2025 in Live Music and Comedy
Originally published on Medium.
2025 in Live Music and Comedy
In 2025, I attended eight live performances — five music and three comedy — featuring ten artists (2024’s wrap-up is here). This was my first year adding comedy to these wrap-ups, though it’s always been part of how we spend our entertainment time. As always, I’m referencing my setlist.fm logs and Swarm check-ins.
Kevin Smith
January 1; Spokane Comedy Club, Spokane, WA, USA
Spokane Comedy Club marquee / Andrew Rich
What better way to start the new year than with Kevin Smith holding court at a comedy club? #SpokaneAmendment
Hamilton
April 8; First Interstate Center for the Arts, Spokane, WA, USA
The cast of Hamilton takes their bow at the conclusion of the show / Andrew Rich
Our second time seeing Hamilton; the first was in San Francisco in 2019. Unfortunately, they haven’t fixed the ending yet.
Kylie Minogue: Tension Tour (w/Rita Ora)
April 25; Climate Pledge Arena, Seattle, WA, USA
Pretty great floor seats for Kylie Minogue at Climate Pledge Arena / Andrew Rich
Climate Pledge Arena has become our go-to for major shows — it’s a 48-minute flight from Spokane, a 30-minute light rail ride to downtown, and a fun monorail ride to the arena. We’ll fly out in the afternoon, have dinner, see the show, stay overnight, and fly home the next morning. We’d previously seen Madonna there in 2024, and we’d be back in August for Lady Gaga.
Kylie Minogue performing at Climate Pledge Arena / Andrew Rich
Kylie is a legend, of course, and I’m so glad we got to see her live. The Tension tour highlighted her current album and was also a fun retrospective of her career.
Silversun Pickups (w/Rocket)
May 4; Knitting Factory, Spokane, WA, USA
Silversun Pickups at Knitting Factory, Spokane / Andrew Rich
Silversun Pickups were back at the Knitting Factory for the second year in a row. They mentioned how much they love playing in Spokane and that they always try to include it on their tours. The set featured a couple of new songs, and Brian Aubert jammed a bit with opener Rocket, which was extra fun.
Rocket, featuring Silversun Pickups’ Brian Aubert / Andrew Rich
Lady Gaga
August 6; Climate Pledge Arena, Seattle, WA, USA
Lady Gaga preparing for Mayhem / Andrew Rich
Back to Climate Pledge for our second Seattle trip of the year.
Lady GagaThe whole show was pretty much like this, if not more so / Andrew Rich
Lady Gaga came out for the encore in a vintage Depeche Mode tee / Andrew Rich
Garbage (w/Starcrawler)
October 18; Knitting Factory, Spokane, WA, USA
Shirley Manson of Garbage at the Knitting Factory, Spokane / Andrew Rich
This was my third time seeing Garbage — after Oakland in 2018 and Auburn, Washington in 2023. Sadly, Shirley Manson indicated this would likely be their last North American tour, citing increased costs that have become prohibitive for anyone not at a mega-label scale. If that’s true, I’m glad we caught them.
Garbage’s setlist from the Knitting Factory / Andrew Rich
Iliza Shlesinger
November 21; Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall, Portland, OR, USA
The Arlene Schnitzer theater, Portland, Oregon / Andrew Rich
A one-night trip to Portland for Iliza at the Schnitzer, a gorgeous old restored theater. She was great live, but the material was almost entirely drawn from her recent Prime special — so it was a little anticlimactic to know all the jokes before she told them.
Iliza Shlesinger at the Arlene Schnitzer theater, Portland, Oregon / Andrew Rich
Paula Poundstone
December 5; Bing Crosby Theater, Spokane, WA, USA
Spokane’s beautiful Bing Crosby theater / Andrew Rich
Another beautiful restored theater, this one right here in Spokane. We’ve been fans of Paula since her early Comedy Central and HBO specials, and it was a real treat to see her live.
Metric pulled out of a June co-headlining tour due to a dispute with their tour partner, which meant I didn’t get to see my favorite band in either 2024 or 2025. I’m really hoping Emily Haines’s hints about a new release and 2026 tour dates materialize¹.
Speaking of 2026, here’s what’s already on the calendar:
- Lights — February 18; Showbox, Seattle
- Florence + The Machine — May 12; Climate Pledge Arena, Seattle
- Purity Ring: Place Of My Own Tour — May 23; The Knitting Factory, Spokane
- Ladytron — May 31; Neptune Theatre, Seattle
- Metric: All The Feelings Tour — June 16; Greek Theater, Los Angeles
- Nikki Glaser: The Stunning Tour — November 22; FICA Spokane
I always watch Bandsintown and Seated for local (and local-ish) shows. You can find me on Instagram. Happy New Year!
[1] Metric announced a [summer tour,](https://www.ilovemetric.com/tour) and we’ll be at the Greek Theater in Los Angeles. In the pit. I can’t wait.