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Filtering by Tag: House of Blues

Filtering by Author: Rachel Zyzda

Live Recap: The Veronicas at House of Blues

April 19, 2024  /  Rachel Zyzda

“I know you guys thought this was a rock show but it’s actually a fucking disco,” Jess Origliasso, AKA one half of the twin sister-duo The Veronicas, told a packed House of Blues this past Sunday night in Chicago.

While there was ample opportunity to dance just like at a disco, The Veronicas also delivered rock ‘n’ roll flair and heartfelt nostalgic vibes throughout their highly-anticipated comeback tour. As someone who repeatedly listened to the duo’s debut album The Secret Life of... on physical CD format, it healed my inner child to hear songs “When It All Falls Apart” and “Everything I’m Not” in the first few moments of the set. The Veronicas kept their throwback songs fresh by weaving in mashups of other hit songs—for example, Jess played the iconic riff of “Seven Nation Army” by The White Stripes while Lisa sang the introduction to “When It All Falls Apart.” Later in the show, the pair weaved in bits of Nirvana’s “Smells Like Teen Spirit” and Icona Pop’s “I Love It” during the performance of “Hook Me Up,” which was the title track of their 2007 album.

Just as I was reveling in familiar comfort that these songs provided, I also took in my fellow audience members experiencing sheer joy and camaraderie. The euphoric bliss wasn’t just coming from the audience though— Jess and Lisa made sure to tell the crowd many times how grateful they were to be back and playing music in America. Their appreciative comments included everything from “You’re making two Capricorns very emotional” to “The fact that you guys are coming to these shows is the biggest fuck you to everyone who didn’t believe in us.” At one point, they even brought out a copy of their very first CD as “Jessica and Lisa” (prior to being named “The Veronicas”) entitled Double Trouble, that one of their long-time fans had brought to the show in hopes of getting it signed, and Jess and Lisa joked that it might be their dad selling those old CDs on eBay.

The show was really like an emotional journey sandwiched between two dance parties— it started with Jess and Lisa taking the stage donning sunglasses and performing choreographed dance moves to “Take Me on the Floor” while the floor of the theater shook from the audience dancing, then it traveled to the land of the feels with songs like “Ribcage” and “You Ruin Me” before it ended on an explosive high note with “4ever” and “Untouched,” which the pair introduced saying “Please stand for the National Anthem.”

It may have been awhile since The Veronicas last toured here, but this show served as a reminder that from vulnerable ballads to rock riffs and dance anthems, there’s nothing Jess and Lisa Origliasso can’t do. If you get a chance to catch their show, don’t miss it. See where The Veronicas are touring next here and check out photos from the Chicago gig below.

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categories / Reviews, Photos, Music, Gigs
tags / The Veronicas, House of Blues, Live Recap, Photo recap, Photo Set, Live Show, Live Nation

Live Recap: JP Saxe at House Of Blues

March 24, 2024  /  Rachel Zyzda

This past Tuesday night, JP Saxe packed the House of Blues for an evening of heartfelt songs, cathartic story-telling and comedic stage banter.

Singer-songwriter Justin Nozuka warmed up the large crowd, performing a solo serenade with just his vocals and acoustic guitar. As the stage changed over for JP Saxe’s set, I took in the cozy stage environment on display—there was a backdrop of a gallery wall containing different framed photos and artwork, living room furniture and lots of lamps. House of Blues is already an intimate venue to see artists perform, but this extra touch to the production set up immediately made it feel like we were all just at home with a bunch of close friends, listening to another friend bare their soul in song format.

JP started his set by entering the stage sans his live band, and pulsing lights illuminated him in quick glimpses while he sang “Someone Else’s Home” from his 2023 album A Grey Area—which was also the namesake of his current tour. JP was joined by his band member onstage, who helped add extra layers and depth into the music. In just the first few songs, JP moved his station around the stage, either performing at a piano, keyboard or playing guitar, and his rotation continued throughout the set. After the band wrapped up the fan favorite “I Don’t Miss You,” JP took some time to address the crowd, telling us that he opened for Noah Kahan on this same stage four years ago, and fans cheered in admiration of the full circle moment.

