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Live Recap: Jesse McCartney at The Vic Theatre
Jesse McCartney fans in Chicago got to kick off their weekend with a sold-out, nostalgia-packed performance from the singer-songwriter at The Vic on Friday, May 3rd.
Following a set from support act Just Seconds Apart, the stage lights dimmed in preparation for the main act. McCartney’s band members took their places first and began to play introductory music while the stage lights flashed to welcome Jesse to the stage. Starting off with “Silver Spoon” from his latest “All’s Well” EP (which is also the namesake of the current tour), McCartney donned a dazzling black sequin suit. He began the show atop a platform, but Jesse quickly ran down the stairs of the platform to come closer to the front of the stage and serenade the fans at the barricade while singing a mix of familiar favorites, like “She’s No You” from his 2004 debut album and the title track “Right Where You Want Me” from his 2006 record, intertwined with some of his newer material. The first part of the set finished with “Tie The Knot,” which McCartney dedicated to all the married people in the audience.
The show then transitioned into an acoustic section, where Jesse and his guitar player took the opportunity to strip down some of his songs while they sat on the stairs of the stage’s platform. The acoustic segment included a cover of “More Than Words” by Extreme, and it wrapped up with a performance of “Just So You Know",” which McCartney introduced saying “In 2006, I wrote this song on a tour bus in London.”
The full band rejoined Jesse onstage after the stripped-back break in the set, and they went full-speed ahead with “Wasted,” which had the crowd dancing along. Before playing “Party For Two,” Jesse took a few minutes to address the crowd about what would happen next in the show. “I want to tell you guys about the song I wrote for my engagement. It’s a very special song that I only got to write once, but thankfully, I get to perform it for the rest of my life. I thought tonight, maybe I’d sing it for one of you guys,” he said. The house lights turned on to illuminate the crowd, and McCartney ended up selecting a lucky fan named Nancy to serenade for the performance.
After the serenade, Jesse left the stage for a quick outfit change, returning in a more casual outfit than his sparkling suit. He performed a couple of songs at the piano next, including the song “Bleeding Love” that he actually wrote, but was performed and popularized by Leona Lewis. “This is a song I wrote back in 2007. This is a song that almost didn’t get written. We were feeling lazy and decided to put one hour in at the studio to see where it went. This didn’t end up on my album, but thankfully it was pitched to a female artist. And I’m so so happy she recorded it because it would become the biggest song of my writing career,” he shared with the crowd.
The show concluded on a high energy note, with hit after hit like “Body Language,” “Leavin’” and “Beautiful Soul” all stacked towards the end of the set. Prior to performing the latter, the band had left the stage, only to be quickly summoned back for an encore with chants of “Jesse!”
If you get the chance to see Jesse McCartney on the All’s Well Tour, don’t miss out on the opportunity to experience some of your favorite songs from your teen years live. You can check out photos from the Chicago concert below, and see where you can catch the tour next here.
Live Recap: The Veronicas at House of Blues
“I know you guys thought this was a rock show but it’s actually a fucking disco,” Jess Origliasso, AKA one half of the twin sister-duo The Veronicas, told a packed House of Blues this past Sunday night in Chicago.
While there was ample opportunity to dance just like at a disco, The Veronicas also delivered rock ‘n’ roll flair and heartfelt nostalgic vibes throughout their highly-anticipated comeback tour. As someone who repeatedly listened to the duo’s debut album The Secret Life of... on physical CD format, it healed my inner child to hear songs “When It All Falls Apart” and “Everything I’m Not” in the first few moments of the set. The Veronicas kept their throwback songs fresh by weaving in mashups of other hit songs—for example, Jess played the iconic riff of “Seven Nation Army” by The White Stripes while Lisa sang the introduction to “When It All Falls Apart.” Later in the show, the pair weaved in bits of Nirvana’s “Smells Like Teen Spirit” and Icona Pop’s “I Love It” during the performance of “Hook Me Up,” which was the title track of their 2007 album.
Just as I was reveling in familiar comfort that these songs provided, I also took in my fellow audience members experiencing sheer joy and camaraderie. The euphoric bliss wasn’t just coming from the audience though— Jess and Lisa made sure to tell the crowd many times how grateful they were to be back and playing music in America. Their appreciative comments included everything from “You’re making two Capricorns very emotional” to “The fact that you guys are coming to these shows is the biggest fuck you to everyone who didn’t believe in us.” At one point, they even brought out a copy of their very first CD as “Jessica and Lisa” (prior to being named “The Veronicas”) entitled Double Trouble, that one of their long-time fans had brought to the show in hopes of getting it signed, and Jess and Lisa joked that it might be their dad selling those old CDs on eBay.
