Filtering by Tag: Metro
PHOTOS: Fall Out Boy with Games We Play at Metro
Last week Fall Out Boy returned to the Metro stage for a legendary hometown show, in honor of announcing their new album So Much (for) Stardust.
Check out photos of the evening also featuring Games We Play below, and make sure to snag tickets to Fall Out Boy when they’re back playing Wrigley Field on June 21st.
Live Recap: Pond and Cryogeyser at Metro
On Tuesday night, Metro hosted a packed house for Pond, with support from Cryogeyser, in honor of Pond’s latest studio album 9.
Cryogeyser kicked off the evening with their dreamy blend of shoegaze and lo-fi rock, which played out in front of colorful screen projections. The LA-based trio composed of Shawn Marom, Zach Capittifenton, and Samson Klitsner have been supporting Pond for their entire North American tour, and their musical style was very well-received by Pond’s fanbase at the Chicago show. Cryogeyser released their most recent EP called “timetetheredtogether” in 2021, and their setlist included songs like “Foreigner” and “Sonic Peace” from the EP.
Finally, it came time for Pond to return to the stage in Chicago for the first time post-pandemic—with their last show here being in 2018. Lead vocalist and guitarist Nick Allbrook wasted no time getting reacquainted with their Chicago fans, as he left his spot on stage to jump over the barricade into the crowd during the performance of “America's Cup,” the first song of their set. During the commotion of Allbrook joining the audience, a fan in the front row ended up with a bloody nose, but she remained in good spirits about it and stayed in her spot so as not to miss a minute of the show. Allbrook rejoined his bandmates back on stage for “Rambo,” another newer track off their 2021 album 9, but he continued to roam about the stage and found himself back amongst the audience for the third song “Human Touch” (fitting that he’d want to be in the crowd for that one).
Following the commencement that featured a lot of Pond’s newest songs, they revisited some earlier material, like “Sweep Me Off My Feet,” which happens to be one of my personal favorites from their 2017 record The Weather. Throughout the show, the band kept it dynamic with their colorful lighting that illustrated each song, for example a warm golden lighting illuminated the band when they performed their song “Daisy.”
As the show progressed, Pond brought their music to life in a multitude of different ways— from Allbrook jumping into the crowd to vocal effects and the flute that Allbrook played during “Burnt Out Star,” there was never a dull moment. Before the band performed another one of my favorites, “Paint Me Silver,” Allbrook told the room “here’s one for your hips” and everyone joined in dancing along. The fun came to a close with a two-song encore featuring “Medicine Hat” and “Don't Look at the Sun or You'll Go Blind.”
Check out photos of the show below, and see where you can catch Pond next here.
Live Recap: The Strokes Return to the Metro Stage in Support of Kina Collins
This past Friday night, The Strokes returned to the Metro stage to perform there for the first time since 2001. The special event was in support of Kina Collins, a Democratic candidate running for Congress in IL-07, and it marked only the third ever political fundraiser concert that The Strokes have put on (one of those being for Bernie Sanders in 2020).
The event sold out extremely fast, but some fans from all over the country managed to snag highly coveted tickets to be able to hear some of their favorite songs in such an intimate setting. As the lucky ticket-holders queued up to make their way into Metro, Collins walked to line for an impromptu meet and greet with the concert attendees. For the fans that missed Collins walking through the line, they got a chance to hear her speak ahead of the musical performance. Collins was born and raised in the Austin neighborhood on the West Side of Chicago, and she made it clear in her speech that she is passionate about making our city and this country a safer and more sustainable place for everyone. Collins backs universal health care, gun violence prevention and the Green New Deal, among many other issues. You can read more about Collins platform here.
Collins was thanked with overwhelming cheers when she said she “worked really hard to get this concert here for y’all” and told everyone about her experiencing meeting Julian Casablancas in New York. The anticipation and energy in the room sky rocketed when Collins said that Casablancas and his bandmates, Nick Valensi, Albert Hammond Jr., Nikolai Fraiture, and Fabrizio Moretti, would be on the stage momentarily. For unknown reasons, The Strokes actually hit the stage about 40 minutes later, but the energy and excitement (along with the heat) only continued to build, and it made it that much more sweet when the band finally began, launching into their song “Bad Decisions” from their 2020 album The New Abnormal.
