Sunday night, I had the chance to photograph The Chicks at the historic Auditorium Theatre in Chicago for their Taking the Long Way 20th Anniversary Tour.
The first half of the show was the entire album from beginning to end. After an intermission, they returned for a second set filled with hits from throughout their career. The crowd was as diverse as you’d expect. Different ages, backgrounds, and walks of life, all connected by music that has meant so much to so many.
The tour’s tagline is “Still Not Ready to Make Nice,” and 20 years later, it feels just as meaningful. The Chicks faced enormous backlash for speaking their minds, but they never backed down from what they believed.
Sunday night felt like more than nostalgia. It was a reminder that finding your voice, standing up for what you believe in, and refusing to be silenced will always matter.
Two Door Cinema Club started off the North American leg of their Tourist History 15th Anniversary Tour with a bang at a sold-out Salt Shed in Chicago, bringing together 5,500 people at The Fairgrounds at the converted Morton Salt warehouse.
Starting the night off was STRFKR, an indie rock band from Portland, Oregon. Outfitted with a couple of dancers in astronaut costumes, STRFKR helped pump up the crowd and get them in a dancing mood, especially when playing their renowned track “Rawnald Gregory Erickson the Second.”
Two Door Cinema Club took the stage to a sea of adoring fans eager to hear all the amazing songs that make up Tourist History, their debut studio album released in 2010. The opening riff to “Cigarettes in the Theatre” ignited the crowd, promising an amazing night was about to be had.
The band makes the layers of sound you hear in their music look effortless; it’s mesmerizing to see guitarist Sam Halliday get lost in the music and jive across the stage, and it’s even more amazing to hear their music live. Their studio recordings are great in their own right, but experiencing them live adds a new layer that is electric, and the atmosphere of experiencing the live show with a packed crowd is intense.
Nothing quite signals the end of summer in Chicago like Riot Fest, the city’s annual festival that returned to Douglass Park for a jam-packed weekend of music. The other thing that signals the end of summer is the city’s notoriously unpredictable weather, and in the days leading up to the festivities, the forecast promised rain on the horizon. But that didn’t stop the resilient Chicagoans from showing up early on Friday, lining up down W. Ogden Ave. well in advance of doors opening promptly at 11 a.m.
With a diverse lineup spanning punk, indie, rap, metal, and beyond across 5 stages, it was no surprise that the early arrivals bee-lined it in all directions, including what would prove to be a never-ending line for band merch. Of course, fans arrived early for the overall vibe; it was always positive, with an audience easily amused by the Butter Stamos Sculpture and the carnival-like atmosphere, both of which have become signatures of the event.
New for 2026 was the separation of the Rise and Radical stages, making for more concurrent music and tougher choices for the attendees deciding which bands to check out, especially as the crowds got thick, the days grew long, and the condition of the fields deteriorated. Those that arrived early were treated to some surprisingly great sets by bands they had likely never heard of before, including Panic Shack on Friday, The Iron Roses on Saturday, Stephen Egerton of the Descendents’ first-ever solo performance, joined by Johnny Two Bags of Social Distortion on guitar on Saturday, and Boston hardcore up-and-comers Haywire on Sunday.
Not too hot, not too cold and a bit overcast, Friday’s weather turned out to be perfect as the music kicked off across the multiple stages with plenty of folks repping hometown bands Rise Against and Alkaline Trio, both of which delivered crushing sets on the big stage, but the return of Twenty One Pilots seemed to draw the biggest crowds of the day, even as Iggy Pop writhed his way across the stage not too far across the park. But as the first day wrapped up without issue, all eyes were on Saturday’s weather forecast, which promised plenty of wetness.
MIKA brought his Spinning Out Tour to a packed house at Chicago’s Riviera Theatre on Thursday, May 7th. This tour sees MIKA performing in some cities he hasn’t been to in years, with Chicago getting their first show in over 13 years, and it was well worth the wait!
The energy in the room was infectious. MIKA was quite literally “spinning out” on stage; his feet were seemingly always lifted high off the ground as he jumped and commanded the stage, influencing the crowd to jump as high as they could, too.
MIKA even jumped off the stage, ran straight through the middle of the crowd all the way to the back of the room, then up the stairs to the balcony, and back down through the crowd back to the stage, not missing a single note as he sang along with the crowd. Seeing the fans’ excitement as they bumped shoulders with him was incredibly heartwarming. “I feel completely and utterly at home, and that is a privilege, thank you.”
Celebrating the band’s 10th anniversary, Flatland Cavalry is traveling the country on the Flatland Forever Tour. Stopping at The Riviera in Chicago’s uptown neighborhood, Flatland planned their trip just in time to experience a Midwest summer.
