Music & Concerts
FALL ARTS 2016: Strike up the band
Etheridge, Tegan and Sara, Stevie Nicks and more on fall concert slate


Tegan and Sara play the 9:30 Club Nov. 6-7. (Photo by Derek Wood, courtesy NYLON)
After a summer of amazing live musical options in the D.C. area, this fall offers another great slate of live music options. Here are some of the notable artists who will be performing in the D.C. area in the coming months.
One of the biggest shows of the fall will undoubtedly be AC/DC featuring Axl Rose on vocals at the Verizon Center (601 F St., N.W.) on Saturday, Sept. 17. T
The revival of reunited ‘90s alternative bands continues when Lush hits the 9:30 Club on Wednesday, Sept. 21 (815 V St., N.W.). The mood shifts dramatically two nights later when funk pioneers George Clinton and Parliament Funkadelic roll through the 9:30 Club on Sept. 23. The same night, superstar comedian and actress Amy Schumer will take the stage at the Verizon Center.
Openly gay band Pansy Division, founded by guitarist/singer Jon Ginoli and bassist/singer Chris Freeman in 1991, will be at Hill Country (410 7th St., N.W.) on Sept. 22.

Pansy Division will be at Hill Country on Sept. 22. (Photo courtesy the band)
Latin/pop singer Marc Anthony will play EagleBank Arena (4500 Patriot Circle, Fairfax, Va.) on Sept. 30.
The All Things Go Fall Classic is a festival to be held on Oct. 8 at the Yards Park (355 Water St., S.E.), with headliners Passion Pit (featuring openly gay lead singer Michael Angelakos) and Empire of the Sun, along with local bands like Buredo, Shake Shake, Takorean and others.
October leads off with some heavy hitters shaking the foundations of the 9:30 Club. Bastille plays Oct. 2 followed by a rare opportunity to see supergroup Green Day in an intimate setting on Oct. 3, indie favorites Warpaint on Oct. 4 and veteran rockers Taking Back Sunday on Oct. 5.
Against Me!, led by transgender vocalist Laura Jane Grace, will bring its hard-rocking vibe to the Fillmore (8656 Colesville Rd, Silver Spring, Md.) on Oct. 6 along with alternative rock titans Bad Religion.
The Black Cat (1811 14th St., N.W.) will host electronic duo Crystal Castles on Oct. 8.
Legendary stage diva Patti LuPone plays two night at the Barns at Wolf Trap (1635 Trap Rd., Vienna, Va.; wolftrap.org) Oct. 7-8 with her show “Don’t Monkey With Broadway.”
British superstar Adele will electrify fans at the Verizon Center for two nights on Oct. 10-11.
Electronic music pioneer DJ Shadow will be at 9:30 Club on Oct. 13, with ‘90s alternative rockers Teenage Fanclub playing the following night.
Popular indie-pop/electronic group Chvrches will play two nights at Echostage (2135 Queens Chapel Rd., N.E.), Oct. 17-18.
Queen of Bounce Big Freedia hits the Howard Theater (620 T St., N.W.). on Oct. 18.
Legendary LGBT icon Melissa Etheridge returns to D.C. for a show at Lincoln Theatre (1215 U St., N.W.) on Oct. 19.
On the same night Sia will bring her current tour to the Verizon Center.
The edgy South African rap combo Die Antwoord play Echostage on Oct. 23.
Drag comedian Bianca Del Rio hits Lincoln Theatre three days later, on Oct. 22 and lesbian artist Tig Notaro plays the same venue on Oct. 27. Also on Oct. 27th, a must-see show by the celebrated lesbian duo Indigo Girls will take place at Rams Head Live (20 Market Pl., Baltimore).
November brings a remarkably diverse and impressive group of artists to the D.C. area. The month starts with the acclaimed alternative/folk singer/songwriter Suzanne Vega at Birchmere (3701 Mt Vernon Ave., Alexandria, Va.) on Nov. 1. The ultra hot British pop/rockers Foals will play Echostage on Nov. 3.
Two R&B heavyweights, Maxwell and Mary J. Blige, will grace the stage of the Verizon Center on Nov. 6.
Legendary gospel diva Sandi Patty has embarked on “Forever Grateful — the Farewell Tour,” and she will stop in D.C. on Nov. 6 at Sligo Seventh-Day Adventist Church (7700 Carroll Avenue, Takoma Park, Md.).
The ever-popular lesbian duo Tegan and Sara will hit the 9:30 Club for two nights on Nov. 6-7.
One of the hottest bands of recent years, Grouplove, will play Echostage on Nov. 9.
Lesbian country singer Brandy Clark plays Birchmere on Nov. 10.
Electro-pop superduo Pet Shop Boys return for one of the season’s most highly-anticipated shows Nov. 11 at the Warner Theater (513 13th St., N.W.).
An amazing double bill featuring the Pretenders and Stevie Nicks is at the Verizon Center on Nov. 14 will be one of the year’s most exciting shows.
Country legend Loretta Lynn will be at Lincoln Theatre on Nov. 19.
Lesbian comedian Suzanne Westenhoefer will entertain fans at the Birchmere on the same night.
Acclaimed singer/songwriter Patty Griffin is also visiting Birchmere, on Nov. 21.
Two outstanding R&B artists take the Warner Theatre stage on Nov. 25 — Lalah Hathaway and Musiq Soulchild.
Popular indie-rockers STRFKR stops by the 9:30 Club on Nov. 30.
After about seven years of touring with (pretty much) the same set list, Diana Ross is finally switching things up. She’ll perform three nights Dec. 1-3 at the Kennedy Center with the National Symphony Orchestra Pops under the direction of Conductor Steven Reineke.
December begins with the sweet mellow vibe of Norah Jones for two nights (Dec. 2-3) at the Warner Theatre.
Folk/pop mainstay Dar Williams will be at Birchmore on Dec. 2.
Local electronic music pioneers Thievery Corporation return to the 9:30 Club on Dec. 15.
John Waters, one of the great filmmakers of our generation and a gay icon, will appear at the Birchmere on Dec. 20.
Music & Concerts
Underdog glorious: a personal remembrance of Jill Sobule
Talented singer, songwriter died in house fire on May 1

