Thursday, Sept. 12
Taylor’s Version VA @ Richmond Music Hall
You knew it was coming. The local live Taylor Swift tribute band. $12. Doors at 7 p.m.
Nickelus F in-store @ Vinyl Conflict
“MMCHT” is many things. It’s one of the strongest albums to be released this year by a Richmond-based artist. It’s the latest demonstration of rapper Nickelus F’s exceptional lyrical abilities. It’s an utterly indelible album title, defined by its first track as “the gesture of drawing air through the teeth and into the mouth to produce a sound which is used to express disgust, defiance, disapproval, disappointment, frustration or impatience.” It’s also the opening salvo from new label Trick Dice Records, and it’s the reason to head to the Trick Dice-affiliated Vinyl Conflict record store on Thursday, Sept. 12. The East Grace Street shop is hosting an in-store celebration of the various physical manifestations of “MMCHT,” with options to snag limited LP and cassette versions of the album, get a copy signed by Nickelus F, who will be on hand, and even pick up a new T-shirt designed by the artist Sugi. The event is free and runs from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. —Davy Jones
Friday, Sept. 13
Veronica Jackson’s “A Constellation of Blackness” @ the Visual Arts Center of Richmond
A solo exhibition “addressing notions of invisibility, hypervisibility, devaluation, and triumph experienced by Black women in America” that includes series of printmaking, typography and vintage photographs. Co-curated by the artist and Julia Chance. Runs through Oct. 27. The artist will be present at 5:30 p.m. on Friday to kick off the opening. Free and open to the public.
Dark Days, Bright Nights Festival @ the Broadberry (through Sept. 15)
Friday: Young Widows with Kilara, Pygmy Lush, NØ MAN, Porcelain and Northeast Regional
Saturday: Soul Glo with Thou, Kowloon Walled City, Glassing, The Red Scare, .GIF from God, Goetia, Habak and Private Hell
Sunday: Pageninteynine with Portrayal of Guilt, Rid of Me, Inter Arma, Forn, Messa Nera, Hide, Infant Island, Prisoner and Listless
Seldom is a DIY punk show this well calibrated, let alone three in a row. But Persistent Vision Records and Yr. Screaming Youth have worked tirelessly to bring Richmond the inaugural edition of their underground music festival: Dark Days, Bright Nights. Anchored by active local and national acts, the proceedings are pick-worthy even without their marking the occasion of several more rarified performances sprinkled throughout from Kilara, Pygmy Lush, Young Widows and The Red Scare. “There’s something for everyone, from chaotic, screamy punk, and noisy post-hardcore to downtuned sludge and doom, with a little bit of everything in between,” fest organizer Paul Hansbarger shared with Style. Read more about the makings of what promises to be Richmond’s next best fest here, and don’t sleep on the limited three-day passes for this special occasion.—Tim Abbondelo
Doors are at 7 p.m. on Friday and 4 p.m. Tickets for individual days are available at the Broadberry.com (UPDATE: Three-day passes have sold out).
Dark Star Orchestra @ Maymont
Hey now, it’s the country’s best-known Grateful Dead cover band in the lovely setting of our very own Maymont Park. Weather forecast appears to be getting better (“Here Comes Sunshine.”) Doors open at 5:30 p.m. and the show starts at 6:30 p.m. $35-$55 plus fees.
Saturday, Sept. 14
VA Pridefest featuring Crystal Waters, Robin S. and Tank and the Bangas @ Bon Secours Training Center
Presented by OutRVA, this is always a great party that includes a full day of wonderful performances, a vendor market with more than 130 booths, and family-friendly activities. And it’s all FREE. Read our preview here. And for more info go here: https://www.diversityrichmond.org/virginia-pride
Blue Crab Festival @ the Child Savers Overlook on Church Hill
Blue crabs will be steamed on-site, plus there will be beer, wine and blues music featuring the Wybros. Also, there will be a silent auction and family-friendly games and entertainment. Organizers say they will have spiced shrimp, hamburgers, hot dogs, veggie burgers and sides for the non-seafood lovers. Presented by the Rotary Club of Richmond. Noon to 3 p.m. You can purchase tickets here.