The show was opened by Keller Cox, a Texas native and young talent. Keller was a late addition to the tour and said from the stage that he got a call from his manager one night with a message that Flatland wanted him on tour with them. He drove 17 hours through the night in order to make it to his first show. Keller released his second studio album in 2024 and is building off that momentum with an EP in 2025. He has toured with other up-and-coming names in tis space, but getting on the Flatland anniversary tour is a big step for Keller.
Defined as both Americana and country, Flatland Cavalry draws from its strong connection to West Texas. Its music has a special attraction for listeners, offering something that feels approachable and deeply personal at the same time. The band grew up in working-class families, went to Texas Tech, sat in their garage, and drank beers together. They are regular people with whom I think fans really resonate.
Glass Beams kicked off their Lollapalooza ’25 stint with a sold-out after show (or should I say eve show) at the Bottom Lounge.
Local harpist, Yomi, opened the evening with an alluring solo performance. She pushes beyond the bounds of classical and brings a fresh approach to the electric harp. Her set felt intentional, tender, and spiritually charged—a perfect precursor to Melbourne’s Glass Beams.
The room’s atmosphere seemed to shift the moment the mysterious, golden jeweled mask-wearing trio took the stage. The brainchild of Indian-Australian musician Rajan Silva, Glass Beams fuse Eastern and Western sounds, creating funky, hypnotic grooves that send listeners into other stratospheres.
This string of shows, which concludes in early November, will be Glass Beams’ last for a bit, as they’re returning to the studio to work on a follow-up to 2024’s Mahal. Catch them while you can!
Ravinia Festival, located just outside of Chicago in Highland Park, IL, opened its 2025 season with a bang, tapping Grace Jones and Janelle Monae to provide entertainment on its second day of the season. Highlights this year include The Roots, Chicago, Kygo, Beck, and King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard.
The listening experience is unique when enjoying a show at Ravinia. You have the option to purchase a seat in the pavilion, where you’ll get a close spot to the stage and the best viewing experience, or you can purchase a lawn ticket, where you are allowed to bring your own food and drink.
When looking out at the vast lawn area, you see a sea of attendees who have gone all out and brought folding tables where they have set up a buffet for all of their friends to enjoy. Some even complete the buffet with candles and incense to truly set a relaxing vibe. One thing that remains the same no matter where you sit is that you are going to have a great time and, as was the case with Grace Jones and Janelle Monae, you are going to dance.
Taking to the stage to a sea of excited concertgoers, Janelle Monae continues to live up to her hype. It was fitting that she walked on stage to Prince’s “Let’s Go Crazy” because it was the late musician’s birthday, and the two had a close working relationship, which is evident in her set.
On June 6th, the Salt Shed in Chicago hosted Caamp for the second night in a row. The former Morton Salt Factory is now home to arguably the best music venue in Chicago. They have creatively turned the space into both an outdoor fairground and an indoor music venue.
What they are doing at the Salt Shed is no short of brilliant, opening their doors to local vendors, events, and just about every band touring this summer. If you are on tour, the Salt Shed in Chicago should be number one on everyone’s wish list. The outdoor experience during the summer time in Chicago with the skyline behind the stage is unparalleled and something that pairs even better with Caamp’s vibrant folk music straight from Ohio. Caamp, in recent years, took a break from touring, but the group is back and better than ever.
The first opener was Gardener, another folk band with a similar vibe to Caamp. Also hailing from Ohio, Gardener is the exact right group to open for Caamp. They have a similar look and sound and embody that Ohio Rust Belt rock. The second opener for Caamp was Blind Pilot. Now, I hadn’t heard of either of these bands prior to the show, but this is why it’s important to go support the whole bill.
As a strong supporter of Caamp, I have found two other bands to follow along with here. Blind Pilot is a very fun Pacific Northwest folk band that delivered an energetic set as the sun began to set on the City of Chicago. While both of these bands were playing, three members from Caamp went into the crowd to hang out and support their opening bands. It was a tremendous sign of character from the group to go out and support the rest of their bill.
Celebrating the 10-year anniversary of their album Lovetap!, Smallpools has hit the road to play the record all the way through. The tour started on May 1, and after about two weeks, they stopped by the House of Blues in Chicago.
The historic venue in Chicago has seen some legendary acts since opening in 1996, and is one of the more iconic names in Chicago. Smallpools officially commenced 12 years ago, and Lovetap! was their first album, released in 2015. Still as relevant as ever, three of the band’s top five most listened to songs on Spotify are from this album. Like many anniversary tours, the band played the entire record all the way through, except they held the second song till the end. “Dreaming” and its 122M streams on Spotify rightfully earned its spot as the encore for the tour. Besides that, it’s from beginning to end, starting with “American Love” and ending with “(Submarine).”
