Filed under: Reviews, Show | Tags: Cold War Kids, Fender, Heineken, Inspire Chicago, Lollapalooza, Matt & Kim, Ravenswood Billboard
Saturday night Heineken threw an “Inspire Chicago” event at the Ravenswood Billboard. Let me tell you… they know how to party. I went for the Matt and Kim, but stayed for the free food and Heineken. Also see: shirt silk screening, Fender guitar lessons, Wii on the roof, Rolling Stone souvenirs.
Credit: Heineken
But back to the show. I’m officially putting this band on my list of top three live bands. Their energy was awesome, they were completely fluid with the song mixes and both of them had the biggest smiles on their face of any artist I have ever seen.
Kim bashed the drums like her life depended on it, Matt stood atop his keyboard for fist pumping (no, not Jersey Shore style) and they both demanded room-wide cheers among the 21 and overs for the company who put on the event. The duo produced an energy that got even those who had never heard of them dancing around the room.
Next up was Cold War Kids – since I only stuck around for one song, I won’t report on it, but my point is: go see Matt and Kim immediately. They’ll be at Lollapallooza for the Friday date!
Filed under: Reviews, Show | Tags: Dan Black, Dragonette, Kid Cudi, Lollapalooza, London, Pump My Pumps, Rino, Robyn, Symphonies
Last Thursday amongst sword-eaters, snake tamers and the birthday-mission clubsters, there was Dan Black. I had never given the London-based band much of a listen before, but the man is catchy.
An up and coming artist, this Windish-rostered Euro-sound has tours lined up with Robyn, Dragonette and will even be gracing his presence at Lollapalooza 2010. My personal favorite is Pump My Pumps, but be sure to check out his newest video with Kid Cudi -
Filed under: Reviews, Show | Tags: Chicago, The xx, Jam Productions, Hot Chip, The Riviera, Wandsworth, Baria Quereshi, Infinity, Oliver Sim, Over and Over, Lollapalooza, Grant Park, Jam USA
Being in East Lansing means being around very few live music acts. So when Jam Productions (@jamusa on Twitter) gave me two free tickets to the Hot Chip/The xx show at the Riviera in Chicago yesterday, I was all over it.
Hot Chip‘s Wandsworth high school friends, The xx, opened – skipping the usual “local talent” opener tradition. This time instead of a four-piece, they performed as a trio, having recently lost guitarist Baria Quereshi. The vocals were flawless, their demeanor was trance-like, and the crowd, though not very active, could not get enough. The xx ended their 40-minute set with Infinity. Instead of their album version fade-out though, it ended with bassist Oliver Sim dramatically beating the living hell out of a drum. It was awesome. Take a look -
After waiting 30 minutes for set-up and an escalating chant of “WE JUST WANT TO DANCE,” from the crowd, Hot Chip started their set. They opened with Over and Over, and immediately, I was in the middle of an all-out hipster dance party. Since the show was sold out, the wall-to-wall mass seemed to vibe together, jumping and throwing fists in a strobe-light of dancing fury.
I must admit, I went mostly for The xx. Turns out, Hot Chip, though good through stereo, was meant to be heard live. The energy and volume was magnetic. If you haven’t gotten a chance to check them out live yet, do it. They’ll be at Lollapalooza this summer (August 6-8) in Grant Park. Don’t forget to wear your neon!
*For a video of The xx’s Shelter, click here.
