Author Archives: Taylor Nettnin

Hitting the stage in front of his largest headlining show to date, JAWNY had every person in the room, from the floor to the seated area in the balcony, on their feet dancing along. If you weren’t at the sold out JAWNY show in Chicago, IL on St. Patrick’s Day, you truly missed out on an incredible night.

Fresh off of the release of his debut album on Interscope Records, JAWNY played nearly every track from It’s Never Fair, Always True, as well as several fan favorites from his previous releases, even intertwining a Taylor Swift cover in the middle of the set, in which the crowd sang along so loud they overpowered the band’s in-ear monitors. You could tell that this moment caught JAWNY off guard, as he was visibly amazed at the volume of the crowd and commented on how thankful he was that the fans helped him pursue his dreams.

As the band played to the self proclaimed “best city in America for music and shows,” when starting the rock heavy song “take it back,” you could feel the floor shaking from how much the crowd was jumping. This led JAWNY to recall a moment when he was opening the show for a different band several years ago at the same venue, and he sitting in the balcony during the soundcheck looking forward to when he would be able to play for a crowd this big on his own. He even mentioned that they were originally going to book a much smaller venue as they didn’t think they could sell out the show. The crowd cheered him on through his speech, proving that it was a good idea to pick a larger venue.

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Hot off the heels from their latest album release, Louisville, Kentucky rockers White Reaper brought their electrifying Asking For A Ride Tour to Chicago for a sold out show at the Metro. Mamalarky and Militarie Gun served as the openers for this leg of the tour.

With a mixed crowd of old and new listeners, everyone danced in rhythm to old favorites like “Might Be Right,” as well as instant classic “Pages,” the first single from White Reapers latest release, Asking For A Ride. Everyone in the crowd was off their feet and slamming into each other as they sang along to their favorite band.

Being close to home, it was no surprise that keyboardist Ryan Hater gave a shout out to his parents that made the trek over to watch their sold out show. You could see how proud they were when he pointed them out in balcony.

Commenting on the fact that a lot of their gear had been broken during the coarse of their tour, the most noticeable being the kick drum, they didn’t let that hinder them and continued to rock as hard as they could. It’s no surprise that they’ve been passionate enough to ding up their gear, as in the heat of the moment it’s easy to want to thrash around to their angsty tracks.

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RuPaul’s Drag Race and American Idol alum Adore Delano brought her Party Your World Tour to Chicago on February 15th, with Chicago’s own Bev Rage and the Drinks opening the show.

It’s the day after Valentine’s Day, and love is in the air. Everyone is here to see their favorite queen from season six of RuPaul’s Drag Race. Known for her vocal ability, it comes as no surprise that Adore has made a name for herself in the music industry. Going through her catalog of original songs, as well as covers, the reality TV star proved that she is a force to be reckoned with.

Many of Adore’s original songs come from a darker place and often explore the theme of heartbreak, which Adore noted as being hard to get to that mindset while performing in front of a crowd that’s showing her endless love and support. Telling stories of her writing process in between her songs, Adore connected even more with her adoring fans.

With electrifying covers of “Creep” by Radiohead, and “Toxic” by Britney Spears, plus fan favorite originals like “I Adore U” and “27 Club,” Adore captivated the crowd from start to finish.

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Fitz and the Tantrums brought their sold out Let Yourself Free Tour to Chicago’s Vic Theater on a cold, yet very hot inside from dancing, Thursday night. Bringing along up and coming indie pop artist Sammy Rash, Fitz and the Tantrums packed the theater with fans from all age groups.

Sammy Rash is a 20-year-old independent musician from Los Angeles, California. Lending his smooth vocals to the sweet melody’s provided by his DJ, Sammy helped pump up the crowd before the main act.

Fitz and the Tantrums stormed the stage with their vast array of brass instruments in addition to their guitars, keyboards, and drums. Every time James King picked up his saxophone, the crowd went wild. The saxophone helped elevate the dance music, bringing a bit of soul to the mix.

Watching older couples dance around and having a great time, lead singers Mike Fitzpatrick and Noelle Scaggs led the group through their numerous hits and beat heavy tracks. Showing their utmost appreciation for helping the band achieve the success they have experienced thus far, Mike Fitzpatrick shared a story to encourage everyone to never give up on their dreams, which included telling the crowd how many times he tried to make it in the music industry and failed until he was in his 40s. “It’s never gonna happen if you give up on yourself,” was the sound advice given to the crowd before launching into the bands encore.

