WORDS AND PHOTOS: JEREMY LAWSON | Upon arriving at Thalia Hall in the Pilsen neighborhood of Chicago, I was greeted by the Secret Sisters. I was pretty bummed to have missed their entire set. They were just wrapping up an acoustic encore when I looked up to see the enormous ceilings of this amazing venue. I had never been to Thalia Hall and I picked the perfect show to experience the concert hall. The Secret Sisters left the stage and the crowd was ready for what was to come, a knee slapping, banjo picking, good old folk show.
Old Crow Medicine Show took the stage and I had no idea what was in store for me. The show started off with some of their older material. You could instantly tell that the crowd were long time followers of the band. Everyone was singing along and most of them were dancing—dancing alone, dancing with their partners, and dancing with strangers.
The energy was electric and the stage was set for a Pilsen dance party. At one point I was in the balcony and when I looked down nearly half of the crowd was swing dancing. Not your traditional swing dance but mostly swinging each other around with Old Style in hand. People were laughing, yelling and having a good ole time. This was my third time seeing the band and each time the party has gotten crazier.
