At a charity concert Saturday night in Red Bank, N.J., rock legend Bruce Springsteen said ICE needs to get out of Minneapolis — only he didn’t say it quite that nicely.
Well into his set, Springsteen introduced the song “The Promised Land,” from his 1978 album Darkness on the Edge of Town, which he said he wrote “as an ode to American possibility.” Springsteen said American values and ideals of the past 250 years are being tested like never before.
“Those values, those ideals, have never been as endangered as they are right now,” Springsteen, 76, told the crowd at the Count Basie Center for the Arts in a video posted by NJ.com.
“If you believe in the power of the law and that no one stands above it,” Springsteen continued, “if you stand against heavily armed, masked federal troops invading an American city, using gestapo tactics against our fellow citizens, if you believe you don’t deserve to be murdered for exercising your American right to protest, then send a message to this president, and as the mayor of that city has said, ‘ICE should get the f— out of Minneapolis.”
To a cheering crowed, Springsteen dedicated the song to the memory of Renee Good, calling her “a mother of three, and American citizen.” Good, 37, was killed by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent Jonathan Ross on Jan. 7 in Minneapolis — a moment, widely seen on video, that has inflamed tensions over the Trump administration’s use of the federal agency.
High school students protest federal agents and the fatal shooting of Renee Good in St. Paul.
Springsteen was not on the official performers’ list for the “Bob’s Birthday Bash” concert, which raises money for research to help people living with Parkinson’s, ALS, and other diseases. But he’s been a frequent “surprise” guest at the annual event, as New Jersey music reporter Bobby Olivier noted.
Springsteen has long found himself involved in political discourse, including in 1984 when he called out Republican President Ronald Reagan for misunderstanding the point of his hit song, “Born in the U.S.A.” while on the campaign trail.
Kicking off his 2025 European tour in Manchester, England, he called the Trump administration “corrupt, incompetent, and treasonous.”
That time around, President Donald Trump responded in kind.
“I see that Highly Overrated Bruce Springsteen goes to a Foreign Country to speak badly about the President of the United States,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
SAN FRANCISCO — Thousands of people gathered Saturday at San Francisco’s Civic Center to celebrate the life of Bob Weir, the legendary guitarist and founding member of the Grateful Dead who died last week at age 78.
Musicians Joan Baez and John Mayer spoke on a makeshift stage in front of the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium after four Buddhist monks opened the event with a prayer in Tibetan. Fans carried long-stemmed red roses, placing some at an altar filled with photos and candles. They wrote notes on colored paper, professing their love and thanking him for the journey.
Several asked him to say hello to fellow singer and guitarist Jerry Garcia and bass guitarist Phil Lesh, also founding members who preceded him in death. Garcia died in 1995; Lesh died in 2024.
“I’m here to celebrate Bob Weir,” said Ruthie Garcia, who is no relation to Jerry, a fan since 1989. “Celebrating him and helping him go home.”
Saturday’s celebration brought plenty of fans with long dreadlocks and wearing tie-dye clothing, some using walkers. But there were also young couples, men in their 20s, and a father who brought his 6-year-old son in order to pass on to the next generation a love of live music and the tight-knit Deadhead community.
The Bay Area native joined the Grateful Dead — originally the Warlocks — in 1965 in San Francisco at just 17 years old. He wrote or co-wrote and sang lead vocals on Dead classics including “Sugar Magnolia,” “One More Saturday Night,” and “Mexicali Blues.” He was generally considered less shaggy looking than the other band members, although he adopted a long beard like Garcia’s later in life.
The Dead played music that pulled in blues, jazz, country, folk, and psychedelia in long improvisational jams. Their concerts attracted avid Deadheads who followed them on tours. The band played on decades after Garcia’s death, morphing into Dead & Company with John Mayer.
Darla Sagos, who caught an early flight out of Seattle Saturday morning to make the public mourning, said she suspected something was up when there were no new gigs announced after Dead & Company played three nights in San Francisco last summer. It was unusual, as Weir’s calendar often showed where he would be playing next.
“We were hoping that everything was OK and that we were going to get more music from him,” she said. “But we will continue the music, with all of us and everyone that’s going to be playing it.”
Sagos and her husband, Adam Sagos, have a 1-year-old grandson who will grow up knowing the music.
A statement on Weir’s Instagram account announced his passing Jan. 10. It said he beat cancer, but he succumbed to underlying lung issues. He is survived by his wife and two daughters, who were at Saturday’s event.
His death was sudden and unexpected, said daughter Monet Weir, but he had always wished for the music and the legacy of the Dead to outlast him.
American music, he believed, could unite, she said.
Jeffrey A. Woodley, 71, formerly of Philadelphia, internationally celebrated celebrity hairstylist, scholar, youth track and field star, mentor, and favorite uncle, died Wednesday, Dec. 10, of complications from acute respiratory distress syndrome at Mount Sinai West Hospital in Manhattan.
