Glass Animals @ The Mann Center- Philadelphia, PA
Photos courtesy of Sophia Ragomo | September 28th
After missing concerts for the last year and a half, there are few things more satisfying than their return. Glass Animals at The Skyline Stage was a joyous comeback to touring that helped everyone remember how much we all love live music. Their set was high energy and captivating, and the stage was decked out with stunning lights and visuals in every color that brought each song to life. Highlights from the show included single “Tangerine,” “The Other Side of Paradise,” and “Youth.” If you are interested in catching Glass Animals live, they are playing a few dates on the West Coast before touring the UK in November.
Protomartyr with Melkbelly @ Raccoon Motel - Davenport, Iowa
Photos and words courtesy of Alyssa Leicht | October 11th 2021
The Wikipedia page for Joe Casey, lead singer of Detroit-based rock band Protomartyr, describes him as having an “anti-charismatic” stage presence. But after having witnessed his November 10th performance at the 175-cap Raccoon Motel in Davenport, Iowa, I think it’s safe to say that’s an incomplete description, at best.
Standing mostly in place, perpetually gripping a sweating can of Miller Lite, Joe Casey isn’t just anti-charisma – he’s intense and challenging, and at times engages personally with the audience, locking eyes with individuals in an artsy game of chicken. The captivating performance perfectly embodied the range and poetics of Protomartyr’s songs. Their set was fittingly bookended by the thrashing number “Processed by the Boys” and its musical opposite, the haunting elegy “Worm in Heaven.”
Melkbelly, garage-rock band from Chicago, opened the night with a grungy set that often dissolved into art-rock noise. Their style and performance gestured toward the Breeders, whose co-founder, Kelly Deal, joined Protomartyr on keys, vocals, and percussion during their set and elevated their songs through subtle textures and experimental feature parts.
The setting of Sean Moeller’s Raccoon Motel made the experience that much better for this show, providing a moody and intimate club environment packed with funky art and retro decor, and a separate bar area and listening room for a more focused and uninterrupted show experience. If you ever have a night in the quad cities, I highly recommend checking this place out, even if you don’t know the band who’s playing. They routinely have a stacked show schedule that doesn’t disappoint.
IDLES @ Riviera Theatre - Chicago, IL
Photos and words courtesy of Alyssa Leicht | October 8th 2021
British-Irish punkers IDLES’ October 8th show at Riviera Theatre in Chicago was the second night of their COVID-delayed Ultra Mono tour, and the house was packed. In addition to 2020’s Ultra Mono, the band’s lengthy set spanned earlier albums and to the joy of many in the crowd, included a generous preview of their upcoming album Crawler, out in November.
A tightly packed and intensely energetic crowd moshed and nodded along to IDLES’ performance, mesmerized by the band’s beautiful ability to conjure catharsis and camaraderie in a room full of strangers. That quality was on full display as the audience shouted out lyrics in perfect unison with lead singer Joe Talbot, song after song.
Gustaf, a Brooklyn-based art-punk four-piece, brought their dancy rhythms, arch humor, and impeccable lyrics during their opening set at the beginning of the night. Lead singer Lydia Gammill has a must-see stage presence and a refreshingly original sound that feels like a combative, grimier Talking Heads but with more earnest romance. Gammill got some extra love from the crowd for her melodic flute performance in the truly beautiful number, “Happy,” a track from their debut release “Audio Drag for Ego Slobs.”
At the end of the night, the sweat-drenched crowd lost their minds to a full-ensemble iteration of IDLES’ “Rottweiler,” with Gustaf joining in and consuming the stage with a raucous tandem performance of the final number.
