Sure things. New things. All things. Our area’s fall pop concert schedule offers a Neapolitan scenario for intrepid music seekers. The best bets include legends of different scales and stripes (Patti Smith, Stereolab, Paquito D’Rivera, Autechre). The new faces include TikTokers and maniacs (Addison Rae and Geordie Greep, respectively — I think). And if you’re the kind of concertgoer who insists on having it all, there’s a festival for that.
Two summers ago, when the world decided to celebrate the 50th anniversary of hip-hop music, there was a lot of discoursing over whether rappers should continue to pursue their artistry after midlife or simply clear the lane. Amid all that blither, there was too little blather about the D.C.-born rapper Billy Woods — a shame, considering Woods is a rhymesmith in his mid-40s who continues pushing his craft forward and upward, the way Sisyphus rolls boulders. If anything, his knotted new album “Golliwog” is a reminder that patient, principled progress should be a standard in rap music rather than an anomaly. Sept. 19, Union Stage, 740 Water St. SW. unionstage.com.
When was the last time you listened to a new album and thought, “Huh, I don’t think I’ve heard anything like this before.” In many ways, the music of Geordie Greep seems to have been tailored to elicit that sensation — which is to say that Greep’s not-quite-rock-music feels freaky, and fidgety, and painfully self-aware, and joyfully free, and potentially irritating-slash-exhilarating in its desire to leave expectations defied, pulverized and unfulfilled. Before releasing his 2024 solo debut, “The New Sound,” Greep played with the British rock explorers Black Midi, and the continuation of his strange trip feels like a modernization of Frank Zappa’s infamous prog rock misadventures. It’s also possible that Greep is onto something else entirely. Sept. 20, Black Cat, 1811 14th St. NW. blackcatdc.com.
There are plenty of ways to feel cynical about the speedy rise of this 24-year-old influencer turned pop star. One is to dismiss her success as preordained — a cheap conversion of Rae’s 88 million TikTok followers into a semi-captive listening audience. Or you can bristle at the songs themselves, refusing to believe that Rae’s gifts as a digital content creator could possibly translate into any kind of musical talent. But if either of these prickly feelings feels familiar, be warned: If you give her outstandingly ebullient debut album, “Addison,” an open and honest listen, you might find yourself dancing all those cares away. Sept. 30, the Anthem, 901 Wharf St. SW. theanthemdc.com.
Just a quick, broad note on a shift in the District’s nightlife ecosystem: Has anyone else noticed that the Howard Theatre’s programming has improved by leaps and bounds in recent months? If so, it’s likely because Union Stage, a smaller nightclub at the Wharf, has extended its hand in booking this historic concert hall in Shaw. One of Union Stage’s brightest offerings at the Howard this autumn is the resurgent Stereolab, the prismatic veteran pop group whose durable sense of playfulness is sure to make one of our city’s most cherished listening rooms feel more like a romper room. Sept. 23, Howard Theatre, 620 T St. NW. unionstagepresents.com/the-howard.
Doechii performs at WorldPride in Washington, D.C., in June. – (Pete Kiehart/For The Washington Post)
There’s always been an element of suggestion in this festival’s name — something that a period or a semicolon between the words “Things” and “Go” might make more explicit. And indeed, if indie-pop maximalism is your thing, you should absolutely go to this three-day musical extravaganza, which promises performances from the likes of Clairo, Lucy Dacus, Doechii, Noah Kahan, Kesha, Bartees Strange, Sharon Van Etten, Faye Webster, Lola Young and tons more. Sept. 26-28, Merriweather Post Pavilion, 10475 Little Patuxent Pkwy., Columbia, Maryland. merriweathermusic.com.
Apologies for the tacky life-lesson tint of the following message, but please remember that the only thing cooler than hearing stories from people who saw Iggy Pop and Patti Smith in concert back in the day is being able to someday tell stories about seeing Iggy Pop and Patti Smith in concert back in the day. In the 1970s, these two proto-punk pioneers got a jump on rearranging America’s cultural brain tissue, but neither has grown lazy in their respective legacies. See them before tomorrow turns into yesterday. Iggy Pop, Sept. 29. Patti Smith, Nov. 28. The Anthem, 901 Wharf St. SW. theanthemdc.com.
As country music continues to surge in popularity and mutate in mood, the music of Lori McKenna remains a quiet, steadying force. She’s one of the most gifted songwriters to grace Music Row over the past couple of decades, long specializing in funneling floods of human emotion into clean poetry that’s easy to grasp and impossible not to feel — songs about being a kid, a woman, a mother, a matriarch and more. As country music keeps getting bigger, McKenna keeps getting deeper. Oct. 5 at the Birchmere, 3701 Mount Vernon Ave., Alexandria, Virginia. birchmere.com.
The colossi of Cuban jazz are coming. Pianist Chuchito Valdés — son of Chucho Valdés and Mercedes Alfaro Cortes; and grandson of Bebo Valdés — continues the family tradition during a two-night stand in intimate nightclub confines; while saxophonist-clarinetist Paquito D’Rivera, once of the vibrant Cuban troupe Irakere, is booked to unspool his sound in a suburban concert hall. Massive talents. Different-size rooms. Squeeze in or stretch out. Chuchito Valdés, Oct. 16-17, Blues Alley, 1073 Wisconsin Ave NW. bluesalley.com. Paquito D’Rivera, Nov. 1, Hylton Performing Arts Center, 10960 George Mason Cir., Manassas, Virginia. hyltoncenter.org.
The expectations being heaped on this left-field R&B singer might have less to do with the hype machine’s typical notions of success and more to do with intimacy. Nourished by Time’s debut album, “Erotic Probiotic 2,” was recorded in his parents’ Baltimore basement, helping give its songs the immediacy and interiority of an inner monologue. With his fabulous new album, “The Passionate Ones,” the priorities may have flipped. Instead of exposing his vulnerability, the goal might involve protecting it. Oct. 21, the Atlantis, 2047 9th St. NW. theatlantis.com.
Last time this visionary British electronic music duo performed in Washington, they asked the club staff running the now-shuttered U Street Music Hall to shut off all the lights, forcing attendees to parse torrents of mind-torquing computer sounds in near-complete blackness. What a genius idea. Disabling one sense heightens another. And while that sacred night in the noisy darkness felt like an unforgettable gesture, it certainly wasn’t an unrepeatable one. Let’s hope they find the light switches at the Howard. Oct. 29, Howard Theatre, 620 T St. NW. unionstagepresents.com/the-howard.
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