What concerts are you excited about in July and August?
Plenty of indoor show options available to keep you cool. Yet… Wolf Trap is still looking good this summer (just bring all the cool adult beverages).
Been traveling and busy so haven’t had time to create this list. Will update this post with more details when the world stops spinning.
As always, find local music in yellow. Use plenty of your concert going energy to see local music at DC’s small venues. You’ll be helping those businesses and artists, and too much live music is not a thing.
(Updated 7/23/25)
July 2025
Rachel Bochner @ DC9 (7/1/25)
DISPATCH @ Wolf Trap (7/5/25) (Folk rock legends DISPATCH come to Wolf Trap on the strength of their ninth studio album, Yellow Jacket. Originally formed in the 1990’s, they’ve been on and off as a band multiple times, but have had a steady run since 2011, including five albums. They are joined by a cavalcade of other musicians including G. Love & Special Sauce, John Bulter and Illiterate Light.)
The Milk Carton Kids @ The Birchmere (7/6/25) Sold Out
SWOLL w/ Sonic Eddy + Laal Taal @ Pie Shop (7/7/25)
Winona Fighter w/ Massie @ DC9 (7/9/25) Sold Out (Massie is local!)
Milo in the Doldrums w/ Kevin Bull, Jr. + Chay Vicious + Argo and the Violet Queens @ Jammin Java (7/10/25)
SOPHIA w/ The Montaines + Weekend Friend @ The Pocket (7/11/25) (The Montaines are a great local band!)
The Swell Season @ Wolf Trap (7/11/25) (Glen Hansard and Markéta Irglová are back with their first folk rock album in 16 years, titled Forward. They originally formed in 2005 and later showcased their acting and music beautifully in the 2007 film Once. Wolf Trap will be the perfect setting for the first show of the tour!)
Maye @ Union Stage (7/13/25)
Iron & Wine w/ I’m With Her @ Wolf Trap (7/15/25) (I’m With Her is folk supergroup with Sara Watkins (Nickel Creek), Sarah Jarosz, and Aoife O’Donovan. I’ve seen Sarah perform solo, and highly recommend!)
Barenaked Ladies @ Wolf Trap (7/16/25)
MAYSUNS w/ KINDA EVIL + Wanted Man @ Songbyrd Music House (7/17/25)
Bluem w/ Dorinda + Fantazma @ The Pocket (7/17/25)
AITA w/ King Of The Wild Things + Keep Your Secrets + Old Knife @ Pearl Street Warehouse (7/18/25)
Pelican @ DC9 (7/18/25) Sold Out
GXB w/ Karen Jonas + Jon Tyler Wiley @ Jammin Java (7/18/25)
Rod Stewart @ Merriweather Post Pavilion (7/19/25)
Dinosaur Jr. + Snail Mail w/ Easy Action @ The Fillmore Silver Spring (7/20/25)
“Weird Al” Yankovic @ Wolf Trap (7/20 & 7/22/25)
Amythyst Kiah @ Jammin Java (7/21/25)
Fort Reno Concert Series (Starts July 7th) @ Fort Reno Park (7/21/25) (The annual night of a thousand cakes, come out for cake and live music, all in the great outdoors. This night will feature Time in the Wilderness, Bohemian Waxwing, and Bluem).
Pixies w/ Kurt Vile & the Violators @ The Anthem (7/25 & 7/26/25)
Jeremy Jordan & Age of Madness @ Union Stage (7/25/25)
You Fool! w/ Jackie and the Treehorns + The Beanstalk Library @ Songbyrd Music House (7/26/25)
Bad Moves w/ Light Beams + Adult Mom + Lee Bains III @ Black Cat (7/26/25) (This will be Bad Moves final show ever! They are a DC based power pop band that has been playing for the past 10 years.)
August 2025
Cinema Hearts w/ Tayls + Shelley Star @ Pie Shop (8/1/25)
Drive-By Truckers + Deer Tick @ The Anthem (8/2/25) (Check out our review of Drive-By Truckers from a recent DC show.)
The Church @ 9:30 Club (8/6/25)
Dorinda w/ Inside Voices + Candyweather @ DC9 (8/6/25)
Skating Polly w/ Bugsy + Mary Shelley @ Comet Ping Pong (8/7/25)
Esha Tewari @ The Atlantis (8/9/25)
DC Punk Archive Rooftop Show @ MLK Jr Library (8/10/25)
The Velveteers @ DC9 (8/12/25)
Amy Jay w/ Taisha Estrada + Veronique @ The Pocket (8/14/25)
Migrant Solidarity Mutual Aid Benefit Show @ Songbyrd Music House (8/16/25) (Stacked lineup of local indie rock! Dorinda, Broke Royals, Aidan Leclarie and Argo and the Violet Queens)
Pretty Bitter w/ Flowers for the Dead + Cuni @ Black Cat (8/16/25) (DC band Pretty Bitter released their second album, Pleaser, on July 25th. While DC’s Flowers for the Dead also released an EP called First Place on August 1st, exploring the pursuit and politics of community, friendship and love. Vocalist/guitarist Jessie Szegö describes the four songs, “We aren’t afraid to take up less space–having our instrumentation be bare-bones has helped us have our songwriting speak for itself, without all the frills and embellishments of distorted shoegaze.”)
The Struts @ The Anthem (8/17/25)
Nighthawk w/ Staring in Spaces + Aidan Leclaire @ Songbyrd Music House (8/21/25)
Wisp w/ Dream, Ivory @ 9:30 Club (8/22/25)
Billy Idol w/ Joan Jett & the Blackhearts @ Merriweather Post Pavilion (8/22/25)
Freezing Cold @ Ottobar (8/24/25) (This indie rock band from Long Island will release their second album, Treasure Pool (via Don Giovanni Records) on August 1st. They get their inspiration from ’90s alternative rock, and their drummer also performs with Sleater-Kinney on tour! Hit up Baltimore for this show! Lead singer Jeff Cunningham shares about the album, “If you’re part of the disposable camera generation, you probably know the feeling of flipping through a stack of old photos and getting hit with a flood of emotions. Some are total mysteries, completely lost in time. Since you made that 4×6 memory, life added context. People have passed away. Others, you thought you’d know for years to come. Some of those expectations held true, others not quite. We tried to capture the weird mix of nostalgia and surprise on what is probably the poppiest song on the album.”)
Soul Meets Body w/ Keep Your Secrets + Pinky Lemon @ Songbyrd Music House (8/24/25)
Silversun Picksups w/Girl Tones @ 9:30 Club (8/26/25) (Already have my ticket for this show. This will be my eighth trip into the silver sun, and fourth time seeing them at the 9:30 Club.)
The Black Keys w/ Gary Clark Jr @ Merriweather Post Pavilion (8/28/25)
Tedeschi Trucks Band + Whiskey Myers @ Wolf Trap (8/29 & 8/30/25) (Saw Tedeschi Trucks Band last year at Merriweather for the first time, and were blown away by their sound and production. And they like to mix their southern, blues rock music into an appealing jam band vibe.
A DC Journey 