Lucinda Williams

Paramount Presents: Lucinda Williams and Her Band: World’s Gone Wrong Tour

Friday, October 16th, 8:00PM – The Paramount Theater

“My dad, as a poet, always told me to never censor myself – that’s one of his cardinal rules of creative writing,” says multiple-Grammy-winning singer-songwriter Lucinda Williams. “That became my motto which I’ve stuck by all these years.” Miller Williams’ advice clearly is born out on Lucinda’s powerful eighteenth studio album, the provocative World’s Gone Wrong. “I felt a sense of urgency in making this record,” she adds.

Filled with gut-wrenching topical songs, the album’s ten tracks were written and recorded in a blast of collaborative creativity as Lucinda and her cowriters – primarily husband/manager/co-producer Tom Overby and guitarist Doug Pettibone – grappled with events transpiring during the spring of 2025. A whole other album had been in the works, but that “urgency” to address our current cataclysmic situation motivated Lucinda and company to cut World’s Gone Wrong in direct response. “Music is a powerful weapon,” she points out. “I want this record to make people aware, wake them up. I like to push people’s buttons.”

Lucinda, Pettibone, and Overby returned to co-producer Ray Kennedy’s Room & Board Studio in Nashville to cut the tracks with her newly configured band: guitarist Marc Ford (Black Crowes), drummer Brady Blade (Emmylou Harris), and her longtime bassist David Sutton. On the gripping title track, they’re joined by guest vocalist Brittney Spencer and keyboardist Rob Burger on Hammond B3. Its title inspired by the 1931 Mississippi Sheiks song (repurposed by Dylan in ‘93), the lyrics give voice to the lives of baffled everyday Americans: a nurse and a car salesman “workin’ long hours” and “lookin’ for comfort in a song.”

Throughout the album, Lucinda is at her most direct, not mincing words via those distinctive, one-of-a-kind vocals. The hymnlike “We’ve Come Too Far to Turn Around,” featuring Norah Jones on piano and harmonies, is a heartbreaking closer, yet there is an aspirational quality too. “Norah’s voice lifts the song up,” says Lucinda. “Her part is subtle, kind of quiet, but it adds a whole level of something to the song.” That “something” permeates the entirety of World’s Gone Wrong, giving courage to listeners who are – as the title track says – “lookin’ for comfort in a song.”

And that’s what Lucinda fans have come to depend on over the past 45 years – since her sophomore effort comprised of originals, Happy Woman Blues, in 1980. With a back catalog of remarkable albums, including 1998’s game-changing Car Wheels on a Gravel Road, three Grammy awards and countless accolades, including Time Magazine naming her America’s Best Songwriter in 2001, Williams is one of our most revered artists, beloved for her singular vocals and extraordinary songs. And in these troubling times, we need the light she shines on World’s Gone Wrong more than ever before.

Gabriel Iglesias: The 1976 Tour

Gabriel Iglesias: The 1976 Tour

Saturday, October 17 – John Paul Jones Arena  8:00 PM

Tickets available through Ticketmaster

The Carpenters Songbook

Paramount Presents: The Carpenters Songbook: A Live Celebration

Sunday, October 18th 4:00 PM – The Paramount Theater

Few voices in pop history are as instantly recognizable, or as deeply loved, as Karen Carpenter’s. THE CARPENTERS SONGBOOK: A LIVE CELEBRATION, brings the icon’s extraordinary voice and the brother-sister duo’s unforgettable music back to the stage in a beautifully crafted all-new production from the creative team behind The Simon & Garfunkel Story.

With a full band and heartfelt narration, this concert captures the warmth, emotion, and musical brilliance of The Carpenters. It’s a touching tribute that invites audiences to sing along, reminisce, and fall in love all over again. Expect to relive all of their favorites including “We’ve Only Just Begun,” “Close to You,” and “Rainy Days and Mondays” with this heartfelt love letter to the quiet magic of Karen and Richard Carpenter.

Virginia Film Festival

Virginia Film Festival – October 21st thru October 25th

Charlottesville – various venues

UVA Women’s Soccer vs Clemson

UVA Women’s Soccer vs Clemson – Thursday, October 22nd – 7:00 PM

Klockner Stadium