Those of you who listen to Philthy Radio likely know that Lucy Dacus is pretty much our favorite person making music at the moment, with the Geffen singer/songwriter and former Philly resident tied for the most spins ever (Her only company being Pixies and Lucy’s one-time Matador labelmates Belle and Sebastian…) And you can certainly expect to hear another Lucy Dacus classic on the upcoming edition of Philthy Radio, July 18th from 9-11pm ET on Y-Not Radio, when I’ll be spinning a particularly poignant ballad that I’ve been known to note as the only breakup song to date that could rival Dylan’s “Don’t Think Twice, It’s All Right.” Listen for the song amidst a block of classics from artists playing Make The World Better Concert Weekend 2025, July 25th and July 27th at FDR Park. Lucy Dacus will be headlining Friday, with Hop Along and Jay Som providing support. Sunday will be co-headlined by Remi Wolf and Magdalena Bay, with Annie DiRusso opening. Y-Not Radio is currently giving away a pair of weekend passes to a lucky listener. Enter by Sunday, July 13th at 11:59pm, for a chance to win, and check out these three reasons why you should make sure to come see Ms. Dacus in South Philly, whether you’re able to win tickets or not.
1. LUCY DACUS’ LAST STOP IN THE 215 WAS ARGUABLY THE BEST SHOW OF THE YEAR AND POSSIBLY THE BEST-EVER SHOW AT THE OPERA HOUSE
“I feel like cuckoo bananas right now, just to be here… This is something from a dream I would’ve had like 15 years ago,” says Lucy Dacus, shortly into the sold-out opening night of the Forever is a Feeling Tour, April 16th at The Met Philly… and even those of us lucky enough just to be in attendance seemed to share the pheeling… While Dacus had played countless monumental local shows over the years, from Bourbon & Branch to Johnny Brenda’s to Union Transfer to Franklin Music Hall (There are both a few repeats and missing venues in there.), it felt like few things other than an opera house standing for over a century could lend an appropriately profound air to the current state of Lucy’s career.
The 90-minute, 19-song set featured all 13 songs of Forever is a Feeling, Lucy’s latest and perhaps best album (which will feature at least one entry on the December/Top 20 of 2025 edition of Philthy Radio), including the live debuts of “Most Wanted Man” and the title track, along with a rendition of “Bullseye” which had the part of Hozier handled by direct support Katie Gavin of MUNA, who charmingly joked, “We ran through it, but I fucked up every possible part.” Also included were half-a-dozen classics (including the aforementioned breakup number) which left a trail of cathartic tears down Broad Street courtesy of the region’s sad girls fortunate enough to be in nearly-thirty-year-old Lucy’s presence.
2. WE’RE ALL DYING TO SEE A SHOW IN FDR PARK
While I tend to shy away from summer shed performances – unless Lucy is playing alongside gf Julien Baker and other bestie Phoebe Bridgers in the greatest supergroup of this generation – there is something exciting about an open-air performance outside the confines of an actual venue (That’s why people go to festivals, right? And these just run from 4:30-10, and you get to go home in-between!) And, frankly, everyone I know has been wanting to know just what a concert at the famous South Philly park will look like in 2025.
With POPPED! Music Festival 2011 getting relocated to Temple’s Liacouras Center after threats of a rainy weekend, FDR Park hasn’t seen much live music in the 21st Century, but the space did host the local edition of Lollapalooza 1994, pheaturing now-legendary performances by PHILTHY phavorites The Smashing Pumpkins, The Breeders, Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds, L7, and Luscious Jackson. That may be a pretty tall order to fill, but I suspect Lucy and her peers just might be up to the task.
3. A VERY LIKE-MINDED LINEUP
Taking the stage just before Lucy Dacus is local indie rock legends Hop Along, whose Francis Quinlan was a longtime employee of Johnny Brenda’s, Fishtown’s “mini rock n’ roll ballroom” which Lucy has played seven times and – in a 2021 piece for Pitchfork – claims is her favorite venue in the world (She and Baker were spotted at FIGHTMASTER’s show there last June.) Opening things up for Dacus and Quinlan is bedroom pop icon Jay Som, a phriend of PHILTHY, one-half of Bachelor (which also features our phriend Palehound), and touring member of Lucy, Julien, and Phoebe’s boygenius, who put on a show for the ages at The Mann in 2023.
Make The World Better will be a bit of a preview of the NYC edition of this year’s All Things Go Music Festival, which will have Lucy Dacus co-headlining Friday and self-proclaimed “funky soul pop” singer/songwriter Remi Wolf co-headlining Saturday. Synth-pop sensations and phriends of PHILTHY Magdalena Bay (who also played a sold-out show in the 215 this April, at Franklin Music Hall) actually played Saturday night of Chicago’s Pitchfork Music Festival 2022 with Lucy. And opening Sunday night is Nashville indie rocker Annie DiRusso, whose first major tour had her supporting our buddy Samia, who found herself opening for Lucy Dacus’ 2022 Home Video Tour and boygenius’ The Tour in 2023 (both of which found themselves at The Mann).
*Get your tickets here.
**Enter to win weekend passes from Y-Not Radio here.
***Listen for a Lucy Dacus classic on the next edition of Philthy Radio, 7/18 (9-11pm ET) on Y-Not Radio.
