My goal is to see one show per week. Yes, I might be that annoying friend that just has to tell you about the thing you missed, but I’m also catching every great show in the city of Chicago–with plenty more ahead of me. Welcome to the Chicago Concert Dispatch.
At the time of this show, it is 2 weeks into the year, and I have seen 5 shows.
Sun BLVD took the stage with so much sass it was dripping from her braids. She had that perfect blend of bling and real. A chick you would see walking down the block in Chicago. And owning it. Most of her songs were from her EP Link In Bio, produced by DJ Skoli. He was on hand spinning for Sun BLVD and had the bass boomin in ways The Hideout is def not accustomed to. Sun BLVD spit attention grabbing lines like “you eat the cake, aight, you eat the cake…scuse me, but I got plans, damn” from “Netflix and Chill.” But it was “Benedryl” that got the crowd hooting. That opening line, “All the little dusties wanna be with me, I can’t even fade it, I got allergies, baby.” I mean damn.
Free Snacks brought the fun just for the fuck of it energy to the Hideout. “That’s why we throw a party, yeah we did, that’s why your dad bought the Harley, yeah he did, and the RV! Yeah he did!” Their bounce and flow ricocheted across the stage. Throwing words and energy at the audience, so they could not help but bounce with them. Within the bounce, the humor catches on reality, there was a sense that we needed this party to forget how fucked up things are. The crowd was all in. I swear the whole building was moving. Free Snacks ended their set by getting naaasty a.k.a. showing us their romantic side. As they said, it’s either about making love, or fucking, depending how you look at it. So true. So true.
“Fuck em” has never sounded as lovely as it did in Manasseh’s soft falsetto. Especially couched in the middle of a set that felt sacred. That fuck em referred to people who don’t love you the way you deserve. Love yourself first and foremost and they don’t matter. Manasseh was calm and warm and loving, smiling on us and giving sage advice on how to be good to ourselves and others. It felt like a friend, embracing you and helping you work through your shit. Manasseh riffed on a phrase so many ways, it felt like spinning down a rabbit hole. The crowd supported him the more he explored, showing appreciation for getting down and digging deep into the music and his soul. He hit soaring notes and was near operatic in tone. He even called it fake opera, but it sounded pretty legit to me. His supporting vocalist, David Blaire, looked to Manasseh for guidance and direction and approval. Listening to their voices wrap around and roll over each other was true beauty that reached into my chest and plucked at my heart. The blatant adoration of the crowd as the set ended was entirely justified.
Bad Ambassadors has been in the works for five years. This show was in celebration of their first official release, a self-titled EP. It was a short set, which is expected when a project only has 6 songs in their published repertoire. But those songs were obviously carefully crafted and nurtured by the partnership between Rich Jones and (aka Walkingshoe). They performed with a band and very little backing track. For their standout single “Up for You,” which has already gotten on my heavy rotation since it came out in December, it brought a fresh feel to the music. I had just listed to the entire EP as I was walking in the pouring rain to The Hideout. The music rolled by as I tried to avoid puddles and splashing cars. Walking through the Home Depot parking lot, a lyric felt like it hit me in the face, “my old digs like a mini-mall, realize I can’t remember what came before the convenience mart and the edible arrangements, and the condos on Belle Plaine.” When they played “Pardon” during the show, Rich took a moment to tell us his deep desire to keep Chicago unlike anywhere else. He implored us to help save places like The Hideout. That when the character of our neighborhoods and communities are under attack we need to show up. We live in one of the few cities where you can show up and get a real show, packed with talented artists. That we need to get out, especially in the depths of winter. Especially in the rain and snow, we need to come together and support the art that makes this the thriving city we love to live in. As the music ended and I stepped back out into the rain and the darkness, I couldn’t help but feel that message keeping me warm.
SunBLVD Facebook | Soundcloud | Instagram
Free Snacks Facebook | Bandcamp | Instagram
Manasseh Facebook | Spotify | Instagram
Bad Ambassadors Facebook | Bandcamp | Instagram
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