The Scene

MusicDetour.com’s commentary on music, performances, and the DC metro area music scene

Are you one of the estimated 4 million that are going to be in Washington, DC for the inauguration? We know you’re not coming here to stand on the National Mall on January 20th and retreat back to your part of the country. No, you want to experience DC at its finest. The bars are going to be open late (4am for four days and open up again at 8am), many people have off from work and live music will be everywhere. This is a list of musical events going on in DC for the Presidential Inauguration. Whether you are fortunate enough to have a place in DC or your are traveling in from the ‘burbs for all the events, you can find those shows here. Some of the best music in the country will be in the DC area for Barack Obama’s 2009 Presidential Inauguration. Don’t worry if you can’t make it into one of the high-dollar balls, all the bars are going to be doing something special for you.

If you know of any events that are not listed here, please add them in the comments.

DC – MD – VA

Friday January 16th

• The Auld Shebeen
  • The Backseat Betties
• The State Theatre
  • The Smithereens
• Iota Club and Cafe
  • Dean Fields
• Clarendon Grill
  • The Reflex
• Jammin Java – 5:30

  • Hotspur

  • Jealousy Curve

  • Time Tells All

  • The Baby Grand

• Jammin Java – 9:00
  • King of the Beltway Producer Battle
• Birchmere
  • Eddie from Ohio
  • Jake Armerding
• Jaxx

  • Backfire

  • The Black Shade

  • Baby Killer Estelle

  • Funkmnkyz

  • Poor Man’s Lobster

  • 20/20 Vizion

  • The I-ternals

• Ragtime
  • Steve, Claire and the Picnic Bears
• Whitlow’s
  • Lionize
• The Barns  at Wolf Trap
  • Wolf Trap Opera Alumni
• Madam’s Organ
  • Liz Mandeville & The Blue Points
• The Red and The Black
  • Play with Me
  • Darwin Deez
  • The Sweater Set
  • Fat Robot

• Millennium Stage (The Kennedy Center)
  • Johnathan Vassar and the Speckled Bird
• Twins Jazz 9:00pm and 11:00pm

  • Tim Warfield

  • Bill Murphy

• Blues Alley – 8:00pm and 10:00pm
  • Airto Moreira
• The People’s Inaugural Premier – Mount Vernon Square
  • Doug E Fresh

  • Kurtis Blow

  • DJ Kool Herc

  • DJ Harvey Nunez

  • Joe L. Da Vessel and Melodic

  • Lin Que

• Rams Head Tavern
  • Johnny Winter
• Rams Head Live

  • Block Funksion

  • Liquid Lucky

  • Carbonstone

  • Panacea

  • The Slow Learners

• 9:30 Club

  • The Fray

  • Vedera

Saturday January 17th

• 9:30 Club
  • Adele
• Black Cat

  • The Raveonettes

  • Nickel Eye

• Madam’s Organ
  • Lex Grey and The Urband Pioneers
• Warner Theatre
  • Mary J. Blige
  • BET Honors
• Millennium Stage (The Kennedy Center)
  • Striking Viking Story Pirates
• The Mansion – An After Hours Affair
  • EPMD
• Twins Jazz 9:00pm and 11:00pm

  • Tim Warfield

  • Bill Murphy

• DC9

  • Left of Avalon

  • Gist

  • Back Before Dawn

• Blues Alley – 8:00pm and 10:pm
  • Airto Moreira
• The Green Inaugural Ball
  
  • Wyclef Jean
• The Red and The Black

  • Sex & Missiles

  • Redline Addiction

  • Agents of the Sun

• Ibiza

  • Common

  • Mary J. Blige

  • Nelly

• Fat Tuesday’s

  • Fight the Bear

  • Yell County
• Iota Club and Cafe
  • The Holmes Brothers
• Clarendon Grill
  • Toxic Mouse
• Jammin Java – 4:30pm

  • Dangerous Summer

  • The Downtown fiction

  • Select Start

  • School Boy Humor

  • Sing Me Insomnia

• Jammin Java – 9:30pm

  • The Sketches

  • Alfonso Velez

  • Mike Errico

• Birchmere
  • Eddie from Ohio
  • Jake Armerding
• The Barns  at Wolf Trap
  • Carlene Carter
• Jaxx 6:00pm
  

  • Haley

  • Cult of Discordia

  • The 10th Hour

  • Sindica

• Jaxx 9:15pm

  • Frankie and The Actions

  • Roadducks

• Ragtime
  • Emergence
• Whitlow’s
  • Taylor Carson
• Rams Head Tavern
  • Johnny Winter
• Rams Head Live

  • Falling in December

  • Paperback Tragedy

  • Stupid Hero

  • Kill Meow

  • King Belvedere

• Brass Monkey Saloon
  • Redshift

  • NUMA

  • Drunken Banshees

Sunday January 18th

• Midtown
  • Danni Rosner
  • The Echo Boom
• Black Cat
  • Eric Roberson
• Madam’s Organ
  • Patrick Alban & Noche Latina
• Millennium Stage (The Kennedy Center)
  • N”Dambi
• Twins Jazz 8:30pm and 10:30pm

  • Brian Settles

  • Larry Willis

• DC9

  • Longwave

  • The Jackfields

  • The Shakeltons

• Blues Alley – 8:00pm and 10:00pm
  • Airto Moreira
• Grand Ballroom – Renaissance Washington – Declare Yourself – Inauguration Kick-off Celebration
  • Hosted by Jessica Alba

