Future Islands vocalist Samuel T. Herring reaches out to the audience from the stage at Pier Six Pavilion. Credit: Sam Levin

“When I was a kid, I used to break into houses … This is ‘The Thief,’” says Future Islands’ sweat-soaked, undisputed spark plug of a vocalist Samuel T. Herring. That gets a couple laughs before he builds up to the track’s chorus. All night, without taking so much as a quick break, his body has gyrated, leapt, danced, and lunged like a human amusement park ride for the band’s throngs of fans, who have waited 10 years for this moment. 

The last time Future Islands played a show this big in Baltimore, their home, was on August 29, 2015, joining acts including Beach House, Bond St. District, and Romantic States to headline the Windjammer festival, a benefit for the Living Classrooms Foundation’s Believe in Music program (now Ascend Through Music) at Pier Six Pavillion. Opened by DIY legends and Windjammer alums Dan Deacon and Ed Schrader’s Music Beat, the May 28 concert, also at Pier Six, commemorated their 20th anniversary.

“It’s been too long, man … Baltimore has been a big reason why we’re still here right now, on this stage. It’s hard to state the importance of this city for giving us life to be able to continue doing what we do,” Herring said, somewhat in disbelief.

From when the first fans made their way to the pit to catch Ed Schrader’s set (which began with a Domino Sugar-themed mic check: “Ahhhh… Domino Sugar… Ahhhh…”) to Deacon’s opening remarks to the crowd in that mystical, synthesized voice, we heard Baltimore. And whether this was your first or your 10th Future Islands show, you were at home. 

“We slept on all your floors,” Herring jokes with the crowd, looking back on the band’s scrappy Baltimore memories — hanging outside Dimitri’s in Hampden and eating pork tenderloin out of a stranger’s fridge — and charming the crowd before biting and ripping the front of his shirt almost clean off. One minute, you’ll see Herring kneeling and howling like Dracula. The next, he’s in tears before singing the heartbreaking, vulnerable “Little Dreamer.” Will he stage dive? No, he won’t, but for a second it sure looks like he’s about to, and the audience is ready. Throughout all of this, his bandmates, Gerrit Welmers, William Cashion, and Michael Lowry, have the audience hooked.

The performance is electric and seductive. It’s approachable and silly, giving way to frenzied dancing and a short-lived mini conga line. Between Herring and Baltimore-based puppeteer Kevin Sherry, who walked onstage twice wearing a giant, hand-made rat costume with claws like Edward Scissorhands, it’s hard to look away for fear of missing something magical. 

Here’s hoping we won’t have to wait 10 more years for the next Future Islands homecoming.

Future Islands frontman Samuel T. Herring drops to his knees center stage during the final stop of the band’s tour at Pier Six Pavilion on May 28, 2026. The full-band wide shot features drummer Michael Lowry, keyboardist Gerrit Welmers, and bassist William Cashion alongside a massive monochrome backdrop projection, closing out a homecoming show that celebrated 20 years of the group’s signature sound. Credit: Sam Levin
Future Islands frontman Samuel T. Herring embraces Kevin Sherry, who is operating a giant rat puppet, during a second surprise stage entrance at Pier Six Pavilion on May 28, 2026. The whimsical moment closed out the final stop of the band’s tour, marking a 20-year milestone in the city where their career took off. Credit: Sam Levin
A close-up view shows composer Dan Deacon tweaking controls on his custom analog signal processors and effects rig during a performance on May 28, 2026. Credit: Sam Levin
Drummer Jeremy Hyman performs with high-intensity focus as electronic musician Dan Deacon sings with heavily modulated vocals at Pier Six Pavilion, May 28, 2026. A concert video of the jam band Phish continues to play on the giant screen behind them. Credit: Sam Levin
Fellow music artists Alex Silva and Bill Hicks handle the soundboard, controlling the front of house audio mix during the opening performances for Ed Schrader’s Music Beat and Dan Deacon at Pier Six Pavilion on May 28, 2026. Credit: Sam Levin
Future Islands vocalist Samuel T. Herring performs on stage beneath a giant black and white projection of himself at Pier Six Pavilion. Credit: Sam Levin
Devlin Rice locks into a bass groove during Ed Schrader’s Music Beat’s opening set on May 28, 2026. Credit: Sam Levin
Jay Lawson leans against the front barricade of the first seated row behind the general admission pit during Ed Schrader’s Music Beat’s performance on May 28, 2026. Credit: Sam Levin
Future Islands drummer Mike Lowry performs behind his kit at Pier Six Pavilion, May 28, 2026. Credit: Sam Levin
A close-up view shows a fan holding In Evening Times, a commemorative newspaper-style merchandise print designed by the band’s longtime Baltimore-based visual creative director Nolen Strals, at Pier Six Pavilion on May 28, 2026. The print features custom retrospective articles and touring statistics documenting Future Islands’ 20-year history. Credit: Sam Levin
Vocalist Samuel T. Herring of Future Islands shows raw emotion on stage at Pier Six Pavilion during the emotional finale of their 20-year anniversary homecoming show on May 28, 2026. Credit: Sam Levin
A group of fans pose while dancing under vibrant pink stage lighting during a celebratory Future Islands show at Pier Six Pavilion on May 28, 2026. The high-energy performance marked a massive homecoming event for the band’s dedicated Baltimore following. Credit: Sam Levin