If you don’t immediately recognize the band’s name or album, I guarantee you will recognize their songs. They have that unique level of stealth fame in the music industry where they have certain songs everyone knows, but maybe doesn’t realize it’s Smallpools. Regardless of whether people know the name or not, if you put on this album, it is sure to get a few “Oh, who’s this band you’re playing?” They’re upbeat, they’re energetic, they’re fun, they’re everything you could look for.
This show was supported by an up-and-coming Southern California band, Rec Hall. After just an opening set, I am already a fan. They have the stage presence of a band that has been doing this for years, and in my opinion, that’s what it takes. They are interesting to watch, they’re fun, they clearly enjoy what they’re doing, and they’re exactly who should be opening for Smallpools. They remind me of a young Briston Maroney or Almost Monday. I’d recommend checking them out as they grow.
Japanese Breakfast performed three sold out shows at the Salt Shed in Chicago during their Melancholy Tour, and we were able to catch the final show on Friday, May 2nd. 3,600 fans packed the previous Morton Salt facility turned indoor/outdoor concert venue for an unforgettable evening.
Starting the night off was Ginger Root, an indie soul trio from California. Integrating a multimedia aspect to their set, fans were able to dance along while watching as their in-house camera man projected live video of the performance onto adjacent screens, often mixing it into colorful shapes in addition to short, pre-taped skits that played between songs. Utilizing various synths and a rigged-up telephone converted to a microphone, Ginger Root proved that their unique style was more than enough to warm up the packed audience before the main event. One fan even created nearly 1,000 custom guitar picks for the band!
Filling the stage with fog and uncovering a large seashell in the middle, Japanese Breakfast took to the stage. Singer Michelle Zauner entered the dark aura with a lantern, lighting it before grabbing her guitar and taking a seat inside the seashell. Her bandmates sat on the steps surrounding her, launching into “Here Is Someone,” the first track off their most recent album For Melancholy Brunettes (& Sad Women).
While their newest album explores darker themes, experiencing them live is anything but dark. Zauner often had a huge smile plastered on her face, encouraging the attendees to sing with her and jump around. The night was dreamy, characterized by the gorgeous set pieces that adorned the stage in addition to the aforementioned seashell. It felt as though the band were part of a Renaissance painting.
Joywave is a band that will always be committed to the bit. If they weren’t a band or currently on tour promoting their latest album Permanent Pleasure, they’d have a booming career as stand up comedians. Yet here we are, watching magic happen every time they step on the stage. Their tour stop in Chicago at Thalia Hall on Tuesday, September 17th was no exception.
Walking on stage wearing matching green outfits, each band member may look the same but they sure are unique and stand out in their own ways. Guitarist Joseph Morinelli stood out with his mind bending and guttural chords loudly echoing around the room, drummer Paul Brenner kept us all on beat while adding in his own flair with various cymbal crashes and the like, and singer Daniel Armbruster provided the quick quips that kept the crowd laughing between songs when he wasn’t belting out his incredibly catchy lyrics. Even touring musicians Taylor Dubray and Kevin Mahoney added to the uniqueness on stage, uplifting the band even further.
The crowd ate it up the entire night. Whether it was dancing along to the disco-esque track “He’s Back!” from their latest album, or screaming the lyrics back to “Coming Apart” from their 2020 album Possession, Chicago truly showed up. So much so that Joywave’s sound engineer James stated through the bands in-ear monitors that “they’re loud as fuck, I’ll tell ya!”
Joywave gets better with every album they release, and subsequently every tour that follows the release. They’ve aged like fine wine, and their live shows help amplify their already spectacular recorded material. There’s no telling where they will go next, but if the Permanent Pleasure Tour is any indicator, they’re going to continue going up from here.
Embarking on the first headlining tour of his 10-year career, Shaboozey brought his sold out fall tour through Chicago on Tuesday, September 10th. Luke Borchelt provided direct support.
Starting the night off was country artist Luke Borchelt, who brought his long time collaborator to accompany him on electric guitar while he sang and played his acoustic guitar. While his set was a bit short, it was sweet. He displayed his gratitude to the crowd the entire time for helping get his career off the ground after many years of hard work, finally embarking on his first ever tour.