Reared in West Philadelphia, Mr. Woodley knew early that he was interested and talented in hairstyling, beauty culture, and fashion. He experimented with cutting and curling on his younger sister Aminta at home, left Abington High School before his senior year to attend the old Wilfred Beauty Academy on Chestnut Street, and quickly earned a chair at Wanamakers’ popular Glemby Salon at 13th and Chestnut Streets.
He went to New York in the mid-1970s after being recruited by famed stylist Walter Fontaine and spent the next 30 years doing hair for hundreds of actors, entertainers, models, athletes, and celebrities. He styled Diahann Carroll, Whitney Houston, Aretha Franklin, Anita Baker, Angela Bassett, Halle Berry, and Tyra Banks.
He worked with Denzel and Pauletta Washington, Eddie Murphy, Jasmine Guy, Lynn Whitfield, Pam Grier, Melba Moore, Jody Watley, and Karyn White. His hairstyles were featured in GQ, Vanity Fair, Ebony, Jet, Essence, Vibe, Vogue Italia, and other publications, and in advertising campaigns for L’Oréal and other products.
Mr. Woodley poses with actor Lynn Whitfield.
For years, actor Terry Burrell said, “He was the go-to hair stylist for every Black diva in New York City.” Pauletta Washington said: “He was responsible for so much of who I became as an artist and a friend.”
Mr. Woodley worked for Zoli Illusions in New York, Europe, Africa, and elsewhere around the world, and collaborated often with noted makeup artists Reggie Wells and Eric Spearman. Model Marica Fingal called Mr. Woodley “uber talented” on Instagram and said: “He was one of the most skilled artists, creating stunning, innovative styles for models and celebs alike.”
Friendly and curious, Mr. Woodley told Images magazine in 2000 that learning about the people in his chair was important. “A woman’s hairstyle should take into account the type of work she does, her likes, her dislikes, and her fantasies,” he said. “I’m a stylist, but I never impose hair styles on any client. When we arrive at our finished style, it’s always a collaboration.”
His hairstyles appeared on record albums and at exhibitions at the Philadelphia Art Museum and elsewhere. He was quoted often as an expert in coiffure and a fashion forecaster. In 1989, he told a writer for North Carolina’s Charlotte Post: “Texture is the key. … Cut will still be important, but the lines will be more softened and much less severe.”
Mr. Woodley (right) handles hair styling for singer Anita Baker while makeup artist Reggie Wells attends to her face.
In 2000, he told Images that “low maintenance is the way of the future.” He said: “Today’s woman is going back to school. She has the corporate job. She has children that she needs to send off to school. She doesn’t have time anymore to get up and spend 35 to 40 minutes on her hair. She wants something she can get up and go with.”
He retired in 2005 after losing his sight to glaucoma. So he earned his General Educational Development diploma, attended classes at the Borough of Manhattan Community College, and studied literature, Black history, and spiritual writing.
“The entirety of his life was inspired by an insatiable thirst for knowledge,” said his friend Khadija Kamara.
He was working on his memoir and still taking classes when he died. “He lived life on his own terms,” Burrell said, “and my respect and admiration for his determination will forever be inspiring.”
Mr. Woodley smiles with track stars and celebrities Jackie Joyner-Kersee (left) and Florence Griffith Joyner.
As a youth, Mr. Woodley excelled in sprints, relays, and the high jump at St. Rose of Lima Catholic School and Abington High School, and for the Philadelphia Pioneers and other local track and field teams. He ran on Abington’s 440-yard relay team that won the PIAA District 1 championship race at the 1970 Penn Relays and helped set a meet record in the four-lap relay at a 1971 Greater Philadelphia Track and Field Coaches Association indoor meet.
Family and friends called him authentic, generous, and proud of his Philadelphia roots. He mentored his nieces and nephews and hosted them on long visits to his home in New York.
“He was one of the most talented people around and always a lot of fun,” a friend said on Facebook. “A beautiful soul and spirit who made others beautiful.”
Jeffrey Alan Woodley was born May 30, 1954, in Philadelphia. He had an older brother, Alex, and two younger sisters, Aminta and Alicia, and ran cross-country as well as track in high school.
Mr. Woodley (left) worked with actor and musician Pauletta Washington and makeup stylist Eric Spearman.
He was always an avid reader and loved dogs, especially his guide dog Polly. He was a foodie and longtime member of the Abyssinian Baptist Church choir in Harlem. His close family and friends called him Uncle Jeff.
“He was a fun-loving, spirited, and passionate individual,” his brother said. “Uncle Jeff loved the Lord and poured his heart into his work as well as family.”
This week in Philly music features an old-school hip-hop extravaganza in Atlantic City, an intriguing Bob Dylan tribute, and two shows each with powerhouse vocalist Neko Case, British post-punk band Shame, and mysterious indie singer Jim E. Brown.
