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Live Recap: Peaches at United Center

September 17, 2026 / Andrew Lagunas

The extravagant and eclectic queer icon known by her stage name, Peaches, put on a riveting opening set in support of her latest album entitled No Lube So Rude at the United Center last weekend, supporting Robyn’s Sexistential Tour. I had never experienced a Peaches show before this, and to say the least, it was a striking and jaw-dropping set that was gushing with sexual energy. It was evident that Peaches is a seasoned performer, oozing with confidence! Peaches paraded into the limelight wearing a custom garment made entirely of what looked like male genitalia and breasts covering her entire body opening with her track “Hanging Titties.”

Though she was the main focus, her back up dancers matched her energy in wearing leather and kink gear, portraying the exaggerated expression of sexual freedom. Other notable highlights from her set included her performance of her track “Fuck Your Face” and closing out the set with her classic tune “Fuck the Pain Away.”

Though it was a brief set, it felt like its own headline show in itself. From the various costume and outfit changes, backup dancers and even a massive pink and veiny blow up structure— it left me thinking about her performance for days after. I truly had never seen anything like it yet enjoyed every second of it! It was the perfect opening set which effortlessly hyped up the crowd in anticipation for Robyn.

Check out photos of the spectacle below, and see where you can catch Peaches on tour next here.

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categories / Music, Photos, Reviews, Gigs
tags / Peaches, Live Music, United Center, Robyn, Live Recap, Photo recap

PHOTOS: Pond with Daisychain at Metro

August 30, 2026 / Rachel Zyzda

Pond returned to the Metro stage on Thursday, August 27th, marking the band’s return to the Windy City and their return to that very stage at Metro. The band last performed at the legendary venue in December 2022, and the fans eagerly welcomed them back. Their set last week may have featured some new music from their latest album Terrestrials, but the camaraderie and human connection that Pond always cultivates during their performances remained consistent. Frontman Nick Allbrook was also up to his usual antics of flipping across the stage, dancing, and singing from the crowd—at one point he even crowd surfed.

Check out photos of the magical evening below, featuring a support set from Chicago’s own Daisychain. If you can’t get enough of Pond, be sure to check out ANCHR’s recent interview with Allbrook and see where you can catch the band next here.

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categories / Gigs, Photos
tags / Pond, Daisychain, Live Music, Metro, Photo recap

Live Recap: Andrew McMahon's The Three Pianos Tour in Chicago

August 18, 2026 / Rachel Zyzda

3 Pianos, 36 songs (plus 2 cover songs), thousands of millennials and a dang good Friday night—That was the Three Pianos Tour in a nutshell. If you’re unfamiliar of the concept of this tour, it’s all three of Andrew McMahon’s bands and projects (Something Corporate, Jack’s Mannequin, and “in the Wilderness”) on one stage performing a super set that pulls from each project’s discography. McMahon also penned an autobiography with the same name, released back in 2021. The original Three Pianos show took place at the legendary Red Rocks Amphitheater in Colorado last summer, and this year the band took the show on the road with stops in Philadelphia, Chicago, and still to come, Long Beach, on August 22nd.

The great thing about getting to your mid-30s is that bands from your formative teenage years have enough of a back catalogue to be able to do a show like this, and there’s enough nostalgia attached to it to fill your heart up for days on end.

On Friday, August 14th, I caught a bus from downtown to the Huntington Bank Pavilion on Northerly Island to attend the Chicago stop of the Three Pianos tour. As I found a seat on the bus, I glanced around and took a mental tally of all of the Jack’s Mannequin, Something Corporate or other Andrew McMahon-affiliated shirts I saw from fellow passengers. While the bus made its way to the lakeside venue, I chatted with a group of friends who had flown in from out of town to attend one of the few dates of this production. During the concert, I did spot some younger fans in attendance (also singing along to every word), but for the most part the audience seemed to be fans in theirs 30s and 40s, relishing in the soundtracks of their high school years.

