As a music photographer, and a music aficionado, it was important for me to get to see Sarah Shook & The Disarmers at Songbyrd Music House for their last-ever DC show.
Sarah Shook and band may be playing their last tour as the Disarmers, and so, the show at Songbyrd on March 22 was a great chance to see them before they disband. Formed in 2014, they are now touring the USA one final time before disbanding for new projects. The band is scheduled to play their final show on May 3 in Pustervik, Sweden.
The loss of this band is a loss for music in general, but I do understand their need to call it quits on this project and refocus on the road ahead. However, this is a special band and should be remembered as such. They play great music and play well together.
From the beginning of the show till the end, there was total enthusiasm from the sold-out audience. The entire show saw people clapping and responding with enthusiasm as Shook & The Disarmers played for nearly two hours. The band put the spotlight on what will be their last album, 2024’s Revelations, including tracks “Motherfucker” and the title track.
Watch the official music video for “Revelations” by Sarah Shook & The Disarmers on YouTube:
Shook advised the audience that they would be disbanding after this current tour. She also said she would begin her new musical project as River Shook dropping her current name of Sarah. This new direction has produced some of her clearest writing in years, she added.
It was apparent from the massive audience reaction that the fans wanted to see the band continue but do understand Shook is pursuing a new direction in her career at this time hinting at some of the great possibilities to come from her in the future.
Shook’s vocals were fantastic throughout the evening, as well as the music from the band. The connection between Shook and this current band formation is fantastic, and it was great to see them play again in the nation’s capital.
Looking back at the career of the band, I was a huge fan of the albums — Sidelong from 2015, Years from 2018, Nightroamer from 2022, and Revelations from 2024. Some of my favorite songs included 2015’s “Dwight Yoakam,” 2018’s “New Ways to Fall,” and 2022’s “Talkin’ to Myself.”
Shook & The Disarmers play their last scheduled show in the USA on March 30 at Whiskey City’s Liberty Theater in Lawrenceburg, Indiana, for those who would like to see the band play one final time in the US before they call it quits.
Here are some photos of Sarah Shook & The Disarmers performing at Songbyrd Music House on March 22, 2025. All pictures copyright and courtesy of James Todd Miller.