  • Maroon 5

  • Nuttin but Stringz

• Lincoln Memorial – We Are One: The Obama Inaugural Celebration – 2:00pm
  • For the list of artists click here
    • By the Presidential Inauguration Committee
• The Red and The Black

  • Justin Trawick

  • Rene Moffatt

  • Molly Hagen

  • Ken Wenzel

  • Adrian Krygowski

• People’s Inaugural Jazz Gala – The Lincoln Theatre
  • Washington Jazz Orchestra

  • George Duke

• The People’s Inaugural Premier – Mount Vernon Square
  • The Historical Society of Washington DC

    • Doug E Fresh

    • Kurtis Blow

    • DJ Kool Herc

    • DJ Harvey Nunez

    • Joe L. Da Vessel and Melodic

    • Lin Que

• Rams Head Tavern – 5:00pm and 9:00pm
  • Maysa
• Iota Club and Cafe

  • Todd Wright

  • Shane Hines

  • Anthony Fiacco

  • Seth Cohen Experience

  • Ted Garber

• Jammin Java

  • Jon Carroll

  • Zoe Mulford

  • Joe Uehlein & The U-Liners

  • Karen Collins

  • Ruthie and the Wranglers

  • Laura Baron

  • Seth Kibel

  • Carey Creed

  • Jesse Palidofsky

• Birchmere
  • Eddie from Ohio
  • Red Molly
• Jaxx
  • In Alcatraz
• The State Theatre – The Grassroots Inaugural Gala and Fundraiser
  • Nobody’s Business
• Ragtime
  • Buster Brown

Monday January 19th

• Harman Center for the Arts
  • Celebration of Change: Emancipation to Presidency
    • Positive Vibrations Youth Steel Orchestra
• Millennium Stage (The Kennedy Center) A Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration IN The Georgetown CONCERT HALL

  • Aretha Franklin

  • Nuttin but Stringz
  • Let Freedom Ring Choir
• Black Cat – Inauguration Party brought to you by Hideout (Chicago bar) and Future of Music Coalition

  • Andrew Bird

  • Waco Brothers

  • Tortoise

  • Eleventh Dream Day

  • Jon Langford

  • Sally Timms

  • David “Honeyboy” Edwards

  • Ken Vandermark

  • Freakwater

  • Icy Demons

  • Judson Claiborne

• Verizon Center
  • Youth Concert (Artist List)
    • By the Presidential Inauguration Committee
• Irie Inauguration @ The Space

  • See-I

  • Selassie I

  • Version Sound

• An Evening with Jay-Z for the Inauguration @ Warner Theatre
  • Jay-Z
• Madam’s Organ
  • One Nite Stand
• Twins Jazz 8:00pm and 10:30:pm

  • Paul Carr

  • Bruce Williams

• DC9
  • Taint
• 9:30 Club – The “Hey, America Feels Kinda Cool Again” Inaugural Gala by Rock the Vote
  • Beastie Boys

  • Sheryl Crow

  • Citizen Cope

  • Justin Jones
• Blues Alley – 8:00pm and 10:00pm
  
  • Gabriel Alegria
• Rams Head Tavern

  • Eric Roberson

• Iota Club and Cafe

  • Adam Arcuragi

  • Rose
• Birchmere
  • Ledisi
• Ragtime
  • Claire Gilbride

Tuesday January 20th – INAUGURATION DAY

• The State Theatre
  • Donna the Buffalo
  • The Bridge
• Jammin Java – Special Inauguration Party

  • Toubab Krewe

  • Jar-e
• Ragtime
  • Bobby Thompson
• Whitlow’s
  • Phil K and Friends
• Harman Center for the Arts
  • Elvis Costello
  • Sting
• Millennium Stage (The Kennedy Center)
  • Alex Hassan
• Funk for Peace Ball @ Modern

  • Afrika Bambaataa

  • Fort Knox Five
  • Rex Riddem
• Black Cat

  • Anti-Flag

  • United Nations

  • The AKAs

  • Ruiner

• Madam’s Organ
  • Old Man Brown
• DC9

  • Nappy Roots

  • Flex Mathews

• Inaugural Jazz Gala @ Silver Spring Hilton

  • Trey Eley Experience

  • Temika Moore

  • The Jazz Boys

  • Gedeon McKinney

• Twins Jazz 8:00pm and 10:30pm

  • Oliver Lake

  • Paul Carr

• Blues Alley 8:00pm and 10:00pm
  • Shirley Jones
• American Music Inaugural Balls – Marriott Wardman Park – Cocktails 6:30pm – Doors 8:00pm
  • Legends Ball
  • Urban Ball
• The Neighborhood Ball: An Inauguration Celebration (Artist List)
  • Washington Convention Center
    • By the Presidential Inauguration Committee
• 9:30 Club

  • Talib Kweli

  • Michael Franti & Spearhead

  • The Dresden Dolls

  • The Honey Brothers

  • Jamie Burke

• The Red and The Black
  • The Honey Brothers
• Rams Head Tavern – 6:00pm and 9:00pm
  • Blue Oyster Cult

For a detailed calendar of inaugural events click here. To stay posted on the inauguration click here.