group went on indefinite hiatus in 2001, per Phoenix New Times.
Political Roots and a New Generation of Fans
Beyond the music, L7's political work included Rock for Choice, founded in 1991 to support women's rights.
Sparks has said L7 now draws younger fans, particularly from the LGBTQ+ community, including a substantial transgender fan base, per Phoenix New Times. She has said fans have told her the band helped change their lives, framing the farewell tour as an effort to end the band's run on a joyous high rather than a somber note. The tour was initially slated to cover the United States and Canada, and Sparks has said L7 may consider international touring in 2027 given interest from fans around the world, though no dates beyond the Los Angeles finale have been confirmed.
