Author Archives: Taylor Nettnin

Oliver Tree brought his Cowboy Tears tour to a sold out Radius in Chicago, Illinois on Friday, March 4th. 347Aidan and Sueco were slated to open, but unfortunately Sueco suffered an asthma attack and had to cancel.

Two weeks after Oliver Tree’s sophomore album was unleashed on the world, 3,800 Chicagoans recited all the words to his new tracks as he played them live. Complete with several costume changes, a quirky set design, and hilarious banter between songs, the “Life Goes On” singer kept the crowd on their toes for the entire set.

Tapping in to the country theme of his latest album Cowboy Tears, the stage was decked out with various props to emanate a western feel, including large boulders in front of the drum set, an outhouse that would later be used for a costume change, comically large, yet still functional guitars, and a life size cow that Tree rode while belting out the lyrics to the first track released from his latest record, Cowboys Don’t Cry.

Alternative rock, indie electronic, country infusion—the night had a little bit of everything to please any and all genre-bending music fans. While Tree declared that this would be his last tour before he retired, his devoted fans are hopeful to see more from this one of a kind performer in the future. Tree’s talents are too great to hide from the world.

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Multifaceted Estonian artist Tommy Cash brought his world tour to a sold out crowd at Lincoln Hall in Chicago, IL on Wednesday, February 23rd. Even though it was a work night, the crazy amount of energy emanating from the hundreds of people in the crowd made it feel like a Saturday night.

In lieu of an opening act, they played Eurobeat music to warm up the crowd. Once the house was packed, Tommy Cash brought over an hour of non stop dancing, even getting the entire crowd to fully squat down and jump back up on beat. Spitting through classic hits, like “Winaloto” and “Little Molly,” and hit collaborations, like Quebonafide’s “Benz-Dealer” and Salvatore Ganacci’s “Heartbass,” Tommy Cash didn’t skip a beat once, captivating the crowds energy and attention his entire time on stage.

A heartwarming moment happened when Tommy Cash spotted a fan holding a Ukrainian flag, which he got ahold of while smiling and proudly waving it around on stage.

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Canadian R&B duo Majid Jordan, which is the powerhouse combo of singer Majid Al Maskati and producer Jordan Ullman, stopped by the Metro in Chicago on November 27th in support of their most recent album, Wildest Dreams, which was released this past October.

The packed concert hall was mesmerized by the duo’s dreamy, bass-heavy tracks, dancing and loudly singing along with every word. Running through their new tracks and mixing in a few old favorites, they captured the audience and held on to them for their entire set.

Al Maskati’s range on the album translates perfectly live, with Ullman’s skills as a producer providing the perfect soundtrack for the crowd to dance along to, further proving that this duo is not one to miss.

You can catch the last few dates of the Wildest Dreams Tour in New York and Canada.

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It’s the final day of Riot Fest. Today is set to be a huge dance party, ending Riot Fest with a bang! 3OH!3, Devo, and The Flaming Lips all had their crowds moving, pumping up their energy and having them remember what we’ve all been missing since the stages went dark.

I walk around and check out the tents and spaces set up throughout the park. Goose Island has an area where people can take pictures of their bad tattoos and post it on the wall for each day. I purposely waited until today to check this out so I could see all of them. I can’t help but laugh while looking at everything. Art is subjective, but some of these tattoos are pretty questionable.

Fever 333 put on an amazing show. Not only were they highly energetic, but they also spoke out about different social issues and how we need to protect our communities, such as the Black Lives Matter movement and women in music often feeling unsafe in most spaces. It was refreshing to hear a different topic other than Covid, and I’m so glad they’re raising awareness for these important topics.

Slipknot and Machine Gun Kelly close out this year’s festival. If you stand in the perfect spot, you can see both performances at the same time. Both have packed crowds, both are putting on incredible performances.

I’m so glad we’re able to experience live music once again, even if only for a weekend.

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I’ve been excited about today at Riot Fest for weeks. Big Freedia is playing an early set and I know it’s going to set the bar high for the day. I thought correctly! Bringing that sweet New Orleans bounce to Chicago, Big Freedia has the crowd twerking for the entire set, even bringing a handful of fans from the crowd on stage so they could show off their moves.

