On Sept. 21, the stage at The Anthem was completely reimagined as a rock-filled forest, a fitting setting for the Washington, DC, stop of Dermot Kennedy’s The Weight of the Woods Tour.
But just days before the show, upheaval elsewhere in the music industry unexpectedly reshaped the evening’s lineup. After Macklemore was removed from Ed Sheeran’s global tour, the remaining opening acts left the tour in solidarity. One of those artists was Aaron Rowe.
Just five hours before doors opened, Kennedy announced via social media that the Irish singer-songwriter had been added to the bill. Hailing from the working-class neighborhood of Monkstown Farm in South Dublin, Rowe walked onto the stage with an air of confidence and told the audience that he had suddenly found himself out of a job the previous day and was grateful to Kennedy for adding him to the show on such short notice.
Rowe delivered a passionate set that included his breakout single “Hey Ma,” an emotional song about leaving his hometown. He closed by providing historical context about the partition of Ireland before performing a cover of “The Town I Loved So Well,” popularized by The Dubliners. Rowe performed with the gratitude and emotional force of an artist keenly aware of the value of his platform.
Watch a visualizer for “Hey Ma” by Aaron Rowe on YouTube:
Following Rowe’s intense opening set, Jonah Kagen took the stage and shifted the mood. The 25-year-old Georgia native delivered a set of melancholy folk-pop without allowing the energy in the room to fade.
Kagen was accompanied by a three-piece band featuring Sam Johnston on guitar and mandolin, Jefferso Rinck on bass, and Dalton Thomas on drums. His set felt slightly rushed following the last-minute addition of Rowe, leaving less time than usual for the stories he often shares between songs.
Kagen announced that his upcoming album, Eternity of Anything, would arrive in October before performing its lead single, “Don’t Feel Right.” After a fan in the 6,000-capacity venue shouted, “I love you!” Kagen recalled an encounter early in his career when another fan yelled the same thing. He responded, “You don’t know me, bitch.”
Only after the show did he meet the fan he had yelled at: a 5-year-old kid.
Kagen closed with his breakout hit “God Needs the Devil,” firmly establishing the energy for the headliner to come.
Watch the official music video for “God Needs the Devil” by Jonah Kagen on YouTube:
As the lights dimmed for the main event, The Anthem seemed to transform into another environment entirely. Designed by London-based STUFISH Entertainment Architects, the elaborate, multilayered forest set was constructed from hand-painted fabrics, scattered rocks, and tufts of moss.
Kennedy emerged as a lone silhouette at the peak of the stage’s staircase. When the opening notes of “Honest” rang out, his voice carried immense, raw power. The addition of a live choir gave the performance the atmosphere of something between a spiritual gathering and a folk revival.
The momentum continued with “Outnumbered,” as Kennedy gripped the microphone and paced the stage, visibly immersed in the emotional weight of his lyrics. The harmonization between the band and audience became a spectacle of its own.
Watch the official music video for “Outnumbered” by Dermot Kennedy on YouTube:
During “Sycamore,” a sweeping violin introduced a more traditional Irish folk sound alongside Kennedy’s modern, hip-hop-influenced rhythmic lyricism. The crowd matched his intensity, echoing the choruses so loudly that The Anthem seemed to hold twice its capacity.
One of the evening’s standout moments came midway through the set with “After Rain.” Kennedy attacked his guitar with unbridled force while matching that intensity vocally. The song eventually slowed into a much gentler passage before Kennedy initiated a call-and-response during the final chorus. His roar into the microphone was answered by the comparatively hushed voices of the crowd, creating one of the night’s most moving moments.
The show reached its final stretch with a run of songs that pushed the energy back upward. The beats of “Turnstile” and “Better Days” reignited the crowd before Kennedy moved directly into “Power Over Me.”
He closed the night with the emotional weight of “Funeral,” leaving a lingering heaviness in the room as the starlit forest faded into darkness.
Kennedy managed to make an arena-scale production — complete with an intricate stage set, choir, and full band — feel remarkably intimate inside The Anthem.
Setlist:
Honest
Outnumbered
Sycamore
Refuge Lost
An Evening I Will Not Forget
All My Friends
After Rain
Happiness
Let Me In
Endless
The Only Time I Prayed / Blue Eyes
Weight of the Woods
Stockholm
Turnstile
Better Days
Power Over Me
Funeral
All photographs from Dermot Kennedy’s performance at The Anthem on Sept. 21, 2026, are copyright and courtesy of Caden Forrester (@flicksby4ster).
Dermot Kennedy
Jonah Kagen
Aaron Rowe
