Josh Ritter turned the Lincoln Theatre into a storybook on Nov. 13, unfurling a generous, 1-hour and 45-minute set that balanced literary new songs with long-loved favorites.
Steve Satzberg was there to photograph the show for this Snapshots photo essay.
ChatGPT produced the following article to accompany original photographs by Steve Satzberg.
Taking the stage with his band, Josh opened with “Monster Ballads,” immediately pulling the room into his warm, off-kilter universe of characters and cosmic asides. From there, “New Lover” and “In the Dark” reminded everyone why he remains one of Americana’s sharpest songwriters, able to twist heartbreak and humor into the same line.
Much of the night spotlighted his new album I Believe in You, My Honeydew, and those songs already felt road-tested and alive. “I’m Listening” and “Thunderbird” rolled by with an easy, windswept groove, while “Honeydew (No Light)” and “Noah’s Children” shimmered with a kind of late-night wonder that suited the Lincoln’s gilded arches. “You Won’t Dig My Grave” and “Wild Ways” showed Ritter leaning into darker, more cinematic textures without losing his essential playfulness.
Watch Josh Ritter perform “Noah’s Children” live on YouTube:
Older material landed with the weight of shared history. “Where the Night Goes” and “Homecoming” had couples swaying in the balcony, and “The Curse” drew one of the evening’s loudest ovations, Ritter delivering its tragic fairy-tale narrative with pin-drop focus. When he steered into “Kathleen,” the room answered with a full-throated singalong, turning the song’s youthful rush into a collective memory. A mid-set cover of Marc Jordan’s “Rhythm of My Heart” fit seamlessly into the flow, further proof of Ritter’s love of smart, heartfelt songwriting wherever he finds it.
Throughout the night, Josh was in easy conversation with the crowd, flashing his familiar grin between songs and dropping wry one-liners that had the front rows laughing. The band answered in kind, lifting the rockers with crisp dynamics and then falling away to let the quietest verses hang in the air.
After closing the main set with the luminous “Wild Ways,” Ritter returned for a one-song encore, sending everyone back onto U Street with “The Throne,” a slow-burning benediction that felt both haunted and hopeful. It was the kind of ending that made the crowd linger in the aisles, reluctant to break the spell.
Sacramento-based singer-songwriter Tre Burt opened the evening with a spare, soulful set that set the tone perfectly. Leaning on weathered vocals and sharply observed lyrics, he won the crowd over quickly, earning attentive silence and warm applause — an ideal prelude to Ritter’s rich, narrative-driven headlining turn.
Here are some photos of Josh Ritter performing live at the Lincoln Theatre in DC on Nov. 13, 2025. All pictures copyright and courtesy of Steve Satzberg.
Here are some photos of Tre Burt opening Josh Ritter at the Lincoln Theatre in DC on Nov. 13, 2025. All pictures copyright and courtesy of Steve Satzberg.
