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 41 weeks into the year and I have seen 97 shows.
The first thing that became clear about Signals Midwest is that their joy cannot be contained. The lead singer, Max, couldn’t keep both of his feet on the ground. He flubbed a solo early on, laughed it off, and pushed on with gusto. Between songs, he explained that the band celebrated their 10 year anniversary the night before. At 4am last night/this morning, he was in Cleveland, Ohio, sitting in his parents’ kitchen with a piece of cake in one hand and a bottle of Jameson in the other. In that moment, he realized they had to go to Chicago to play a show in just a few hours. Now he was up on stage at the Empty Bottle, trying to remember how to play guitar. Don’t worry, he got it together and had some great licks before the show was over. The whole band played their pop punk hearts out. The drummer was a stick-twirling animal, playing with such speed his arms were a blur. At one point at the end of a song, I thought he might pass out he was doubled over and breathing so hard. Signals Midwest gave us every ounce of energy they had left.
Looking at an audience can tell you all kinds of things about the music you are about to experience. At this show, when the bands changed over, the audience seemed to change over, too. When Wild Pink started playing there was a complete tonal shift to a gentle atmospheric wash of synths and jangly Americana guitar. Spare, but effective. I loved how John Ross’s vocals cut through and almost seemed to float above the rest of the music. It stayed at the same relaxing sway, until they played “The Seance on St. Augustine St.” The pace gained forward momentum. They let the stand and deliver performance mode drop and were moved by their own music as John sang over and over “They can’t help me now.”
Let me set the scene: Restorations had fours mics set up across the front with five people on stage: drums, bass, and the other three on guitars. Two of the guitarists had keyboards as well. In the first song, “Eye” all of these elements came together to create a live symphonic wash of sound, undulating and shifting. It is a credit to the Empty Bottle sound engineer that you never lose the thread of the lead vocals in the midst of all that sound. The band’s performance took their recorded songs and pushed the pedal to the metal on energy. But even as the band pushed themselves, they maintained an attitude that I can only describe as a swagger. They had complete control over that show. In the middle of “The Future” they all went completely silent, holding it a beat longer than you would expect and all crashed back into the song with such precision it took my breath away. It felt like we had all been suspended in air for a moment, hanging off the edge of a cliff. It was a great song to end the show on.
Before Restorations took the stage they invited a rep from Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) to come up to the stage and talk about their Chicago initiatives. The DSA also had a table set up along with the merch tables. Restorations and Signals Midwest both have card carrying members of the DSA, and they wanted to use their platform to spread a message of political activism. Whatever your political beliefs, it’s important to voice them. As Restorations lead singer, John, said before the last song, “For fuck’s sake, go vote.”
Big thanks to Rick Majewski for capturing the essence of the show with his photography.
Signals Midwest Facebook | Bandcamp | Instagram
Wild Pink Facebook | Bandcamp | Instagram
Restorations Official | Facebook | Bandcamp | Instagram
You must be logged in to post a comment.