Les Savy Fav & Heavy Lag @ Market Hotel - Brooklyn, NY
Photos courtesy of Edwina Hay | September 12th 2021
Performing their first hometown show since January 2019, Les Savy Fav headlined Market Hotel in Bushwick, Brooklyn on Sunday, September 13, 2021. Although their previous concert at Elsewhere sold out, this one wasn’t, perhaps due to factors such as it starting at 9 PM on a Sunday rather than a Friday or Saturday night, the New York City public school year starting the following day on Monday, September 13th, New York City employees returning to their offices the next day as well, and concerns about the spread of COVID-19. The event was vaccinated only so attendees had to show their proof of vaccination and photo ID before entering the show upstairs.
Brooklyn’s Heavy Lag kicked off the evening with a great set at 9:15 PM and joked about being out of practice since they hadn’t performed in front of people in some time. The group features Greg Thornberg of Ellen and the Degenerates (which broke up in 2019), Anthony Careccia of Up for Nothing, and Josh Goan (who was in both acts). They performed with a fairly new drummer and remarked that they only have two songs on their Bandcamp page at the moment so hopefully, they’ll record more of their material with their newest member in the near future.
Les Savy Fav’s performances are a rare treat as two members of the band (guitarist, Seth Jabour and bassist, Syd Butler) being a part of “Late Night with Seth Meyers”’ 8G Band and Syd running Frenchkiss Records, among other reasons. Fans of the band and their live sets know to expect wild antics from their vocalist, Tim Harrington, and this show was no different (a list of some of the things Tim did appear below and are documented in this photo gallery). Before arriving at Market Hotel, I wondered if Tim would show any restraint as we’re currently in a pandemic and we all should be practicing social distancing, and was naturally unsurprised when their set began and I realized that answer was a resounding no. They indulged fans with favorites throughout their career and ended their set by performing all the songs from their 21-year-old EP, Emor: Rome Upside Down, which recently became available on streaming platforms.
Tim brought a broom and fake flowers on stage before their set began. At some point he brought a living plant from the venue to the stage, and then sang through its leaves.
Tim later licked the bristles of the aforementioned broom, more than once.
He removed his “I’m in Miami, bitch” t-shirt to later don a brown furry vest, followed by a white Les Savy Fav t-shirt, and then his bare chest.
The white band t-shirt was ripped open while he was wearing it.
He brought an audience member on stage to put their head through the other sleeve of the vest to become a two headed monster.
Tim placed himself against the big glass window behind their drummer, Harrison Haynes, that faces a subway platform, at least twice.
He licked the bald head of an audience member standing to my left.
Tim noticed I grabbed my beer in front of him and remarked “she said, ‘not my beer!’” and he was absolutely right.
He threw the microphone cord into a hook hanging from Market Hotel’s ceiling and sang into the mic while it was hanging from the ceiling.
This aforementioned hook was yanked from the ceiling by Tim.
He sang while standing on top of the bar in the back of the room.
Tim put a beer can, his microphone, and one of the lights from the stage, down the front of his pants.
Syd left the stage at one point, only to return to finish the song the band was playing when he left.
Tim borrowed a male photographer’s camera during their final song, which had a wrist strap, and then took photos with it.
Made in America - Philadelphia, PA
Photos courtesy of Bridget Craig | September 3rd & 4th 2021
Dugg
A$AP Ferg
Baby Keep
Bobby Shmurda
Coi Leray
Freddie Gibbs
Griselda
Justin Bieber
Kehlani
Latto
Lil Baby
Megan Thee Stallion
Moneybagg
Morray
Roddy Ricch
Tinashe
Young Thug
Jason Mraz @ The Mann Center, Philadelphia, PA
Photos courtesy of Carolyn Lederach | August 20th 2021
Before coming out to this show, I couldn’t help but think back on my own musical history of Jason Mraz. I distinctly remember the time back in 2002 when I asked my mom to take me to the mall so I could go to FYE and pick up a copy of Waiting for My Rocket to Come. I never thought some 19 years later I would be coming back from a pandemic and taking photos of Jason Mraz celebrating the release of his 7th album. Despite following Mr. A-Z’s music career for all this time, somehow this was the first live show I have attended and I’m kicking myself for waiting this long. Not only was it a fun time with his 12-piece band, but it was also fun to see a new spin to classic hits like “The Remedy (I Won’t Worry)”, and get to take in a couple of solo songs as well. It was all the good vibes we needed to come back from a drought of no-shows for over a year.