After moving the show date up a day from its previously scheduled September 11th booking to accommodate his appearance at this year’s MTV VMA awards where he was nominated, Shaboozey made sure to let the crowd know how thankful he was that they were accommodating. “[I] can’t miss my first VMAs,” reiterating that it was the fans who got him to a place where he is being recognized for his accomplishments.
With this fall tour, Shaboozey is out to prove why he’s quickly gaining popularity. Walking out on his Western-themed stage to a recording of his collaboration with Beyonce titled “Spaghetti,” he jumps straight into a riveting performance of “Last of My Kind,” in which he captivated the entire crowd and got as close to the audience as he could, teetering on the edge of the stage.
Following the release of their most recent album I Love You So F***ing Much, Glass Animals stopped in Chicago for two nights on their Tour of Earth world tour. Kevin Abstract provided support both nights.
Starting his set in the last row of the stadium seats, Kevin Abstract stunned the crowd as he swiftly walked down the stairs and started a dance party in the middle of the general admission crowd during his first song. Similar to his day’s in the boy band BROCKHAMPTON, Kevin Abstract kept the audience amazed with his high energy performance and constant engagement with the crowd.
Playing a mixture of solo work, as well as a handful of tracks from his boy band days, Kevin kept the crowd on their feet for the duration of his performance. He even invited dozens of fans on stage for several of his songs, making sure to spend extra time with the handful of younger fans and showing them how to dance to his music.
Next up was Glass Animals. Known for their highly energetic performances and elaborate stage setups, the fans made sure to match the space aesthetic of the tour by dressing up in alien-esque outfits, even bringing small blow-up aliens to toss around the crowd. The stage was built to look like the inside of space ship and had a large orb in the center that displayed different graphics throughout the night. After a brief transmission over the Jumbotrons teasing the start of the show, the four members of the band took to the stage and immediately got to work.
Proving that they’re one of the greatest metal acts around, Metallica continuously reinvents the wheel they spin upon. This year’s go-around is their M72 Tour, which stopped in Chicago this past weekend for two explosive shows highlighting their momentous career.
Breaking away from a traditional rectangular stage with an optional cat walk, Metallica played their set “in the round,” which was a large circular stage in the middle of the floor, allowing fans to stand in the hollow center and around the sides of the stage, and was complete with eight pillars topped with giant screens so anyone sitting at the back had as good of a view as someone on the floor; a difficult feat to accomplish at Chicago’s Soldier Field as it seats over 60,000 people at any given time.
The M72 Tour boasts that each of their two nights in every city will be distinct, complete with different opening bands and a no-repeat setlist each night. They also schedule a day off between their two shows, but offer a slew of various Metallica adjacent events that can be attended in the interim, called “M72 Takeover Events,” like a film fest, bowling, and various other activities.
Friday night’s show was a masterclass on how to stay on everyone’s mind for many years to come. Ripping through a nearly two hour, 15 song set, Metallica gave everyone a little taste from almost all of their albums; they played at least one song from every album created during the ’80s and ’90s, but skipped straight to their most recent release when including tracks from the 2000s to now.
The fun doesn’t stop once Lollapalooza ends for the night—you have numerous aftershows you can choose from to continue the music. On Saturday, August 3rd, I was able to catch Two Door Cinema Club when they played the 1,100-capacity Metro in the Wrigleyville neighborhood of Chicago which was more like a pre-show than an aftershow since they weren’t playing the festival until Sunday, August 4th. Whether it be a proper show or a festival timeslot, if you are given the opportunity to see these Irish rockers, jump on it! These guys put on a show that makes you feel young and also like it’s summer, no matter the season you’re in.
Starting off the show were local young rockers Worry Club, following their festival debut. Their upbeat melodies paired with their charming stage presence helped rejuvenate the crowd of tired attendees after braving the sun and high heat all day. Watching these youngsters have the time of their life on stage made me jealous I didn’t catch their set at the festival.
Starting their set just after midnight, Two Door Cinema Club stunned in their intimate warmup to the next day’s festivities. Given more time than their festival slot, Two Door Cinema Club was able to pack their setlist with fan favorites, newer singles, and a handful of deep cuts.
Acknowledging that the venue was much smaller than the shows they typically play, bassist Kevin Baird comically had to say “if I could say something a little dicky for a moment, it’s refreshing to be playing in a smaller place and being able to see everyone.” Once he said this, I knew we were in for a treat.
Even though the stage was smaller, they ate up every inch they could. Watching guitarist Sam Halliday play is mesmerizing. You don’t know where the guitar ends and Sam starts; they become one with each other. It’s awe inspiring to see a musician play so passionately, pushing the limits of what their instrument can do and creating something great. In Sam’s case, his guitar playing transported the crowd to another world right with him.