I spend my afternoon catching several sets, including indie rockers Best Coast, eclectic rockers Gogol Bordello, and punk rockers Bayside.

I’m waiting to listen to prominent Chicago rapper Vic Mensa play his earlier mixtape “Innanetape” while I overhear a fan in the front row apologizing to everyone in advance because they are going to be screaming very loudly since he’s their favorite artist.

Another local Chicago act and recent lineup addition Rise Against run on stage and the crowd immediately lights up. These guys really know how to put on a show. They took a moment in the middle of their set to acknowledge the band they replaced, Faith No More, and how important mental health is. Faith No More had to cancel their appearance due to singer Mike Patton needing to take a break for his mental health.

The night is almost over, but not before Run The Jewels make their return to the headlining spot. El-P mentions thinking that their set might have been a little rusty because they haven’t performed in over a year, but as the set progresses he remarks that the set feels like winning a gold medal. This is easily one of the top performances of the fest so far.

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It’s officially day one of Riot Fest 2021. One pandemic, two vaccine doses, and numerous lineup changes has led us to this day. The park is packed, the sun is shining, and the drinks are flowing.

Living Colour takes the stage and jokes around that their stylist is going to hate them for not following what was laid out for them to wear, but they’re excited and talking about finally having live music in real time. I think it’s safe to say that everyone here feels the same.

The sun is blazing for most of the day. I see a guy dressed up as Where’s Waldo sitting in the shade. I take off to one of the only stages that has a decent amount of shade and catch the young guys in Beach Goons getting the crowd riled up enough to start a mosh pit.

Motion City Soundtrack has drawn a huge crowd. I’m reminded of how many hits they have as they power through them. Lead singer Justin Courtney Pierre takes a moment to thank the crowd for going out and getting the vaccine or the nose swab because they wouldn’t have been able to finally perform on a stage once again otherwise.

The sun goes down suspiciously early before Coheed and Cambria. I checked the weather the night before so I wasn’t expecting rain, but surprise! It’s pouring, but they’re still rocking. I don’t see anyone trying to run for cover. I think we’re all ready to be at a live festival once again so the rain isn’t bothering anyone.

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It’s been 732 days since Riot Fest last took place at Douglass Park in Chicago, Illinois, and man, it is still weird to see a large gathering of people.

Riot Fest added a special preview party on the Thursday before the festival, with limited acts performing on two of the five stages set up throughout the park. They offered free carnival rides, exclusive merch, a dunk tank, and many other special treats for limited ticket holders.

Each set had many memorable moments, one being Joyce Manor closing their set with a cover of “Helena” by My Chemical Romance, who were slated to headline in 2020, pushed it to 2021, but are now one of the sole acts already announced for the festival in 2022.

The legendary Patti Smith drew quite the crowd and you could see just how grateful she was by the smile plastered on her face and how she interacted with the audience, even having security grab a concert-goer’s vinyl copy of her 1975 release, Horses, and signing it on stage. I’m watching a man skank while Patti plays and it’s brought the biggest smile out under my mask. I am so excited to see people out and dancing once again.

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During this period of historic uncertainty, the fight for the survival of our independent record stores is directly mirrored by the dark stages of our local independent theatres, clubs, and performance spaces which have been shuttered due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It’s been cited as well that 90% of these concert venues may never, ever return.

Enter the National Independent Venue Association (NIVA) whose #SaveOurStages campaign has provided a spotlight on this perilous predicament with a unique mission to “preserve and nurture the ecosystem of independent live music venues and promoters throughout the United States.” Without help from Congress the predictions are indeed quite dire and TVD encourages you support the S. 3814/H.R. 7481, the RESTART Act, by telling your legislators to save independent music venues via the form that can be filled out and forwarded right here.

This week as we did last week, we’re turning our own spotlight onto previous live concert coverage as a reminder of the need to preserve the vitality of live music venues across the country—and indeed across the globe—and while we’re at it to celebrate the work of the fine photographers and writers at TVD who are all itching to get back into the pit. 

The annual Tomorrow Never Knows Fest took place from January 15th through the 19th this year at venues throughout the Chicagoland area. Created to prove that music fans will brave the cold winter to see their favorite local and nationwide indie acts, the fans did just that, traveling through bitter temps and endless snowfall.

