Author Archives: Taylor Nettnin

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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Pinegrove finished off their two-night stand in Chicago at Thalia Hall on Tuesday, July 26 for the 11:11 Tour. Poise and Gulfer provided support for the sold out show.

Pinegrove’s 20+ setlist saw them rip through many highlights of their lengthy catalog, including their newest album 11:11, and favorites from Skylight, Merigold, and many others. Even though Thalia Hall is a larger venue, the band’s boisterous presence and thoughtful, melodic lyrics brought the crowd together in what felt like an intimate setting.

The audience felt just as important as the live show itself. Without the emotional crowd interaction, the show wouldn’t have felt as special as it did. Fans were screaming, jumping, and thrashing their bodies over the barricade, which wouldn’t be a reaction anticipated from Pinegrove’s sound. Their music touches people to the point that they need to physically express their love for the music.

The 11:11 Tour continues across North America through the end of August.

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UMI wrapped up her Forest in the City Tour with a sold out show at Lincoln Hall in Chicago, Illinois on Thursday, June 30th. Dianna Lopez provided support and warmed up the crowd before UMI made her final appearance for this run.

With incense burning, breath flowing, and bodies moving, UMI and Dianna Lopez brought their ethereal and uplifting live shows together for a moving night. Dianna Lopez set the tone for an emotional night, stopping for a moment to shed a few tears as she was overcome with emotions after the crowd openly received one of her favorite songs she had written.

With a smile on her face, UMI embraced the stage and led the crowd into a group breathing session, making sure everyone was in tune with their breathing and bodies before jumping into the music. Playing songs from her newly released album and tracks released prior, the crowd received her music with pleasure, often shouting adoration at the singer during any quiet moment they found.

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Coming towards the end of her tour in support of her sophomore album Broken Hearts Club, singer-songwriter Syd sold out Thalia Hall in Chicago, IL on Wednesday, June 8th, 2022. Destin Conrad opened the show, playing tracks off of his debut project COLORWAY.

Telling the tale of her worst heartbreak through music, Syd started at the beginning of her journey and proclaimed that she had to “take these L’s and turn them into W’s.” Even though it was about a broken heart, Syd’s journey through her memories via her music felt like anything but a heartbreak, with the constant screams of adoration from the fans and the reciprocation every time Syd told the crowd that she loved them.

Syd’s upbeat vibes radiated throughout the entire venue for the duration of her set, with the crowd sweetly singing along to every word she sang. In between the tales of her broken heart, Syd mixed in a few tracks from her debut album Fin, as well as a few tracks from her band The Internet. These tracks served as a great addition to the beautiful and vulnerable tracks chosen from Broken Hearts Club. Heartbreak is not fun, but Syd knows how to turn it around into something beautiful.

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Multiple Grammy-nominated artist Phoebe Bridgers brought her Reunion Tour to a sold out Chicago crowd on Saturday, June 4th, 2022. Fans lined up as early as 9AM to get a chance to see the “Kyoto” singer up close, listening to music that has been described as being sadly beautiful while being vulnerable with thousands of fans alike.

Shortly after 9PM, the lights dimmed and Disturbed’s “Down With The Sickness” boomed over the speakers while the backing band entered the stage. Bridgers’ band donned the skeleton costumes she has become known for wearing, while she wore a whimsical white suit that matched her angelic vocals presented during the night. The fans in the crowd proved their loyalty to the artist, belting her lyrics so loudly and powerful, it proved that the venue was at maximum capacity.

Every track off of her Sophomore album Punisher was played, with a few tracks from her debut album, as well as a few singles sprinkled in between. Taking short breaks between some of the tracks, Bridgers addressed the crowd with varying topics, such as corporate America taking over Pride, the government’s opposition to reproductive rights and affordable healthcare, and Florida’s “Don’t Say Gay” bill.

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Fresh from making history as the first drag queen to perform at Coachella, Pabllo Vittar brought her I Am Pabllo World Tour to a packed crowd at the Metro in Chicago, IL. With Alice Longyu Gao opening the show, this is the most dancing you’ll experience on a weekday afternoon all season!

Multidisciplinary artist Alice Longyu Gao set the night off on a great note with her hyperpop and upbeat dance tracks. Decked out in a colorful and trendy exemble, Alice happily hopped around the stage while the crowd reciprocated her vibes. In between songs, Alice gave the crowd plenty of words of advice for being their most authentic selves and shared words of support for the LGBTQ community. The “Legend” singer properly warmed the crowd up for the great show that was about to follow.

If you were curious about what perfection looks like, buy yourself a ticket to see Pabllo Vittar live! Sharing the stage with a few backup dancers, Vittar flawlessly executed every single dance move and hit every high note without breaking a sweat. Pushing through her hits and collaborations, such as “Flash Pose” and “Follow Me,” the Brazilian drag artist kept the crowd moving for over an hour.

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