Thursday, Jan. 15
Jim E. Brown
Who is Jim E. Brown? According to his own ad copy, he is a “19 year pop sensation” who is launching “his latest opus, I Urinated on a Butterfly, in the American city of Philadelphia.” His Bandcamp page, however, identifies him as a “Poet and Artist/activist” who “was born in Manchester in Sept. 10, 2001, just one day before the 911.”
If that were true, that would make him 24, not 19. However, sampling the dozens of his releases online with titles like “Sheep in a Jeep,” “The Sky Is Ugly,” and “I’m Weirder Than ‘Weird’ Al” might lead one to believe that Brown is actually a 40-something performance artist from Philadelphia with an abundance of ideas and an affection for electro-pop.
Brown, whose self-mocking wit flourishes on tracks like “I Dreamed That You Liked My Instagram Post,” has two shows in Fishtown this week, with Bugger opening Thursday and My Wife’s an Angel and Null playing Friday. 8 p.m. Johnny Brenda’s, 1201 Frankford Ave., johnnybrendas.com
Bill Kirchen
The singer and guitarist for Commander Cody & his Los Planet Airmen, best known for their 1972 pop hit “Hot Rod Lincoln,” is touring with a full band and a Bob Dylan-at-Newport-themed show. Kirchen may be a bit crustier than A Complete Unknown star Timothée Chalamet, but the ageless guitar whiz has the advantage of having firsthand experience of Dylan’s acoustic and electric iterations at the Newport Folk Festival in 1964 and 1965. In Sellersville, he’ll do one set of Commander Cody material, and another of Dylan songs. 8 p.m., Sellersville Theater, 24 W. Temple Ave., Sellersville, st94.com
British post-punk band Shame play Free at Noon at World Cafe Live on Friday and the First Unitarian Church on Friday night.
Friday, Jan. 16
Shame
Shame is a British post-punk band fronted by (not that) Charlie Sheen. They are touring behind a spirited, spiky fourth album, Cutthroat, which was produced by John Congleton, who has worked with Philly’s Mannequin Pussy and the Districts, among others.
On Friday, the band will perform a WXPN-FM (88.5) Free at Noon show at World Cafe Live, where the radio station’s FAN shows have moved back to since the West Philly venue renewed its lapsed liquor license. And then the South London quintet will play that evening at First Unitarian Church, with Ribbon Skirt opening. Noon, World Cafe Live, 3025 Walnut St., xpn.org and 8 p.m., First Unitarian Church, 2125 Chestnut St., r5productions.com
Neko Case
Torch and power-pop singer Neko Case released a powerful memoir called The Harder I Fight, The More I Love You in 2024, and followed that last year with an introspective and imagistic new album, Neon Grey Midnight Green. Its color-coded title is inspired by the meeting of slate clouds and piney forests on the Pacific Coast skyline.
Case, who has also sometimes sung with the Canadian power-pop band the New Pornographers, played the Met Philly last fall along with buzzy D.C. band Des Demonas, led by Kenyan punk-poet Jacky “Cougar” Abok, as the opening act. They’re back together at the Queen in Wilmington on Friday and at Archer Music Hall in Allentown on Saturday. 8 p.m., the Queen, 500 N. Broad St., Wilmington, thequeenwilmington.com; 7 p.m., Archer Music Hall, 939 Hamilton St., Allentown, archermusichall.com
Peabo Bryson
Veteran soul balladeer Peabo Bryson is on tour marking the 35 years that have passed since his Grammy-winning duet with Celine Dion on the title song to the 1991 Disney movie Beauty and the Beast. Bryson also picked up a Grammy for “A Whole New World,” his duet with Regina Belle from Disney’s Aladdin the next year. 6 and 9:30 p.m. City Winery Philadelphia, 900 Filbert St., citywinery.com/philadelphia
Owen Stewart / J.R. Everhart
Philly bandleader Owen Stewart draws from rugged, 1960s counterculture rock acts like John Fogerty and especially recent Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee Joe Cocker. He’s following up the release of his album Done and Dusted by celebrating a new EP, Glider. J.R. Everhart — also known as Jimmy Scantron — is the leader of Philly band Cosmic Guilt and is a former Low Cut Connie guitarist. His new single, “Golden Hour,” is more evidence of his songwriting chops. With Squawk Brothers. 8 p.m., Underground Arts, 1200 Callowhill St., undergroundarts.org
Flavor Flav (left) and Chuck D of Public Enemy perform during a Pre-Grammy Gala in Beverly Hills in 2024. Public Enemy tops the AllStars of Hip-Hop bill at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City on Sunday night. ( Photo by Richard Shotwell/Invision/AP )
Sunday, Jan. 18
AllStars of Hip-Hop
Public Enemy — arguably the greatest politically-minded rap group of all time — will headline the AllStars of Hip-Hop multiact bill at Jim Whelan Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City on Saturday.
Chuck D and Flavor Flav — the latter of whom is most visible these days for his Taylor Swift fandom and hype man duties for the U.S. Olympic water polo and bobsled and skeleton teams — will be joined by several other old-school hip-hop and R&B acts.
