Men I (Continue to) Trust

My first concert of 2026! We went to see Men I Trust, who played two shows at the Vogue last night¹. We went to the first one, and leaving a concert before eight felt like stumbling out of a matinee into the afternoon sunlight—a little discombobulating, but kinda neat. Also neat: there were so many young people at the show. We were on the older side of the crowd (unlike the Taj Mahal concert last summer).

The opening act was Jack J, a local … duo, I think they said? I liked their stuff, and I can see why they were picked, but I wanted their music to kick up a notch. They were content to stay in the same gear, so my excitement started waning. Still, they I liked ‘em. Bonus points for violin, the 12-string guitar, and bringing out a guest saxophonist.

Then Men I Trust played. Despite this being my third time seeing them², I don’t follow them much. I recognized some of the songs, but most of it was new to me. Unlike Jack J, they varied the groove: some songs were dream pop, others had some disco vibes. One song brought in heavy distorted guitars, which I think was a good idea (but I didn’t think the song came together).

Last time I felt like the bass guitarist was the star of the show; this time the lead guitarist gave him some competition.

Great show!

Pics:

Openers Jack J.

With bonus sax dude!

Men I Trust (whole band).

Guitarist + singer.

Close up of the singer.