Kendrick Lamar, Riviera Theatre, Chicago, Illinois

With only a couple of weeks’ notice, Kendrick Lamar announced a handful of surprise shows to close out the year, billed as the “1st Annual Kunta’s Groove Session,” named for Kunta Kinte, the main protagonist from Alex Haley’s novel Roots, who is evoked in the title of the song, “King Kunta,” probably the biggest single from Lamar’s widely critically acclaimed To Pimp a Butterfly (2015). I doubt that this will become an annual event, but as I’m a big fan of the album, I’d be happy to hear its songs performed annually.

The show was initially announced to take place at the Concord Theatre, which I immediately recognized as being a much smaller venue than where he should have been booked. Tickets sold out immediately, but I was lucky enough to nab a pair. However, unfortunately, at least for me, it was announced the week of the show that it would be moved over to the Riviera, and more tickets would go on sale. I wasn’t pleased with this, as the opportunity to see Kendrick Lamar at such a small venue was the major reason that I bought the tickets to begin with. Not Cool Jam Productions; not cool. Ticket prices on the secondary market crashed though, making it more reasonable for a new friend to join us for the show at the last minute, so that was at least something positive to come out of the switch.

We arrived at the theatre a bit after doors opened, and though it was crowded in the bottom section, we were able to slide our way in towards the back. Kendrick Lamar had arranged for label mate Jay Rock as the opening act. Jay Rock hails from South Central LA, a neighborhood called Watts only a couple miles from Lamar’s home in Compton. He took the stage alone. The curtain behind him remained closed, and he rapped over backing tracks. Though I didn’t know any of his songs, he was pretty good as an opener, and the audience seemed to be pretty into his performance.

Kendrick Lamar took the stage at exactly 10pm, joined by a full backing band. There were some various lights on the stage, though nothing too fancy. Also on stage was a single neon sign pointing an entrance for “Pimps Only.” The audience in our section compacted significantly, and it was the most crowded show that I had been to in a while, save for a handful of moments in the pit at Frank Turner. I saw Kendrick Lamar at Bonnaroo a couple years ago, and enjoyed the performance. However, this was in 2013, before the release of To Pimp a Butterfly. He made several references to that album and the year that he had been having, humble bragging that “some people might call this the album of the year; some people might call album of this generation, but to me this is therapy.”

His setlist included a mix of songs from good kid, m.A.A.d city (2012) and To Pimp a Butterfly. Though he name checked his first album, Section.80 (2011), asking who in the room had been a fan since its initial release, none of the songs from it made the cut. By the end of the night, I had pretty heard almost every song that I wanted to hear. “P & P” was noticeably missing. While it’s not uncommon for fans to smoke during shows at the Riviera, this was the first time I saw people smoking cigarettes.

Perhaps the coolest part of the show started during the encore break. Immediately after his main set, a guy near me started chanting/singing the hook to Lamar’s single “Alright” over and over – "we gon' be a-right,"…"we gon' be a-right,"…"we gon' be a-right…" Soon everyone near him joined in, then most of the audience in the lower section. After a couple minutes, Kendrick returned to the stage to lead the audience in continuing the chant, pointing to different sections, timing when to start and stop, and adjusting the volume level. He did all this without stepping to the microphone, just the whole crowd focused on his movements. I’m not sure if this is a par for the course at his shows or if it was a first for him too. I’ve been involved in a lot of coordinated audience sing-alongs. However, never before had I participated in one that seemed to come together so organically. It was incredible, and easily the highlight of the show for me. After a full version of “Alright,” and a brief outro, Kendrick took a bow. The show ended up being about an hour and a half total.

Approximate Setlist:
For Free (Interlude)
Wesley's Theory
Institutionalized
Backseat Freestyle
Swimming Pools (Drank)
These Walls
For Sale (Interlude)
Hood Politics
Complexion (A Zulu Love)
Bitch, Don't Kill My Vibe
Money Trees
m.A.A.d city
U
Freestyle (Spoken Word Interlude)
King Kunta
Momma
i
How Much a Dollar Cost (Interlude)
The Blacker the Berry
Mortal Man
Encore:
Alright
Every Nigger Is a Star (Outro) [Boris Gardiner Cover]

Old 97s, Thalia Hall, Chicago, Illinois

The Old 97's are an alternative country band from Dallas. Though they’ve been around since the early 90s, I hadn’t heard of them until recently. However, I listened to a few albums and liked what I heard. Many of the band’s songs harken back to their Texas roots, though they could also be called a hometown band, having released albums on the Chicago-based Bloodshot Records label on and off since their early years.

We arrived as the show was starting. It wasn’t sold out, and while we didn’t feel the need to slide up particularly close, it was easy to find a spot with good sound and a decent view. The Old 97’s consist of Rhett Miller (lead vocals, rhythm guitar), Ken Bethea (lead guitar, backing and occasional lead vocals), Murry Hammond (bass guitar, backing and occasional lead vocals), and Philip Peeples (drums, backing vocals). Rhett Miller reminded me of another Texas native introduced to the world in 1993, the fictional character Randall "Pink" Floyd, as portrayed by Jason London in the Richard Linklater film Dazed and Confused (1993). Both wore tight pants, an open flowing shirt, and had long flowing brown hair.

With 18 albums under their belts, the Old 97s had a deep catalogue from which to pull. They seemed to dig deep, such that even following my attempt to learn their most commonly played songs, there were a lot that I didn’t recognize. Their set also included a handful of covers. The full band participated in the majority of the performance, though a few songs featured only Hammond on an acoustic guitar and Miller on vocals. Overall it was a fun show and despite their long career, they’re all still enthusiastic performers that are highly appreciative of their continued fan base.