As the set continued on, the show was essentially broken out into different chapters and scenes—including intricate transitions that were complemented by the elaborate lighting effects. JP joked he had a bad habit of ruining the plotted transitions because he has stories to tell before certain songs. Before performing his song “For Emilee,” JP primed the song by telling the audience it was for his friend who accepted less than she deserved in relationships, and even though Emilee was actually in attendance at the Chicago show, he asked for voluntary Emilees and their friends who were in a similar boat. Once he was through with the banter, the audience still got to feel the full effect of that transition because JP asked that his crew ran the lighting and sound transition again. Moments like this are what really makes concerts and live performances so much for special than just listening to an album.

Another fun moment that was one-of-a-kind to Chicago happened only a couple of songs later; In the song “Fear & Intuition,” JP sings “L.A. told me to listen to myself/ Toronto said not to change/ New York told me to fuck somebody else.” After singing the full regular version of the song, JP asked the audience for suggestions of things Chicago might tell him, and people yelled out a few things, including drinking Malort. JP and his band then continued an extended version of “Fear & Intuition” where he interjected a line about Malort.

When we approached the second half of the setlist, JP took some time to perform a few of his songs solo, once again making the setting a little more personal. Between songs, he continued to share anecdotes that gave the listeners more of an insight into his songwriting, all while making us laugh. Ahead of my favorite song of his, “The Few Things,” JP shared it was hist favorite love song he’s ever written and joked he had a zero percent divorce rate for couples who used his music as a wedding song.

If you can get a change to see JP Saxe in concert, you’re in for a unique experience that will only enhance his already incredible songwriting and musicality. Check out photos of his performance at House of Blues below, and see where you can catch a show next here.

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categories / Reviews, Photos, Gigs
tags / JP Saxe, Justin Nozuka, House of Blues, Live Review, Live Nation, Live Recap, Photo Set

Live Recap: The Wombats and Last Dinosaurs at House of Blues

July 29, 2022  /  Rachel Zyzda

Lollapalooza week kicked off with some pre-fest after shows, including The Wombats and Last Dinosaurs on Tuesday, July 26th at the House of Blues.

Last Dinosaurs is an Australian rock band, consisting of Sean Caskey, Lachlan Caskey, Michael Sloane, and Dan Koyama. The band warmed up the crowd for The Wombats, joking that it was fitting because “The Wombats are near and dear as an Australian animal.” Throughout their set, I noticed many fans throughout the venue singing along to songs like “Zoom,” “Apollo,” and “Italo Disco,” which the band introduced by saying “If you have any Italian descent, this one goes out to you.” Last Dinosaurs has a new album coming out November 4th called From Mexico With Love, which you can preorder here.

Next up, The Wombats took the stage to a very packed venue of fans ready to dance and sing along to their entire set. The trio consisting of Matthew “Murph” Murphy, Tord Øverland Knudsen, and Dan Haggis had toured earlier this year in support of their fifth studio album Fix Yourself, Not the World, so it was fitting that their show kicked off with two newer songs from that record— “Flip Me Upside Down” and “This Car Drives All by Itself.” From the get-go, Murph and Knudsen unleashed their infectious energy, bouncing around the stage as they played. Before transitioning to a throwback track “Moving To New York,” Murph told the crowd that he “wished this song was about Chicago,” but nevertheless, the Chicagoans still went wild for the song, making the House of Blues floor literally shake from all their jumping.

The set continued to weave through The Wombats’ expansive catalog, including a few songs from 2015’s Glitterbug. As a preface for “Pink Lemonade,” Murph said “I sing a lot about fruits… lemons… this song is the first one about a lemon tonight. The pink lemon.” The other lemony song is of course “Lemon to a Knife Fight,” which comes from 2018’s Beautiful People Will Ruin Your Life. The band’s good humor came through several other times during the show— about half way through, they broke out into an impromptu muzak tangent, which got a loud reaction to the crowd. “That’s very kind of you, you did not need to applaud for that,” the band replied.

The evening truly felt like a much-needed escape from everything going on in the outside world, and Murph further facilitated that release by asking the crowd to raise their hands and give him an “end of the world scream” before the performance of “Tokyo (Vampires and Wolves)” from The Modern Glitch.

The Wombats played their hit “Greek Tragedy” as their “pretend last song” before returning for a 3-song encore that pulled from songs old and new. During the official last song “Turn,” even people in the way back of the venue were dancing with massive smiles on their face. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again— it’s literally impossible to be sad at a Wombats show.

