Violent Femmes Mark 40th Anniversary of Debut Album in NYC

October 18, 2023 | 1:24pm ET

The acoustic-punk opus that is Violent Femmes’ iconic 1983 self-titled debut album turned 40 years old this year, and the band has been celebrating by playing the LP in full on tour. On Tuesday evening (October 17th), the outing made a stop at New York City’s Webster Hall.

Front to back, it’s hard to find a better full-length debut, and the long-standing love for the LP was evident before the Femmes even played a single note. Webster Hall was seemingly beyond capacity for the sold-out gig, with some fans having to watch through the doors of the side bar to get a glimpse of the band, as the main floor and balcony were completely packed.

Frontman Gordon Gano and company didn’t waste any time when they hit the stage at 9 p.m. sharp, kicking things off with “Blister in the Sun” as they played the full album in order. It was one memorable tune after the other, as classics like “Kiss Off,” “Please Do Not Go,” “Add It Up,” “Prove My Love,” and “Gone Daddy Gone” followed, culminating with the hauntingly beautiful album closer “Good Feeling.”

Related Video

Throughout the night, bassist Brian Ritchie served as emcee, letting the audience know that Side One was over, and that the band was on to Side Two, and then alerting us that the full-album performance had come to an end.

Get Violent Femmes Tickets Here

From there, it was a mix of favorites from other albums, including such standouts as “Jesus Walking on the Water” and a rousing version of “Black Girls” featuring the cacophonous Horns of Dilemma horn section. The main set closed with “Gimme the Car,” a bonus track on the CD version of the self-titled debut that didn’t make it into the earlier full album set.

After returning for an encore, the Femmes wrapped up the night with the infectious “American Music” from Why Do Birds Sing?, as fans sang along to every word. Not only did the show turn out to be a salute to the Femmes’ mighty debut, but also a highly entertaining career retrospective.

Violent Femmes’ tour continues through an October 22nd show in Richmond, Virginia. They’ll also play the Arizona State Fair on October 27th and the Darker Waves festival in Huntington Beach, California, on November 18th, as well as a November 16th gig at The Novo in Los Angeles. Pick up tickets to Violent Femmes’ upcoming shows here, and see our photo gallery of the Webster Hall gig below, followed by fan-filmed video.

Photo Gallery – Violent Femmes at New York City’s Webster Hall (click to expand and scroll through):