Jonathan Richman is a unique personality and performer. A devoted acolyte of Lou Reed and the Velvet Underground, he started out playing proto-punk with his band, The Modern Lovers, in the ’70s. He took a left turn in his career, opting for stripped-down music with just an acoustic guitar and accompaniment on the drums by Tommy Larkins, who’s been with him for 33 years. While the sound may have changed and evolved over the years, the joy and kindness in his songs and performances hasn’t. In his recent performance at the 9:30 Club, he shared that joy and sense of wonder.
That the spirit of his songs hasn’t really changed was evident in his first song of the night on March 18, “Affection,” a sweet, gentle tune from his days with The Modern Lovers. Jonathan did a few more songs from those long-ago days: “Egyptian Reggae,” “Pablo Picasso,” and “That Summer Feeling,” which he ended the set with. Picasso wasn’t the only painter who came up at 9:30 Club; he also played “No One Was Like Vermeer.”
Many years ago, Jonathan and Tommy were driving from Texas to Louisiana, and they stopped at a gas station. On the wall was a sign that said, “Everyone is fighting a battle you don’t know. Be kind.” That inspired “Whoa! How Different We Are!” He followed that one with “Walls.” “Little Black Bat” was the first of a couple of songs in another language, this one Sardinian. “What’s the difference between a language and a dialect?” he asked rhetorically. “A language is a dialect backed by an army.”
Stream “Little Black Bat” by Jonathan Richman on YouTube:
Jonathan recounted the Biblical tale of “David & Goliath,” followed by a song about his unrequited crush on an “Older Girl.” The cover of the Bee Gees’ “Night Fever” was a pleasant surprise. Before playing “Cold Pizza,” he mentioned he’s approaching his 75th birthday. Jonathan mourned “The Fading of an Old World,” then sang about the “Dog Star.” He introduced “¿A qué venimos sinó a caer?” as “not a sad, depressing song, it’s a good song.” He segued into “But We Might Try Weird Stuff” with a bit about feeding the angels chocolate chip cookies that I can’t do justice to.
Introducing “Shameless, Shameless,” Jonathan said, “Let’s talk about how people really are: they’re shameless assholes.” He followed that with “I Just A Piece of Frozen Sky” and “O Guitar.” After “Pablo Picasso,” he rounded out the set with “City Lights” and “Let Her Go Into the Darkness.” Someone called out, “Lesbian bar!” and Jonathan replied, “That’s just what I was thinking,” and he played “I Was Dancing in the Lesbian Bar.”
Even as he approaches the age of 75, Jonathan still radiates joy in being on stage and performing his stage. Throughout the evening he danced across the stage in the way that only he can. He was silly and sweet, heartfelt and sincere, and charming. There’s no one quite like Jonathan Richman; he’s one of one, and he’s a total delight.
Here are some photos of Jonathan Richman performing live at 9:30 Club on March 18, 2026. All pictures copyright and courtesy of Steve Satzberg.