43rd Street Festival of the Arts
A benefit for Caritas filled with loads of arts and crafts located at 43rd Street and Forest Hill Avenue. The day’s musical lineup includes the Grateful Dads (11 a.m.), Tin Can Fish Band (1 p.m.) and Janet Martin (3 p.m.). Event runs from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. There will be food trucks.
Virginia Distilled @ Virginia Museum of History and Culture
Presented by Virginia Spirits, this is a way to spend your Saturday evening celebrating Virginia Spirits Month by exploring 80 craft distilleries from across the state; among them Reservoir Distillery, Blue Sky Distillery, Sandy River Distillery, Virago Spirits, and many more. Live jazz music will be provided by the Weldon Hill Trio and food trucks include Momma’s BBQ, The Gratefull Grill, and Westrlay’s Finest Ice Cream. Also taste and vote on cocktail creations from five contestants for the 2024 Virginia Cocktail Games and help them crown Virginia’s 2024 Cocktail of the Year. Starts at 6 p.m. Tickets range from $60 to $90 and designated drivers get in for $10. Go here for tickets.
Itzhak Perlman (Richmond Symphony Orchestra Strad Fest) @ Dominion Energy Center
The Richmond Symphony opens its 2024-25 season with Strad Fest, an event that brings together nine legendary instruments and nine internationally acclaimed soloists. The most famous of the latter is Itzhak Perlman, one of the finest violinists of the last century, who will appear in two of the festival’s five events. On Saturday’s “Cinema Serenade,” he will play the elegiacally beautiful theme from “Schindler’s List” as part of a larger program of classic film music. On Sunday’s “An Afternoon with Itzhak Perlman,” he will both play and share personal stories of his experiences from a career stretching back 70 years to his first performance in Tel Aviv at ten years old. The rest of the program, including exSTRADvaganza, featuring eight soloists playing the priceless, titular, early-18th century instruments, promises to be amazing, especially under the baton of Valentina Peleggi, who always finds ways to make even familiar works seem adventurous and new. But the Sunday afternoon program is a vanishingly rare opportunity to see an authentic legend in an intimate, personal program.—Peter McElhinney
Strad Fest: exSTRADvaganza takes place at the Dominion Energy Theater at 5 p.m. on Sept. 14. Tickets are available for $22-69. Strad Fest: An Afternoon with Itzhak Perlman takes place at the Dominion Energy Theater at 3 p.m. on Sept. 15. Tickets are available for $58-148.
Monday, Sept. 16
Black Pumas with The Dip @ Maymont
The Austin-based duo Black Pumas (feat. members Eric Burton and Adrian Quesada) play Grammy-nominated, psych-soul that is sure to have the outdoor crowd at Maymont dancing. Seattle’s the Dip aren’t too shabby either, and will open the show with some deep grooves. $49.50-$75 (plus fees). Doors at 5:30 p.m. and show at 6 p.m.
Tuesday, Sept. 17
Peter Frampton at Virginia Credit Union Live at Richmond Raceway
Do you still feel like he does? Then let this English-American guitarist (from Humble Pie, the Herd) show you the way on his Positively Thankful tour. Frampton, whose over 11x-platinum-selling live album “Frampton Comes Alive” is synonymous with ‘70s rock, is a member of this year’s Rock-and-Roll Hall of Fame class (along with Ozzy, MC5, Tribe Called Quest and Dave Matthews Band). Doors at 6:30 p.m. and show at 7:30 p.m.
And the 1978 movie he definitely wouldn’t agreed to make if he knew at the time that Paul McCartney wasn’t really going to be in it.
Garcia Peoples with Country Westerns at Richmond Music Hall
Jammed out, experimental rock from Rutherford, New Jersey whose influences branch out far and wide. The Country Westerns, a three-piece from Nashville, opens with heartfelt, punk-inspired rock. Doors at 7 p.m. $17.
