Kurt Vile brought his tour behind his excellent new album, Philadelphia’s Been Good to Me, to the Howard Theater last week, and if you’ve read this blog before, you know I usually talk about KV shows in terms of front-foot chaos and unhinged energy. Not this time. Philadelphia’s Been Good to Me is a decidedly laid-back affair, and Wednesday’s show followed suit — a warm, subdued night that matched the record’s vibe almost note for note.
The band (still backed by his longtime Violators) opened with the instrumental “Red Room Dub” before easing into “Zoom 97,” which might be the perfect summer song — light touch, breezy, over before you know it. “Hey Like a Child” and “Rock o’ Stone” kept things moving before “99 BPM” slowed everything back down to a heavy, molasses crawl. Quick aside: between “Zoom 97,” “99 BPM,” and “99th song” later in the set, I spent half the night trying to keep the tempos and titles straight in my head. Kurt, how about a little more variety on those song titles?
“Blackberry Song” kept the mellow thread going, but the real highlight of the night’s front half was “Girl Called Alex,” which might be my favorite KV song. True to the night’s whole vibe, this version stayed laid back throughout — he didn’t even attack the rock section that usually kicks in midway through. I missed it a little, honestly, but it fit.
Watch Kurt Vile perform “Girl Called Alex” live on KEXP via YouTube:
“Chance to Bleed” was the one moment the room’s energy visibly spiked. Kurt always has one certified radio banger per album, and the lead single off the new record is no exception. This version was a little ramshackle, but it did the job, and the pseudo-rapped verses land so much better live than on record. The real treat of the night, though, was “You Don’t Know Cuz It’s My Life,” the centerpiece of the new album, making its live debut as a total surprise in the set.
“Like Exploding Stones” and “Mount Airy Hill (Way Gone)” rounded out the main set before closing with “Wakin on a Pretty Day,” the quintessential KV song if there ever was one.
The encore brought a lovely “Bassackwards” and “99th Song” before closing with “Every Time I Look at You,” a standout on the new record mostly because it’s an actual song, with verses and a chorus, instead of the stream-of-consciousness lyric sprawl Kurt has recently favored. A great way to end the night. My one gripe: no “Avalanches of Snow.” Still, KV4EVA.
Setlist:
Red Room Dub
Zoom 97
Hey Like a Child
Rock o’ Stone
99 BPM
Blackberry Song
How Lucky
Girl Called Alex
Chance to Bleed
You Don’t Know Cuz It’s My Life
Like Exploding Stones
Mount Airy Hill (Way Gone)
Wakin on a Pretty Day
Encore:
Bassackwards
99th Song
Every Time I Look at You
Here are some photos of Kurt Vile performing at The Howard Theatre in on July 22, 2026. All pictures copyright and courtesy of Kyle Gustafson.
