Live Recap: Alex Lahey Headlines Lincoln Hall
Alex Lahey returned to Chicago last week for the first time since playing Lollapalooza last year, this time headlining Lincoln Hall to a packed house.
Taking the stage first, Chicago’s own Burr Oak warmed up the crowd. Fronted by Savanna Dickhut of Elk Walking, Burr Oak is a relatively new project which allows an outlet for Savanna’s most personal songs, including the recent singles “Southsider” and “Rosemary.” The dreamy, bedroom pop songs filled the venue and connected with the entire audience— including Alex Lahey herself, who posted a bit of Burr Oak’s set on her Instagram story.
Next up, Los Angeles based Caroline Kingsbury (best known simply by her last name) took the stage with her bandmates and delivered a theatrical show. Kingsbury entered the stage donning a cowboy hat and boots, and between her synth-laced, dreamy pop songs, she told the crowd quirky anecdotes that were almost as entertaining as her energetic songs themselves. She had a stage presence and persona that immediately hooked the crowd and kept them wrapped around her the finger the whole time.
After two stellar support acts, the time had come for Alex Lahey to play her biggest headlining show in Chicago in support of her 2019 sophomore album The Best of Luck Club. The Australian singer-songwriter has been connecting with audiences across the world since 2016, with her debut EP B-Grade University.
On Tuesday night, Lahey and her bandmates entered the stage to “Welcome To The Black Parade” by My Chemical Romance, which built up the energy and anticipation in the room. Once the band had taken their places onstage, they opened with the first song from the new album “I Don’t Get Invited to Parties Anymore” before launching into a stream of other new songs from the album. For the majority of the night, Lahey and her bandmates rarely remained stationary on the stage— they thrashed around and truly brought all of the songs to life with their enthusiastic stage presence. Only about halfway through the set did Lahey slow it down, when she brought out an acoustic guitar to perform “Unspoken History.” The singer acknowledged the acoustic guitar is a rare sighting at an Alex Lahey show, but the laidback performance allowed for everyone to catch their breath before the explosive second part of the show. The second half revisited some old favorites like “Lotto In Reverse” and “You Don’t Think You Like People Like Me," which had everyone in the crowd singing along and dancing. The evening closed out with “I Haven't Been Taking Care of Myself” from Lahey’s debut album I Love You Like a Brother, which once again had the audience echoing the words back to Lahey.
Alex Lahey wraps up her North American tour this week, but make sure you stay up to date on her upcoming shows here.
Photos of Burr Oak, Kingsbury, and Alex Lahey