The 14-song setlist contained a great mix of some of The Strokes newest material from the aforementioned record, as well as many of their hits throughout the years— like “Someday” from their debut Is This It and “You Only Live Once” from First Impressions of Earth. No matter what song they were performing, everyone in the room was eagerly singing along and dancing. The last time I’d seen The Strokes, they headlined at Lollapalooza, so it was nice to experience them going back to their roots and play in such a scaled back setting.
As their show neared the end, Casablancas made sure to endorse Kina Collins once more. He scanned the room for her and said, “Where’s Kina? Wherever you are, I love you, good luck.” He added, “She’s the best and I think she will represent this great city in Washington pretty greatly.” Casablancas also mentioned that Chance the Rapper and Common, fellow Chicagoans and musicians, support Collins— and joked that The Belushi brothers even back her.
The evening wrapped up with a 3-song encore, featuring “Eternal Summer,” “What Ever Happened?” and the grand finale of “Last Nite”—which had an extended introduction that featured Casablancas doing some auto-tune vocal improv before smoothly transitioning into the song’s iconic guitar riff.
Check out photos from the entire evening below, and make sure you vote in the Illinois primary election on June 28th. You can get more information about voting and polling locations here.
Live Recap: Dehd's Sold Out Hometown Show with Pixel Grip and 81355
There’s nothing better than a hometown show, and Dehd confirmed that with their sold out extravaganza at Metro this past Saturday night.
Even before the first act of the night 81355 (pronounced “Bless”), the venue was already packed and getting more full by the minute. Unlike most shows I go to, the band members of 81355 didn’t just come onstage when it was their time— they received a dazzling introduction from the host and MC of the evening, Alex Grelle. Grelle got the crowd going with a captivating performance of “Take My Breath Away” while the projection screen reflected the logo of Top Gun Maverick. It was an unexpected opening to the night, but it certainly grabbed mine and everyone else in the venue’s attention. When it came time for 81355 to hit the stage, the group from Indianapolis continued to captivate the room with their genre-bending performance. The collaborative collective featured a full band and a mix of rapping and singing from members Sirius Blvck, Oreo Jones, and Sedcairn Archives.
Next up, Chicago-based trio Pixel Grip geared up to take the stage— but not without a warm welcome from Grelle again. This time Grelle entertained the venue with a wet t-shirt contest, drenching himself with a pitcher of water. Again, not something you see every day at a concert, but everyone loved it. The crowd also enthusiastically enjoyed the set from Pixel Grip, which featured a swirl of bass-heavy synths, pop vocals and atmospheric electronic melodies— all complemented by moody lighting and thick fog. During their set, vocalist Rita Lukea received a tattoo onstage that read “Dehd Forver” from Emily Kempf, which was yet another unforgettable moment of the gig.
The night only continued to get more spectacular when Grelle made the final introduction of the evening— this time donning an angel costume to reprise the role of “Angela the Angel” from Dehd’s “Loner” music video. Grelle welcomed Dehd’s members Emily Kempf, Jason Balla, and Eric McGrady to the stage to close out the show, and the trio launched into their single “Loner” alongside Grelle— essentially recreating the music video IRL. The set continued on with lots of fan favorites like “Lucky” and “Haha” from Dehd’s earlier catalog, mixed in with some fresh material from their brand new album Blue Skies. My favorite song off the new record is the single “Bad Love,” which I got to hear live for the first time at the show. The track possesses a feel-good, triumphant vibe that would be perfect for the soundtrack of a coming-of-age film. It was certainly the perfect fit for a sold out gig at Metro at the start of Summer.
Dehd wrapped up the evening with an encore performance that featured Pixel Grip and 81355 rejoining them onstage to perform “Desire.”
The entire evening provided a great mix of music with a diverse line up that once again showcased what an incredible music scene we have here in Chicago. Check out photos from the evening below, and see where you catch Dehd next here.
PHOTOS: Squid with Deliluh at Metro
This past Wednesday night, the UK’s Squid returned to Chicago, in honor of their critically-acclaimed debut album Bright Green Field. The show followed Squid’s successful live debut in Chicago at the end of last year, when the band sold out two nights at The Empty Bottle in November. Squid’s expansive and textured tones sounded amazing in a larger space like The Metro, and it was incredible to witness the spin they put on their live arrangements.