The Let Yourself Free tour continues through February.

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On Tuesday, November 22nd, Baby Gravy headlined the Aragon Ballroom in Chicago. Baby Gravy consists of frequent collaborators Yung Gravy and bbno$ (baby no money). The duo have released an EP and an album together, titled “Baby Gravy EP” and Baby Gravy 2, as well as multiple singles on each other’s solo projects, so it was only fitting that they share the stage for a tour.

Rather than performing a full set each, Yung Gravy and bbno$ structured their co-headlining set so that they would perform a handful of songs together and then an individual set of a few songs each, repeating this set up before ending the show together. The animated videos they played before each mini set helped guide the tone, showing the duo in comedic situations that the crowd went wild for.

It’s no secret that the rappers are popular, dominating Tik Tok and making award show appearances, so it was no surprise that they would draw a rowdy crowd. Lining up for hours before the doors opened and then smashing into the venue like sardines, bbno$ had to stop mid song to point out an attendee that needed medical attention. It was endearing to see how much both of the rappers cared about their fans, making it a point throughout the night to pass out multiple cases of water to the crowd so they could stay hydrated and enjoy the show.

Another endearing moment is when Yung Gravy called for the crowd to throw as many bras as they possibly could on stage, explaining that they donate all of the bras they collect to different charities in every city. Once he shared this information, a sea of bras littered the stage.

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Måneskin have had a whirlwind of a career over the last few years. They came in second place on the Italian version of X Factor in 2017, won the Eurovision Song Contest on behalf of Italy in 2021, have played countless sold out concerts, made award show appearances, drawn huge crowds at festivals, and now a Grammy nomination in the Best New Artist category. All of this while still in their early 20s. So it was no surprise that when they headlined the Aragon Ballroom in Chicago on November 17th for their Loud Kids Tour, the crowd drew anyone and everyone from the city and surrounding states.

It’s not often that a band is able to pack a venue without any opening bands to fill the waiting time, but Måneskin did exactly that. Homemade signs and various flags were seen flying around the crowd, while everyone dressed in their best rock ’n’ roll outfits chanted for the band to take the stage for over an hour and a half before the lights finally went down.

Even though they’re young, Måneskin have mastered the classic rock moves and have engineered them in a way that sounds unlike anyone else. Their live show proves their musical abilities and serves as a love letter to their fans, showing them the upmost appreciation for following them on their journey. They constantly come down to the barricade and interact directly with the audience, and they even hand out wristbands to anyone in the first few rows who are really enjoying themselves, which allows them to dance on stage with the band before their encore.

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On Friday, November 11th, 2022, Eshu Tune, the musical moniker of the multi-talented Hannibal Buress, released a new single titled “Knee Brace,” and subsequently threw a release party in his hometown of Chicago, Illinois.

With comedy laced in his music, and a few quick jokes in between tracks, fans of the comedian Hannibal Buress will be just as entertained seeing him perform musically as Eshu Tune. His latest single “Knee Brace” proves this tenfold. With the same effortlessness he uses to nonchalantly drop some of the funniest jokes throughout his standup career, Eshu Tune has the same effortless jokes, dropped in with a smooth flow.

The release day for “Knee Brace” proves this even more,with Buress going on Chris Cuomo’s live show and playing his new single repeatedly instead of answering questions. Buress talked about this during the release party, laughing through the entire story. And his laughter was infectious as he had the entire crowd busting up while talking about his day. Just as he captivates the audience as Hannibal, he captivated the those assembled with smooth vocals paired with his hilarious lyrics.

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Joji brought his Smithereens tour to Chicago’s Aragon Ballroom for a two night, sold out run on October 6th and 7th. Even though it was raining, fans lined up all day to see the 88 Rising star take the stage in front of 5,000 like minded attendees.

Originally starting his career as a YouTuber known as Filthy Frank and The Pink Guy, Joji transitioned into a more serious music career in the mid-2010s, trading his comedic genre for R&B and trip hop. You can still see his YouTube and meme influence in his current performance, where he throws in a few jokes between songs and does over the top dancing during some of his tracks.