R&B will be covered by “This Is How We Do It” singer Montel Jordan. Veteran rappers performing include Boogie Down Productions emcee KRS-One and Philly’s original gangsta Schoolly D. Also on the bill is Furious Five — note the absence of “The Message” rappers’ DJ leader Grandmaster Flash — and “Rapper’s Delight” collective Sugarhill Gang. 7 p.m., Jim Whelan Boardwalk Hall, 23021 Boardwalk, Atlantic City, boardwalkhall.com
Schoolly D acknowledges onlookers during the Philadelphia Music at the 2025 Walk of Fame ceremony, Philadelphia Music Alliance induction in front of the Suzanne Roberts Theater on Wednesday, April 30, 2025. The Philly rapper plays Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City on Sunday.
Don Was’ show with the Pan-Detroit Ensemble at Ardmore Music Hall on Wednesday was always going to be, in part, a tribute to the music of the Grateful Dead.
Along with digging deep into the rugged, funky sounds of their hometown — as the bassist and Grammy-winning producer and his bandmates do on their new album, Groove in the Face of Adversity — the date will also include a performance of the Dead’s 1975 album, Blues for Allah, in its entirety.
But now the Dead community is reeling from the loss of Bob Weir, the singer-guitarist who cofounded the Dead in 1965 and became a torch bearer for the band’s music in the decades since Jerry Garcia died in 1995.
It will also serve as a celebration of the short-shorts-wearing rhythm guitarist and vocalist who sang many of the psychedelic rock band’s most beloved songs, including “Sugar Magnolia,” “Truckin’,” and Blues for Allah’s “The Music Never Stopped.”
Was is president of the esteemed Blue Note Records jazz label and the former coleader of art-pop band Was (Not Was), best known for the hit “Walk the Dinosaur.” His long list of production credits includes Bonnie Raitt, the Rolling Stones, Willie Nelson, Bob Dylan, and many others.
He also toured extensively with Weir, playing double bass with Wolf Bros, the band formed in 2018 whose repertoire mixed country and jazz with the Dead’s mystical roots-music blend.
Don Was (at right) with Bob Weir performing together as Wolf Bros in 2018.
Weir played Philadelphia stages with the Dead or one of their many offshoots over 70 times — including a record 57 concerts at the Spectrum in South Philly before it closed in 2009. His last Philly show was a Wolf Bros gig at the Met in September 2023.
Was learned of Weir’s death shortly before going on stage in Ann Arbor, Michigan, on Saturday, and broke the news to a crowd full of Deadheads.
“I told them the story Bobby told me about the night Jerry died,” Was said, talking on Monday from New York, where he and the stellar Pan-Detroit Ensemble, which includes saxophonist David McMurray and powerhouse vocalist Steffanie Christi’an, were set to play the Blue Note before heading to Philly.
“Bobby was in New Hampshire with [his side project] Ratdog [in 1995]. He told me, ’You go up there and play, man. The way you deal with grief is you go up there and make some good music for everybody.’
“So that’s what we’re going to do for Bobby. We’re going to play a soulful show, as soulful as we can. [In Ann Arbor] I hung out with the audience afterwards, and everybody had their story about some encounter with Bob over the last 60 years. It was almost like a wake. It might just be that this tour is about bringing some comfort to people who suffered a loss. Even if you’re just a fan. Bobby is like a family member to people.”
Was first saw the Dead in Detroit in 1972. “I always dug them,” he says, “and being a jazz head, I understood the method of improvisation. But I never got in a car and followed them around, so I don’t think you could have called me a Deadhead then.”
You could now, as well as a key player in the enduring band’s long, strange post-Garcia afterlife. In 2015, while producing guitarist John Mayer in Los Angeles, Was introduced Weir and Dead drummer Mickey Hart to Mayer, who was boundlessly enthusiastic about Garcia and the band.
“John waxed eloquent about his love of the Grateful Dead,” recalls Was, 73. “And those guys were just kind of bowled over by it. … And that turned into Dead & Company.”
Wolf Bros was inspired by a dream of Weir’s. The singer and guitarist was a frequent collaborator with bassist Rob Wasserman, who had introduced Weir to Was in the 1990s.
After Wasserman died in 2016, Weir called Was. “He said he had a dream where Wasserman said the reason he had introduced Bobby to me,” said Was, “was so I could take Rob’s place after he was gone. So he asked me if I wanted to start a trio with him and [drummer] Jay Lane. And I said, ‘Yeah, of course.’”
Playing with Wolf Bros “changed everything for me,” Was says. Weir was “utterly fearless about suspending self-consciousness and playing freely in the moment without regret.”
“There’s a tremendous allure to those songs, and to play them the way Bobby wanted to, which was with a beginner’s mind every night and just have a completely different adventure with a song every time you play it.”
Don Was and the Pan Detroit Ensemble play Ardmore Music Hall on Wednesday, performing music from their album “Groove in the Face of Adversity” and also playing the Grateful Dead’s 1975 album “Blues for Allah” in its entirety.
