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A photo from Beck’s summer concert at Merriweather Post Pavilion ranked among Rashad Polk’s Top 10 Photos of 2019 (but not this photo). (Photo by Rashad Polk)
Editor’s Note: This year, we asked our bloggers to name their Top 10 shows of 2019 or choose their Top 10 photos of the year. We will run them over the course of mid-December as our Best of the Year posts.
Editor (again): The very skillful Rashad Polk picked 10 of his photos as the best of 2019 — take it away, Rashad!
The Reverend Horton Heat performs at Black Cat on Dec. 15, 2019. (Photo by Rashad Polk)
As the year winds down, we enter a period of mandatory social gatherings. There’s the ugly sweater parties, the holiday party at the office, Chanukah with the in-laws, Christmas dinner at a tableful of third and fourth cousins… but the one holiday event that should truly be mandatory went down recently at the Black Cat. The Reverend Horton Heat came through town for the 2019 edition of Horton’s Holiday Hayride.
Highly Suspect performs at 9:30 Club on Nov. 17, 2019. (Photo by Rashad Polk)
Anyone in attendance at 9:30 Club can easily deduce that DC is dope. The logic is simple — according to the title of Highly Suspect’s brand new album, MCID, their crew is dope. It was evident at the band’s recent sold-out show, the band’s first D.C. performance since a two-night stand at 9:30 Club last year, that Highly Suspect’s crew has a large presence in the nation’s capital.
Con Brio performs at The Hamilton Live on Oct. 10, 2019. (Photo by Rashad Polk)
The stage at The Hamilton was recently host to one of the funkiest bands to come out of the San Francisco Bay area — Con Brio. While Con Brio can easily be compared to other legendary groups from the same area such as Sly and the Family Stone or Tower of Power, another group that comes to mind is Metallica. Though there isn’t too much in common on the surface, both bands seem to continually deliver on the promise of their respective band names.
Agnostic Front performs at Cafe 611 on Oct. 3, 2019. (Photo by Rashad Polk)
The Godfathers of hardcore, Agnostic Front, recently graced the stage at Cafe 611 in Frederick, Maryland, during a DC-area stop of their tour celebrating the 35th anniversary of their debut studio album Victim in Pain. Throughout the years since their first release, the New York Hardcore legends’ sound has evolved while still retaining the essential elements that have cemented their status as a band whose style is so often emulated.
Beck performs at Merriweather Post Pavilion on Aug. 22, 2019. (Photo by Rashad Polk)
In preparation of the release of his upcoming album Hyperspace, Beck stopped by Merriweather on his co-headlining tour with Cage the Elephant.
Cage the Elephant performs at Merriweather Post Pavilion on Aug. 22, 2019. (Photo by Rashad Polk)
The last time Cage the Elephant played the DC area was last fall at the DC Entertainment and Sports Arena. This time around, the six-piece band from Kentucky played Merriweather Post Pavilion at the DC stop of their co-headlining The Night Running Tour with Beck recently.
Rebelution performs at MECU Pavilion on Aug. 8, 2019. (Photo by Rashad Polk)
With a pristine sunset over the Inner Harbor as a backdrop, Rebelution brought their good vibes and good times to MECU Pavilion for their Baltimore stop on their headlining Good Vibes Summer 2019 Tour. The good vibes were apparent as they radiated throughout the lawn, the pavilion, the stage — basically the entire venue.
Damaged City Fest (Photo by Rashad Polk)
For the past seven years as the cherry blossoms along the tidal basin reach their peak, there has been a swelling of excitement within the underground punk scene. With the fragrant blooms comes DC’s Damaged City Fest — the brainchild of Nick Candela and Chris Moore.
Weezer performs at the Royal Farms Arena on March 17, 2019. (Photos by Rashad Polk)
Weezer’s set at Royal Farms Arena during their co-headlining tour with The Pixies highlighted the importance of having fun while performing. Weezer is currently on tour in support of their Weezer (Teal) and (Black) Albums, both of which were released this year, but they are also contending with the fortunate problem of their ability to write hit songs.
