Violent Femmes 2025 Tour Announcement – US Tour Schedule
Violent Femmes are back at it again! Ready for the punk-folk revival you didn’t know you needed? The group will hit the road beginning October 3rd in Wilmington, DE, continuing through the 18th in their native Milwaukee, WI.
“Hey! Goin out again playing our classics – along with stuff that no one has heard – even us!” said Gordon Gano, lead vocalist and guitarist. “Hope to see you and roll with the rock!” This Violent Femmes tour feels like a triumphant continuation of a story they’ve been telling for ages. Last year saw the band embark on a 40th anniversary tour of their first two albums – their 1983 self-titled debut and 1984’s Hallowed Ground — where they played each in their entirety.
With each set delivering soulful grit, nostalgic beats, and more punk-powered-anthems than the audience knew how to handle, it became obvious that Violent Femmes were back in business. Songs like “Gone Daddy Gone,” “Country Death Song,” and “Sweet Misery Blues” have lived rent-free in the heads of folk punk fans since the 1980s, after all. And while they haven’t released an album since their tenth, 2019’s Hotel Last Resort, hints have been dropped that we can expect some new tunes in the coming months.
If you’re reading this, you probably already have “Blister in the Sun” stuck in your head, but these shows are about digging deeper. Expect staples like “Add It Up,” “Kiss Off,” and “American Music,” tracks that helped shape the indie and folk-punk scenes back in the early ’80s. They’ve inspired dozens of rock bands with their sound — including the very group they’re opening for this year, My Chemical Romance — and the legacy of Violent Femmes remains unmatched in the 2020s. Especially in terms of their live performances.
Why is Violent Femmes such a force to be reckoned with, both in the studio and onstage? They balance vulnerability with rebellion. Frontman Gordon Gano’s lyrics are poetic and crooked, feeding sorrow and sarcasm into short, punchy musical bursts. Bassist Brian Ritchie provides a melodic backbone that’s as iconic as Gano’s voice, while the rotating lineup of percussionists and their iconic “Horns of Dilemma” inject spontaneous chaos into every set — sometimes a kazoo, sometimes a saxophone, always unpredictable.
What does this mean? You have no idea exactly what kind of set you’ll get when you go to a Violent Femmes concert, and that’s exactly the beauty of it. The OG punkers will play their hearts out in all your favorite cities, and you can’t miss your chance for tickets. See the dates below!
Violent Femmes 2025 Tour Dates
July 4 — Montreal, QC @ Festival International De Jazz De Montréal
July 6 — Calgary, AB @ The Wildhorse Saloon
July 11 — Seattle, WA @ T-Mobile Park
July 13 — Napa, CA @ Blue Note Summer Session
October 3 — Wilmington, DE @ Grand Opera House
October 4 — Port Chester, NY @ The Capitol Theatre
October 5 — Baltimore, MD @ The Lyric
October 6 — Red Bank, NJ @ Count Basie Center for the Arts
October 8 — Portland, ME @ State Theatre
October 9 — Medford, MA @ Chevalier Theatre
October 10 — Providence, RI @ The Strand Ballroom
October 11 — Burlington, VT @ The Flynn
October 14 — Reading, PA @ Santander Arena
October 15 — Pittsburgh, PA @ Stage AE
October 16 — Fort Wayne, IN @ Embassy Theatre
October 17 — Chicago, IL @ Salt Shed
October 18 — Milwaukee, WI @ The Riverside Theater
