first of all let me say that CHI is a rad city. this was my first time there to explore.
kiss me deadly was great. i got the sense that many in the crowd weren't feeling it too much, but emily, the female vocalist, was doing her best to get the crowd pumped. the red body suit didn't hurt.
i was able to talk to her at the end of the show. she looked tired. this was their last night touring for a while. she was explaining how lackluster the crowds were on many of their tour stops.
the wrens just kicked so much ass and really solidified their place among my favorite live acts. they have such a presence, a comraderie, that comes through in their performance. there is a lot of rocking, but also a lot of slow buildup to some of their awesome songs. their songs have lots of variety to keep it all interesting. the best part is that those guys seem to really love the art of performing. the piano player guy jumped into the crowd on the first song. they played happy, which was such a gem, among many other gems.
shubas was a great venue, very small, very intimate. i was able to get there via foot and train, which is such a nice feeling coming from lala land. i will def catch a show there next time i'm in chicago. oh, it was interesting to see smokers in the bar section (that's a no no out west).
all in all a stellar show and stellar trip.
