Saint Motel @ The Riviera Theatre - Chicago

May 10th 2025: Saint Motel, Brigitte Calls Me Baby @ The Riviera Theatre - Chicago, IL

Saint Motel | Photos Courtesy of: Emily Nava

On Saturday May 10th 2025, Saint Motel brought their Symphony In The Sky tour to a sold out Riviera Theatre with opening act Brigitte Calls Me Baby. This tour follows the February release of their latest album Saint Motel & the Symphony in the Sky.

Chicago-based indie rock newcomers Brigitte Calls Me Baby opened the show with a set full of 80s rock-inspired vocals and shimmery guitars. Their energy was a great start to the evening and got fans pumped for the show.

Saint Motel started off their set with lead singer AJ Jackson conducting the "symphony" of Saint Motel, which consisted of a digitally projected strings section, in addition to their usual band of members Aaron Sharp (guitar), Dak Lerdamornpong (bass), Greg Erwin (drums), as well as a touring saxophonist and trumpeter. The set then began with "Puzzle Pieces," a high-energy, danceable hit from the band's 2012 album Voyeur, which got the crowd moving and excited for the rest of the night. Whether it was by clapping along to a beat, saying a word altogether on cue for "Move," or waving a wand/flashlight in different directions during "It's All Happening" etc., Saint Motel kept the audience engaged while playing songs from most of their previous releases. It seemed as though Saint Motel were enjoying the night as well. They recounted previous Chicago shows and mentioned that this was their "craziest" Chicago show yet before playing "Fine Wine." The momentum of the show kept building and was full of surprises — one of them being AJ emerging from the balcony for the encore to perform "A Bluer Blue" then returning to the stage, only to come back out into the crowd several songs later during an explosive performance of "My Type."

As a long-time listener of the band, I have to say, Saint Motel's incredible attention to detail when it comes to taking the theme of their album and translating it into a live production is truly something to admire. The band's outfits, grand piano on stage, sheet music stands, star-like LED lights, merch and so on matched the Symphony in the Sky theme perfectly. Their fun vibes were enjoyed by an audience of all ages, who I'm sure, will return to see them the next time they are in town. Saint Motel's first leg of this tour just ended but be sure to catch them on the other leg in the Fall!

Brigitte Calls Me Baby