Thursday saw London duo IDER perform in Chicago for the first time. Performing alongside them were Champaign based Zzo, Madison solo project Boy Bjorn, and the electric Chicago based SuperKnova. As the temperature got colder outside, the house quickly warmed up with all the concert goers filling the small room.

Zzo, the indie pop creation of Zoe Willott, eased the crowd into the night by performing an intimate, stripped down set that included vocals and guitar. Their sweet vocals mixed with the melodic tones helped warm up the crowd.

Boy Bjorn took the stage next, interlacing their alternative indie sounds with jokes about the Illinois and Wisconsin rival football teams. These Madison rockers exuded positive energy throughout their set, and it really resonated with the crowd that responded by bopping along to their catchy tunes.

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Midwest native turned global sensation Trixie Mattel brought her Grown Up Tour to Park West in Chicago on Wednesday, February 19th. Performing a bit of stand up and some tracks from her most recent album Barbara to a sold out crowd, Trixie brought the heat and kept everyone laughing at her jokes and bopping to her songs.

The night started off with an announcer saying that Trixie was too ill to perform and they had a video for us to watch to check in on her. The video featured her Unhhh show mate Katya as a doctor, and hijinks ensued. Once the video ended, Trixie and her band stormed the stage to “We Got The Look,” on of the more up beat, pop inspired tracks from her latest album.

Going back and forth between music and stand up, with a handful of video interludes in between, the crowd was kept entertained from start to finish. Trixie Mattel has really set herself apart from other RuPaul’s Drag Race winners by proving she is a force to be reckoned with in every way. The 10 costume changes and 3 wig changes during a nearly 2 hour set is impressive in its own right!

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Saturday night’s Tomorrow Never Knows Fest show at Lincoln Hall saw some of Chicago’s finest musicians come together to put on a multi-genre show that felt like it could melt away the snow that was piled up outside.

Drummer and producer Luke Titus started the night off with mesmerizing drum beats mixed with catchy guitar riffs and sultry vocals. Titus shared with the crowd that he liked to name his songs after colors because he associated his emotions with colors, and when he’s writing songs he feels emotional and the color helps the music paint a picture. He really connected with the crowd, so when his time was up the audience was left wanting more.

Valebol, the pop collaboration between V.V. Lightbody and Daniel Villarreal, were up next. Mixing lyrics in different languages with vocal distortion and synthesizers got the crowd up on their feet. The highlight of their set was when they brought out their cover of Kylie Minogue’s “Can’t Get You Out Of My Head,” which left the crowd singing along loudly as they reminisced about this early 2000s pop hit.

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Friday night of Tomorrow Never Knows Fest was a true test to see if Chicago’s biggest music fans would brave a winter storm to see their favorite artists. As the snow came down and the plows were nowhere to be seen, patrons from throughout the city came together to see Paul Cherry headline Lincoln Hall.

Solo act Claude was the first to brave the stage, connecting with the crowd with her sweet voice and soft guitar melodies. Even though she admitted to getting over a cold and not feeling her best, the Chicago musician kept it going and finished her set to cheers from the crowd.

Ohio based The Ophelias were up next, and before they even started audience members couldn’t help but comment about liking the band members personal styles. Bopping along to their classical infused, alternative indie rock setlist, they created the relaxed vibe for the rest of the night.

V.V. Lightbody was joined on stage by a full band that included a bassist, drummer, keyboardist, guitarist, saxophonist, and flutist. Perfectly entwining the wind instruments with her vocals and melodies, her set felt like a daydream. Adding a bit of comedy in between songs, Lightbody applauded the crowd for braving the snow storm and deemed them “not babies.”

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The annual Tomorrow Never Knows Fest took place from January 15th through the 19th this year at venues throughout the Chicagoland area. Created to prove that music fans will brave the cold winter to see their favorite local and nationwide indie acts, the fans did just that, traveling through bitter temps and endless snowfall.

Thursday saw London duo IDER perform in Chicago for the first time. Performing alongside them were Champaign based Zzo, Madison solo project Boy Bjorn, and the electric Chicago based SuperKnova. As the temperature got colder outside, the house quickly warmed up with all the concert goers filling the small room.

