Troy gets a rare kind of show on Friday, June 5 — Mdou Moctar, solo, at The Hangar on the Hudson. If you have not heard him play, here is the pitch: a Tuareg guitarist from Niger who taught himself on YouTube videos of Eddie Van Halen, built his own guitar, and developed a style that belongs to no single category. Doors at 7, show at 8, 21+, 300 people max. Get there early.
About Mdou Moctar
Mdou Moctar grew up in Agadez, Niger, and built his early career distributing music on mobile phone data cards across West Africa. In 2014 he wrote, produced, and starred in Akounak Tedalat Taha Tazoughai, the first Tuareg-language film and a Purple Rain remake that circulated across the region before the wider world caught up. His 2019 album Ilana: The Creator brought him international recognition.
His 2024 Matador Records album Funeral for Justice was something heavier — a full-band electric response to the 2023 military coup in Niger that sent Moctar and most of his bandmates into exile. The acoustic follow-up, Tears of Injustice (2025), strips that same material down: quieter, more searching, recorded often in single takes. Rolling Stone called it music for “folk music fans, modern guitar rebels, and inner space explorers alike.”
This is a solo performance — no full band. It’s one of seven East Coast dates this June, with the run wrapping at the Blue Note Jazz Festival in New York on June 7. Special guest Blue Ranger opens.
The Hangar on the Hudson
An outdoor covered event space on River Street in Troy, The Hangar on the Hudson holds 300 people and is one of the better summer rooms in the Albany / Capital District. This is the kind of space where the night air is part of the deal. Check the forecast before you head out.
Tickets
Tickets are on sale now at The Hangar on the Hudson’s show page. This is a 21+ event with no refunds. Show presented by Dive.