See photos of the evening below, and see where you can catch The Wombats on the road next here.

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categories / Festival, Reviews, Photos, Gigs
tags / The Wombats, Last Dinosaurs, House of Blues, Lollapalooza, Aftershows, Live Music, Live Recap, Live Review, New Music

PHOTOS: Your Smith and X Ambassadors at House of Blues 07.02.19

July 06, 2019  /  Rachel Zyzda

This past Tuesday night Your Smith and X Ambassadors put on a high energy show for a packed House of Blues. Check out photos from the show below, and keep up with Your Smith on Facebook // Twitter // Instagram.

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categories / Photos, Gigs
tags / Your Smith, X Ambassadors, Photos, House of Blues, Photo Set

Live Recap: Aly & AJ Provide Sanctuary for Their Fans at House of Blues

May 08, 2019  /  Rachel Zyzda

In the past few years, it’s almost come to be expected that a movie from our childhood will be remade, a TV show from the 90’s will be rebooted, or a band whose poster we hung up in our room in high school will embark on a reunion tour. So when sisters Aly and AJ Michalka announced a new EP 10 years in 2017 and returned to touring after a bit of a hiatus, it came as no surprise that both long-term fans and new listeners alike flocked to support the duo in a new era. With yet another new EP, Sanctuary, dropping this Friday, May 10th, and another massive tour underway, it’s clear that Aly & AJ’s comeback offers so much more than just a token of nostalgia; there’s a genuine passion and an immense talent that shines through-- both on their latest releases and during their live shows.

On Sunday night, the sisters returned to Chicago to perform to a sold out crowd at The House of Blues, promptly returning to the city after their last live show here in July at Thalia Hall. As eager fans quickly filled up the historic theater to see the show, it was clear that Aly & AJ would be welcomed back to Chicago any time. The house lights dimmed and light poles that had been positioned around the stage glistened, blinking on and off, signifying the start of a journey that fans would experience during the show. That journey began with “Church,” the lead single from the upcoming EP, giving everyone a taste of the new music before diving into a setlist that would touch on every era of Aly & AJ’s sound.

Throughout the show, the sisters moved around onstage donning matching blue, sparkly suits and their lighting rig transitioned between different tones and hues for each song, giving the audience a spectacle that was just as visually enthralling as it was audibly. Aly & AJ’s close bond clearly translated as they played together, but they even had incredible chemistry with their other bandmates; their tightness as musicians spotlighted the time and thought that they all put into making the show the best possible experience. The great sound quality, production quality, and the sibling harmonies mixed with some refreshed and drawn out live arrangements really made for a special event and one of those shows where you just had to be there to explain the energy in the room. To top it all off, Aly & AJ also treated their fans to their own rendition of “Slow Burn” by Kacey Musgraves in between fan-favorites on their setlist, like “Rush,” “Potential Breakup Song,” and “Like Whoa.”

About their tour, Aly has said “Shows are a sanctuary for our fans. We find a lot of peace and healing comes with talking to them while on tour,” and after getting to experience one of their recent shows, there’s no denying the truth in that statement. The sisters have also partnered with the Trevor Project, which is a national organization that provides crisis intervention and suicide prevention services to LGBTQ young people, on this tour. By taking some time to discuss the work that the Trevor Project does and collect donations, Aly & AJ further emphasized the point that their shows are safe spaces for all of their fans.

If you’re looking to experience you own Aly & AJ oasis, see where you can catch them on tour next here.

Photos of Aly & AJ at House of Blues 05.05.19

Pre-order Sanctuary here and listen to the latest single “Don’t Go Changing” below!

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categories / Gigs, Photos, Reviews
tags / Aly & AJ, Sanctuary, New Music, Live Recap, House of Blues, Photo Gallery, Concert Photography

Live Recap: All Time Low's Holiday Weekend Kick Off at House of Blues

December 26, 2018  /  Rachel Zyzda

All Time Low returned to downtown Chicago’s House of Blues on Friday, December 21st to kick off the holiday weekend.

