Turnstile played their biggest headline show to date at the Washington Monument, drawing in 60,000 fans and raising money for the people in Palestine, Sudan, and Lebanon.
The gig took place on Saturday (October 24) and marked the final date on the Baltimore hardcore icon’s huge North American tour, which kicked off in June and celebrated their 2025 album ‘Never Enough’.
Announced earlier this month, frontman Brendan Yates and co. confirmed that entry would be completely free for visitors, and that the show was designed in collaboration with Human Concern International – so fans could donate to help “humanitarian efforts in Palestine, Sudan, and Lebanon” on the day.
Ahead of the show kicking off at 3pm on Saturday, it was widely reported that the gig had already met its target to raise $100,000 for the charity, and when things kicked off at the site, there were an estimated 60,000 fans who showed up for the 75-minute set.
Songs played live included the Grammy-winning ‘Birds’, as well as ‘Magic Man’, ‘Don’t Play’, ‘Endless’ and ‘Never Enough’, and Yates shared on-stage about why it was important for the band to team up with Human Concern International for the show.
“Today we’re here to gather around music to celebrate humanity. But also to fight for it. Be loud enough for the White House to hear,” he told the crowd (via The Washington Post), before later chanting “Free Palestine! Free Sudan! Free Lebanon!”
The frontman, who was also recovering from an injured ankle at the time, also spoke to The Washington Post ahead of the gig about the importance of playing the show and using their platform to raise money for charity.
“The show is at the steps of the nation’s capital, the centre of the country in some ways… But for us, this is kind of our home,” he said. He also added that music is a “reflection of the people that make it, but equally so a reflection of the world around it”, in particular the “struggles and the joy”.
Check out more footage from the huge show below, as well as the setlist.
Turnstile’s setlist was:
‘Birds’
‘Real Thing’
‘Endless’
‘I Care / Dull’
‘Don’t Play’
‘Drop’
‘Wild Wrld’
‘Mystery’
‘Sunshower’
‘7’
‘Keep It Moving’
‘Canned Heat’
‘Sole’
‘Magic Man’
‘Look Out for Me’
‘Holiday’
‘Blackout’
‘Never Enough’
‘T.L.C. (Turnstile Love Connection)
The gig made Turnstile the latest band to perform a free benefit gig in Washington D.C. for good causes – following on from sets from fellow punk stars Fugazi who did so back in the ‘90s.
According to reports from Consequence, Paste and more, the Turnstile show has raised over $200,000 for Human Concern International.
The free show took place after the band spoke to NME at the 2026 BRIT Awards about the importance of musicians using their platforms to speak out against injustice.
“It’s very important. I think artists kind of serve as a mirror to reflect what’s happening in the world,” they told us on the red carpet. “Especially in the States right now, there’s a lot of dehumanisation and a lot of need for empathy and awareness. We’re a band and we try to do what we can to reflect that, and let people have a voice and shine lights on that.”
Since releasing ‘Never Enough’, the hardcore giants have dropped ‘Never Enough: Versions’ – a complete reworking of the album featuring collaborators including Elton John, Hayley Williams, Blood Orange, A.G. Cook, Julien Baker, Four Tet and Slayyyter.
The post See circle pits, stage-diving and solidarity as Turnstile play massive gig to 60,000 people and raise $220k for Humanitarian Aid at Washington Monument appeared first on NME.