The special evening ahead of us held a three and a half hour show from McMahon and his bandmates, starting sharply at 7:30PM and spanning right up to the curfew-imposed buzzer of 11PM at the outdoor amphitheater. The show didn’t include any support acts, unless of course you consider Jack’s Mannequin the opener for the Wilderness and Something Corporate sets. The stage was set with three different pianos to signify the name of the tour and to mark the distinct projects, but before the band launched into “The Resolution” of the Jack’s Mannequin era, a recording of McMahon speaking was played through the speakers. These storytelling intervals continued throughout the night to bookmark each segment of the show.

The setlist journeyed from a chunk of Jack’s Mannequin songs to a bundle of Wilderness songs, before wrapping up the first half of the show with Something Corporate songs. Throughout these first 3 sets, McMahon shuffled between each piano, but he seldom remained stationary at their keys. A few times, he’d climb to the top of his piano and leap off of it, or he’d run to the edge of the stage to ask everyone to put their hands up or do the wave. During the performance of “Canyon Moon,” he jumped offstage to run through the crowd—something he’d end up doing a few more times—with props! When I saw Jack’s Mannequin at Salt Shed last year, McMahon crowd surfed on a giant inflatable llama, but this time, he rode an inflatable rubber duck over the Chicago audience. At another point, he danced with fans under a rainbow tarp, which he ended up wrapping around himself back onstage. While McMahon and the band poured their energy into an engaging and interactive performance, there were also video screens lining the stage that reflected different visuals and graphics to go along with the music (for example, stereos fittingly flashed on the screen during “The Mixed Tape”).

After the first three sets, there was a 15-minute intermission that was marked by a countdown on the screens. Something Corporate’s Brian Ireland and William Tell welcomed the crowd back from the intermission by performing two acoustic cover songs, the absolute bangers “Thong Song” by Sisqo and “I Love You Always Forever” by Donna Lewis. Meanwhile, the rest of the band got ready to perform a couple of their own acoustic songs over on a B-stage set up in the middle of the venue, including “The Astronaut” by Something Corporate and “Swim” by Jack’s Mannequin. During the B-stage performance, the clouds opened up with a light sprinkling of rain, which really only added to all the feels that the acoustic set stirred up.

To close out the evening with a bang, the band performed a super-set comprised of a mix of songs from each era, back on the main stage. The shuffle-set kicked off with an extended intro of “Dark Blue” by Jack’s Mannequin. In the song, McMahon sings “Dark blue, dark blue, have you ever been alone in a crowded room?” which is a sentiment I’ve related to many times, but not at the Three Pianos Tour! There was such a sense of community and camaraderie that radiated throughout the venue that night, and that was largely sparked by the energy that McMahon and the band projected themselves.

The super-set wrapped up with the 34th song of the night, “If You C Jordan,” but the adventure didn’t end there! McMahon returned to the stage for a two-song encore. The wholesome vibes continued when he invited his 12-year-old daughter, as in the Cecilia from McMahon’s hit solo song “Cecilia And The Satellite,” to sing the aforementioned song with him. It truly was such a full circle moment to hear a young woman sing the song that her dad wrote about her as a baby. Andrew McMahon may be an absolute rockstar, but in that vulnerable moment, the audience also got to see his duality as a family man. That moment, and the entire Three Pianos show, was such an incredible spectacle to witness.

Check out photos of the evening below, and see where you can catch Andrew McMahon on tour next here.

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categories / Reviews, Gigs, Photos
tags / Andrew McMahon, Something Corporate, Jack's Mannequin, Andrew McMahon in the Wilderness, Three Pianos, Northerly Island, Live Review, Live Recap, Photo Set

Outside Lands 2026: Sunday Highlights

August 10, 2026 / Rachel Zyzda

Outside Lands 2026 wrapped up on Sunday, August 9th at Golden Gate Park. Read on for the highlights of the final festival day below, and if you missed it, you can check out the highlights from day 1 and day 2.