The show was really like an emotional journey sandwiched between two dance parties— it started with Jess and Lisa taking the stage donning sunglasses and performing choreographed dance moves to “Take Me on the Floor” while the floor of the theater shook from the audience dancing, then it traveled to the land of the feels with songs like “Ribcage” and “You Ruin Me” before it ended on an explosive high note with “4ever” and “Untouched,” which the pair introduced saying “Please stand for the National Anthem.”
It may have been awhile since The Veronicas last toured here, but this show served as a reminder that from vulnerable ballads to rock riffs and dance anthems, there’s nothing Jess and Lisa Origliasso can’t do. If you get a chance to catch their show, don’t miss it. See where The Veronicas are touring next here and check out photos from the Chicago gig below.
Live Recap: Mitski and Julia Jacklin at Auditorium Theatre
This past Sunday night, Mitski and Julia Jacklin closed out a sold-out, four-night run at the historic Auditorium Theatre in Chicago.
Australian singer-songwriter Julia Jacklin took the stage at 8PM sharp to perform for the packed house. The past times I’ve seen Julia, she usually had a full band, but this run was just her and her guitar as she opened her set with “Comfort” from her 2019 album Crushing. Jacklin took a pause to address the crowd, telling us she’d had a wonderful time these past few nights in Chicago, adding “I haven’t seen anything except downtown, and it’s been really cold, but I’ve had a good time because I get to open for one of the greatest rock legends of our lives, Mitski”— which was followed by lots of cheers. As Jacklin continued her performance, I admired her commanding stage presence and ability to keep the audience completely hooked. Towards to end of the show, the singer told the theatre “I’m gonna sing a song A capella. It’s very rare that I get to sing in halls like this, so I have to take advantage” before she sang “Too In Love To Die” from her 2022 album Pre Pleasure. During that entire song, the audience remained utterly silent, soaking up Jacklin’s beautiful vocals in absolute awe. To close out her short, but sweet set, Jacklin performed a fan favorite “Pressure to Party.”
Next up, the stage was set for Mitski and her band to close it all out. The audience greeted the artist with earsplitting applause and cheers and she sauntered her way over to a dim corner of the stage. After a quick greeting, Mitski disappeared behind a giant red curtain in the center of the stage, with only her silhouette in view while she sang “Everyone”—until the curtain dropped at the end of the song.
It was fitting that this particular tour stopped at the Auditorium Theatre instead of a GA-style concert venue because Mitski’s performance was more like an orchestral broadway musical than concert. From her intricate choreography that was mapped out to every single beat to her dramatic expressions and the extraordinary lighting production, this show was a true spectacle from start to finish. Everything flowed seamlessly in the production of the performance, and Mitski let the music take care of the transitions, barely taking time to speak in between the songs on the setlist, which heavily featured songs from her 2023 album The Land Is Inhospitable and So Are We. A favorite moment of mine was during the performance of the very popular “My Love Mine All Mine,” Mitski stood center-stage on a platform, while strings of shimmery, butterfly-like objects dropped down from the ceiling around her— picture a mobile you’d hang above a baby’s crib… but way taller.
The entire performance was magical from start to finish, and if Mitski ever had a broadway show, I’d be there in an instant. This show proved she’s a theatrical triple threat with acting, singing and dancing chops.
See photos of the final night in Chicago below, and see where you can catch the tour next here.
Live Recap: JP Saxe at House Of Blues
This past Tuesday night, JP Saxe packed the House of Blues for an evening of heartfelt songs, cathartic story-telling and comedic stage banter.
Singer-songwriter Justin Nozuka warmed up the large crowd, performing a solo serenade with just his vocals and acoustic guitar. As the stage changed over for JP Saxe’s set, I took in the cozy stage environment on display—there was a backdrop of a gallery wall containing different framed photos and artwork, living room furniture and lots of lamps. House of Blues is already an intimate venue to see artists perform, but this extra touch to the production set up immediately made it feel like we were all just at home with a bunch of close friends, listening to another friend bare their soul in song format.
