Live Recap: Yeah Yeah Yeahs with Sasami at Northerly Island

June 04, 2023 / Rachel Zyzda

The Yeah Yeah Yeahs and Sasami kicked off June with a show at Northerly Island in Chicago this past Thursday night.

With the sun still shining and the Chicago skyline in the background, Sasami and her band took the stage to warm up the crowd for the Yeah Yeah Yeahs. Sasami quickly ramped up the energy throughout the venue with her animated stage presence, dancing and between-song banter as she performed some songs from her 2022 album entitled Squeeze. At one point in her set, Sasami joked she was playing a new song called “Chicago Ate My Asshole”— which obviously got a lot of cheers and laughter from the crowd.

Fans continued to file into the outdoor venue, and eventually it was time for Yeah Yeah Yeahs to hit the stage. With the lights dim, the band members made their way onstage as strobing lights sent out small bursts of lighting before fully illuminating lead singer Karen O and her shimmering attire. The band opened the show up with the cinematic single “Spitting Off The Edge of the World” from their 2022 album Cool It Down before moving into the more tenured track “Cheated Hearts.”

“We’re gonna fucking party like it’s Thursday Night,” Karen O told the crowd early on in the set; a statement that was met with loud cheers and dancing from the packed audience. The singer also shared that she recently recovered from “the plague” so her voice might crack a little, but her energy and vocals remained resilient throughout the entire show.

The only time the energy mellowed out was when Karen O mentioned they were going to slow it down a bit to play “Lovebomb,” another newer song their last album. The band perfectly transitioned out of the song into the adored and familiar introduction to their hit “Maps,” which received an immediate eruption in screams from the audience. The energy continued to climb for the last portion of the show, with everyone dancing to “Heads Will Roll” to close out the main part of the set. The night fully wrapped with a 3- song encore, all of which were featured on 2003’s Fever To Tell album.

Check out photos from the evening below, and see where you can catch Yeah Yeah Yeahs on tour next here.

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categories / Photos, Reviews, Gigs
tags / Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Sasami, Photo recap, Live Review, Live Show, Live Nation, Northerly Island

Live Recap: Cut Worms and King Tuff at Lincoln Hall 5.25.18

May 28, 2018 / Rachel Zyzda

Cut Worms and King Tuff kicked off Memorial Day weekend with an incredible show at Lincoln Hall.

The dynamic show began right at 9PM, with singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Sasami performing solo on a dimly lit stage. As she sang through her stripped back, personal narratives, Sasami told hilarious anecdotes between songs, warming the early crowd up for the rest of the show. Sasami would return later in the night to play in King Tuff's band, but first the Brooklyn based project of Max Clarke, Cut Worms, took the stage for a homecoming of sorts, as Clarke had previously lived in Chicago for several years. After a successful debut EP, Clarke released his debut full length album Hollow Ground earlier this month, and his 45 minute set consisted of the majority of the album. Clarke and his band members had the crowd eagerly soaking up the twang soaked mix of alt-country and indie rock tunes, which pull in just a pinch of psychedelic and folk rock influences. Clarke's refreshing spin on timeless roots had the audience dancing along to his more upbeat songs like "Don't Want To Say Good-bye," but he also kept the set versatile by slowing things down to perform a song sans band towards the end of the show.

Eventually everyone had trickled into the concert hall, the stage had been set, and King Tuff and his band graced the stage for the final act of the night. The setlist started with the hypnotizing title and opening track of King Tuff's latest album, The Other, which just came out in April. With the crowd hooked after that slightly slower tempo track, the energy ramped right back up with trippier "Raindrop Blue," laden with shredding guitar riffs. King Tuff and his band added an edge of flare to their show with flashy outfits, but they kept the focus on their musicianship by not adding in any intricate stage production. The carefully plotted setlist weaved in some older favorites between songs from the new record, like "Unusual World" from the 2012 self-titled record and "Freak Me When I'm Dead" from 2008's Was Dead record. King Tuff kept the setlist completely refreshed by even throwing in a brand new track. "They're all new, but this one is even newer," King Tuff said before playing "Portrait of God." No matter what era of King Tuff discography any of the songs came from though, each tune had the crowd grooving and moving along, which nods to the versatile and universal quality of these albums and songs.

If you missed out on the show, check out our photo gallery of the evening below.