Billy Idol and DEVO Turn Virginia Beach Into an ’80s Rock Time Machine
There are certain concert pairings that make perfect sense before anybody plays a note. Billy Idol and DEVO at Veterans United Home Loans Amphitheater in Virginia Beach was one of them.
Jon Batiste, Transcendent
Words by Rahsaan “Wordslave” Eldridge
Photos by Steve Satzberg
Excitement simmered under the surface of a sold-out crowd. I saw bright eyes and wide smiles as I maneuvered through the traffic to my seat. A coolness in the air foreshadowed something special, unlike any other time I’ve been to Wolf Trap. Jon Batiste and the National Symphony Orchestra’s performance wasn’t just a show. It was a spiritual experience.
Bellingham’s Mt. Baker Theatre opened its centennial 2026-27 season with a sold-out performance by singer-songwriter Amy Helm on August 19. Accompanied by Anthony da Costa on lead guitar and back-up vocals, the evening settled into the type of warm, intimate performance for which the Mt. Baker Theatre has been known over the past 100 years.
Peter Hook & The Light are currently on a US tour celebrating the music of New Order and Joy Division. Hooky and his band arrive in DC for a show at 9:30 Club on Tuesday, Sept. 8.
At 9:30 Club, Peter Hook & The Light will perform the New Order album Get Ready in its entirety, alongside a selection of classic tracks from the extensive catalogs of both Joy Division and New Order. Hooky’s last show at 9:30 Club sold out, so don’t miss this fantastic return!
In the entertainment world, retirements are notoriously short-lived. Legendary Texas singer-songwriter is no exception. (Fellow Texan and beloved wrestler Terry Funk retired so many times I lost count!) He briefly stopped touring in the wake of the COVID pandemic, only to return to the stage not too long after. That was great news for his devoted tons, who turned out in numbers on Friday evening, the second of three shows at The Birchmere.
In response to being his music being categorized as “roots music” or “Americana,” Jason Isbell has said, “I’m a rock guy.” In his performance at Wolf Trap on Thursday evening with his band, the 400 Unit, Isbell showed us he’s exactly that. ‘
Pitbull Goes Worldwide at Jiffy Lube Live
Words by Rowan Potts
Photos by James Todd Miller
There’s a kind of late-summer night that Jiffy Lube Live seems built for, and a Pitbull show might be its purest expression. The August 19 stop on his I’m Back Tour was sold out, and from the parking lot on, the place already felt like a party waiting to happen.
What stood out before Mr. Worldwide ever hit the stage was the crowd itself: every age, every background, every kind of group you could imagine, all packed into Bristow for the same reason. If you’ve caught any of Pitbull’s shows here over the past three years, you already know the pattern. It’s a sold-out house and a night that feels less like a concert than a block party the size of an amphitheater.
In what can only be described as a marathon homecoming, Foo Fighters recently battled the heat with an explosive, sold-out show at Nationals Park. The crowd was so large that Metro service was extended in the Navy Yard area. The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame group’s previous two appearances in DC included a small-scale inaugural show at The Atlantis and an NPR Tiny Desk concert, so it was only a matter of time before they brought the full production back to a massive stage.
TDE’s southern rap star, Isaiah Rashad and his “Lil Sunny’s Awful Road Trip” Tour rolled into The Fillmore Silver Spring last week for a sold-out DMV show supporting his latest album, IT’S BEEN AWFUL — released back in May. With a massive billboard screen and a stage reminiscent of his Tennessee roots, Zay rocked the stage for over an hour, playing the majority of the album along with all the fan favorites from his discography.
Howard Jones keeps upgrading his touring game. Here in DC, he leapfrogged from performances at The Hamilton Live and Howard Theatre a decade ago to headlining the 9:30 Club. And now, with a little help from his friends, he brought his extravagant Things Can Only Get Better Tour to The Anthem, where a packed house thoroughly enjoyed every note from every band.
The bill included Howard and his trusty backing crew, Wang Chung, The English Beat, and Modern English. Each performed a substantial set of five or six songs — Howard played 11 tunes — and each received the full attention of nearly 3,000 largely Gen X and Boomer patrons who filled the venue in its seated configuration.