As head of Blue Note, Was is excited about the young artists on the storied home of Herbie Hancock and Wayne Shorter. He name-checks Joel Ross, Melissa Aldana, Paul Cornish, and Upper Darby native saxophonist Immanuel Wilkins.
“They all have records coming out this year, and they’re all blowing my mind,” Was said. “People who see Immanuel Wilkins will be talking about seeing him the way they talk about seeing Coltrane. They still be listening 60 or 70 years from now.”
On Groove in the Face of Adversity, Was and the PDE bring a loose, expansive sensibility to a wide range of material, from Hank Williams’ honky-tonk “I Ain’t Got Nuthin’ But Time“ to Cameo’s 1978 funk workout “Insane.”
Most powerful is “This Is My Country,” the Curtis Mayfield title track from a 1968 album by the Impressions that stands as a statement of defiant patriotism in the face of oppression. “I realized it’s tragically more relevant now than it was in 1968,” Was said.
“I feel an urgency” about playing with the PDE, “especially after Saturday night,” Was said. “I feel like I’m just starting to crack the code about playing bass. I want to play while I can” — he laughs — “while my fingers still work.”
The PDE sound is more muscular and R&B-powered than the acoustic-based style he played with Weir in Wolf Bros. But Was says they’re connected in not-obvious ways.
“When I first started to play with Bobby, I was haunted by Phil,” he said, speaking of bassist Phil Lesh, who died in 2024. “But I can’t play like Phil. Nobody can play like Phil. It was putting me in stylistic limbo. And then I quickly realized the most Grateful Dead thing you can do with a song is be yourself. Be who you are.
“So that’s what our band does. We play like us. In the music business, we tend to think of anything that’s different as a marketing problem. But in fact, being different is your superpower. I’ve tried to impart that to artists on Blue Note and people I’ve produced. To be as different as you can be: That’s the only chance you’ve got!”
Don Was and the Pan-Detroit Ensemble at Ardmore Music Hall, 23 E. Lancaster Ave., Ardmore, at 8 p.m. Wednesday. ardmoremusichall.com.
LOS ANGELES — Bob Weir, the guitarist and singer who as an essential member of the Grateful Dead helped found the sound of the San Francisco counterculture of the 1960s and kept it alive through decades of endless tours and marathon jams, has died. He was 78.
“It is with profound sadness that we share the passing of Bobby Weir,” a statement on his Instagram posted Saturday said. “He transitioned peacefully, surrounded by loved ones, after courageously beating cancer as only Bobby could. Unfortunately, he succumbed to underlying lung issues.”
The statement did not say where or when Mr. Weir died, but he lived in the San Francisco Bay Area for most of his life.
Mr. Weir joined the Grateful Dead — originally the Warlocks — in 1965 in San Francisco at just 17 years old. He would spend the next 30 years playing on endless tours with the Grateful Dead alongside fellow singer and guitarist Jerry Garcia, who died in 1995.
Mr. Weir wrote or co-wrote and sang lead vocals on Dead classics including “Sugar Magnolia,” “One More Saturday Night,” and “Mexicali Blues.”
After Garcia’s death, he would be the Dead’s most recognizable face. In the decades since, he kept playing with other projects that kept alive the band’s music and legendary fan base, including Dead & Company.
The Dead were beloved in Philadelphia. “Only sports teams have played the Spectrum more than the Grateful Dead,” Inquirer music critic Dan DeLuca wrote when the band played its last concert at the now-demolished arena on May 2, 2009. DeLuca wrote that the Dead had sold out the arena more than 50 times.
“For over sixty years, Bobby took to the road,” the Instagram statement said. “A guitarist, vocalist, storyteller, and founding member of the Grateful Dead. Bobby will forever be a guiding force whose unique artistry reshaped American music.”
Mr. Weir’s death leaves drummer Bill Kreutzmann as the only surviving original member. Founding bassist Phil Lesh died in 2024. The band’s other drummer, Mickey Hart, practically an original member since joining in 1967, is also alive at 82. The fifth founding member, Ron “Pigpen” McKernan, died in 1973.
Dead and Company played a series of concerts for the Grateful Dead’s 60th anniversary in July at Golden Gate Park in San Francisco, drawing some 60,000 fans a day for three days.
Born in San Francisco and raised in nearby Atherton, Mr. Weir was the Dead’s youngest member and looked like a fresh-faced high schooler in its early years. He was generally less shaggy than the rest of the band, but he had a long beard like Garcia’s in later years.
The band would survive long past the hippie moment of its birth, with its ultra-devoted fans known as Deadheads often following them on the road in a virtually nonstop tour that persisted despite decades of music and culture shifting around them.
“Longevity was never a major concern of ours,” Mr. Weir said when the Dead got the Grammys’ MusiCares Person of the Year honor last year. “Spreading joy through the music was all we ever really had in mind, and we got plenty of that done.”