Joji is constantly connected with his fans throughout the night, speaking about how thankful he was that the fans waited in the rain to see him. He also made it a point to throw merchandise in the crowd throughout the night, even building a canon-like machine meant to hurl the shirts at the crowd.

He also brought out a performer local to the Chicagoland area to highlight the importance of supporting your local artists. The man he brought out dresses up as the character “Wolverine,” and also bartends. Joji let him plug his social media before moving on to the next song.

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It’s the final day of Riot Fest Chicago 2022. Today’s lineup has to be the most stacked. I’m having a hard time deciding which bands I’ll catch and which I’ll have to skip. If I could have a time machine so I could go back and enjoy every set, I’d gladly share it with all of my friends in the same boat today.

Opening the Riot stage is Zola Jesus, whose mesmerizing dance moves paired with her flowing dress hypnotize the crowd while she effortlessly serenades everyone. It’s not an easy feat being the first act to play the main stage at a festival, but Zola Jesus really showed out.

Alice Glass runs on to the stage to a crowd full of screaming and dancing fans. The hyper pop pioneer stuns while she dances and expertly wraps her microphone cable around her body to the beat of the music.

Coolio, Pvris, Midtown, and Ice Cube are some notable acts of the evening. The sun is beating heavily on everyone, the dust clouds are swirling from the amount of people walking back and forth between the stages, and morale is high.

One of the biggest crowds of the weekend comes from the Yeah Yeah Yeahs. Frontwoman Karen O mentions that they don’t play very many shows, which explains why seemingly everyone at the fest is at this set. Playing a few new songs and a ton of fan favorites, the Yeah Yeah Yeahs command the crowd for the entire hour they are on the stage. No elaborate stage set ups, no choreographed sequences, just the band and their music.

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Saturday’s crowd gets a slight reprieve from the hot weather, as it is cloudy today! My plans for Riot Fest today involve plenty of angsty acts, so a break from the sun will be much appreciated.

Jxdn takes to the stage in front of a mass audience. Gaining popularity on the social media platform TikTok, the rocker quickly gained tons of fans for his blossoming music career. He rocks through some of his more well known tracks while sprucing in an unreleased song, a Limp Bizkit cover, and a XXXTENTACION cover. The crowd loves every last second.

Many of these fans stayed for Yungblud, turning up the energy even higher and truly getting rowdy. Yungblud really knows how to get everybody moving, shaking his hips and jumping all over the stage while he beckons for all of the festival goers to do the same.

The only set that rivals all of the crowd activity is The Story So Far. I dodge crowd surfers left and right and watch as the crowd energetically pumps their bodies over the barricade in sync with the music.

Other notable sets include Movements, Bad Religion, and Gogol Bordello. All of these sets help set up the main event, Yellowcard reuniting to play their record Ocean Avenue in full. Frontman Ryan Key mentions all the messages he’s read from dedicated fans that traveled from multiple countries to watch this reunion. I see signs in the crowd that state the number of years people have anxiously waited for this moment.

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It is hot in Chicago. When I think about a festival in September, I think sweater weather and dress as such. As I walk from my car I realize this was not wise. It feels like we’re in the middle of the summer, and the crowds I see around the stages reflect this too. It’s shaping up to be a hot and sweaty Riot Fest this year.

I’m eager to see Foxy Shazam. I’ve heard they are very energetic, and this is the perfect way to start a festival weekend. Frontman Eric Nally and pianist Sky White steal the show with their stage presence, really commanding the crowd and connecting with anyone they make eye contact with.

I bounce over to catch Wargasm, an electronic rock duo from London. They recently toured the United States with the popular nu metal band Limp Bizkit, and you can see that the London duo took influence from the heavy hitters with their live performance which was entertaining from start to finish.

It’s nice to see Riot Fest veterans The Descendents and Taking Back Sunday on this year’s roster. Their sets are back to back and their stages are side to side, which makes it much easier for the shared crowd to catch both acts.

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It’s the final day of the first ever Sacred Rose Festival. There’s a stacked lineup and I’m eager to see how the day will play out.

I enter the gates and shortly after it’s announced that the grounds must evacuate as the winds are too high. The music has been put on pause until further notice. After a couple of hours, we get the all clear to come back in and proceed with the schedule as it was originally posted. However, The Canopy stage suffered some damage due to the winds, so they keep this closed while they work on it.

