Since 2014, Kesha has been involved in a spirit-crushing, highly publicized legal battle with Dr. Luke, her former producer and former CEO of Sony-owned Kemosabe Records. All the while, her album was stuck in limbo. The legalities of her contract with Sony prohibited the release of her music outside of her partnership with Dr. Luke. So, in the name of her art, she dropped the California lawsuit and released her first album in five years, Rainbow. In the ultimate clapback, Rainbow debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 Albums Chart, marking Kesha’s triumphant return. Rainbow features epic guitar solos from Eagles of Death Metal, celebratory horns from The Dap-Kings, and a country-tinged duet with Dolly Parton, abandoning ephemeral party-pop for more empowering hymns. Read more>>> Kesha performs with Black Lips at 8 p.m. at The Fillmore Silver Spring, 8656 Colesville Road, Silver Spring. Sold out. (301) 960-9999. fillmoresilverspring.com. (Casey Embert)
OH AND ALSO
Friday: Alabama-born rock group Banditos play an early show at DC9. 7 p.m. at 1940 9th St. NW. $12.
Friday: Electronic ensemble Hundred Waters performs at U Street Music Hall. 7 p.m. at 1115 U St. NW. $20.
Saturday: Bria Skonberg follows in the footsteps of fellow trumpeter, singer, and channeler of “the cool” Chet Baker. Both have a kind of natural ease, both bop along with steady trumpet licks, and both have tone that can shrink to whispers of careless nothings. But Skonberg is brasher with her trumpeting than Baker, and her vocals showcase much more dynamic range. She gives off an almost detached quality, with a smooth, dulcet tone when she sings standards like “My Baby Just Cares For Me,” but then it can swell to a kind of sinister swing on numbers like “Whatever Lola Wants.” Read more>>> Bria Skonberg and The Metropolitan Jazz Orchestra perform at 8 p.m. at the Hylton Performing Arts Center, 10960 George Mason Circle, Manassas. $28–$46. (703) 993-7550. hyltoncenter.org. (Jackson Sinnenberg)
Saturday: Comedian and The Daily Show correspondent Roy Wood Jr. performs at DC Improv. 7:30 p.m. at 1140 Connecticut Ave. NW. $25.
Saturday: The Prince George’s African American Museum and Cultural Center presents the Black Arts and Cultural Festival.12 p.m. to 8 p.m. at 4519 Rhode Island Ave., North Brentwood. Free.
Sunday: “I am not at peace. I haven’t been since you’ve known me,” Kid Cudi confessed in a Facebook post written after he checked himself into rehab for depression in October of 2016. “I simply am a damaged human swimming in a pool of emotions every day of my life.” But despite a low blow from Drake regarding his public struggle with mental health, Cudi returned to the spotlight in December armed with peace of mind, a fresh outlook on life, and Passion, Pain & Demon Slayin’, a brand new album. Vulnerability is the name of Cudi’s game and he truly embraces it on his sixth studio album. Read more>>> Kid Cudi performs at 9 p.m. at Echostage, 2135 Queens Chapel Road NE. Sold out. (202) 503-2330. echostage.com. (Casey Embert)
Sunday: Journalist Lenora Chu discusses her new book Little Soldiers: An American Boy, a Chinese School, and the Global Race to Achieve at Politics and Prose. 5 p.m. at 5015 Connecticut Ave. NW. Free.
Sunday: Kennedy Center’s Millennium Stage hosts The JaM Project’s latest show Good Times, Bad Times. 6 p.m. at 2700 F St. NW. Free.
Want To Do Today sent to your inbox five days a week? Sign up here.