It’s been just over five years since Thundercat released a full-length album, but the Los Angeles bass player and singer is back, dropping two new singles just in the last month — as well as currently being on a tour of spot dates across the country. On Oct. 28, soon after performing on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert last week, Thundercat made his DC stop for a packed crowd at The Anthem and blessed the city with an intimate show with incredible vibes.
Walking out to a roar from the people, Thundercat stepped out on stage through the doorway of the massive Cat’s Lair, that covered the entire stage, glowing eyes included. He smiled and waved around the room with a big furry hat so low we could barely see his eyes and his infamous Auska bass strapped across his chest, before looking over at his drummer and keyboard player and going straight into his latest single, “Children of the Baked Potato.”
Check out Thundercat’s performance of “Children of the Baked Potato” ft. Remi Wolf on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert on YouTube:
Thundercat and the boys started off with the energy on high as they jammed out throughout the night, going on long freestyle solos, passing the spotlight back and forth like a funky psychedelic jazz band. Songs like “I Love Louis Cole,” “How Sway,” and “Black Qualls” allowed Thundercat to show off just how impressive he actually is on the bass, as his fingers moved back and forth across the guitar so fast they became a blur. The guys played all of his most popular records and snuck in a few new unreleased songs without even a warning and almost a slight laugh as he saw it click to people when they didn’t know the songs.
The night was filled with silly jokes, stories about his cats, and video game conversations in-between songs while he sipped tea and played around with the crowd. Thundercat made sure to take time and show love to his close friend and collaborator Mac Miller, who tragically passed away in 2018, playing a cover of Mac’s song “What’s the Use” that features Thundercat on bass. He got everyone to shout out “Rest in Peace Mac Miller” as he finished the song. He wrapped up the first half of the set with “ADD Through the Roof,” and the throwback record “Walking on the Moon” before getting his other new single, “I Wish I Didn’t Waste Your Time” and another unreleased song.
The second half of the show started off with two songs dedicated to Thundercat’s pet cat Tron, “A Fan’s Mail (Tron Song Suite II)” and “Tron Song,” followed by “Lava Lamp” before he kicked things up a notch. “Dragonball Durag” had been shouted out from the back of the room all throughout the show, but when the time was right, the people finally got what they asked for, as he went into his biggest song, and everyone cheered and danced as they sang along. “Oh Sheit It’s X” was next up, and the party really got started as Thundercat went on to play “Funny Thing” not once but twice, followed by his collaboration with Tame Impala, “No More Lies.” Everyone in the crowd danced the night away as Thundercats’ falsetto voice and crazy bass lines and solos whisked them away.
Listen to Thundercat’s Grammy award winning 2020 album, “It Is What It Is” on Spotify:
Thundercat finished things off with a tribute to one of his biggest inspirations as he covered D’Angelo’s “Lady” and praised the recently passed pioneer of R&B and soul music, sending him a Rest in Peace from the crowd like he’d done Mac earlier in the night. He closed the set out with “Them Changes” and thanked the crowd and threw up a peace sign before unplugging and heading back into the Cat’s Lair, but he soon returned to the stage for an encore and performing 3 more records, “Show You The Way,” “Lone Wolf and Cub,” and “It Is What It Is,” before heading out for real.
Thundercat has three dates left this year, wrapping things up in San Francisco, California, on Nov. 14.
Be sure to grab your tickets if you’re in any of the remaining cities.
Below are some more photos from Thundercat’s show at The Anthem on Oct. 28, 2025. You can find even more photos at wauffleznotwaffles.com. All photos copyright and courtesy of AJ Waugh.
