The Afghan Whigs, the ’90s alternative grunge group from Ohio, are currently on their 40th anniversary tour — and they played the 9:30 Club in Washington, DC, recently to an audience anticipating a high-energy rock show, which is what they received. The Whigs recently released their latest single — titled “Duvateen” — just after the recent release of “House of I,” which both were played during the 9:30 Club show.
The new songs may be some of the bands best in years, and they definitely highlight the timeless energy, passion, and musicianship of the band.
The Afghan Whigs were a well-known band during the 1990s grunge-era, first forming in Ohio in the late 1980s. The band released their first album back in 1988 — Big Top Halloween. After shutting the band down and reforming on a couple of occasions, the band has now been playing for several years again, fronted by original members Greg Dulli and bassist John Curley. Their last full album — called How Do You Burn? — was released in 2022.
Before The Afghan Whigs performed on April 28, Mercury Rev, the indie and psychedelic band from Buffalo, NY, graced the 930 Club stage and played a classic one-hour rock and roll set that was full of old school rock, depth, and darkness with similarity to The Flaming Lips. It was a great set that easily set the tone for The Afghan Whigs to take the stage.
The Afghan Whigs began their set with “Parked Outside,” followed by “I’m Her Slave.” The band was in impeccable form throughout the anniversary show. The show was primarily played on a darker style stage setting and did not feature a lot of lighting changes during the show — but provided a definitive anniversary set full of passionate music from the band that highlighted why they are one of the best bands from the highly popular alternative era of music .
Watch The Afghan Whigs perform “I’m Her Slave” live at Bowery Ballroom on YouTube:
The Afghan Whigs performed a 21-song anniversary show to great audience reception and thanked the opener for a great opening set. Halfway through the show at 9:30 Club, The Afghan Whigs played “Gentlemen,” which may be their most known and successful song from their catalog. The song is a classic track stemming from a great period of music back in the ’90s — and it highlighted great vocals and the band’s great sound they established during this period of time.
The show was a terrific offering from The Afghan Whigs, and a highly successful night of music. Anyone a fan of the band or just want to see one of the ’90s best groups live this tour provides a great opportunity that should not be missed.
Setlist:
1. Parked Outside
2. I’m Her Slave
3. Light as a Feather
4. What Jail is Like
5. 66
6. House of I
7. Oriole
8. Going to Town
9. Matamoros
10. Gentlemen
11. Algiers
12. Catch a Colt
13. Somethin’ Hot
14. Please, Baby, Please
15. Demon in Profile
16. I Am Fire
17. My Enemy
18. Son of the South (Snippet of Roadhouse Blues)
19. Duvateen
20. Summer’s Kiss
21. Into the Floor
There are some photos of The Afghan Whigs performing live at 9:30 Club on April 28, 2026. All pictures copyright and courtesy of James Todd Miller.