A Different Kind of Church

Listen, I’m not a regular churn-goer, but I’ll happily spend my Sunday mornings/early afternoons with the San Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus. The group warmed up the Lands End stage at noon on Sunday, and it felt like they took us to the churn of good vibes and wholesome fun. As they took the stage, one of the long-time members of the chorus told us that he’d been doing this a long time, but this was the most exciting event they’d ever done. Their set included covers that spanned across decades; from Madonna’s “Like a Prayer” to Chappell Roan’s “Pink Pony Club.” Here’s hoping this becomes an annual tradition for the fest because it was such a fun, feel-good way to kick off the final day.

Double Death Cab and Outside Plans

This year was my first Outside Lands, but I heard from another festival attendee that one of 2025’s headliners, Vampire Weekend, played two sets at 12:45PM and in the evening. Luckily for those of us attending this year, we got treated to the same phenomenon with Death Cab For Cutie, who played two unique shows on Sunday. I caught their matinee set at 12:40PM on the Sutro Stage, which also happened to be them performing their beloved album 2005 Plans in its entirety. The album features fan favorites like “Crooked Teeth” and “I Will Follow You into the Dark.” For an hour, the festival became Outside Plans.

The meadow where the Sutro stage is situated quickly filled up, and this set was easily the most packed that I’ve seen a set before 1PM at a music festival. Especially on the last day of the fest, it’s such a feat to get everyone to show up early! We were also lucky that the show went on at all—Lead vocalist Ben Gibbard let the audience know that he woke up with no voice at all, but that the medical staff at the festival was able to treat him and get him back to singing for us. Gibbard was able to push through again for the later headlining show, which featured a mix of the band’s discography. The double-duty headliner is another tradition I hope Outside Lands and other festivals can keep alive.

Bands of Brothers

Saturday at Outside Lands gave us sets from siblings Audrey Hobert and Malcolm Todd, and Sunday we got incredible performances from not one, but two bands with siblings in them.

One of those bands was Day We Ran, hailing all the way from Australia and comprised of brothers Matthew, Michael, and Daniel Lough. Sunday marked the band’s first performance at Outside Lands, but Death Cab for Cutie wasn’t the only one performing double duty— Day We Ran performed a set at 1:25PM on the Panhandle stage, followed up by another more intimate show at Duboce Triangle at 3:25PM. Both sets drew enthusiastic crowds, and I was impressed by the beautiful harmonies delivered by the siblings.

Balu Brigada, the project of brothers Henry and Pierre Beasley from New Zealand, also drew an enthusiastic and large crowd at Lands End on Sunday afternoon. The duo told the audience that they feared no one might turn up to their set, but they think it ended up being the largest crowd they’ve ever played. The Beasley brothers exhibited energetic stage presence and had a sense of natural chemistry onstage that really only happens with family. Fans loved their performance of their hit “Backseat” as well as their live cover of “Oblivion” by Grimes.

Walking On a Sweet 2000’s Dream

Two other really fun and popular performances of the day went to Empire of the Sun and The Temper Trap. Watching their shows brought back all the feel-good nostalgia as they performed their landmark hits from the late aughts.

The Temper Trap played first over at Sutro again, and lead singer Dougy Mandagi asked the crowd “Did you miss us? We fucking missed you guys. We’ve been here once upon a time and now we’re back.” It truly felt like no time had passed as the band opened up with the opening track “Love Lost” from their 2009 album Conditions. The pinnacle of their set came with the performance of “Sweet Disposition” from the same album, which was received with overwhelming cheers from the massive crowd. I got goosebumps when the opening notes of the song rang out into the meadow, and I’m not sure if it was the San Francisco chill or the thrill of the nostalgia.

Later on, Empire of the Sun also drew a huge crowd at Lands End for their pre-headliner evening set. The band hit the stage donning their signature stage costumes, and dazzled the crowd with some of their nostalgic favorites from 2008 like “We Are The People” and “Walking On A Dream.”