I’ve always prided myself on being the kind of music consumer who purchased music on impulse. When I stumbled across “Things Here Are Different,” Jill Sobule’s 1990 MCA Records debut album on vinyl in a favorite Chicago record store, I bought it without knowing anything about her. This was at a time when we didn’t have our phones in our pockets to search for information about the artist on the internet. The LP stayed in my collection until, as vinyl was falling out of fashion, I replaced it with a CD a few years later.
Early in my career as an entertainment journalist, I received a promo copy of Jill’s eponymous 1995 Atlantic Records album. That year, Atlantic Records was one of the labels at the forefront of signing and heavily promoting queer artists, including Melissa Ferrick and Extra Fancy, and its roster included the self-titled album by Jill. It was a smart move, as the single “I Kissed A Girl” became a hit on radio and its accompanying video (featuring Fabio!) was in heavy rotation on MTV (when they still played videos).
Unfortunately for Jill, she was a victim of record label missteps. When 1997’s wonderful “Happy Town” failed to repeat the success, Atlantic dumped her. That was Atlantic’s loss, because her next album, the superb “Pink Pearl” contained “Heroes” and “Mexican Wrestler,” two of her most beloved songs. Sadly, Beyond Music, the label that released that album ceased to exist after just a few years. To her credit, the savvy Jill had also started independently releasing music (2004’s “The Folk Years”). That was a smart move because her next major-label release, the brilliant “Underdog Victorious” on Artemis Records, met a similar fate when that label folded.
With her 2009 album “California Years,” Jill launched her own indie label, Pinko Records, on which she would release two more outstanding full-length discs, 2014’s “Dottie’s Charms” (on which she collaborated with some of her favorite writers, including David Hadju, Rick Moody, Mary Jo Salter, and Jonathan Lethem), and 2018’s stunning “Nostalgia Kills.” Jill’s cover of the late Warren Zevon’s “Don’t Let Us Get Sick” on “Nostalgia Kills” was particularly poignant as she had toured with him as an opening act.
Jill was a road warrior, constantly on tour, and her live shows were something to behold. My first interview with Jill took place at the Double Door in Chicago in early August of 1995, when she was the opening act for legendary punk band X. She had thrown her back out the previous day and was diagnosed with a herniated disc. To be comfortable, she was lying down on a fabulous-‘50s sofa. “I feel like I’m at my shrink’s,” she said to me, “Do you want me to talk about my mother?”
That sense of humor, which permeated and enriched her music, was one of many reasons to love Jill. I was privileged to interview her for seven of her albums. Everything you would want to know about her was right there in her honest lyrics, in which she balanced her distinctive brand of humor with serious subject matter. Drawing on her life experiences in songs such as “Bitter,” “Underachiever,” “One of These Days,” “Freshman,” “Jetpack,” “Nothing To Prove,” “Forbidden Thoughts of Youth,” “Island of Lost Things,” “Where Do I Begin,” “Almost Great,” and “Big Shoes,” made her songs as personal as they were universal, elicited genuine affection and concern from her devoted fans.
While she was a consummate songwriter, Jill also felt equally comfortable covering songs made famous by others, including “Just A Little Lovin’” (on the 2000 Dusty Springfield tribute album “Forever Dusty”) and “Stoned Soul Picnic” (from the 1997 Laura Nyro tribute album “Time and Love”). Jill also didn’t shy away from political subject matter in her music with “Resistance Song,” “Soldiers of Christ,” “Attic,” “Heroes,” “Under the Disco Ball,” and the incredible “America Back” as prime examples.