Ubiquitous bumper stickers and T-shirts showed the band’s skull logo, the dancing, colored bears that served as their other symbol, and signature phrases like “ain’t no time to hate” and “not all who wander are lost.”
The Dead won few actual Grammys during their career — they were always a little too esoteric — getting only a lifetime achievement award in 2007 and the best music film award in 2018.
Just as rare were hit pop singles. “Touch of Grey,” the 1987 song that brought a big surge in the aging band’s popularity, was their only Billboard Top 10 hit.
But in 2024, they set a record for all artists with their 59th album in Billboard’s Top 40. Forty-one of those came since 2012, thanks to the popularity of the series of archival albums compiled by David Lemieux.
Their music — called acid rock at its inception — would pull in blues, jazz, country, folk, and psychedelia in long improvisational jams at their concerts.
“I venture to say they are the great American band,” TV personality and devoted Deadhead Andy Cohen said as host of the MusiCares event. “What a wonder they are.”
WASHINGTON — The Washington National Opera announced Friday that it had decided to end its arrangement with the Kennedy Center in the nation’s capital, though it said it was hoping for an “amicable transition.”
“To ensure fiscal prudence and fulfill its obligations for a balanced budget, the WNO will reduce its spring season and relocate performances to new venues,” the Opera said in a statement.
It said the decision stemmed from the Center’s new business model, which “requires productions to be fully funded in advance — a requirement incompatible with opera operations.”
Kennedy Center spokesperson Roma Daravi told The New York Times, “After careful consideration, we have made the difficult decision to part ways with the WNO due to a financially challenging relationship.”
Artists ranging from Hamilton creator Lin-Manuel Miranda to rock star Peter Wolf have called off events at the Kennedy Center since President Donald Trump ousted the previous leadership early last year and arranged for himself to head the board of trustees. The board’s decision in December to rebrand the venue the Trump-Kennedy Center led to a new wave of cancellations.
Hundreds of fans gathered at Stateside Live! ahead of the Flyers’ home game against the Toronto Maple Leafs on Thursday night to celebrate the franchise’s first Phish Night.
Whether they were dressed in Flyers gear, wearing Phish merchandise, or custom Trey Anastasio Flyers T-shirts, they danced to the sounds of Philly’s Phish tribute band, Rift, as they performed their 90-minute pregame set to get fans excited for what was in store for the rest of night.
Phish Night was a highly anticipated event for 45-year-old Doylestown native Brett Erpel and his brother Aaron. After the official announcement, Brett received a text message from his 47-year-old brother that read “Let’s go to this.”
The brothers have been fans of the band since 1995 after watching them perform for the first time at the Mann Music Center. Brett’s fandom has stretched over three decades.
For diehard fans like Brett and Aaron, Thursday night was the perfect combination of three things they love the most: Philadelphia, the Flyers, and Phish.
“I’m a huge Phish fan,” said 23-year-old Andrew Singer, a Philadelphia native. “The Flyers are an integral part of our city, especially during the winter time. I love Phish, the city of Philadelphia, and the Flyers. I just wanted to come out and support that.”
The Flyers and the band have had long connection. Phish’s first-ever performance at the Spectrum took place on Dec. 15, 1995, which saw their guitarist and singer Anastasio perform in a No. 10 John LeClair Flyers jersey. And before that performance the band visited the team in their training center.
Flyers fans listen to Philly Phish tribute band Rift, at Stateside Live! on Thursday, January 8, 2026.
Since then, Phish had historic performances at The Spectrum which became immortalized on the album The Spectrum ’97.
“Tonight is sort of like the culmination of this long dating process,” said Ike Richman, who owns a communications company and is long-time friends with Phish. “Tonight’s their wedding day. The Flyers and Phish are finally getting married because we’ve had this parallel for so many years. The Flyers fans know about Phish and the Phish fans know about the Flyers. But, tonight they get to all come together in this beautiful night that features their music and celebrations.”
Anastasio has been a lifelong fan of the Flyers. Some have even made the connection that Anastasio and Flyers mascot Gritty look very similar, leading to some fans dressing up as the NHL mascot for a DIY Gritty costume contest, including Frank McGannon.
“I’m 50-years-old and dressed like this,” McGannon said. “I was invited to the concert being that it was Phish Night tonight. … And I was nominated to dress up for the Gritty contest. I guess I have that spirit, and here I am.”
McGannon made his way to the Xfinity Mobile Arena after the concert to get his one-of-a-kind, co-branded Phish and Flyers T-shirt, which features the band’s logo decorated in Gritty’s orange fur with the bubbles replaced by popcorn. The line for the shirt stretched across 11 sections, starting at the Sales and Service table, located across from Section 112, and ending at Section 101.
Flyers fan Greg McGannon listens to Phish tribute band Rift at Stateside Live! in a DIY Gritty costume.
“The shirt is great,” McGanon said. “I’m not going to lie, it’s the only reason I’m here.”
