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 7 weeks into the year and I have seen 25 shows.
As the disco ball spun festive dots around the room, Retirement Party kicked the night off with a distinct feeling of celebration, showing us how to find joy in the bullshit. Avery Springer’s voice had a unique tone, which is essential to their brand of raw, bouncy, pop music. It conveyed all the angst and uncertainty and self-examination of the music. This night was special because it was Avery’s first performance sans hat! From where I was standing, it suited her just fine. I loved watching her catch extra joy when she really laid into the power chords. Bassist, Logan Bloom, leaned into the music. I really dug the way Nick Cartwright made his guitar sing along with or counter to Avery’s vocals. James Ringness’s drumming really caught my attention on “Truck Stop Casino.” The audience sang along, “Jesus Christ who am I kidding,” and then that complex rhythm. It was a perfect moment.
Illuminati Hotties brought us a little of that Cali feeling by wearing shorts on that cold February night. Luckily, the high energy music and sold out crowd made for a toasty Hideout! Fronted by Sarah Tudzin, she set the tone as being emotionally raw and completely silly. She shared her pain. When the audience sang along at the end of “Shape of my Hands,” it brought Sarah to tears. When she apologized, someone shouted “It’s ok to cry!” to which Sarah replied, “I love this town.” She played through the tears and had a kick ass time with us.
Her band was completely in tune with this. They all bounced around the stage and interacted with each other. It was playful. While Nathaniel Noton-Freeman played guitar with athletic confidence (that athletic vibe may have been mostly due to those track shorts…), Zach Bilson went from playing his bass with a languid body roll to ecstatic thrashing with the music. On drums and sampler, Tim Kmet was an MVP, driving it all with cool precision. But in the end, it all came down to Sarah and her effusive stage presence. From whispering about heartbreak to kicking the cymbal, and from relishing the horribleness of Malort to spitting PBR at the audience, she made us all love her and want to be her. We did whatever she told us to. Get quiet, get loud, get closer. It was like we were a hive mind dedicated to rock ‘n’ roll, and the hive mind was happy to give up our autonomy to make that night kick ass. I wish I could go back and live inside the memory of that show.
Retirement Party Facebook | Twitter | Bandcamp | Instagram
Illuminati Hotties Album | Facebook | Twitter | Bandcamp | Instagram
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