Fans of all ages flocked to The House of Blues on Friday night, bustling with excitement as they filled the decadent theater from wall to wall. After an opening set from Los Angeles band The Wrecks, the sold out crowd animatedly chatted during the stage changeover. Finally, after the 30 minute stretch, the house lights dimmed and the sound of “We Will Rock You” by Queen surrounded the audience, who clapped, stomped, and sang along while they waited for the four members of All Time Low to hit the stage. Seeing as the show took place a few short days before Christmas, the Queen song transitioned into “All I Want For Christmas Is You” by Mariah Carey, teasing the crowd one more time before the band finally burst onto the stage.

Once the band members had taken their place on the dim stage, the show began with a flash of bright lights and the opening notes of “Stella” from 2009’s Nothing Personal rang out into the crowd. From the get go, lead singer Alex Gaskarth refused to remain stationary for too long, often leaving his designated spot at the center of the stage to wander closer to the edge of the stage and give attention to every corner of the room. The fans in the crowd matched the band’s lively spirit, loudly singing along and jumping to every single song, no matter if it was from the early era of the 2000’s or one of their latest singles like “Everything is Fine,” which they played second. Along with the jumping and dancing that made House of Blues’ floor bounce and shake, fans immediately began crowd surfing and they stayed up for the entire show— with some fans crowd surfing even during the band’s slower songs.

Throughout the night, the unbeatable sense of chemistry and the enthusiastic performance from the four band members kept the mood high, but between songs, the band kept the audience laughing and smiling with their humorous stage banter; with Gaskarth and guitarist Jack Barakat often firing quips back and forth or cracking jokes with audience members. Gaskarth also kept the tone of the night light-hearted by granting passes for normal security faux pas— when introducing the song “Something’s Gotta Give,” he encouraged the crowd to channel their music festival habits, saying, “I understand in this here establishment, we can’t get on shoulders, but I’m gonna need you to get on some shoulders for this.” Fans took a break from crowd surfing for this song to climb on their friends’ shoulders and sway. Things slowed down slightly for “Therapy,” which followed, but the audience’s sing a long still echoed loudly, and some fans put their phone lights or lighters in the air to keep the crowd participation levels up.

Later on in the night, an interaction between Gaskarth and a long-time fan summed up a good portion of the room’s history with the band; When a crowd surfer got pulled over the barricade right at the end of a song, she got lucky enough to catch the singer’s ear and he asked security to let her stop and introduce herself with the microphone. “I looked down and she’s just like HEY I’M CHRISTIE! I WAS 13 WHEN I FIRST SAW YOU,” Gaskarth said, filling in everyone in the balcony and the back of the venue who may have missed the beginning of the interaction. While the crowd on Friday night definitely contained teenagers and some older generations, the majority of the audience members, like Christie, were now in their 20’s and had been listening to All Time Low for more than 10 years— since they were teenagers. And luckily for the fans who have been with All Time Low for years, the setlist for the Chicago show contained a good mix of their discography, filling everyone with nostalgia during the early-day throwbacks. Further catering to the nostalgia, All Time Low ended Friday’s encore with “Jasey Rae” from their 2006 debut album and “Dear Maria, Count Me In” from their 2008 album So Wrong, It's Right. Regardless of how long you’d been listening to the band or how many years you’ve been going to their concerts, there was no denying the feel-good mood of the room and the sense of happiness everyone felt as they left the show that night.

If you missed out on the sold out show, check out photos from All Time Low’s set below.

Keep up with All Time Low on Twitter // Instagram // Facebook



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categories / Gigs, Reviews
tags / All Time Low, Live Recap, House of Blues, Concert Photography, Concerts, Photo Set, Photo Gallery, Live Review

Live Recap: The Struts Sell Out Two Nights at House of Blues

November 26, 2018  /  Rachel Zyzda

British rockers The Struts kicked off a sold out, two night stint at The House of Blues last Friday night. Despite it being a rainy, cold evening and the day after a holiday, by the time openers The Glorious Sons were wrapping up their set with a cover of “Gimme Shelter,” the theater was packed wall to wall with fans eager to see The Struts for the first time since their new album YOUNG&DANGEROUS came out.

