Whatever you want to classify him as (indie rock, slacker rock, alt-country, etc.), there’s no doubt MJ Lenderman is one of the most exciting new rock artists in recent memory.
With the overwhelming success of his fourth studio album, Manning Fireworks, released in the fall of last year, the 2025 winter tour for MJ Lenderman and his backing band, the Wind, has been entirely sold out. Playing the Green Lantern Bar in Lexington, Kentucky, Lenderman played the Manning Fireworks album in its entirety, along with other fan favorites like “Knockin” and “You Have Bought Yourself a Boat,” as well as debuting a cover of Bob Dylan’s “Something There Is About You” and a rare performance of “Live Jack.”
Walking out into a haze of incense after a spectacular performance from fellow indie/heartland rock crossover band Wild Pink, Lenderman took the stage in a faded t-shirt, his eyes peering out from behind his black, wavy hair. The Green Lantern bar, with a maximum capacity of only 150 people, may have hosted the final shows of such a size for Lenderman, whose consistent touring and album releases have garnered him success, which exploded after appearances on The Tonight Show and Jimmy Kimmel Live!.
With concerts at larger venues like the Salt Shed in Chicago and the Egyptian Room in Indianapolis scheduled for the summer, these two shows at the Green Lantern marked the end of an era for MJ Lenderman and the Wind, as the singer-songwriter continues to grow in popularity. The 26-year-old rocker also seems to have an affinity for the independent venue/dive bar, telling the audience it could be the “best bar in the state, maybe the country,” having played a show there back in 2022 as well.
Cracking a few jokes with the audience and smiling throughout the show, Lenderman seemed to have a genuinely good time on the stage. A particularly funny exchange with the crowd came when there was some confusion as to whether or not there were three or four Men in Black movies, before Lenderman played the fan-favorite, fiddle-led tune “Rip Torn” off of Manning Fireworks.
As his 2023 album MJ Lenderman and the Wind (Live and Loose!) might suggest to the listener, Lenderman and his crew are even better in a live setting than in the studio. This show confirmed that, with a palpable energy emanating throughout the small room that the band seemed to feed off of. With extended jams and noise experimentation during the outro of “Bark at the Moon” into “No Mercy,” Lenderman and the band took the crowd into a world of feedback and distorted steel guitar before bringing us back to Earth for a hard-rocking, shout-along encore.
With people of all ages in attendance, Lenderman’s simultaneously sarcastic and stirring lyrics, along with his alternative country/indie rock vibe, have seemed to cross the generational divide. If you don’t know his music already, I think you will definitely be hearing more of him in the future.
This article appears in Mar 5-18, 2025.