Live Shows: David Wax Museum, The Music Hall Lounge, Portsmouth, NH 8/31/25

I've seen David Wax Museum a fairly decent number of times. It's enough that I can't remember how many, but not enough to elicit a "wow" from other fans. However, it's been a while since I've been able to see them perform live. Luckily, they made a quick Northeast swing over the long weekend, and Sunday night at The Music Hall Lounge in Portsmouth, NH worked out, so I made the trek up to the seacoast to check them out. 

One interesting thing about seeing a band multiple times over the span of a decade or more is how songs can evolve over time. Some of that is because David Wax Museum can sometimes be a duo of David Wax and Suz Slezak and other times they include other members, including a horn section. Sunday night was a duo show, which saw different versions of classic songs like "Harder Before it Gets Easier," which was slowed down significantly from the album version. For long term fans it can be a treat to hear new and different arrangements. Also, David Wax Museum tend to change up their sound depending on the venue. They tend to play bigger and louder on outdoor festivals, but the smaller, intimate Music Hall Lounge invited a smaller, more intimate sound.

It wasn't all new songs Sunday night. The band played a new, unreleased song called "Off the Grid." It's an upbeat and hilarious track about living off the grid while still having all the amenities of modern technology. It's not quite landing in novelty song territory, and I could see it becoming a surprise breakout song, especially if it gets turned into a TikTok trend. We're also at the point where newer songs like "Guesthouse" are becoming old favorites.

As with every David Wax Museum, there are unique moments at every single performance. Sunday night's included coming offstage to serenade a baby with "When You are Still" and closing out the show with a cover of The Grateful Dead's "If I Had the World to Give." As someone who's never been a Dead fan, David Wax Museum's cover was spectacular. Overall, their performance at The Music Hall Lounge reinvigorated my fandom and made me remember why I've seen them as many times as I have.