FRIDAY
Black Cat hosts a fantastic bill of local rockers on their main stage. Ubiquitous power-popsters Washington Social Club headline, but be sure to get there early for Monopoli and the britpop-inflected Cartel. Backstage is Dollhouse, an old-school industrial and new wave dance night.
Liz Phair has been ripped apart by her die-hard fans for a conscious shift to a slick pop formula. Maybe the sex-obsessed chanteuse??s stripped-down two-night stand at the Birchmere will quiet her critics. Good luck finding tickets: tonight??s and Thursday??s show are both sold out.
Much like Phair, Georgetown grads Vertical Horizon worked for years to develop a cult fan base, and then alienated many of them with an unexpected makeover as part of an aborted bid for mainstream pop stardom. They finish a two-night stand at 9:30 Club with fellow Aware vets and major label castoffs Pat McGee Band.
The only rap mega-tour of the summer comes to Nissan Pavilion tonight. The appropriately titled Anger Management Tour features Eminem (along with D12), 50 Cent (along with G-Unit), and Lil Jon & the Eastside Boyz.
SATURDAY
Welsh native David Gray ?? at 9:30 Club for a sold-out show ?? hasn??t made a big splash on this side of the pond since his 1999 smash hit ??Babylon,? but still has a large following of Anglophiles and folk music lovers. Texas newcomer Micah P. Hinson opens in support of his debut LP.
Local dance punks Weird War, featuring harDCore scenester Ian Svenonius (formerly of The Make-Up and Nation of Ulysses), headline Black Cat??s main stage with openers Sitali and Good Morning. Backstage is Wag, a dance party featuring 60s garage and soul nuggets.
After a stop at the 9:30 Club on a short comeback tour of medium-sized clubs, the Backstreet Boys return to the DC area for a big show at Nissan Pavilion. With more traffic obstacles at Nissan, expect less irony seekers than at 9:30. Coming off a successful tour with Ashlee Simpson, punk-pop boy band The Click Five opens.
SUNDAY
The 70s reunion craze is in full swing with the Doobie Brothers returning to Wolf Trap, the site of their last live album. Without Michael McDonald, the Doobies have returned from polished blue-eyed soul to the lite rock boogie that made them superstars in the early 70s.
Beloved by critics and musicians but largely ignored by radio and television, singer/songwriter Lucinda Williams brings her gritty and poignant impressions of fly-over territory to the 9:30 Club for the first of two nights. Fellow underappreciated troubadour Rob Jungklas opens.
Immortalized in the fantastic documentary ??Standing in the Shadows of Motown,? the Funk Brothers provided the backbone for hundreds of Motown hits, but were rarely credited for their work. Appearing at the Birchmere, the remaining members of the Funk Brothers still create a formidable R&B force.