And The Surprise Guest Is…

When the Outside Lands set times dropped the week before the festival, eagle-eyed fans might have noticed a slot labeled “Surprise Guest” at the intimate Duboce Triangle stage on Sunday evening at 7:45PM. I had the set added to my schedule, but wasn’t sure if I’d end up making the show as there were a few other sets going on around the same time.

As Sunday evening rolled around and the mystery still loomed overhead, Outside Lands posted a hint on their Instagram stories that was a cowboy emoji followed by two bridge emojis. Fans started to speculate based on the clue that it might be Leon Bridges, and their hunches ended up being confirmed by the festival with in-app notification about an hour before the singer was scheduled to take the small stage.

In the minutes leading up to Mr. Bridges surprise set, the grassy hill around the stage became increasingly more packed and filled the air with excited anticipation. Bridges hit the stage backed by talented instrumentalists and backup vocalists, opening the show with some of his newer material like “Light The Way” and “Your Love is Electric” from his forthcoming album entitled Happiness Anytime. The new material had a groovy funkiness about it, mixing it up from his more soulful roots, but Bridges also included some of his earlier work like “Texas Sun” and “River” to close out the surprise performance. It was a beautiful way to wrap up the weekend at Outside Lands.

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categories / Reviews, Gigs, Photos, Festival
tags / Leon Bridges, Outside Lands, Music Festival, Outside Lands Music Festival, Death Cab for Cutie, Balu Brigada, Day We Ran, Empire of the Sun, The Temper Trap

PHOTOS: Paris Paloma at Metro

July 30, 2026 / Rachel Zyzda

Fans flocked to Metro on Tuesday night to witness Paris Paloma and Renee Christine kick off Lollapalooza week. Paloma frolicked and glided across the legendary stage, giving off ethereal princess-fairy vibes, and the crowd remained hooked to her every word. Her voice sounded phenomenal in the intimate venue, and her words were empowering. Check out photos of the evening below, and be sure to catch Paris Paloma on tour later this year.

Setlist:

Stem The Flow

Drywall

Miyazaki

Good Boy

Maneater (Nelly Furtado Cover)

Pre‐Raphaelite

As good a reason

Hunter

Good Girl

Silhouette on the Hill

The fruits

Camille Claudel

Labour

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categories / Photos, Gigs, Festival
tags / Paris Paloma, Renee Christine, Metro, Lollapalooza, Lolla aftershow, Live Music, Photo recap, Photo Gallery

PHOTOS: Mr. Fantasy at Bottom Lounge

July 26, 2026 / Rachel Zyzda

The sensational Mr. Fantasy brought his debut album Fantasyland to life onstage at Bottom Lounge on Thursday, July 23rd—closing out his inaugural tour, aptly called the “Sexy Little Tour.” The show featured his self-titled viral hit “Mr. Fantasy,” along with several of his other groovy tunes like “Only Girl” and “Catapult.” Fans donned disco-themed outfits (similar to the one Mr. Fantasy sported) and danced along with the star throughout his hour-long set. See photos of the performance below, and be sure to follow along with England’s finest here.

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categories / Photos, Gigs
tags / Mr. Fantasy, The Bottom Lounge, Live Show, Photo recap, Photo Gallery, Concert Photography, Fantasyland

PHOTOS: Jeff Rosenstock with Beach Bunny at Metro

July 24, 2026 / Rachel Zyzda

Jeff Rosenstock and his live band (AKA Death Rosenstock) have taken over the legendary Metro in Chicago for a whopping 9-night residency. Each night has featured a different support act, ranging from Mustard Plug to Beach Bunny—with Dan Andriano (of Alkaline Trio) and Sidney Gish still to come during the remaining nights. You can nab tickets for just $25 for the final night here, and check out photos from Wednesday night with Beach Bunny below.

