🎆 Post-fireworks, post-barbecue, post-holiday haze—it’s time for the real celebration to begin. 🎆

Yes, yes! The whispers are true! The indie-folk firebrands, the peace-preaching, harmony-hurling, tour-hardened troubadours of truth known as Dispatch are riding once more into the Virginia night! After setting the nation’s capital aglow with their civic-minded performance at “AMPlifying Democracy With Dispatch” at the 9:30 Club—where democracy and downbeats shared the same rhythm—they're coming back for a night of pure musical communion at none other than Wolf Trap, the country’s only national park for the performing arts.

And this time—oh yes, this time—they’re coming armed with something brand new:

🚨 Yellow-Jacket, their brand-new studio album, arrives June 6th, 2025 🚨
Which means this tour is more than just a reunion. It’s a revelation. A chance to hear fresh dispatches—new songs, new stories, new anthems—performed live for the first time in the wide open summer air.

But let us not forget: the last time Dispatch graced this sylvan sanctuary, it was not a mere concert. It was Symphonic Dispatch, a genre-bending alliance with the National Symphony Orchestra that turned folk-rock favorites into cinematic epics. “Only the Wild Ones” soared on a string section. “Bang Bang” became an overture. And “The General”? Oh, he marched into battle with a full brass regiment behind him.  

What can a fan expect? Oh, you sweet summer child...

Expect harmonies that hit like a lightning strike to the chest—Chad Stokes and Mike Sawitzke singing as if they'd all been raised in the same mythical New England wood, by wolves and Bob Marley records.  Behold Brad Corrigan and Jon 'JR' Reilly drumming as the frenetic, powerful beasts that they are behind their drumkits.

Expect setlists that shapeshift—one moment you're in a smoky reggae jam, the next you're caught in a folk-punk stampede. Expect drums and djembe. Acoustic ballads that hush a crowd of thousands. Then—bam!—a fuzzed-out rocker that has the lawn on its feet, dancing like church just broke out.

Now, July 5, 2025—Dispatch returns. No orchestra. No velvet. Just pure, uncut Dispatch.  A concert by this enduring and beloved band would be good enough, but they are bringing an all-star and eclectic group of supporting performers with them.   None other than John Butler, G. Love & Special Sauce, and Donavon Frankenreiter.

But let’s not forget—last time Dispatch graced this sylvan amphitheater, they didn’t come alone.  They brought the thunder, yes, but they also brought the strings, the brass, the full regalia of the National Symphony Orchestra! A night of Symphonic Dispatch, where “The General” marched to a swelling timpani, and “Out Loud” rose on the wings of violins. The audience sang into the Virginia forest as woodwinds soared. And somewhere, Pete Seeger smiled from the beyond.

This time? The boys are stripping it back down—rootsy, raw, and ready to roar—but bringing with them a sonic dream team that reads like a festival poster from some parallel universe where summer never ends.

THE LINEUP:

🎸 John Butler with Band – Australia’s finger-picking prophet. A bandleader, bard, and banshee of the blues. Expect the seismic anthem “Ocean” to roll in like a summer thunderstorm across the Wolf Trap's green hills.

🎤 G. Love & Special Sauce – That slick-tongued poet of Philadelphia funk. A man who can melt harmonica reeds with a glance and turn a crowd into a gospel choir of groove. Cold beverages? You bet.

🌊 Donavon Frankenreiter – Ex-pro surfer, now soul-soaked singer-songwriter of the sun-drenched persuasion. He’ll be drifting in on a sea breeze with his hit “Free” and a vibe you can wear like linen.

BUT WAIT. BEFORE THE SHOW...

That’s right. Before a single chord is strummed or a chorus is sung, the Dispatch faithful—the patch-wearers, the lyric-knowers, the front-row regulars—are gathering at the Starr Hill Biergarten for a little something called the Patch Party Fan Event. Think: cold craft beers, friendly faces, fan-led merch swaps, lawn seating tales of yore, and maybe—just maybe—a surprise acoustic moment or a signed setlist giveaway. It’s the calm before the sonic storm. Don’t miss it.

Want to Presave Yellow-Jacket (Released on June 6, 2025)

John Butler

G. Love &  Special Sauce

Donavon Frankenreiter

To learn more about Dispatch, please see the following web resources:

• Webpage
• Facebook
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• YouTube
• Spotify
• TIDAL
• Soundcloud