After a stage changeover, The Struts burst onto the stage and were immediately greeting by thundering applause and cheers. Each band member sported a custom getup and lead singer Luke Spiller had painted glitter war stripes onto his face, giving them a glam rock aesthetic to match their sound and bravado. Opening up with “Primadonna Like Me” and “Body Talks” from the new album, the band immediately let the crowd know they were in for a wild ride with their magnetic and intense stage presence. Although Spiller later on addressed the end-of-tour slump any performer will surely experience from time to time, saying he was “absolutely knackered” after this recent run of shows, no one could have guessed it based on the band’s gusto that accelerated from the get go and only kept on going throughout the set. Spiller credited the crowd’s support as keeping them going during long stretches, adding that nights like tonight made it all worth it. Throughout the rest of the set, Spiller also encouraged positive energy and interaction amongst audience members; After performing new songs and a couple throwbacks like “Kiss This” from 2016’s Everybody Wants, Spiller prompted everyone to ask their neighbors to dance to their cover of “Dancing in the Dark” by Bruce Springsteen.

Nowadays, there’s never a shortage of new music being created and plenty of musicians can make a great record, but the same can’t be always be said for live shows. However, with The Struts, their live shows are something so magical, yet indescribable at times; it’s a force between the musicians onstage and between them and the audience…something so magnificent that it can drown out the outside world and let people escape with the music for a couple of hours. Perhaps it’s the seemingly natural ease of being on stage that exudes from frontman Spiller— he saunters across the stage, singing every word with intention while decked out in extravagant costumes, reminiscent of the greats like Mick Jagger and Freddie Mercury— or maybe it’s the entire band’s love for rock’n’roll music that shines through in every song that they write, but The Struts’ performances have such a genuinely remarkable air about them. It’s that unique quality that keeps audiences coming back again and again— and perhaps why the audience on Friday was full of fans of all different ages and demographics. No matter the differences between the audience members, The Struts were able to bring everyone together through their music and give everyone another reason to smile on Friday night.

If you missed out on the incredible sold out shows, check out our photo gallery of the first night below.

Listen to YOUNG&DANGEROUS in full below!


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categories / Gigs, Photos, Reviews
tags / The Struts, Live Recap, House of Blues, Body Talks, Photography, Photo Gallery

Live Recap: Celebrating Halloween with Sir Sly and Joywave at HOB Chicago

November 05, 2018  /  Rachel Zyzda

On All Hallow’s Eve, fans packed the House of Blues to catch a co-headlining tour from Rochester’s Joywave and LA’s Sir Sly.

After husband and wife duo from Minnesota and Sweden, respectively, Flora Cash warmed up the stage for the evening’s co-headliners, Joywave made their long awaited and highly anticipated return to a Chicago stage, rushing out to a startling swirl of lights. Along with the flood of overhead lights, the band set the night off with a bang, opening with the appropriately titled single “Blastoffff,” which just came out this Summer and features a heavy bassline and explosive chorus. Massive light boxes with phrases like “Applause,” “Jump,” and “Vape” sat behind the band, adding even more glimmer to the bright production set up. The group kept the momentum going by following up with “Somebody New” from their 2015 album, which also features in-your-face bass. Of course, with it being Halloween, Joywave added some spookiness to their set by donning costumes onstage, but they really upped their Halloween game towards the end of their set. After playing nearly an hour long mix of songs from 2015’s How Do You Feel Now? and 2017’s Content, their set began to wind down with “Tongues” from the former. During the second to last song of their set, one of the band’s friend crashed the stage dressed as the devil to help them finish out the song, which immediately segued into their closing song “Destruction.” The set’s finale had the whole room jumping in unison, causing the floor at the theatre to bounce.

Closing out the night, Sir Sly— or Disturbed, as Joywave’s Daniel Armbruster had teased their Halloween costumes earlier in the night— took the stage rocking full goth makeup and black outfits. As they began their first song, their latest and unreleased track called “Welcome The Pressure,” the room filled with a haze of fog, going along with the dark and spooky vibes of the night. Frontman Landon Jacobs and his bandmates Hayden Coplen and Jason Suwito had last been to Chicago just a couple months prior to play Lollapalooza, one of the many festivals the band hit on their Spring and Summer tour runs. Chicago warmly welcomed back the LA trio, with the full house loudly singing along to Sir Sly songs old and new, and Jacobs couldn’t help but break out of his dark demeanor to show his appreciation. “Have you ever seen a goth this smiley?” Jacobs asked the crowd, beaming about the fact that this show marked their biggest headline show in Chicago to date.