JP started his set by entering the stage sans his live band, and pulsing lights illuminated him in quick glimpses while he sang “Someone Else’s Home” from his 2023 album A Grey Area—which was also the namesake of his current tour. JP was joined by his band member onstage, who helped add extra layers and depth into the music. In just the first few songs, JP moved his station around the stage, either performing at a piano, keyboard or playing guitar, and his rotation continued throughout the set. After the band wrapped up the fan favorite “I Don’t Miss You,” JP took some time to address the crowd, telling us that he opened for Noah Kahan on this same stage four years ago, and fans cheered in admiration of the full circle moment.
As the set continued on, the show was essentially broken out into different chapters and scenes—including intricate transitions that were complemented by the elaborate lighting effects. JP joked he had a bad habit of ruining the plotted transitions because he has stories to tell before certain songs. Before performing his song “For Emilee,” JP primed the song by telling the audience it was for his friend who accepted less than she deserved in relationships, and even though Emilee was actually in attendance at the Chicago show, he asked for voluntary Emilees and their friends who were in a similar boat. Once he was through with the banter, the audience still got to feel the full effect of that transition because JP asked that his crew ran the lighting and sound transition again. Moments like this are what really makes concerts and live performances so much for special than just listening to an album.
Another fun moment that was one-of-a-kind to Chicago happened only a couple of songs later; In the song “Fear & Intuition,” JP sings “L.A. told me to listen to myself/ Toronto said not to change/ New York told me to fuck somebody else.” After singing the full regular version of the song, JP asked the audience for suggestions of things Chicago might tell him, and people yelled out a few things, including drinking Malort. JP and his band then continued an extended version of “Fear & Intuition” where he interjected a line about Malort.
When we approached the second half of the setlist, JP took some time to perform a few of his songs solo, once again making the setting a little more personal. Between songs, he continued to share anecdotes that gave the listeners more of an insight into his songwriting, all while making us laugh. Ahead of my favorite song of his, “The Few Things,” JP shared it was hist favorite love song he’s ever written and joked he had a zero percent divorce rate for couples who used his music as a wedding song.
If you can get a change to see JP Saxe in concert, you’re in for a unique experience that will only enhance his already incredible songwriting and musicality. Check out photos of his performance at House of Blues below, and see where you can catch a show next here.
Live Recap: The Kooks and Vaccines with Daisy the Great
The Kooks, The Vaccines and Daisy the Great all rocked a sold out house at The Riviera to kick off the St.Patty’s Day weekend in Chicago.
The musical duo of Kelley Dugan and Mina Walker, AKA Daisy the Great, warmed up the Chicago crowd with a set that showcased the pair’s beautiful vocal harmonies along with their spunky energy. Daisy the Great performed the first song they ever released as a band, called “Record Player,” as well a few from their most recent “Tough Kid” EP, but they also introduced some brand new and unreleased material to the Chicago crowd. Dugan introduced one of the newer tracks saying, “This is our last new song, it’s about going on a walk. This song is called ‘Dog.’” Another fan favorite of their set was the song “Liar,” which Dugan explained was about having a secret crush on a friend—relatable!
After a quick changeover, it was time for The Vaccines to grace a Chicago stage for the first time since 2018, when they headlined a sold out Lincoln Hall. I luckily got to see The Vaccines in London in 2019, but it was still long overdue and great to have them back in my hometown—because the only vaccines I had in the meantime were covid and flu vaccines, and the band is a much better experience.
Each time I’ve seen The Vaccines, I know they’ll be great, but they never fail to impress me with just how topnotch they are as performers. This tour was in celebration of their new album Pick-Up Full Of Pink Carnations that they just released this January, and not only do they never miss in the witty and catchy songwriting department, but vocalist Justin Hayward-Young remains consistently charismatic (or as the kids would say nowadays, he has rizz). Whenever he wasn’t stationed in front of the mic stand so he could play guitar, Young slinked and danced his way across the length of the stage. The Vaccines’ stage presence has this effortlessly expressive and cool edge to it, yet it’s affable enough that they still feel approachable.
Although they had a relatively quick set length of an hour, the band still packed in hit after hit, mixing in plenty of fans’ old favorites between new material from their last album. Their set wrapped up on a peak of some of their most popular songs, including my personal favorites “I Always Knew” and “If You Wanna.”
