Soccer Mommy @ 9:30 Club

Starting The New Year Off Right with Soccer Mommy at 9:30 Club on January 27, 2025 in Washington DC. With L’Rain warming up the stage, it made for the perfect night.

It’s safe to say 2025 was off to a great start! I was so excited to see that Soccer Mommy was stopping in DC on her tour especially considering I had missed the opportunity to photograph her during All Things Go last year due to set time conflicts. The second I saw the announcement I knew I needed to be there, and the show did not disappoint.

To say it was chilly on this Monday evening would be an understatement. While DC may have been past its extreme cold spell, that certainly didn’t mean it was warm on this particular evening. For some perspective, I pretty quickly realized that I probably should have packed gloves for being out in those temperatures…rookie mistake. But regardless of the weather, fans were out in full force for Soccer Mommy. With a sold-out show, I walked up five minutes after doors had opened and fans were lined up, wrapped around the building as far as the eye could see. By the time Soccer Mommy went on, there was barely a spot to stand in the whole room!

L’Rain

The evening started off with the incredible and unique band L’Rain. L’Rain is a beautiful collaborative project headed by Taja Cheeks. Admittedly, in my pre-show research, I thought L’Rain was a solo project based on the Instagram account but quickly realized that this artist was a collaborative act that blurred what I think are the conventional lines between solo artist and band. As Cheeks says in a recent interview “I’m L’Rain. We’re all L’Rain” as she gestured to her bandmates, and I feel like that perfectly encompasses how this artist feels.

While I have never seen L’Rain live before, I definitely will be catching them again next tour. Cheeks has played both solo and with varying other members but always under the moniker of L’Rain, allowing the project to change depending on the tour and performance. It’s hard to explain (at least to me anyways), but there is something really beautiful about that fluidity. Onstage, all the members felt like they were one unit and meshed perfectly together into one.

Soccer Mommy

Soccer Mommy’s set was beautifully cohesive, with lighting design and stage setup perfectly matching the vibe of her music. The darker lighting with soft blue and orange hues complemented the calm, dreamy aesthetic, while the backdrop of nature imagery and flowers along the front of the stage further enhanced the ambiance. The 9:30 Club proved to be the ideal venue—large enough to accommodate the sold-out crowd yet intimate enough to maintain a close connection with the audience. Every element, from the setlist to the visuals and venue, came together in perfect harmony.

A standout moment was the inclusion of “Abigail” in the setlist. Released in October last year, the song is a love letter to Abigail, Soccer Mommy’s wife in the game Stardew Valley. In the game, players inherit a farm and can form relationships with various characters. The song references Abigail’s defining features, including her signature purple hair.

As someone currently playing Stardew Valley (what are the odds?), hearing the song brought a smile to my face. The creativity behind writing a love song for a fictional video game character is delightful and relatable. Stardew Valley is a beloved cozy farming game, and while not everyone may have chosen Abigail as their in-game partner, many likely connected with the idea of finding love within the game. This moment added a unique and personal touch to an already masterful performance.