Cold War Kids, Riviera Theatre, Chicago, Illinois

Because there was a long line to enter the venue, which we preferred to wait out, we only arrived inside the sold out show only slightly before the Cold War Kids were scheduled to take the stage. Struggling to find a place to stand, an employee recommended that we check out the balcony, a section of the theatre which I had yet to see. Even the balcony was at near capacity, meaning that we had to walk to the very top rows to find a place to with four empty seats. Despite how high up were we were, I found that the entire balcony had both good acoustics and view of the stage. It was certainly better than being at the back of the main floor of the theater.

California-based indie rockers the Cold War Kids include Nathan Willett (vocals, piano, guitar, keyboards, percussion), Dann Gallucci (guitar, percussion, melodica), Matt Maust (bass guitar), Joe Plummer (drums, percussion) and Matthew Schwartz (keyboards, piano, guitar, percussion, vocals). Forming in 2005, they have since grown steadily in popularity ever. Though I had seen them once before at the Sweetlife Music Festival in 2011, this was my first time seeing them on their own. They played a mix of songs from all their albums as well as a couple tracks from Behave Yourself EP (2010). It was certainly a fun show even if I don’t feel the need to see a repeat performance.

Setlist:
All This Could Be Yours
Miracle Mile
Loner Phase
We Used to Vacation
Santa Ana Winds
First
Louder Than Ever
Hot Coals
Hang Me Up to Dry
Bottled Affection [Nate solo]
Harold Bloom
Tuxedos
Drive Desperate
Every Man I Fall For
Red Wine, Success!
Hospital Beds
Encore:
Well Well Well [John Lennon cover]
Audience
Something Is Not Right With Me