A fellow photographer told me on August 13 that it was the most crowded he’d ever seen Thalia Hall for an all-ages event. The turnout for Horsegirl and Lifeguard’s final show of their tour was impressive, especially for a Sunday, but it made sense—both bands hail from Chicago, and many of their friends are finishing up summer break from high school or college close to home. The members of Lifeguard would soon be starting fall semester at Jones College Prep, which Horsegirl also attended.

“We love Horsegirl,” guitarist and vocalist Kai Slater said at the start of Lifeguard’s set. “It’s been amazing to tour with our best friends.”

Lifeguard’s opening set at Thalia Hall was high-energy, complete with explosive solos, raging vocals and full-body movement across the stage. The band’s setlist interwove recognizable hits with newer tracks, including several from an EP released just over a month ago. Several songs in, the band invited Horsegirl’s drummer Gigi Reece onstage.

“We’re going to play a Wipers cover, and Gigi’s going to solve a Rubik’s cube before it ends,” Slater addressed the audience. “It’s a minute and a half long. If they don’t finish in time, Horsegirl doesn’t get to play.”

Reece bopped from side to side and tinkered with the Rubik’s cube as Lifeguard surged through “Telepathic Love.” They held up the finished puzzle just as the band finished playing. Lifeguard had Reece stay on stage for the next song, “Fifty Seven,” to play maraca.

After Lifeguard’s set, Slater walked to the front of the stage and bent over to toss a couple sheets of notebook paper into the audience. His setlist fluttered into the audience, where a couple of fans snatched it and read with eager eyes.

Then Horsegirl came on stage to set up.

“I love you, Nora!” A voice shouted from the audience. The guitarist-vocalist smiled and waved.

Horsegirl brought more of a quiet brooding tone than Lifeguard. The band opened with “Bog Bog 1,” a slow and shoegazey instrumental from its 2022 album Versions of Modern Performance. The trio played a number of other hits from the LP, but they also introduced a number of new songs, including a catchy power ballad they penned in recent months. Horsegirl is in the midst of recording its next album, and the group’s set at Thalia Hall reflected more uptempo influences than those for their post-pandemic debut.

Horsegirl brought Lifeguard on stage at the end of their set for a joint encore.

“We came up with this idea yesterday,” bassist/guitarist and vocalist Penelope Lowenstein announced.

The idea was to cover “I Wanna Be Adored,” and It was hard to believe the groups hadn’t been rehearsing their performance for weeks. Nora Cheng’s voice was velvety and full, and the thick layers of guitar and bass reverberated perfectly over spacious drum lines. Concert-goers of all ages left the venue beaming.

See the full photo gallery of the show below, and see where you can catch Horsegirl next here.