Songs don’t come quickly to Sera Cahoone, but, when they do, they’re polished, beautiful gems. Last month, she released I’ve Missed You All These Years, her first album in nine years. She drew heavily from the album in her recent solo acoustic performance at Jammin Java, her first time playing her own music in the DMV in quite some time.
Phoebe Bridgers brought The Lost Tour to Capital One Arena on Sept. 29, following the release of her well-received album Lost Weekend. The arena show was a stark contrast to her recent pop-up run, when fans often didn’t learn where she was playing until the day of the show. Still, the no-phones rule preserved a little of that mystery. Watching a fellow reviewer scribble notes on a tiny notepad throughout the night somehow made this enormous show feel strangely intimate.
Julia Wolf delivered a commanding performance at a sold-out 9:30 Club on Sept. 28, bringing her Deep End World Tour 2026 to an enthusiastic crowd.
Gorillaz may be populated by cartoon characters, but Damon Albarn spent much of the band’s Sept. 26 show at Capital One Arena demonstrating the humanity of the project.
Throughout the sprawling performance, Albarn displayed an infectious enthusiasm for the large ensemble band assembled around him. He frequently turned toward his fellow musicians with obvious affection and excitement, looking less like the mastermind commanding an elaborate production than a bandleader genuinely delighted by the people sharing the stage with him.
Clad in mock military gear (a la the Gorillaz sardonic political satire, “The Happy Dictator), Damon extended the same warmth to the audience.
The White Marsh Volunteer Fire Company recently hosted its eighth annual Fields of Fire Country Concert. What was initially booked as the organization’s largest fundraising event to date quickly became a showcase of emergency management by the volunteers and dedication from country music fans.
The Charlatans UK kept their loyal fans moving and grooving at The Fillmore Silver Spring on Sept. 25, the penultimate stop on their North American tour. Their set drew from seven of their 14 studio albums, pairing familiar favorites with songs from their latest release, We Are Love (2025).
Kamelot closed out their North American tour at The Fillmore Silver Spring on Sunday night, and I walked in a lapsed fan. I haven’t kept up with them, and only vaguely remember that Khan left the band well over a decade ago. I knew even less about the openers, Visions of Atlantis and Frozen Crown.
The Pretty Reckless rolled into Maryland with Paris Jackson and doug. along for the ride, packing The Fillmore Silver Spring for a sold-out show on Sept. 26.
Mastodon Turns The Anthem Into a Metal Cathedral With Deafheaven and Alcest
Words and Photos by Michael Sprouse/Odd Rocker Photography
Washington, DC, has no shortage of heavy music, but every now and then, a show comes along that feels built for The Anthem. Mastodon brought exactly that kind of night to The Wharf on Sept. 25.
Mastodon, Deafheaven, and Alcest approach heavy music from very different directions, but all three share a willingness to push at its boundaries.
Bikini Kill brought their enduring brand of feminist punk rock to a sold-out Music Hall of Williamsburg in Brooklyn, New York, on Sept. 24, delivering a furious 23-song set near the end of their 2026 tour.