Continuing the theme of familiar favorites, The Kooks kicked off the closing set of the evening with “Seaside” from their debut 2006 album Inside In/ Inside Out— which started simple with lead vocalist Luke Pritchard performing solo before the rest of the band joined him onstage. While The Vaccines were celebrating a new album on this tour, The Kooks were actually spotlighting the anniversary of their debut album, so naturally the set list featured the majority of Inside In/ Inside Out’s track list. True to form, “Seaside” is the first track on the album, and the live show followed suit for the first handful of songs, delivering hit after hit to the eager crowd.
While the band often moved from standing upstage to playing on platforms at the back of the stage, Pritchard alternated from playing guitar to roaming freely around the stage as he sang. During some of their songs, Pritchard even showed off his dance moves that were reminiscent of the infamous Hugh Grant dance scene in “Love Actually”— it must be a British thing. The crowd cheered loudly each time he danced, and they weren’t shy about cheering through out the rest of the show. For example, before “Bad Habit” fro 2014’s Listen, fans mimicked the chorus-like melody back in chant-form.
As we got closer to the finale of the evening, Pritchard told the audience, “If we’re gonna go ballistic, now is that time” before playing “Always Where I Need To Be.” The Kooks wrapped up their main set with “Junk of the Heart (Happy),” but returned to rowdy cheers to perform an encore of “Around Town” and the fan favorite “Naive.”
If you’re looking for a jam-packed night of feel-good songs and nostalgia, make sure to grab a ticket for when the tour hits your city and check out the photo recap of the Chicago show below.
Photos: To Kill a King and Fours at The Garage
This past Saturday night, To Kill a King made their return to the stage in London to perform their debut album Cannibals With Cutlery in full. The performance also marked the 10-year anniversary of the band’s first album. Check out photos of the sold-out special occasion at The Garage, with support from Fours below.
Live Recap: Depeche Mode at The United Center
Depeche Mode released their 15th studio album, Memento Mori back in March of this year. The first as a duo since the passing of founding member, Andy Fletcher, as well as the first since their last album, Spirit, back in 2017. In support of the new album and to reestablish themselves as a duo they’ve been making their rounds through both Europe and the States with plans to continue on well into 2024. Making their victory lap through Chicago, the duo returned to the United Center on Monday, November 13th for fans to feast on seconds or for those of us who missed dibs on their first go around. The sound like they haven’t missed a beat and their new album although the morbidity and existentialism of its material is exciting to hear and see how the duo have breathed new life into this personally nostalgic and beloved musical estate for this longtime music fan.
Check out photos from the concert below, and see where you can catch Depeche Mode next here.
Live Recap: James Blake at The Aragon Ballroom
James Blake returned to Chicago to play a headlining show to a packed Aragon Ballroom, returning to the city for the first time since his festival set at Re:SET in June.
Blake took his place at his station onstage, surrounded by a keyboard and synthesizer, and joined by two other live bandmates—one of who goes by the alias Airhead and had opened up the show.
To kick off the show, Blake and his band performed “Asking To Break” and “I Want You To Know” from his latest album Playing Robots Into Heaven. Before playing the third song of the evening, Blake told the audience they were a sight for sore eyes, and joked “We’ll play a little bit of everything, but we’ve only got six hours.” With the third song of the setlist, we pivoted back to one of the singer’s tried and true songs that he performs; a cover of “The Limit To Your Love” by Feist. Blake makes the cover his own with a signature bass drop after the first chorus, and in a live setting, the bass was so intense and visceral that it shook both the floor and my body.
From there, Blake continued to weave between the newer material and some of the hits from his earlier discography, like “Life Round Here” and “Retrograde,” which were both clear fan favorites. Blake also took some time to express his gratitude to the audience for being receptive to his newer music, which he described as being “bouncier”—and some of the new songs definitely gave off more a club vibe than a concert ballroom vibe. The most impressive part of the show had to be that Blake and his band created all of the sounds live, rather than playing from a track. “I always wanted to play electronic music, but I wanted to play it in a band,” he told the crowd.
Near the end of the set, we got some stripped back moments of Blake solo at the piano for a cover of “Godspeed” by Frank Ocean and his 2021 single “Say What You Will.”
If you get the chance to catch the Playing Robots Into Heaven tour, you’re guaranteed to be awed by James Blakes live interpretation of his electronic-leaning tracks, intertwined with some simpler piano-driven moments. See where you can catch the tour next here, and check out photos of the evening below.
