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Live Recap: Parquet Courts with Mdou Moctar at The Riviera
This past Saturday night, fans packed into The Riviera to see Parquet Courts, in honor of their new album Sympathy for Life.
The evening’s show began with a performance from songwriter and musician Mdou Moctar, alongside his band. Moctar comes from Agadez, Niger, but he and his bandmates seemed to be right at home onstage at The Riviera. Audience members in the front of the crowd seemed to be just as big of fans of Moctar’s as they were of the show’s headliners, as they bopped their heads along and watched in awe throughout Moctar’s intricate jams that mix bluesy and psychedelic rock. Mdou Moctar’s set consisted mostly of songs from 2021’s album Afrique Victime, but the band threw in some newer material as well. Their set ended with a standing ovation from the balcony attendees and raucous cheering from the entire audience. The last time I had seen Moctar was at Lincoln Hall last year, but his band easily captivated a much larger venue this time around.
Next up, fans prepared to be equally as enthralled by New York’s Parquet Courts. The band has performed in Chicago many times, but this show was their first time back since 2019, and fans eagerly welcomed them back to hear some of their familiar favorites mixed in with the new songs from 2021’s Sympathy for Life album. The members of Parquet Courts took their places on a dimly lit stage that cast colorful shadows on the stage’s backdrop, setting the tone for an immersive experience as they kicked off with “Application/Apparatus.”
Aside from being a highly anticipated return to Chicago for Parquet Courts, the audience at The Riviera got to celebrate another special occasion with the band—it was drummer Max Savage’s 30th birthday. Everyone honored Max by singing “Happy Birthday” before Mdou Moctar returned to the stage to play guitar on “Walking at a Downtown Pace” alongside the band, which is the first track on Sympathy for Life. Moctar shredded on his guitar riffs, and the members of Parquet Courts made sure to call that out by joking “he assured us he wouldn’t solo over us, but he did anyways!” Parquet Courts kept that high energy up by following that song with the trippy and mesmerizing track “Plant Life,” which transitioned seamlessly into the boisterous “Light Up Gold, Pt. 2,” a song that’s reminiscent of Ramones-era punk. Parquet Courts’ performance at the Riviera really showcased the dynamic nature and style of their music, and they presented it in a way that blurred many individual songs into one cohesive collection.
If you missed out on the show, check out our photo recap of the evening below, and see where you can catch Parquet Courts on tour next here.
PHOTOS: Wet Leg and Lowertown at Thalia Hall
Last Friday night, enthusiastic fans packed into Thalia Hall to witness Wet Leg’s first ever show in Chicago. The sold out show had originally been booked at Empty Bottle before moving up to Thalia Hall to accommodate the band’s growing fanbase, and the bigger crowd only seemed fitting for the amount of energy the band brought to the stage.
Check out the photo recap of Wet Leg and Lowertown below, and see where you can catch the tour next here.
PHOTOS: Maisie Peters with Jonah Kagen at Lincoln Hall
We kicked off the month of March with a beautiful show from singer-songwriter Maisie Peters and Jonah Kagen at Lincoln Hall. If you missed out on tickets to the sold out show, check out our photo recap below, and see where you can catch Maisie Peters next here.
PHOTOS: K.Flay at Park West
PHOTOS: The Weather Station with Helena Deland at Lincoln Hall
Last Friday night, we kicked off the weekend with a beautiful show from The Weather Station and Helena Deland at Lincoln Hall. Check out the full photo recap of the show below, and see where you can catch The Weather Station next here.
PHOTOS: Faye Webster at Metro
Last Tuesday night, indie folk singer Faye Webster brought her whimsical tunes to the Metro, in celebration of her latest album I Know I’m Funny Haha. If you missed out on the show, check out the photo recap of the evening below, and see where you can catch Faye Webster live next here.
Live Recap: Magdalena Bay and Cecile Believe at Lincoln Hall
This past Thursday night, LA pop duo Magdalena Bay headlined their first ever Chicago show to a sold out crowd at Lincoln Hall, in honor of their debut album Mercurial World.
Cecile Believe warmed up the packed house with her electropop tunes that perfectly complemented the musical styling of Magdalena Bay. Cecile performed her set with a backing DJ and minimal other gear, but she awed the crowd with a magnetic performance and interpretive dance moves that accentuated her songs. Many of the audience members enthusiastically soaked up her songs, particularly the fan favorite “Bitch Bites Dogs.” If you’re a fan of Caroline Polachek and FKA Twigs, you should definitely check out Cecile Believe.
Eager energy pent up throughout the venue during Cecile’s set, and the release of that euphoric energy was palpable when Mica Tenenbaum and Matthew Lewin of Magdalena Bay hit the stage to perform their set. The show began with a Y2K-era style graphic appearing on the background screen and a robotic narration to introduce the band, which essentially felt like the band’s website for Mercurial World had been brought to life.
The set began with the introductory track from the album ironically entitled “The End,” which features Tenenbaum’s philosophical musings. From there, the duo quickly launched into the record’s title track and played out the setlist in the precise order of the album’s tracklist. Magdalena Bay’s mesmerizing stage presence and immersive stage props gave their show an air of a blast from the past— Tenenbaum’s microphone headset gave me flashbacks to those Britney Spears used in the 90’s and early aughts. That tinge of nostalgia added to the sense of escapism that Magdalena Bay was providing to their fans, who were all dancing and screaming along to the lyrics.
When the time came for the last song of the record called “The Beginning” (again—ironic), the robotic narrator returned to instruct the audience to cheer for an encore. Tenenbaum and Lewin obliged and returned to perform some of their earlier material, like the singles “Killshot'“ and “Good Intentions.” The show ended with the entire room jumping up and down on Tenenbaum’s command.
If you missed out on the show, check out our photo recap below, and see where you can catch Magdalena Bay next here.
