Let’s Get Out of This Country // March 2022

Spring is about to spring. Goodbye winter, hello cherry blossoms. This month has excellent international concerts, with better and better options the warmer the weather. From sold-out theater shows featuring Aussie legends to free, percussion-driven concerts from artists throughout China, here are some of the reasons you can leave D.C. without ever leaving the District.

3.7

Snapped Ankles at DC9
The U.K.’s Snapped Ankles are a percussion driven group that will sound especially loud in a room as small as DC9. Think Battles meets performance art collective Everything Is Terrible, the foursome doesn’t do gigs — they put on a show. You will leave the show sweaty. 7 p.m. All ages. $15. DC9: 1940 9th St. NW, DC; dc9.club // @dc9club

3.11

Girl In Red at 9:30 Club
Fans of Lorde should love Girl In Red. The Norway artist has the same vibe, longing, youth and quality production. Listen to tracks like “i wanna be your girlfriend” and you’ll either remember what it was like being a teenager or start crying because you remember what it was like to be a teenager. 6 p.m. All ages. Sold-out, but secondary market tickets start at $135. 9:30 Club: 815 V St. NW, DC; 930.com // @930club

3.19

Performance Lab: The World Music Collective at Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library
The collective is using the word “world” correctly. Band members hail from South Africa, Chile and the U.S. and players have performed on 6 continents. This afternoon show at DC Public Library’s recently renovated facility is a good option for the family trying to find something different and culturally worthwhile to do with the kid(s) in a never-ending Covid winter. 1 p.m. All ages. Free with RSVP. Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library – Central Library: 901 G St. NW, DC; dclibrary.org // @dcpubliclibrary

3.20

National Cherry Blossom Festival Opening Ceremony at Warner Theatre
According to the Capital Weather Gang, peak bloom for this year’s cherry blossoms is March 22. That’s great timing for locals and bad timing for all the tourists headed to D.C. Take advantage of the early bloom with a cherry blossomed-themed concert featuring Minyo Crusaders, shamisen player Keisho Ohno, Japanese Taiko drum player Toshihiro Yuta and samurai artist KAMUI. 5 p.m. All ages. Free with RSVP. Warner Theatre: 513 13th St. NW, DC; nationalcherryblossomfestival.org //  @cherryblossfest

3.26

Drain Gang at Black Cat
Kinda surprised this show is at Black Cat and not Flash or The Kennedy Center. I’m glad this show is at the 14th Street NW venue. Diversity is a great thing and Sweden’s Drain Gang is diversity personified. The music Bladee, Ecco2K, Thaiboy Digital and Whitearmor make isn’t easily classifiable but if you’re a fan of Tricky or the more ambient Aphex Twin, you should dig it. 8 p.m. All ages. Sold out, but secondary market tickets start at $200. Black Cat: 1811 14th St. NW, DC; blackcatdc.com // @blackcatdc

3.29

Nick Cave and Warren Ellis at Lincoln Theatre
Australian legends Nick Cave and Warren Ellis’ pandemic release “Carnage” remains one of the few good pieces of art from Covid. It’s beautiful and haunting and everything you’ve come to expect from Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds, just a little more stripped down (but not nearly as heartbreaking as 2019’s “Ghosteen”). Cave’s live shows are legendary and the press photo IMP is running makes it seem like this show should be just as rambunctious, but I’m guessing it’ll be closer to some of their limited 2021 gigs with Cave on piano, Ellis on guitar and a few more instruments, some backup singers and another multi-instrumentalist. Not as minimal as their live 2020 album “Idiot Prayer,” a little more fleshed out far from a full-on Bad Seeds assault, Cave is yet again showing how to age gracefully in the world of rock n’ roll. 8 p.m. All ages. Sold out, but secondary market tickets start at $129. Lincoln Theatre: 1215 U St. NW, DC; lincolndc.com // @thelincolndc/

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