Public Image Ltd (PiL) arrived at the 9:30 Club on Oct. 1 and delivered a phenomenal concert experience, with opener Plague Vendor setting the tone for the evening with hard-hitting music. John Lydon, the one-time lead vocalist for the Sex Pistols, was outstanding alongside his bandmates Lu Edmonds, Scott Firth, and Mark Roberts.
Public Image Ltd is currently on a US Tour titled This Is Not the Last Tour, and the night at the 9:30 Club was as much about the music as it was about paying homage to a punk and cultural icon. PiL is playing dates throughout October before taking a break and resuming the tour in February 2027.
However, if you went to the show thinking Lydon was going to spend the evening talking about the Sex Pistols or Sid Vicious, you would have been highly disappointed. For me personally, it was an opportunity to solidify in my mind the great musical ability of Lydon and his bandmates, which was ultimately the real reason to see PiL in concert.
PiL was, in many ways, a revolutionary band, experimenting with new sounds during the post-punk era and eventually incorporating elements of new wave. The first three albums were monumental records and featured Keith Levene, formerly of the Clash, as part of the band. PiL is one part punk and another part post-punk in defining its highly creative sound.
I left the 9:30 Club fully aware of PiL’s musical ability. It was an amazing evening hearing Lydon sing those songs alongside the musicianship of his fellow band members.
Two days prior to the PiL show, the Sex Pistols also played the 9:30 Club as part of their 50th anniversary tour and sounded amazing.
This was one of several punk shows for the ages at the 9:30 Club this year, and Plague Vendor exploded from the onset through the finish of its 45-minute set. The California band formed in 2008 and released its first album, Free to Eat, in 2014.
PiL kicked off what would become a fantastic concert with “Home,” “Know Now,” and “World Destruction,” laying the foundation for the sound that would fill the 9:30 Club that night.
Watch the official music video for “World Destruction” by John Lydon and Afrika Bambaataa on YouTube:
One of the highlights of the evening came when PiL played “This Is Not a Love Song,” one of its finest songs, from the 1984 album This Is What You Want… This Is What You Get. I felt the song highlighted Lydon’s vocals and the dynamic mix of the current band particularly well.
Halfway through the set, PiL took a quick break. It allowed the band to reset, while the audience got a rare opportunity to get some air, grab another drink, or simply rest for a moment before the band returned to finish out a great evening.
Near the end of the show, PiL played two of its best-known songs, “Rise” and “Religion,” to a huge audience reception. “Rise” enjoyed considerable success on the UK charts upon its original release. Lydon also spent plenty of time talking with fans throughout the show, and the audience remained fully engaged with him.
The evening gave fans an opportunity to see PiL and gain a better grasp of music created largely during the late 1970s and 1980s, as punk gave way to new directions in post-punk.
PiL closed out the show with “John, I’m Only Dancing,” a cover of David Bowie’s song, with Lydon singing over a prerecorded track. Those in attendance definitely got a chance to hear Lydon’s unmistakable vocals and see his stage movements and antics up close throughout the evening.
It also offered a look back, in some respects, at the punk era and the early development of post-punk — while demonstrating that Public Image Ltd remains compelling on its own terms.
Setlist
1. “Home”
2. “Know Now”
3. “World Destruction”
4. “This Is Not a Love Song”
5. “Poptones”
6. “Death Disco”
7. “Warrior”
8. “Shoom”
9. “Open Up” (Leftfield cover)
10. “Rise” / “Religion”
11. “John, I’m Only Dancing” (David Bowie cover; John Lydon vocals over prerecorded track)
Here are some photos of Public Image Ltd performing live at 9:30 Club on Oct. 1, 2026. All pictures copyright and courtesy of James Todd Miller.
Here are some photos of Plague Vendor performing live at 9:30 Club on Oct. 1, 2026. All pictures copyright and courtesy of James Todd Miller.
