There are concert bills that feel like somebody raided the heavy metal history books and decided to turn the whole thing up to 11. Iron Maiden bringing Megadeth to Jiffy Lube Live on Sept. 11 was very much one such bill.
When I arrived at the 9:30 Club to see viral sensation Bella Kay, a production manager walked out of the venue, and I thought I overheard something about switching the opener. I thought there was no way the originally slated 19-year-old Hailey Picardi wouldn’t be taking the stage.
Let’s not beat around the bush: This was the best show I’ve seen this year. The joy, energy, and vibes that filled The Anthem were incredible and I haven’t stopped thinking about it since the lights came up.
In his memoirs, Sir Edward Abbott Parry — a renowned English county judge of the early 20th century — said of Manchester: “For Manchester is the place where people do things…. ‘Don’t talk about what you are going to do — do it.’ That is the Manchester habit.”
There is perhaps no one who better epitomizes this spirit than Manc bassist Peter Hook, famed for his contributions as a founding member of both Joy Division and New Order. Tough, determined, and opinionated, Hooky is a man who gets things done through and through.
Separated from the band that made him famous for more than 15 years now, Hooky tours their shared catalog with Peter Hook & The Light, drawing upon the core of his ’90s band Monaco to play music that puts the spotlight on his passions. Because while Peter Hook is certainly a man who rolls up his sleeves and does the work, he is just as much a big-hearted fellow who feels the joys and sorrows of his life’s work. And this is what you see when you watch him and his band perform live, as seen in their most recent sold-out performance at 9:30 Club.
Kacey Musgraves: Beauty and Grace
Words by Liz Wyatt
Photos by Steve Satzberg
The CFG Bank Arena was filled with an ocean of cowboy hats, dotting the crowd like whitecaps on a windy day. Oh. Em. Gee. There were boots made for walkin’ everywhere you looked. Mullets may be back, America.
As the standing-room-only area in front of the stage filled for Kacey Musgraves and her Middle of Nowhere Tour on Sept. 5, couples held hands and swayed to the fiddle, sundresses flowing in the musical breeze as opener Flatland Cavalry sang, “My love for you goes on and on.”
Getting to Merriweather Post Pavilion on the Friday afternoon of Labor Day weekend was no small task, but for Empire of the Sun fans, it was the ultimate kickoff to the holiday weekend.
The Wailin’ Jennys recently played three nights at The Birchmere on their current 2026 tour, and Parklife DC was on hand for the second show on Sept. 3. The Jennys were in great form, sounding outstanding throughout the evening.
Longtime readers know the Beastie Boys were my white whale of concert photography. For reasons that are too boring to recount here, I never got to shoot them. So watching Mike Diamond front his own band at the 9:30 Club last week, closing that loop more than a decade and a half later, hit a little different than a normal weeknight show.
Legendary feminist punk pioneers Bikini Kill today are on tour! In the DC area, Bikini Kill play a sold-out show at The Fillmore Silver Spring on Sept. 19. But read on for more tour details.
Kehlani brought her World Tour to Merriweather Post Pavilion Sunday night, and the DMV did exactly what the DMV does: showed up and made sure the energy was impossible to ignore.
