Mr Smalls Theater Hosts the Violent Femmes (Thurs., 10/6/22)

In recent years the Violent Femmes have been having somewhat of a renaissance. They released We Can Do Anything in 2016, the trio’s first album in 16 years. New songs, like “Memory,” stand alongside college radio classics like “Blister in the Sun” and “Country Death Song.” The year before that, they shared the stage with Barenaked Ladies and Colin Hay during an outdoor concert at Stage AE. The Violent Femmes returned to Stage AE in 2017 for a double-bill with Echo & the Bunnymen. In 2018 they sold out Mr. Smalls, which they have done again for this month’s concert. The band has been performing for over 40 years. Bassist Brian Ritchie and drummer Victor DeLorenzo formed the Violent Femmes in Milwaukee, Wisc., in 1980. Vocalist/guitarist Gordon Gano soon joined. The group has split and regrouped two times, and DeLorenzo quit in 2013. John Sparrow, who played in the group’s backing band, the Horns of Dilemma, has since picked up the sticks. Special guest is Ol’ Whitetail. 8 p.m. Sold out. Mr. Smalls, 400 Lincoln Ave., Millvale. (C.M., R.H.)

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