OK Go wants you to be entertained, and the band goes to great lengths to make sure everyone leaving one of their shows has an experience that they’ll remember forever.
At their recent completely sold-out show at 9:30 Club, they offered up an all-you-can-eat buffet of fun. But more about that in a minute.
The mighty Simple Minds have embarked on their largest North American tour in decades, and they arrive at Merriweather Post Pavilion on Tuesday, June 10! And Simple Minds don’t come alone; they bring with them fellow UK new wave bands Modern English and Soft Cell.
Jet: A Night of Raw Energy and Rock Revival
Words and photos by Michael Sprouse/Odd Rocker Photography
On a cool, balmy June evening, the 9:30 Club played host to a night that rekindled the raw spirit of early 2000s rock.
Australian rockers Jet, known for their garage-rock revival sound, delivered a performance that was both nostalgic and invigorating, proving that their music still rocks powerfully with their fans. Jet was back. And they weren’t coasting on fumes — they came to blow the goddamn doors off the 9:30 Club.
As the sun dipped below the horizon, the Filene Center at Wolf Trap in Vienna, Virginia, buzzed with anticipation. Nestled amidst lush greenery, this unique venue — a national park and performing arts center — recently offered the perfect backdrop for an evening with Heart, the legendary rock band fronted by sisters Ann and Nancy Wilson.
In what has become one of the defining starts of the summer concert season at The Filene Center at Wolf Trap, The Avett Brothers recently returned to Vienna, Virginia, on an unseasonably chilly evening. That chill, though, didn’t last as Scott and Seth Avett along with Bob Crawford heated things up.
With a stage set up that looked like grandma’s porch, Smino’s Kountry Kousins Tour, took over a sold-out Echostage this past week with a show that made everyone in attendance feel like they were at the family reunion. With support from newcomer Samara Cyn, the Kountry Kousins tour follows Smino’s latest project Maybe in Nirvana from late last year. These two artists — sharing an ability to seamlessly weave back and forth between hip hop and R&B in their music — were truly musical cousins.
I first heard of Smino when I saw him perform with a broken foot on the small stage at Broccoli City Festival way back in 2017. He caught my eye when I noticed that his crutches had their own Air Force Ones but the music is what kept me around for the entire set and he’s maintained a place in my rotation of favorite artists since. I got the chance to cover his Luv Is 4ever Tour that he co-headlined with J.I.D back in 2023 (check out the review) and jumped at the chance to check out his latest set.
Virgil was pacing nervously in the drizzle of a parking lot just off Sean Taylor Road outside Northwest Stadium, muttering something cryptic about brown M&Ms when I found him. Nearby, tailgaters braved the steady rain beneath hastily erected canopies, cooking pork belly on makeshift, beer-can-leveled griddles. Virgil’s muttering broke only to answer a passing fan’s casual shrug: “They’re just a band.”
Virgil and I locked eyes, simultaneously correcting this heinous misconception: “Metallica are the band!”
Despite the cooler weather Saturday evening, the Dave Matthews Band delivered another incredible performance at Merriweather Post Pavilion as their 2025 Summer Tour continues to heat up.
Recently, Matt Berninger, the lead singer and principal lyrists for the Brooklyn via Cincinnati indie rock band The National, released his second solo album, Get Sunk. And he brought his solo tour behind the album to the Lincoln Theatre — with emerging singer-songwriter Ronboy (the stage name of Julia Laws) opening the show and playing keys in his band.
The Lincoln suited Berninger’s vibe perfectly; the music was definitely rock, but an elegant, one might even say debonair, take on it. Berninger is known for brooding lyrics delivered in an often somber baritone, and his solo debut, 2020’s Serpentine Prison, fits that description. Get Sunk is, comparatively, a brighter more optimistic album, fueled by a move with his family to Connecticut after a decade in Los Angeles.
Two decades, six albums, multiple world tours, and a variety of solo projects under their belt, the vital force that is Bloc Party hit the road in celebration of their beloved debut record, Silent Alarm. Kele Okereke and company perform live at The Anthem in DC on Monday, June 2.