Gigs

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categories / Gigs, Photos, Music
tags / Jeff Rosenstock, Beach Bunny, Live Show, Metro, Photo recap, Photo Set

Live Recap: James Blake at The Salt Shed; Great Times at the Trying Times Tour

June 11, 2026 / Rachel Zyzda

James Blake returned to Chicago on Monday, June 8th, bringing his Trying Times Tour to the Salt Shed stage.

Backed by a live band, Blake took the stage just before 9PM— fittingly kicking off his show with the first song from Trying Times, entitled “Walk Out Music.”

The setlist featured a mix of the newer material from the aforementioned album and fan favorites from deeper in Blake’s discography, but no matter what he and the band played, his incredible vocals remained a consistent force throughout the night. Blake alternated between being stationed at his keyboard in the middle of the stage, wandering the stage instrument-free and occasionally playing guitar. “Don’t get too excited. I’ve got four chords,” Blake told the audience when he picked up the guitar to play “Make Something Up” from the new record. During the quieter and raw moments when it was just him and the piano, Blake’s vocals had a spotlight on them, but they never once wavered. It’s incredible to witness how Blake covers iconic songs like “Godspeed” by Frank Ocean and “A Case Of You” by Joni Mitchell and completely makes them his own. During the live performances of both of these tracks, the room remained so transfixed on the singer’s performance that you could hear a pin drop.

Of course, there were also crescendoing moments that contrasted with the softer songs. Take “Limit To Your Love”— another cover (this one by Feist)— or “Doesn’t Just Happen” for example. The bass was so visceral during those songs that you could physically feel it in your chest, even standing in the balcony of The Salt Shed. Blake also encouraged the crowd to sing along early on in the show. Before playing “I Had a Dream She Took My Hand,” Blake told the crowd “I don’t know who spread the rumor about me, but I actually love it when people sing along at my shows”— alluding to the rumor that he doesn’t like audience sing alongs.

Blake also took a few moments to get vulnerable with his fans during a few different moments in the set. Before playing the title track of his newest record, he told the crowd about how special the album was to him. “Every artist says that about every album they put out so that doesn’t really mean anything. But it was a rough time, it was trying times. This is the song that really cemented it, it’s called ‘Trying Times.’” He also opened up about his venture into being an independent artist, before he played his first song he released independently, “Thrown Around.”

One other aspect of the show that I appreciated as a fan was that James Blake didn’t have any elaborate production rigs for his show. This allowed us as the fans to really connect with his pure talent and focus on the music rather than any shiny distraction tactics. Blake also addressed that decision, telling the crowd, “I don’t normally play venues this big. I hope it’s alright there’s not a screen behind me showing my face at all times. It’s a vanity decision, and a cost one as well.” He further drove the point of connecting directly with the fans following that up by saying, “I’m gonna play a song now that means a lot to me, and I hope you’ll sing along”—and everyone obliged to sing along to “I’ll Come Too.”

The show wrapped up with a 3-song encore, including the beloved single “Retrograde” and the aforementioned Joni Mitchell cover, before ultimately wrapping up with “Say What You Will.”

Check out photos of the Chicago show below, and see where you can catch James Blake on tour next here.

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categories / Gigs, Photos, Reviews
tags / James Blake, The Salt Shed, Live Recap, Live Review, Photo Set

PHOTOS: Bleachers Forever at Salt Shed

June 08, 2026 / Rachel Zyzda

Bleachers kicked off their Bleachers Forever tour with a sold out show at The Salt Shed on Friday, June 5th. The fun continued with another packed house at The Fairgrounds on Sunday, June 7th. See photos of Sunday’s gig below and see where you can catch the tour next here.

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categories / Photos, Gigs
tags / Bleachers, Jack Antonoff, Salt Shed, Chicago, Bleachers Forever, Photo Gallery, Photo Set

Live Recap: Kevin Morby's Back in Chicago and We're Feeling It

June 05, 2026 / Rachel Zyzda

On Tuesday, June 2nd, Kevin Morby returned to Chicago to play a sold out show in support of his new album Little Wide Open. While he’s performed in the city many times in the past, this was his first time on the legendary Metro stage.