Along with the exclusive merchandise, fans could grab special menu items only available on Thursday night — including a Fishman doughnut from Federal Donuts & Chicken, a Split Open and Melt cheesesteak, a Poor Heart burger, a Ruby Waves vodka cocktail, and a Scent of a Mule vodka mule with a hint of mint.
The Fishman donut: A spiced cake donut with vanilla cream glaze and a red raspberry glaze ring pic.twitter.com/Bo2x8XJE88
Throughout the Flyers-Maple Leafs game, there were singalong moments from some of the band’s greatest hits, and Phish trivia questions which resulted in a fan winning a signed vinyl record from the band.
“It’s like a dream come true to see this happen,” said Richman, who presented the Flyers with the idea over the summer. “I’m grateful, again, that the Flyers are doing this and Phish is doing this. But, this is really for the fans and we want the fans to have a real good time. And as they say, let’s get down to the nitty-gritty and let’s get this show on the road.”
A portion of the tickets sold from the event will benefit The WaterWheel Foundation, which supports causes in the Phish community.
This year’s Sing Us Home festival will feature founders Dave and Tim Hause, Scranton pop-punk band the Menzingers, prolific indie rockers the Mountain Goats, punk veteran Ted Leo, and a certain late night TV comedian and political commentator playing drums.
In its fourth year, Sing Us Home will be staged on Venice Island in Manayunk from May 1-3. It will again take its place as the opening event of Philadelphia’s outdoor music festival season.
Produced by Ardmore-based music promoters Rising Sun Presents, the fest will kick of on a Friday night with its traditional opening set billed as the Hause Family Campfire. That includes Roxborough-raised Dave Hause joined by Leo, Will Hoge, and Jenny Owen Youngs, with all four songwriters on stage at once, sharing songs and stories.
Along with the aforementioned headliners and Dave Hause & the Mermaid, the three-day fest also includes Tim Hause & the Pre-Existing Conditions, fronted by Hause’s younger brother and festival cofounder.
The lineup for the 2026 Sing Us Home Festival.
The lineup also features blues guitarist Emily Wolfe, Canadian punks the Flatliners, New York indie rockers Augustines, New Jersey band Church and State™, Philly singer Moustapha Noumbissi, Lancaster folk-punk band Apes of the State, singer-songwriters Katacombs and Laney Lebo, and horn happy outfit Big Boy Brass, who will parade the grounds.
The political pundit funnyman playing the drums will be Jon Stewart, who sits on the throne behind his kit with Church and State™, the new band with whom he has played only a handful of gigs.
Last month, he told the audience on the Daily Show that he picked up the stick after failing to master the guitar or piano, and that playing in his first band at age 63 was extremely fun.
Most touring bands are still on a winter break this early in January, but that doesn’t mean the live music business shuts down. This week in Philly music is a mostly local affair, packed with hometown talent and worthwhile benefit shows, as well as R&B, country, and indie rock acts that are on the road.
David Bowie was born on Jan. 8, 1947 and died 10 years ago on January 10. 48 Record Bar in Old City will host its third annual free Philly Loves Bowie Week listening party, with DJ EBG III spinning full album sides by the artist who famously recorded 1974’s Young Americans at Sigma Sound Studios. 7 p.m., 48 Record Bar, 48 S. Second St., 48RecordBar.com
Thursday, Jan. 8
El DeBarge
Eldra “El” DeBarge scored 1980s R&Bs hits like “Rhythm of the Night” and “Who’s Holding Donna Now?” with his family band DeBarge before going on to score solo hits such as “Who’s Johnny” and “Real Love.” 8 p.m., City Winery Philadelphia, 990 Filbert St., citywinery.com/philadelphia
Lowercoaster / Dear Season / Sharing Contest
These three Philly bands all identify as emo, with the subtlest of them being Sharing Contest, the trio of singer-guitarist Alex Fichera fronting the rhythm section of Sam Ansa and Jordan Colucci. 7 p.m., Kung Fu Necktie, 1248 N. Front St., kungfunecktie.com
Bowie Quizzo / Bowieoke
Patti Brett, the owner of Doobie’s Bar and one of the original Sigma Kids, hosts Bowie Quizzo at Ray’s Happy Birthday Bar in South Philly, with DJ Robert Drake spinning and John Stanley of John’s Dollar Bin fame serving drinks. And Sara Sherr’s Sing Your Life Karaoke goes all Bowie at MilkBoy. Both events are free. 8 p.m., Ray’s Happy Birthday Bar, 1200 E. Passyunk Ave., thehappybirthdaybar.com, and 8 p.m., MilkBoy, 1100 Chestnut St., milkboyphilly.com
Dale Watson and His Lone Stars play Sellersville Theater in Bucks County on Friday and Elkton Music Hall in Elkton, Md. on Saturday.
