FirstWorks Summer Beats Concerts: Khumariyaan at Roger Williams Park Boathouse Lawn

The third concert of this year’s Summer Beats global journey transports audiences to the ancient crossroads through the Khyber Pass with an electrifying performance by Pakistan’s Khumariyaan. With its propulsive, furious sound, Khumariyaan is celebrated for blending traditional folk music with modern styles. The band's name translates in Pashto as "the state of musical intoxication," which captures the essence of this hyper-folk jam band. Khumariyaan, "The Intoxicators," has reawakened the live music scene in its home city of Peshawar, Pakistan, where the group was founded in 2009. It emerged during a tumultuous period marked by Talibanization, sectarian violence, military operations, and neo-imperialist expansions. In such a climate, art, including music, served as a form of resistance. In the intervening decade, Khumariyaan has expanded its repertory of culturally rooted music.

The lute-like Pashto rubab is the meeting point for this transfixing quintet that intertwines the djembe-like zerbaghali (clay or wooden goblet drum), sehtar (long-necked lute), and searching vocals underpinned with driving acoustic guitars. Khumariyaan’s rolling pulse and richly layered sound builds to frenzied intensity. It is an addictive and accessible pleasure that has ushered in a new era for an eclipsed music.

This concert coincides with Food Truck Friday, an outdoor food truck festival at the Carousel Village located across from the Boathouse Lawn starting at 5:00 p.m.We invite you to bring a lawn chair or picnic blanket, grab some delicious food – and enjoy an evening outdoors with incredible music and community!

Accessibility info: • Wheelchair accessible sidewalk leading to a grass lawn • Accessible Bathrooms nearby (at the Carousel Village) • Earplugs Available