Jonathan Richman is coming to the Lincoln Theater

On October 14, hop off the metro at the U Street station and Tandem Jump to the Lincoln Theater! Jonathan Richman will be hitting D.C. on his upcoming U.S. tour.The former Modern Lover and Velvet Underground scholar has been active in the music scene...

by Molly Szymanski

On October 14, hop off the metro at the U Street station and Tandem Jump to the Lincoln Theater! Jonathan Richman will be hitting D.C. on his upcoming U.S. tour.

The former Modern Lover and Velvet Underground scholar has been active in the music scene since the ‘70s and spans multiple genres and sounds— from his early proto-punk with the Modern Lovers to the whimsical theatrics of his ‘80s solo work, to an entirely Spanish-language album, “¡Jonathan, Te Vas a Emocionar!” With such a vast discography, there’s no telling what he’ll be playing at his latest shows. We’ve got a couple of educated guesses, though.


The average Spotify listener may not know this, but Richman has been continuously releasing music up to now on Bandcamp with equally experienced drummer Tommy Larkins, who will be joining him on tour.

Because Larkins is on the ticket, we can hope to hear some of these lesser known tracks from his more recent work. Larkins and Richman released “Cold Pizza and other Hot Stuff” in March of this year, which combined Richman’s signature naïve sound and lyricism with simple tunes almost reminiscent of flamenco.

Despite the fact that there will only be two people on stage at the Lincoln Theater, presumably, I’m sure Larkins and Richman will find a way to make the sound carry. “To Celebrate, To Adore” off of “Cold Pizza” has an intimate feel that will certainly single you out and draw you in if it’s played on Friday, and their cover of “La Bamba” would be a fun rendition of a classic for those who come for Richman’s older work.

Speaking of his older work, I’m sure Richman will bring an artillery of classics to the show, likely from his solo act era. You’ll almost definitely hear hits from his 1992 album “I, Jonathan,” like “I Was Dancing in the Lesbian Bar” or “That Summer Feeling,” as well as some sprinklings of his other ‘90s and ‘00s tracks. Given the Spanish lyrics featured on “Cold Pizza,” there’s a non-zero chance that Richman will flex some of his work off of “¡Jonathan, Te Vas a Emocionar!” as well.

To hear some of these iconic songs up close and personal, or just to see if the WMUC predictions are correct, you can get tickets to the Jonathan Richman and Tommy Larkins show at the Lincoln Theater here for $35. Doors at 6:30 p.m., show at 8.