After an opening set from Chicago’s own Liam Kazar that got the crowd warmed up and feeling good, Morby and his bandmates made their way onto a stage that had been decked out in cheery sunflowers as a callback to the cover art for Little Wide Open. Amongst the live band members was Kazar, pulling double duty for not only this show, but the entirety of the tour. Kazar was joined by Cochemea Gastelum, Cole Berggren, Camellia Hartman and Dom Billet to bring Morby’s songs to life.

Donning glitter on his cheeks and a customized denim-on-denim ensemble that featured painted-on artwork related to the singer (like the sunflowers from the album cover or the Kansas City logo as a nod to his hometown), Morby launched into the set with “Natural Disaster” from his latest album. The first several songs on the setlist leaned heavily into the new material, including the singles “100,000” and “Die Young,” but Morby told the crowd that he and the band were going to play some classics before they transitioned into his earlier music.

After playing “This Is A Photograph,” Morby took some time to address the packed audience. “I’ve been hearing about this venue for so long. I’ve never been in this venue, never even seen a show here. I’ve always wanted to come—thank you all so much for coming tonight. It means the world! It’s an honor to be up here.” Sitting on one of the amps on stage, the singer started to riff the chorus to Djo’s “End of Beginning,” singing “And when I’m back in Chic—just kidding, this song is called ‘Five Easy Pieces'.’” The moment got a good chuckle from the crowd, but personally I’d love to hear a full cover of the tune by Kevin Morby! The momentum of the night only continued to soar during that song, with Morby meandering around the stage, sans guitar, and eventually making his way offstage and down to the barricade to sing face-to-face with fans in the front.

Throughout the night, we were treated to several extended jams of the songs being performed, allowing us to relish in the magnitude of talent of each of the musicians onstage. For example, Gastelum played the flute and saxophone on different songs, and Hartman played violin in addition to the keys and backing vocals, really giving a rich depth to the live performance of these songs.

The sold-out crowd was also delighted by a one-off rendition of Morby’s “Bittersweet, TN”—which was done as a duet with Erin Rae on the album. However, during his Metro show, Morby explained that he’s invited a friend from each city on the tour to perform a song with the band every night. “They’re one of my favorite songwriters ever, I’ve known this person for over 20 years and truly, one of my favorite songwriters in the world,” he said as he introduced Alynda Segarra from Hurray for the Riff Raff to join him for the live duet.

Another special Chicago-only moment during the show came just before the last (pre-encore) song of the night. Prior to playing “Coat Of Butterflies,” Morby told the audience that he got really into Jeff Buckley when working on his 2022 album This Is A Photograph, so it was only fitting that he dedicate a song to Buckley in the venue where Buckley’s “Live in Chicago” performance was filmed—way back in 1995. “I was writing in Memphis and I became obsessed with the man. I wrote this song about him, so we don’t usually play this one, but we’re gonna play it tonight! This one’s to Jeff Buckley,” he told the crowd.

The band left the stage after that song to demands for an encore, and we didn’t have to wait long for a return to the stage. The set officially concluded with a 2-song encore featuring “Beautiful Strangers” and “Dorothy.”

By the end of it, Morby and his bandmates played for over 90-minutes, and the Metro audience loved every second of it. Besides the sunflowers on stage, there really wasn’t any fancy production elements to the show, but Kevin Morby and his band are such talented musicians that they don’t need any bells and whistles to put on a phenomenal show. The tour continues throughout North America this month, before heading across the pond to Europe— grab your tickets here and see photos of the Metro performance below.

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categories / Gigs, Music, Photos, Reviews
tags / Kevin Morby, Little Wide Open, Metro, Metro Chicago, Live Recap, Photo recap, Liam Kazar