You really have to appreciate the career Jason Mraz has had, now on tour supporting the release of his 7th studio album Look For The Good. When his first album Waiting For My Rocket to Come was released it really opened up my 14-year-old mind to a clever new form of music, giving me a new appreciation for songwriting that I didn’t know I needed at the time. It wasn’t until Jason’s 3rd album, We Sing. We Dance. We Steal Things., that he really showed the world what he was made of with his biggest hits “I’m Yours” and “Lucky”. Since then he’s still been busy making the world a better place with his avocados (yes, Jason owns an avocado farm), various philanthropy efforts, and more beautiful songs. Lastly, an important note to highlight more of the good in Look For The Good…back on the album’s release in June, Mraz announced that all his earnings from sales and streams of the new LP would be going to numerous Black Lives Matter charities. More can be found on this in his official statement. Hopefully, your feet will find you back at a show soon enjoying life.
Dale Play Reggaeton Fest @ Glenwood Oaks, Chicago IL
Photos courtesy of Emily Nava | June 18 2021
Reggaeton fans of Chicago and surrounding areas gathered in the parking lot of Glenwood Oaks on Friday, June 18th for Dale Play Reggaeton Festival featuring EIX, DJ Orma, Hozwal, Dalex, and Jay Wheeler.
This festival was the first of its kind in the past year as the live music scene took a hit from the pandemic. EIX got the party started with new music and was followed by Bad Bunny's DJ Orma, who played a variety of Bad Bunny hits, including "Safaera". Hozwal kept the energy going, then Dalex played a mix of songs he is featured on, such as "Elegi (Rauw Alejandro)" and songs he is most known for, such as "+Linda" and "Pa Mi".
Headliner, Jay Wheeler, gained more popularity over the past year with the release of his hit song "La Curiosidad (featuring Myke Towers)" and his 2nd album Platonicos. Wheeler made his Chicago debut by wearing a Blackhawks jersey and playing some of his recent releases such as "Otro Fili" and "Viendo El Techo" as well as old songs such as "Dime Que Si". Throughout his highly anticipated performance, Wheeler continuously engaged with fans and showed his appreciation for them by thanking them for being there. The energy of the crowd was electric as every fan used their phone as a flashlight for "La Curiosidad" and sang the lyrics in unison. Wheeler left the crowd chanting for an encore, so I'm sure this will not be the last we see of him anytime soon.
Lil Yachty with Dial Up @ Planetarium Parking Lot, Chicago, IL
Photos and review courtesy of Taylor Nettnin | August 14 2020
Chicagoans were treated to an outdoor show presented by Lakeshore Drive In on Friday, August 14th, 2020. Amid a global pandemic, the live entertainment industry was hit hard and there was a lot of uncertainty on what the future of live shows would be. Thanks to production companies like Lakeshore Drive In, fans are able to enjoy their favorite artists from the comfort of their own car!
Starting off the night was local group Dial Up, who brought the energy and amped up the crowd. While you are only allowed to walk around the perimeter of your car, attendees still found ways to have fun with their friends and dance along as if there weren't any restrictions. It's even quite fun to hear the response to "make some noise!" be everyone's car horn. Dial Up hit the crowd with a lot of nostalgia, as their soulful music sounded to be heavily influenced by R&B and Hip Hop from the 90's.
Lil Yachty then took the stage for the first time since December of 2019. Playing a good mix of new and old hits, with a few of his features in between, the entire crowd found a way to cheer him on. Fans stood in the bed of their pick up trucks, others sat on the roof of their car; no matter how they did it, the fans found creative ways to show their appreciation to experience live music once again. You could feel the energy from the crowd, and it showed in Lil Yachty's performance when catching quick glimpses of him genuinely smiling and enjoying being on the stage once again.
