Regular Everywhere: January 2026 Concerts In Review
14 bands (and one comedy show) into 2026, I have been lucky to experience both a wide variety of musical splendor and a chance to visit some of St. Louis' most beautiful venues (Stifel Theatre & Powell Hall).
The start of the year typically signals a reset, with show frequency dropping significantly across all venues. Fortunately, Off Broadway in particular had a number of worthwhile shows planned, and I did my best to overcome the extreme cold, daily stressors, and car troubles to attend as many shows as I could.
There were a handful of shows I unfortunately missed the boat on, including Gary Bussey's grandson's electro project, Sumpp, at Platypus, Daniel Donato's Cosmic Country at The Sovereign, and Macie Stewart of Finom's Synoptic Frequencies show at St John's Episcopal Church. Regardless, I still made out pretty well!
Here is a look back at a comfortingly rich January's worth of live shows:
Blight Future Album Release w/ The Gorge, Better Days, & Inner City Witches
@ Off Broadway (St. Louis, MO) - January 9, 2026
This was a great show to kick things off, and I am delighted to see so many local artists debuting new music so early in the year. Congrats to Blight Future on the excellent new Ryan Wasoba-produced release! As always, The Gorge played a blistering set comprised of every note in existence. It's wild to people watch while they play, the way heads nod, darting almost as if they are hoping for the DVD logo to land perfectly in the corner of the screen. And, Inner City Witches have been on my local wish list for a bit now and I was not disappointed. Tight af.
John Mulaney "Mister Whatever" Tour w/ Andrea Jin & Shane Torres
@ Stifel Theater (St. Louis, MO) - January 15, 2026
Going in, I wasn't too worried about where my seats were. That said, watching a stand-up performance from that distance and angle wasn't ideal. Regardless, John Mulaney demonstrated why he is in such high demand. His Everybody's Live/Everybody's In LA variety show is still one of my favorite things to come out in years and his stand-up routines continue to hilariously mine the subtleties of the human experience.
Tigers of Paradise Cookie Release Party w/ Summer Magic & Shitstorm
@ Off Broadway (St. Louis, MO) - January 16, 2026
Having somehow gone years without ever seeing Shitstorm to seeing them twice in three weeks, I'm very happy with my recent luck. Even more so, witnessing how seamlessly they are able to swap in players between gigs—impressive! Summer Magic was as magical as always. And Tigers of Paradise, the stars of the show, absolutely blew the doors off the place—the former Shame Club members have their groove back. Not that I expected anything less, but it had been some time since I had been bathed in their wall-of-sound. I'll never forget the letters the neighbors who lived near my former club wrote to the local paper about how loud they were. Absolutely excellent to be gambling with a potential noise complaint with them again.
Dolly Parton's Threads: My Songs In Symphony w/ St. Louis Symphony Orchestra
@ Powell Hall (St. Louis, MO) - January 18, 2026
While well-packaged and somewhat indulgent, the Dolly Parton experience created by the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra in conjunction with a top-tier touring band and a trio of powerhouse vocalists was a delight. In addition to the overall arrangements, I was most impressed by how they both nailed and highlighted the diverse undertones of Dolly's music, spanning from Motown to disco to country and beyond—an A+ experience.
Friendship w/ Natalie Jane Hill
@ Off Broadway (St. Louis, MO) - January 23, 2026
I went into this show with almost no prior exposure to either Friendship or Natalie Jane Hill, aside from knowing of their MJ Lenderman connections, but I thoroughly enjoyed myself. There is an earthy nuance that sets both of their work a step above the typical sleepy Americana that is attempted to be translated to a compelling stage show—I'm not generally a "listening room" experience type of guy. I was impressed with Natalie's confident finger-picked electric solo performance, and was even more delighted to hear how these songs come together in recorded form. Friendship drew me in with their dusty drumming and baritone vocals, ultimately delivering a set worth parallel parking in the snow.
Middle Class Fashion "With Affection" Album Release Party w/ EVEREVEREVEREVER & Monster Planet
@ Off Broadway (St. Louis, MO) - January 31, 2026
I am nearly in my third decade (fuck!) of adoring Jenn Malzone's songs, first with Paper Dolls and for some time now with Middle Class Fashion. As MCF has mutated over the last decade-plus, they have explored many lineup configurations, producers, and style influences. "With Affection" seems the perfect intersection of that exploration, as Jenn has ultimately assembled a perfectly placed group of friends and ideas to propel her compositions forward. This lineup has been in place for awhile, and you can feel how nestled in they have become on standout tracks like Savory and Violet. What an incredible set—possibly the tightest I've ever seen them play! Look for them on February's Personal Zeitgeist playlist.
Monster Planet has promise and a solid early catalog of songs, as do EVEREVEREVEREVER (pronounced “forever”).
I'm developing a habit for hitting Up Late on my way home from shows. On my last visit, there was what appeared to be a car full of nuns waiting fur their food. So good!
Some shows that we are excited about for February include: Say She She w/ Katzú Oso at Third & Lindsley in Nashville, Nine Inch Nails w/ Boyz Noise at Enterprise Center, and Khamari w/ Gabriel Jacoby at Delmar Hall.