Throughout the rest of the set, the three piece kept a heavy focus on the fact that it was Halloween, but their usual goofy personalities also continued to shine through. “I didn’t wear makeup for nothing,” Jacobs also joked when asking the crowd to go as hard as they could for the rest of the night. The audience didn’t disappoint and kept their energy high to match the momentum of songs like “Trippin’” and “Change” from 2017’s Don’t You Worry, Honey. Jacobs kept the latter fresh and unique to this show by delivering a one-off monologue during the bridge, which has changed every time I’ve seen them on this album cycle. The band also kept their Halloween show special by giving the audience a rare “choose your own adventure” option after performing another one of their aptly spooky songs “Ghost” from their debut album. Jacobs gave the crowd the choice of either hearing a sad song with a speech introducing it, or hearing another Halloween song. Of course, the votes swayed towards the second option and the band played “You Haunt Me,” the title track from their 2014 debut. The eerie mood continued throughout the rest of the night, when Jacobs introduced their single “High” by saying it was based off the scariest thing that’s ever happened to him. “I got too high in a hotel room and I thought I was gonna die. Here I am still standing, but I tasted a little bit of death,” he said before launching into the song. The song once again had the room jumping so high that the floors would shake, but Sir Sly didn’t let the mood die down; instead they launched into an immediate encore performance of the popular single, feeding everyone a second dose of “High.” The night ended with “&Run,” another high intensity single, which the band performed with a fleshed out live arrangement, stretching out the ending with a crescendoing finale. Every time I’ve watched Sir Sly perform, they leave everything they’ve got on the stage, pouring themselves into the performance in such a genuine fashion. It’s only a matter of time before they’re headlining bigger shows and getting more of the attention that they deserve as artists.

If you missed out on the Halloween festivities, check out our photo gallery of all three bands below, and see where you can catch Sir Sly next here.

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categories / Gigs, Photos, Reviews
tags / Joywave, Sir Sly, Flora Cash, House of Blues, Photo Gallery, Concert Photography, Live Review, Live Recap

LIVE: Ones to Watch Presents COIN and The Aces

February 27, 2018  /  Rachel Zyzda

This past Saturday night, The Aces and COIN took over The House of Blues Chicago to put on a stunning show to the sold out venue.

After only touring for the first time with Joywave at the end of 2017, The Aces returned to Chicago in a blaze of glory, with some new songs and old favorites. The four piece's breakout single "Stuck" has racked up over five million Spotify streams, and it definitely acted as a set highlight, but the eager crowd was already singing along to The Aces' brand new single "Lovin' Is Bible," which they had only released the day prior. The Aces' music compliments certain elements of COIN's music so well, so anybody that had yet to hear of the latter was quickly won over by their carefree, catchy riffs and sticky choruses. The band and audience bounced infectious energy off one another, starting the night on the right foot. 

When the Nashville natives of COIN took the stage next, the energy of the crowd only amplified, and the crowd mimicked a surround sound speaker system, echoing the lyrics of COIN's songs back to the stage. As the setlist weaved through different sections of COIN's discography, featuring newest track "Growing Pains" and tracks like "I Don't Wanna Dance" and "Talk Too Much" from 2017's How Will You Know If You Never Try, the crowd remained relentless. They danced along with the pop-fused rock songs, causing the floor of the Downtown venue to act as a trampoline, propelling everyone to keep moving. The high spirits of the audience and the band themselves never wavered, and their intense production and lighting complimented the upbeat music. 

The night ended with a roar of appreciation, not just for COIN, but The Aces too, and an ambitious and optimistic air clung to the concert-goers as they left the venue at the end of the night, knowing that they'd just witnessed a monumental moment. If you missed out on the show, check out our photo gallery of both bands for a look at evening!

Stay tuned for an interview with The Aces, coming soon! While you wait, listen to their latest single "Lovin' Is Bible" below!

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categories / Photos, Reviews, Gigs
tags / COIN, The Aces, Photo Gallery, Photo Set, Ones to Watch, House of Blues

PHOTOS: Night Riots, Dreamers, and The Maine at House of Blues

November 04, 2017  /  Rachel Zyzda

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categories / Gigs, Photos
tags / Night Riots, Dreamers, The Maine, Photography, Photo Gallery, Concert Photography, House of Blues