LIVE: PUBLIC IMAGE LTD – Nashville, TN, USA – October 9, 2026
Venue: Brooklyn Bowl
City: Nashville, TN
Date: October 9, 2026
Review and Photographs by: Jacob Smith (https://www.jhs-photo.com)
An absolutely stellar showing from John Lydon and company at Brooklyn Bowl in Nashville, TN, on a Friday night. With so much going on in town, almost always getting to see a highly energized and almost packed house, I was excited to see as many people there just as jazzed about watching some iconic post-punk / experimental music as I was. I had never been able to catch a PiL performance due to being slightly too young their first iteration but had always been a fan ever since my sister gave me a mixtape with “Rise” and “This Is Not a Love Song.” So, when they reformed in 2009, I just always kept my eyes peeled for North American dates, and finally my day had come to be able to see them in action right here in Nashville.
In true John Lydon fashion, the entire evening was filled with snark and attitude fitting the legend and helping to secure the vibe of the course of the evening. Each number played was an extended jam, just filling the room with a full of avant-garde soundscapes and momentary streams of consciousness commentary and vocal dialogue in a true art that, seeing firsthand, you could instantly see how it has heavily influenced generations of artists to this day. The audience in attendance was an interesting cast of age ranges, which I always love to see at a show. Seeing younger fans being introduced to a band by their parents and the fans that had been there since the very beginning years of the band all in the same room and sharing in the enjoyment is what going to a live show is all about.
As I had mentioned initially, growing up listening to them in the mid to late 80s on mixtapes my older sister would make for me, I was very excited to be able to finally hear “Rise” and “This Is Not a Love Song” performed live, and they were just as amazing as the first time I heard them. By the end of the evening, I even ran into someone who lives in my building at the show, who came out on a whim for live music and had zero clue who she was going to see. She was absolutely living with what was being produced from the stage. So being able to witness firsthand someone who was unfamiliar with PiL leave stopping by merch, buying a shirt, and asking me to send her the links for the band so that she could purchase some music online was probably the best end of the night.
Setlist: Home – Know How – World Destruction – This Is Not a Love Song – Poptones – Death Disco – Warrior – Shoom – Open Up – Rise / Religion
PUBLIC IMAGE LTD LINKS:
Category: Live Reviews, Photo Galleries
About the Author (Author Profile)
ToddStar - that's me... just a rocking accountant who had dreams of being a rock star. I get to do the next best thing to rocking the globe - I get to take pictures of the lucky ones that do. I love to shoot all genres of music and different types of performers. If it is related to music, I love to photograph it. I get to shoot and hang with not only some of my friends and idols, but some of the coolest people around today.Subscribe
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