Halloween weekend, downtown Albany, 1,000 people standing at Empire Live while Judah & the Lion works through a career’s worth of genre-blending — folk, hip-hop, rock — all in one room. That is the night of Friday, October 30, and it is worth putting on your calendar right now.
The Nashville duo is deep into The Boys Are Back Tour, a 38-date North American run supporting I Am A Prism, their sixth studio album due out August 14 via Dualtone Records. The Albany date sits inside a compact Northeast stretch — Webster Hall in New York City on October 27, Royale in Boston on October 28, then Empire Live two nights later. If you missed them in the city or didn’t get Boston tickets, this is your window.
About Judah & the Lion
Judah & the Lion formed in 2011 when Judah Akers and Brian MacDonald met at Belmont University in Nashville. They built their reputation on what they call “Folk Hop n’ Roll” — banjo, mandolin, and acoustic guitar layered over hip-hop beats and rock energy. Their 2016 album Folk Hop n’ Roll went platinum and produced the platinum-certified single “Take It All Back 2.0.” The band has since become a duo, with Akers on lead vocals and guitar and MacDonald on mandolin and vocals.
Their last three albums walked through the heavier passages of adult life — depression, divorce, grief. I Am A Prism reads like the turn toward light on the other side of all that. The lead single “Maybe the Best Is Now” incorporates fan voices recorded at live shows in 2025, which is the kind of thing that lands very differently when you are actually in the room for it.
About Empire Live
Empire Live sits at 93 N. Pearl Street in the heart of downtown Albany — a 1,000-capacity standing room that keeps you close to the stage and close to the sound. For more Albany and Capital District shows, check our regional calendar.
Tickets & Show Details
Tickets go on public sale Friday, June 19, 2026. Artist presale opens June 16. Show time is 7:30 PM. Get tickets →