Zzo, the indie pop creation of Zoe Willott, eased the crowd into the night by performing an intimate, stripped down set that included vocals and guitar. Their sweet vocals mixed with the melodic tones helped warm up the crowd.

Boy Bjorn took the stage next, interlacing their alternative indie sounds with jokes about the Illinois and Wisconsin rival football teams. These Madison rockers exuded positive energy throughout their set, and it really resonated with the crowd that responded by bopping along to their catchy tunes.

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Living legend Cher wowed the crowd at the United Center in Chicago on Wednesday, November 27th. Nile Rodgers and Chic opened the show, performing the classics “I Want Your Love,” “Good Times,” and “Le Freak,” while also throwing in some Nile Rodgers collaborations like Daft Punk’s “Get Lucky,” and David Bowie’s “Let’s Dance.” They thoroughly got the crowd warmed up for Cher.

Multi-million record selling artist Cher has lit up the entertainment industry since the 1960s, and she’s still performing at the same caliber, if not higher, as the peak of her career. Cher started off her set by floating above her immaculate stage on a flying gold platform, belting out the uplifting lyrics to the first single from her twenty-fifth studio album, Woman’s World. Surrounded by immensely talented dancers for all of her upbeat tracks, Cher’s vocals and moves kept up the whole set, making it impossible to believe that this powerhouse entertainer turned 73 this year.

Throughout the night Cher took little breaks to interact with the crowd, telling stories of different moments in her career. After a video interlude of her time with Sonny Bono and a performance of “The Beat Goes On,” Cher told the crowd that she had been going back and forth on whether she wanted to include the next song in her set or not, saying that maybe she’ll “just wait until [her] next farewell tour,” however following up with the sentiment, “Bitch, you’re 500, just do it!” This transitioned into a heartfelt rendition of “I Got You Babe,” complete with a large video projection of Sonny singing the duet along with her.

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The masses came out for the final show of the Vans House Parties at House of Vans this summer, curated by heavy hitters Converge. With the line to get in wrapping around the block, it was easy to recognize that this summer concert series was going to end with a bang.

Djunah was the first to hit the stage, a two-piece rock band hailing from Chicago. The crowd was watching intently, bopping their heads along with the melodies. It was pretty chill during this set, the crowd presumably saving up all their energy for the headliner. This didn’t stop Djunah from delivering an action packed set that felt like the stage was filled with multiple musicians. Their debut album is due to be released in November.

Cloud Nothings, the genre bending rock band from Ohio, came up next. Switching between slower indie rock songs, to amped up punk songs, the crowd bounced along rhythmically. Even the concertgoers sitting on the skate ramps were bopping along to the music. They were successful in getting the crowd ready for Converge.

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Founded in 2007 by Lauren McClusky, Nelarusky holds an annual benefit at the famous Chicago venue Metro to raise money and awareness for the Special Olympics. This year marks their 13th year holding this benefit concert that has become an official Lollapalooza after show, and to date they have raised over $300,000. This year’s benefit saw Kali Uchis, Iris Temple, and Tatiana Hazel come together on Tuesday, July 30th, 2019, to help add to Nelarusky’s impressive donation total.

Tatiana Hazel started the night off with a band, dominating the stage almost immediately. Chants of “I love you, Tati” could be heard from the crowd. Her energy lit up the room, which was apparent due the crowds non-stop dancing. This set was bittersweet for Hazel, as she announced during the last half of her set that she is moving to California soon, so this was her last show in Chicago as a Chicago resident. She powered through the rest of her set and the crowd was left amped up for the next performance.

A quick break between sets was filled with a brief announcement from Nelarusky thanking the crowd for being there and highlighting the accomplishments of athlete Barbara Kozdron, aka Barbie. Barbie’s speech was met with instant applause as she detailed her favorite sports to compete in and informed everyone that she has won over 600 gold medals in figure skating, as well as bench pressing 185 pounds. The crowd was very supportive.

Iris Temple was up next. Their jazzy and soulful sound mixed with their hard-hitting lyrics about anxiety, depression, and falling out of love had the crowd in their feelings. The music fit very well for their topics, and the musicality of the musicians was nothing short of amazing. Their harmonies and melodies meshed very well together.

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