Happy Monday! I hope you enjoy the very first edition of Axios Mesa.

☀️ Today's weather: Cloudy with a high of 91 degrees.

🎶 Sounds like: "This Must Be the Place" by Talking Heads

Today's newsletter is 974 words — a 3.5-minute read.

Mesa Amphitheatre wants its rock star era back — and the city is bringing in some industry muscle to help make it happen.

Why it matters: A five-year deal with entertainment giant Legends Global — approved by the City Council in late August — could help Mesa's convention center and amphitheater compete for bigger concerts and events that have increasingly gone to newer Valley venues.

Context: Legends operates several major venues around the world and in the Valley, including State Farm Stadium and Desert Diamond Arena. It also partners with Live Nation.

State of play: The city hopes to lean on Legends' network and expertise in high-quality event experience and management to drive traffic to the downtown area.

The big picture: City manager Scott Butler tells Axios that major artists increasingly work through management companies with networks of venues, putting independently operated venues like Mesa Amphitheatre at a disadvantage.

• Plus: Built in the late 1970s, the venue, which seats about 5,000 people, is "showing its age" and lacks some modern amenities, Butler says.

By the numbers: The convention center needs up to $30 million in upgrades and the amphitheater about $17 million, according to a 2025 city-commissioned study.

• The study also noted that investing in the amphitheater and convention center could generate $133 million in revenue over two decades.
• Working with Legends is expected to generate enough revenue to fund renovations, Butler adds.

Yes, but: Some bigger acts may not come until upgrades are made to spaces like the green room and sound systems.

• Still, Butler hopes the Legends name alone will help attract more exciting acts in the near future.

Flashback: Between the '80s and early 2000s, Mesa Amphitheatre drew acts like Bob Dylan, The Beach Boys, Green Day and The Strokes.

The fine print: The partnership begins Sept. 1. Mesa will retain ownership and pay Legends $14,000 a month to oversee operations, marketing and strategy.

• Vice Mayor Scott Somers also floated the possibility of selling naming rights, similar to Desert Financial Arena.

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Mayor Freeman is with more than 90 Arizona delegates on an economic development mission to Taiwan this week.

Why it matters: Cities across the Valley are hoping to forge direct diplomatic relations with Taiwan as they vie for the next semiconductor investment.

State of play: His visit — he left Friday and returns Wednesday — coincides with Taiwan's Semicon 2026, a major international trade show.

• Next year, Phoenix will host Semicon West, a newly added spring conference.

By the numbers: The booming trade relationship between Arizona and Taiwan is heavily tilted toward imports, with more than $16 billion in goods imported from the country in 2025.

Zoom in: At the heart of the strong economic relations is Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC), which represents the largest single foreign investment project in U.S. history.

• The company recently announced it'll spend another $100 billion to expand chipmaking capacity in Arizona, bringing its total investment here to $265 billion.

Yes, but: Phoenix has a major head start, with TSMC's massive north Phoenix campus already anchoring Taiwan's semiconductor presence in the Valley.

What they're saying: The mayor will meet with business and government leaders "to ensure Mesa is part of those conversations," his office tells Axios in a statement.

• "Taiwan's global leadership in semiconductor manufacturing makes those connections especially valuable as Mesa works to attract new investment and jobs."

The bottom line: Mesa and its neighbors are trying to make sure the next wave of Taiwanese investment doesn't stop with Phoenix.

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🏈 Baltimore Ravens rookie Ja'Kobi Lane is turning heads at training camp with highlight-reel catches and a preseason touchdown, years after former NFL star Todd Heap coached him at Red Mountain High School. (The Athletic)

💸 A citizens group is suing Mesa for details of what could become the largest tax reimbursement deal in city history — up to $784 million over 25 years for the proposed Legacy Park and Gateway Crossing developments. (The Mesa Tribune)

Mesa police recovered a man's body from a community lake near Dobson Road and Isabella Avenue after a caller reported hearing him yell before he went underwater and never resurfaced. (ABC15)

🎥 ASU's downtown Mesa MIX Center is offering students degree programs with Hollywood-grade technology for film, virtual reality and video game production. A future master's program also in the works. (Fox 10 Phoenix)

Before I go, I want to tell you a little more about myself and what you can expect from Axios Scottsdale and Axios Mesa.

I may be an Arizona transplant but nothing feels more like home than the desert.

🌵 Between the two of us, I moved from Salt Lake City to Scottsdale several years ago in hopes of finding local charm in a sunny big city. But I quickly became fascinated by the East Valley's dynamic growth and colorful politics.

📝 Flashback: Before Axios, I spent half a decade covering culture and politics for the Deseret News, including Utah's congressional delegation and stories stretching across the Mountain West.

🍜 Whether I'm spending the day in Scottsdale or Mesa, I always have a list of new restaurants I'm dying to try, a neighborhood I'm curious about or a little hole-in-the-wall someone insists I have to visit. My husband and Chihuahua puppy, Truman, often accompany me on these adventures.

Reach out by replying to this email to share a tip or say hello — I'd love to hear from you.

🥳 I'm celebrating launch day by listening to a recording of Bob Dylan's September 1990 show at the Mesa Amphitheatre.

Thanks to Astrid Galván for editing this newsletter.