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Live Recap: Albert Hammond, Jr. at The Nights We Stole Christmas 2018

December 03, 2018 / Rachel Zyzda

If you’re a fan of live music, The Holidays don’t just mean time with family and friends, presents, and ugly Christmas sweaters; This time of year also guarantees that there will be plenty of radio sponsored concerts to attend. And last week, the city’s alternative radio station WKQX kicked off their string of annual holiday concerts held at Aragon Ballroom, deemed The Nights We Stole Christmas, on Thursday, November 29th. After a successful first night, the second night brought in Albert Hammond Jr, Grandson, and Smashing Pumpkins to take over the Uptown venue for a sold out, Friday night party.

Albert Hammond, Jr got the party started at 7PM sharp, returning to the city for the first time since his sold out headline show at Bottom Lounge. His past performance had been full of electric energy— both from Albert and a sea of enthusiastic fans, and his show on Friday held the same level of energy. While people were still filing into the ballroom’s main floor when Albert’s set began, the room buzzed with excitement when the singer burst onto the stage donning a gold suit perfect for the special occasion. The frontman and his band played through songs from his extensive discography, but heavily focused on the most recent album Francis Trouble, released in March of this year. Throughout the 45 minute set, the gusto behind Albert Hammond, Jr’s stage presence only accelerated, and he poured everything he had into the last few songs of the night. Whether he was jumping off the stage to walk the catwalk that had been barricaded off by the venue, leaping off the drum kit, or lifting his guitar above his head, Albert Hammond Jr gave the crowd plenty to remember during his finale. As Albert and his band left the stage to waves of applause, the crowd had been successfully warmed up for the rest of the night.

Check out photos from the set below if you missed out— and see where you can catch Albert Hammond Jr next here.

PHOTOS: Khruangbin at The Vic 11.28.18

December 02, 2018 / Rachel Zyzda

After selling out two nights at Lincoln Hall earlier this year, Houston’s Khruangbin returned to Chicago to play a sold out show at The Vic Theatre. If you couldn’t snag tickets to the show, check out photos from Khruangbin’s set below.

See where you can catch Khruangbin on tour next here and keep up with them on Instagram + Facebook

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categories / Photos, Reviews, Gigs
tags / Khruangbin, Photo Gallery, Photo Set, Concert Photography

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: Rookie at Tonic Room 11.21.18

November 24, 2018 / Madison Olszewski

Walking into the Tonic Room on Wednesday night, I was greeted by a man in a fringe vest as ABBA played overhead; an ideal entrance to see some tunes. I had been fortunate enough to see ROOKIE perform recently at the Empty Bottle where their booming sound, undeniable musicianship skills, and matching jumpsuits made it nearly impossible to stand still while they played. If you go to see ROOKIE, you are going to be dancing, so dress accordingly. With the Tonic Room being much more of an intimate space I was curious to see how their sound and performance would differ from the first time I saw them. When they stepped onstage I almost didn’t recognize the band without their matching outfits but the Superman shirt to Sox baseball cap automatically created a sense of community between artist and audience before the music even began. They set down their PBRs and Highlifes, picked up their instruments and with a “Hey how is everyone doing tonight? We’re ROOKIE,” the music began.

ROOKIE kept the sense of community going during their set by breaking the fourth wall between performer and viewer and getting close with the small yet bustling crowd of the Tonic Room. While singing along to “One Way Ticket” I noticed that I was a part of the most impressive karaoke session and that the audience was not shy about how often this song is replayed by each of us on Spotify. The band welcomed this singalong from the stage with fist bumps and loving head nods. These gestures were just part of the effort made from each band member to welcome the audience, creating a really unique and individual experience for each listener.

ROOKIE’s flow from beginning to end of show was high energy and fully committed to creating an alive and kicking set despite the small space. It felt like they were playing Aragon Ballroom and not the Tonic Room based on the energy they put forward, and they kept moving forward instead of allowing themselves to fall back into the comfortability of a smaller crowd. Their sound reverberated off all four walls of the space, even when I walked to the back of the bar to snag another beer, the music still clung to me.

The strong sense of community didn’t just exist between band and audience, but watching ROOKIE interact with one another onstage made clear why they have such an impeccable sound and loyal following. From smiles to nods to inside jokes onstage they were having fun with each other. When seeing bands perform there is sometimes the unfortunate “me, my instrument, and some other random people around me” energy. This did not ring true for ROOKIE; the band works as a cohesive entity—not just as strangers playing alongside each other. When band member, Dimitri Panoutsos, encountered a broken string mid set, the other members were quick to swoop in and help their fellow musician out before his next solo. This clear web of support among the boys of ROOKIE makes you fall in love with them a little more than you already have.

By the time Uncle Sexy stepped onstage, the Tonic Room was a choir of laughter, dancing feet, and empty beer cans. Cover song after cover song the energy of the room never faltered and the show remained at full throttle thanks to ROOKIE and Uncle Sexy’s infectious stage presence and evident talent. Not only do I plan on making my way back to the Tonic room but I will be sticking with ROOKIE in the same way my boots stuck to that wood floor covered in PBR.

Keep up with ROOKIE on Facebook + Twitter + Instagram

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categories / Reviews, Gigs
tags / ROOKIE, Chicago bands, Tonic Room, Live Review, Chicago Music Scene

PHOTOS: Supergroup boygenius Brings Their Special Show to Thalia Hall for Two Nights

November 19, 2018 / Rachel Zyzda

Last week, the supergroup of the year, boygenius, brought their unique and collaborative show to Thalia Hall for two sold out shows. Both nights featured individual sets from boygenius collaborators Lucy Dacus, Phoebe Bridgers, and Julien Baker, before all three singer songwriters joined forces and closed out each night with a magical performance as a trio. Check out photos from Tuesday night’s show below and see where else you can catch boygenius on tour here.

Listen to the boygenius EP in full below

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categories / Photos, Gigs
tags / Lucy Dacus, Phoebe Bridgers, Julien Baker, boygenius, Matador Records, Thalia Hall, Photography, Concert Photography

Live Recap: Tenacious D Rocked The Riviera for Two Sold Out Shows

November 18, 2018 / Rachel Zyzda

Earlier in the week, Jack Black and Kyle Gass—better known as Tenacious D—brought their mix of rock’n’roll and comedy to Chicago’s Riviera Theatre for not one, but two sold out performances. The duo’s latest project comes in the form of six-part animated series released on YouTube, called Post-Apocalypto, and their recent tour centered around the new series. On both nights, the show kicked off with a large screen positioned at the front of the stage, the video for the Post-Apocalypto theme projected on the screen. The screen remained on stage for the first several songs of the set, with Black, Gass, and their band performing behind it as video clips weaved throughout songs like “Hope,” “Take Us Into Space,” and “Robot.” Longtime devoted fans of Tenacious D packed the concert theatre in Uptown, and everyone remained completely enthralled with the audiovisual-filled first half of the set.

After playing through all of the newest songs on Post-Apocalypto, Black and Gass took it back to the early days of 2012, 2006, and 2001, playing crowd favorites from their albums Rize of The Fenix, The Pick Of Destiny, and Tenacious D. As they played through part two sans the projection screen, their lighting show still remained intricate, and the production changed for each song. While the magic of Tenacious D’s show really stemmed from Black and Gass’s charisma on stage, the production design really added a theatrical and dynamic layer to the show. Tenacious D’s performance was more than just a concert, it was a fully immersive live experience that had the entire audience walking away with smiles.

If you weren’t one of the lucky ones to score a ticket to the sold out shows, check out photos from Wednesday, November 14th below and see where you can catch the tour next here.