Stephen Sanchez @ Lincoln Hall - Chicago, IL
February 25th 2023: Stephen Sanchez, Kings Elliot @ Lincoln Hall - Chicago, IL
Stephen Sanchez - Photos Courtesy of Taylor Nettnin
Overnight TikTok sensation Stephen Sanchez brought his sold-out tour to Chicago’s Lincoln Hall on February 25th, with support from Kings Elliot.
Kings Elliot opened the night with her sweet and soothing harmonious tracks, chock-full of uplifting melodies, and beautiful vocals. While most of her lyrics are inspired by mental health and have darker themes, she performed them with a smile on her face as the crowd happily received every word she sang.
Stephen Sanchez storms the stage to a screaming crowd, ready to dance the night away. The Southern Charmer may be young in age, but he sings and performs like a seasoned veteran, often embodying the heart and soul of a crooner from the 1950s.
Enthusiastically addressing the crowd, jumping around the stage, and smiling ear to ear during his entire set, Sanchez proved he is a force to be reckoned with. Ending the night with his hit song featured in the Netflix series Ginny and Georgia, the crowd sang every word of “Until I Found You” back to Sanchez, giving back every ounce of love that he shared with the crowd the entire night.
Stephen Sanchez continues his tour of North America through the middle of March and will embark on another headlining tour of North America in the fall.
Kings Elliot
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.
Drive N Drag @ Soldier Field South Lot, Chicago, IL
Photos and review courtesy of Taylor Nettnin | August 09 2020
The Soldier Field parking lot was used for much more than parking on Sunday, August 9th in Chicago, IL! The Drive N Drag Tour rolled through Chicago for six shows Friday through Sunday and featured many fan favorite drag queens from recent seasons of “RuPaul’s Drag Race.” Season 12 top three Jaida Essence Hall, Crystal Methyd, and Gigi Goode were reunited on stage for the first time since their filming wrapped. Other queens that were performing were Season 11 winner Yvie Oddly, Vanessa Vanjie Mateo, Plastique Tiara, and Asia O’Hara who also doubled as the emcee for the night.
It has been many months since Chicago has had a live event due to Covid-19 and safety guidelines, so this show was very different in the sense that fans had to wear their masks and stay around the vicinity of their cars. At a typical drag show you can go up to the stage and tip the queens, but everyone in attendance respected the safety of the queens and everyone around them and made sure to follow the rules, even when the queens came out into the crowd for their final number.
It was thrilling to be at a show once again. You could feel the genuine happiness of the performers to be in front of their fans again, as well as the excitement of the crowd to be watching a live performance. Each queen had their own time to wow the crowd, complete with costume changes and backup dancers. A highlight of the night was Yvie Oddly and Vanessa Vanjie Mateo performing their original song “Hype” together; their energies meshed well together, and their different styles complemented one another.
Utilizing Asia O’Hara as the emcee was an amazing move for this tour. In between acts Asia came out in the crowd to ask “Drag Race” trivia questions and generally interact with the crowd. She even found someone in the crowd who was willing to share their food with her, safely of course.
Although this show wasn’t like what we’ve grown accustomed to for live events, it was still uplifting to be around the distanced crowd and watch performers in front of a live crowd once again. If this is what shows are going to look like for the foreseeable future, it seems as though everyone is already well adapted to it and can’t wait for who they can see next!
Ariana and the Rose @ Schubas, Chicago, IL
Photos and review courtesy of Taylor Nettnin | February 1st 2020
Photo by Taylor Nettnin
Ariana and the Rose took the stage in Chicago for the first time with a band on Saturday, February 1st, 2020. The pop artist from New York united the crowd during her set, letting everyone express themselves by dancing to her catchy beats while strongly relating to the lyrics that she was singing.
One of the strong points of her set was when she performed “You Were Never My Boyfriend,” the lead single from her most recent EP “Constellations Part 1.” The crowd bopped along as she sang through the powerful lyrics, “you made me think that it was in my head, but I swear, you were never my boyfriend.” The strong message mixed with soulful synth and drums called for a powerful aura from the mostly female crowd.
Photo by Taylor Nettnin
Dazzling the crowd with her strong vocals and whimsical dance moves, Ariana is a force to be reckoned with. Connecting with the crowd as if she was wearing her heart on her sleeve, she put everything she had on the stage and it truly showed. Powering through her popular tracks like “Night Owl,” “Lonely Star,” and “Supercool,” she owned the stage and proved that she is an impeccable performer.
Ariana is a powerhouse performer that everyone needs to put on their radar. You can catch her again in Chicago on Saturday, April 23rd, 2020 at the Empty Bottle. Be sure to be on the lookout for her immersive event Light + Space in your area!
Conan Gray with Umi @ House of Blues, Chicago, IL
Photos & review courtesy of Taylor Nettnin | November 1, 2019
Conan Gray's The Comfort Crowd Tour had its third tour stop in Chicago on Friday, November 1st, 2019, to a sold out crowd at the House of Blues. LA-based R&B singer Umi opened the show with a colorful and soulful set that set the tone for Gray’s performance.
20-year-old Texas-native Youtuber and musician Conan Gray was welcomed to a crowd full of screaming teens that were chanting and dancing along to his dreamy pop set. Even though the venue was packed with screaming fans, Gray managed to make the performance feel intimate as he blazed through his popular tracks like “Generation Why,” “Comfort Crowd,” and “Crush Culture.”
Gray bounced all over the stage during his entire performance, matching the energy of the crowd. Whether he was wooing the crowd with dance moves that matched his music, or strumming along on his guitar, Gray knows how to captivate his audience and keep them wanting more. The Comfort Crowd Tour continues through North America until December 13th, 2019.