Here’s something else worth mentioning about Jill. She was known for collaboration skills. As a songwriter, she maintained a multi-year creative partnership with Robin Eaton (“I Kissed A Girl” and many others), as well as Richard Barone, the gay frontman of the renowned band The Bongos. Jill’s history with Barone includes performing together at a queer Octoberfest event in Chicago in 1996. Writer and comedian Julie Sweeney, of “SNL” and “Work in Progress” fame was another Chicago collaborator with Sobule (Sweeney lives in a Chicago suburb), where they frequently performed their delightful “The Jill and Julia Show.” John Doe, of the aforementioned band X, also collaborated with Jill in the studio (“Tomorrow Is Breaking” from “Nostalgia Kills”), as well as in live performances.
On a very personal note, in 2019, when I was in the process of arranging a reading at the fabulous NYC gay bookstore Bureau of General Services – Queer Division, I reached out to Jill and asked her if she would like to be on the bill with me. We alternated performing; I would read a couple of poems, and Jill would sing a couple of songs. She even set one of my poems to music, on the spot.
Jill had an abundance of talent, and when she turned her attention to musical theater, it paid off in a big way. Her stage musical “F*ck 7th Grade,” a theatrical piece that seemed like the next logical step in her career, had its premiere at Pittsburgh’s City Theatre in the fall of 2020, during the height of the pandemic. The unique staging (an outdoor drive-in stage at which audience members watched from their cars) was truly inspired. “F*ck 7th Grade” went on to become a New York Times Critic’s pick, as well as earning a Drama Desk nomination.
In honor of the 30th anniversary of Jill’s eponymous 1995 album, reissue label Rhino Records is re-releasing it on red vinyl. Jill and I had been emailing each other to arrange a time for an interview. We even had a date on the books for the third week of May.
When she died in a house fire in Minnesota on May 1 at age 66, Jill received mentions on network and cable news shows. She was showered with attention from major news outlets, including obits in the New York Times and Rolling Stone (but not Pitchfork, who couldn’t be bothered to review her music when she was alive). Is it wrong to think that if she’d gotten this much attention when she was alive she could have been as big as Taylor Swift? I don’t think so.
Music & Concerts
Tom Goss returns with ‘Bear Friends Furever Tour’
Out singer/songwriter to perform at Red Bear Brewing Co.

Singer Tom Goss will bring his “Bear Friends Furever Tour” to D.C. on Sunday, June 8 at 8 p.m. at Red Bear Brewing Co.
Among the songs he will perform will be “Bear Soup,” the fourth installment in his beloved bear song anthology series. Following fan favorites like “Bears,” “Round in All the Right Places,” and “Nerdy Bear,” this high-energy, bass-thumping banger celebrates body positivity, joyful indulgence, and the vibrant spirit of the bear subculture.
For more details, visit Tom Goss’s website.

Aussie pop icon Kylie Minogue brings her acclaimed “Tension” world tour to D.C. next Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. at the Capital One Arena. Tickets are still available at Ticketmaster.
The show features songs spanning her long career, from 1987 debut single, “The Loco-Motion,” to “Padam, Padam” from her album, “Tension.”