Public Image Ltd (PiL) arrived at the 9:30 Club on Oct. 1 and delivered a phenomenal concert experience, with opener Plague Vendor setting the tone for the evening with hard-hitting music. John Lydon, the one-time lead vocalist for the Sex Pistols, was outstanding alongside his bandmates Lu Edmonds, Scott Firth, and Mark Roberts.
There are energetic crowds, and then there are crowds that make you start wondering about the structural engineering beneath your feet.
Towa Bird brought the Gentleman Tour to The Atlantis on Oct. 1, and from the moment she appeared onstage, the mostly young audience seemed determined to give back every bit of energy she sent their way. Fans jumped hard enough to make the floor of the 450-capacity club noticeably bounce. For the carefree fans packed into the room, it was basically a moon bounce with a backbeat. For a middle-aged photographer trying to keep a moving subject tack-sharp through a telephoto lens, it introduced a different kind of technical challenge.
It’s been a great concert season catching up with some of the best bands of the ’90s. On Sept. 30, I was able to see two of the finest rock bands from that era, Our Lady Peace (OLP) with openers The Verve Pipe, at Howard Theatre in Washington, DC.
The intimate Atlantis in DC recently proved a fitting stage for rising indie-folk artist Brenn! Touring in support of his debut full-length album, Amateur at Best, the 20-year-old Alabama native demonstrated that behind his social media success lies a charismatic frontman with an energizing spirit.
Foster the People bring their Good Mourning Sunshine North American 2026 Tour, playing their signature blend of indie pop and electrifying live energy, to DC for a show at The Anthem on Wednesday, Oct. 7.
Acclaimed Belfast singer-songwriter Joshua Burnside has returned to the United States for a fall tour in support of his new album It’s Not Going to be Okay, an arresting and poignant cut from one of modern folk music’s most respected artists.
Performing in a trio, Joshua continues the run on Tuesday, Oct. 6, with a DC-area show at Jammin’ Java.
Tom Morello has spent most of his career arguing that music can do more than entertain. At the inaugural Power to the People Festival, held Oct. 3 at Merriweather Post Pavilion in Columbia, Maryland, he put that idea into practice on a scale large enough to bring together several generations of rock, hip-hop and protest music for a marathon day built as much around civic engagement as the performances themselves.
Weezer brought The Gathering Tour to Capital One Arena on Oct. 2, with The Shins and Silversun Pickups in tow. That’s a lot of alternative-rock history packed into one Friday night.
The three-band lineup also made for an unusual trip through the past few decades of guitar music. Silversun Pickups opened with fuzz, volume, and the kind of choruses that can make an arena feel much smaller and more intimate.
Baltimore’s waterfront provided the backdrop for a night of smooth vocals and R&B as Soul on the Water closed out its inaugural season at Pier Six Pavilion.
The Oct. 1 finale featured Raheem DeVaughn with special guest Daley, bringing the series to a close with a show centered on musicianship, soul, and connection.
Both critics and fans alike revere Lucinda Williams for her songwriting; she regularly appears on lists of the best songwriters, be it currently living Americans or in the history of (recorded) popular music. The grit that characterizes her music, drawing widely from the Southern traditions of blues, country, folk, and rock & roll, is a reflection of the musician.
Now in her 70s, Williams released new music as frequently as she has in her long career, even after recovering from a series of strokes. In her recent performance at the 9:30 Club, Lucinda held the crowd in the palm of her hand with a raw, politically charged set that drew from across her catalog, accompanied by great stories and her eloquent, dry wit.