Unfortunately a few sets were skipped and several others were shortened. I caught The Infamous Stringdusters featuring Molly Tuttle, who were so excited to get back on stage and jam out with the eager crowd. I raced over to catch a bit of Hiatus Kaiyote, a soul band from Australia. I’m so excited that they were able to play because so many fans in the front row were emotional during their set, overcome with happiness as they belted out the lyrics to their favorite songs.

The Canopy is given the all clear to reopen, and rockers Dawes take the stage. Their set was unfortunately cut short as lightning has been spotted in the area. We are once again asked to evacuate and await further instructions. While their set was short, Dawes made the few songs they had count. They must have mustered up even more passion during the first weather delay and left all their emotions out on the stage. This set would be hard to top.

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As I enter the gates for day 2 of Sacred Rose Fest, I immediately notice that the crowd showed up early and brought along all their friends. It is packed! I even see plenty of children running around wearing tie dye Goose shirts in anticipation for one of tonight’s headliners. These kids are way cooler than I ever was at their age.

I head over to The Canopy to catch the first part of The Disco Biscuits nearly 2 hour set. From the moment they stepped foot on stage, it was a non-stop dance and jam session. The bass was booming and the crowd was vibing.

I walk around and enjoy the installations, finally laying down on one of the various hammocks they have set up. While it feels nice to lay down, I’m in a position where the sun is directly in my eyes, so I head to the laser dome and see how the DJ set is going. The lasers are really fun! It’s a very chill vibe.

I catch the very funky Cory Wong, who I’m happily surprised has a brass band on stage with him. Cory’s smile was very infectious, I couldn’t help but dance around while he was on stage!

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It’s the first day of the inaugural Sacred Rose Festival, taking place on the outskirts of Chicago, Illinois. The weather is looking beautiful to be outside for hours; it’s partly cloudy and there’s a breeze in the air. I pack a sweater just in case, and I’m glad I did because it gets a bit chilly once the sun goes down.

Walking into the park mid afternoon, it’s not crowded yet and there aren’t any lines to get in. I can hear that City and Colour is about to start, so I head over to The Canopy, which is a nicely shaded stage smack in the middle of the fest. Dallas Green’s soothing voice helps ease me into festival mode.

I walk around for a bit to check out all of the food and shop vendors. You have your typical Island Noodles, pizza, and hot dogs for food options, and Goose Island and Liquid Death are proudly advertised at every drink station. The shops appear to all be local with a ton of handmade options. Plenty to choose from to complete your festival attire!

There’s quite a few installations to relax in between sets. I make note of their locations so I can enjoy them during some of my downtime this weekend. At night some even transform into fire pits, pretty neat! There’s also a huge dome that has DJs playing all weekend while they have a laser show, it’s really dim in there so this could be an awesome place to go when you need a break from the sun.

Yves Tumor and Lettuce are up next; their crowds are ready to dance. I stick around and enjoy both sets. They are vastly different, yet somehow boast the same mellow vibe. I find it funny that a group of people brought heads of lettuce to throw around during Lettuce’s set. I don’t think I want to know how they got those past security, but I commend them for following through!

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The Welcome to Hellvetica Tour kicked off Thursday night in Chicago, IL at the Metro to a room full of colorful fans. Lined up hours before doors were slated to open, the fans for co-headliners Joywave and iDKHOW spent the time between grabbing onto the barricade to listening to the first note ring, discussing possible set lists, and how crazy they were going to go when their favorite songs were played.

Crooner Savannah Conley provided her sweet, melodic tunes to warm up the crowd and get the mood set right. She was the perfect mix of mellow and energetic to awaken the audience after a day of work and school, yet prepared for the dancing that was about to occur.

Half of a Corvette with an Illinois license plate reading “JOYWAVE” is put on the stage, along with all the respective instruments that are about to be played. The lights go down and five men wearing mechanic jumpsuits walk on stage, but these men aren’t actually mechanics; the music starts and it’s revealed that the mechanics are actually Joywave! The crowd goes wild as “Coming Apart” opens the set.

The indie rockers rolled through their 15 song set with a live debut of “Pray for the Reboot” from their recently released fourth album Cleanse, the Euphoria popularized “Dangerous,” and lead singer Daniel Armbruster‘s quarantine side project Best Frenz track “Ugly Ending.” The crowd is reeling while Joywave plays their encore.

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