If you missed out on the show, check out our photo recap of the evening below, and see where you can catch them next here.
PHOTOS: Faye Webster at Metro
Last Tuesday night, indie folk singer Faye Webster brought her whimsical tunes to the Metro, in celebration of her latest album I Know I’m Funny Haha. If you missed out on the show, check out the photo recap of the evening below, and see where you can catch Faye Webster live next here.
PHOTOS: Remi Wolf with Grace Ives at Metro
Last Friday night, Remi Wolf played a sold out show at The Metro, in celebration of her 2021 debut album Juno. If you missed out on the show, check out our photo recap of the evening, also featuring Grace Ives.
See where you can catch the tour next here, and take a listen to Juno below.
Live Recap: Two Feet at Metro
Last Wednesday night, The Metro kicked off the Thanksgiving weekend with an incredible performance from the musician Bill Dess, better known by his moniker of Two Feet.
Turnout is usually hit or miss with shows around the holidays, but before Two Feet even took the stage, eager fans filled in the Wrigleyville venue for a support set from the electro-pop duo Fiji Blue. The pair got the audience grooving and ready for the night with their songs like “It Takes Two” and “I Should’ve Told You.”
The first time I saw Two Feet perform, he had been the support act for Jain at Subterranean back in 2017. Since then he has played in Chicago at Lollapalooza and venues like Lincoln Hall, but his headlining performance at Metro showcased an elevation in his production and stage persona. As the stage changed over for the main event, tall light bulbs lined the stage, lending to the ambience of the evening.
Since we last saw Two Feet in Chicago, he’s released two albums, including 2020’s Pink and this year’s Max Maco is Dead Right?, the latter of which is a concept album written from the view of the title’s character, so he had plenty of new material to share with the crowd that evening. The set began with some songs from Pink, including “BBY” and “You?” and continued by weaving in the newer material with fan favorites like “I Feel Like I’m Drowning” and “Had Some Drinks.” Throughout the show, the lights that decked the stage shifted colors and added visual depth to the mix of bluesy and electronic sounds of Two Feet. For example, during “Pink,” all the lights shone pink in honor of the song name, blending the tangible element of the performance with the atmospheric tones.
The evening closed with the abrasive hit “Go Fuck Yourself,” which had the entire audience swaying to the beat and soaking in the last few moments of the show.
Two Feet recently released the single “Until I Come Home” in collaboration with grandson, and the new single leads up to the next full-length album from Two Feet, which is expected in 2022. If you missed out on this show, see where you can catch Two Feet next here, and keep and eye out for that new music by following along on Instagram and Twitter.
Photo recap of Two Feet and Fiji Blue at Metro
Live Recap: Canadian Punk Rockers PUP Deliver a Masterful Sold Out Performance at Metro
When PUP rolls through your town, you know you’re about to experience a cathartic show. And their recent concert at Metro on May 4 was nothing short of a sweaty, moshing sold out dream. Chicago indie-country rising stars Ratboys helped open up the show playing a few hits off their last album “GN” - out on Topshelf Records now. Songs included “Elvis in the Freezer”, “Molly”, and “Crying about the Planets.” Fronted by Julia Steiner and David Sagan, the duo delivered serious punk rock energy on the stage - even busting a few strings along the way.
Before PUP even began their set, there was a rush of fans to the barriers and electrifying excitement pulsated in the air. It’s been a minute since the band graced the Midwest and it certainly had fans riled up. The band kicked off their set with the single off their recently released album of the same name Morbid Stuff. They played fan favorites such as “Free at Last,” “Scorpion Hill,” and “Reservoir.”
Earlier in the year, the band shared the tabs to their song “Free at Last” on Twitter and asked fans to cover the song. One of the best covers the band received was from Kodakrome, a local Chicagoan act. PUP invited the band to play their version of the song for the crowd and then launched into their version of it. Before playing their final song, PUP announced they don’t do encores and ripped into “DVP”…A grand way to end a masterful first sold out show at the Metro.
The band will return to play the venue once more on May 23rd. Check out their tour dates, many of which are sold out, here.
Photos of Rayboys and PUP on 5/4/19