Friday, Jan. 9
Dale Watson and His Lone Stars
Alabama-born Texas-based hardcore country singer Dale Watson has two area gigs this weekend: Friday at the Sellersville Theater in Bucks County and one at Elkton Music Hall on Saturday. 2023’s Starvation Box is the most recent album by the “Feelin’ Haggard” singer-guitarist, who teamed with Montgomery County cowboy Ray Benson on 2017’s Dale & Ray. 8 p.m., Sellersville Theater, 24 W. Temple Ave., Sellersville, st94.com and 8 p.m., Saturday, Elkton Music Hall, Elkton, Md., elktonmusichall.com
Eric Slick. The Philadelphia-raised songwriter and Dr. Dog drummer is playing Johnny Brenda’s on Friday with Dominic Angelella in a “Hardcore Friends” show.
Dominic Angelella and Eric Slick
These two Philly multi-instrumentalists both have long resumes backing other musicians. Angelella just finished a tour playing bass with Lucy Dacus. Slick is Dr. Dog’s drummer. Together as Lithuania, the duo has released two albums, 2015’s Hardcore Friends and 2017’s White Reindeer. At Johnny Brenda’s, they’ll be playing songs from those, as well as music from Angelella’s band Drgn King. The Tisburys and Twin Princess are also on the bill. 8 p.m., Johnny Brenda’s, 1201 Frankford Ave., johnnybrendas.com
Labrador
The Pat King-fronted self-described “maximum alt-country” band’s album My Version of Desire was one of the best local releases of 2025, starting with the outstanding title song. The Philly band opens for Jewel Case and Dominy. 7:30 p.m., Kung Fu Necktie, 1248 N. Front St., kungfunecktie.com
Hazy Cosmic Jive
The Bowie tribute band will perform the Thin White Duke’s 1976 album Station to Station in its entirety. 8 p.m., Brooklyn Bowl Philadelphia, 1009 Canal St., brooklynbowl.com/philadelphia
Sound & Vision Happy Hour and Bowie / Prince Night
There are two Bowie dance parties in the Eraserhood. The Trestle Inn hosts a happy hour with music by DJ Hardbargain and the Slinky Vagabond, plus Go Go from Jennie Jones and Cynthia Rose. And a block away at Underground Arts, that will be followed by a Bowie/Prince dance party with DJ George Purkins. 6 p.m., the Trestle Inn, 339 N. 11th St, thetrestleinn.com and 9 p.m., Underground Arts, 1200 Callowhill St., riotnerdphilly.com
Kid Davis & the Bullets play 118 North in Wayne on Saturday.
Saturday, Jan. 10
Under the El
Philly rapper Reef the Lost Cauze and DJ Sat One will be featured — along with pioneering graffiti artist Cornbread — at a street art and hip-hop event at Vizion Gallery in Kensington on Saturday afternoon. It’s presented by the organization Recovery Done Simple. 1 p.m., Vizion Gallery, 3312 Kensington Ave., recoverydonesimple.com
Dog Fest
Indie promoters 4333 Collective present a canine-themed five-band bill featuring Armbite, Fruit Dawg, Pennydog, Dog Beach, and Haunt Dog. It’s a benefit for the pet shelter people and the good girls and boys at PAWS, the Philadelphia Animal Welfare Society. 6 p.m., Philly Style Pizza, 2010 N. Broad St., 4333Collective.net
Reef the Lost Cauze at Voltage Lounge in Philadelphia in 2015. He’ll play an “Under The El” show on Saturday afternoon. Tim Blackwell / Philly.com
A Night of Stardust
The show that annually closes out Bowie week is celebrating its 10th anniversary. Presented by Greg Shelton, it will feature 30 Bowie songs performed by 14 vocalists, including Richard Bush, Olivia Rubini, and Johnny Showcase. 7 p.m., Union Transfer, 1026 Spring Garden St. utphilly.com
Kid Davis & the Bullets
Delaware roots-rockers Kid Davis & the Bullets celebrate the release of their new album Amsterdam at 118 North in Wayne on Saturday. The blues and rockabilly-flavored collection was produced by James Everhart of standout Philly band Cosmic Guilt and features contributions from vocalists Hannah Taylor and Ali Wadsworth. 8 p.m., 118 North, 118 N. Wayne Ave., Wayne, 118NorthWayne.com
Sadie Dupuis, singer for Speedy Ortiz, performs with the band at World Cafe Live for Free at Noon in Philadelphia in 2023. As Sad13, she’ll perform as part of the World Cafe Live workers benefit on Sunday.
Cate Le Bon plays Union Transfer on Tuesday. The Welsh musician’s new album is “Michelangelo, Dying.”
Tuesday, Jan. 13
Cate Le Bon
Welsh art-pop songwriter Cate Le Bon has been a consistently compelling music maker through a 15-year career, with the experimental duo Drinks and through solo albums like 2021’s Pompeii and the new Michelangelo, Dying. She has also produced music by Wilco, Horsegirl, and Kurt Vile, and it wouldn’t shock anyone if the Philly rock star dropped in at her show. Frances Chang opens. 7 p.m. Union Transfer, 1026 Spring Garden St., utphilly.com