Setlist:
Give It Time
What We Talk About
King of All the World
Wasted
Up the Devil's Pay
Salome
Wheels Off
Nashville
Big Brown Eyes
The Other Shoe
You Belong to My Heart [Bing Crosby cover]
Over the Cliff [Jon Langford cover]
Color of a Lonely Heart Is Blue
Longer than You've Been Alive
I'm a Trainwreck
Guadalajara
Rollerskate Skinny
White Port
Murder (Or a Heart Attack)
Barrier Reef
Every Night Is Friday Night (Without You)
Most Messed Up
Encore:
Most in the Summertime [Rhett Miller song]
Valentine
Wish the Worst
Let's Get Drunk & Get It On
Timebomb

Civil Twilight, Lincoln Hall, Chicago, Illinois

Like The Word last week, there weren’t many people there at Lincoln Hall to see Civil Twilight. Again, I suspect that it might have had something to do with the Cubs playing in Game 3 of the NLCS just down the road, even though they were already down 2-0 in the series, and the live updates that I received on my phone weren’t looking promising. Nonetheless, I felt bad for the band that so few people showed up. I hoped that they were having more success at other shows.

I wasn’t a particularly big fan, but a friend had won tickets to the show. Since I liked a couple songs and their overall sound, it was easy for me to forgo watching the Cubs lose and check out the show. The sounded an awful lot like Coldplay, even though they’re from down under, not the other side of the pond. The lead singer even switched to piano for a couple songs, a la Chris Martin. He also admitted that he wasn’t really too familiar with baseball, but he tried to empathize with us, updating some of the lyrics of “Oh Daniel,” to “I wish I knew why the Cubs were losing.” He also mentioned that he was getting married on Friday. There were few enough people in the room that I was able to casually inquire how he was planning to pull all that off, and he was able to clarify that the wedding would occur in Nashville, not back home in Australia.

Setlist:
River
Trouble
River Child
Let It Go
Doorway
Please Don't Find Me
Story of an Immigrant
Oh Daniel
It's Over
Holy Dove
Letters from the Sky
When, When
Encore:
Human

The Word, Concord Music Hall, Chicago, Illinois

The Word ended up being another show that I decided to attend on my own at the last minute. I even showed up without a ticket, just purchasing one at the door. It was my first time at Concord Music Hall, a nice, mid-sized venue in Wicker Park.

The Word is the combination of gospel steel guitarist Robert Randolph and southern rock/blues band North Mississippi Allstars. They released an album nearly 15 years ago, then went their separate ways to concentrate on their normal projects. The reunited for a follow up album, Soul Food (2015), which was released earlier this year. I knew that seeing Randolph play the steel guitar would be a treat and assumed I wouldn’t be able to see it with this configuration of artists again for some time. When I arrived, I was surprised by how few people were there. I could have easily walked up to the stage even a few minutes before their main set. I was a bit worried for them, I hoped the tour was going better than the number of people I saw that night would have indicated. It probably didn’t help that the Cubs were playing St. Louis in game three of the National League Division Series over at Wrigley Field that evening. While it never filled up completely, it did get a little more crowded by the time that the show started. They put on a rocking show playing songs from their new album as well as what I believe were songs from each band, plus a few covers. Quite a few songs were just extended jams.

Frank Turner & the Sleeping Souls, House of Blues, Chicago, Illinois

For some reason, I waited a bit too long to get Frank Turner tickets, perhaps hoping that I could find someone to join me for the English folk punk singer-songwriter’s return to Chicago. That person never materialized, and tickets for the official front section ended up selling out. Though in my experience House of Blues typically maintains general admission policy throughout the venue, they claim to reserve the right to enforce sections. And if there was a show that I refused to be stuck in the back for, it was Frank Turner (love him and want to be up close with the diehard fans) at the House of Blues (the back sounds terrible). So I waited, planning to utilize the secondary market as needed.

However, it unfortunately turned out that a live taping of the Stuff You Should Know (SYSK) Podcast was occurring on the same night as the Frank Turner show. Even though Frank was my favorite show of 2013, I had seen him before, and I figured he would return. On the other hand, I might not get a chance to see a live taping of SYSK again for quite a while if at all. So I figured I’d skip Frank. However, in the days leading up to the show, it kept irking me that he was coming to Chicago, and I’d miss him. So once I confirmed the approximate set times of the two shows, I decided that I could probably swing both. So I went to SYSK, witnessing the full taping of the podcast and most of the Q&A. Then I snuck out before hosts Josh and Chuck left the stage to catch a ride downtown to the House of Blues. Frank was only a couple of songs into his set when I arrived. I didn’t miss much. Hell yeah.

The Tuesday night show was sold out. And if a show is sold out on a Tuesday night, you know that everyone in the audience wants to be there. As such, it wasn’t particularly easy to find a great spot. I slid my way through the crowd and within a couple more songs found myself in front of the bar house left. It wasn’t perfect, but a pretty good spot all things considered. After a bit, I slid down into the pit though a bit off to the side.

Frank was accompanied by the Sleeping Souls, his usual backing band. Other than a large backdrop of his new album, Positive Songs for Negative People (2015), and some standard lights, there weren’t any theatrics. He played a mix of old and new songs. I liked a lot of the new songs, and was glad to get to hear a few of them live, as it made me appreciate them all the more. His songs are just so damn fun, each one encourages a sing along. Just the greatest little blend of genres – all the energy of punk with the singability and relatableness of folk. His music makes for a hell of a show.

Frank was wearing a white shirt and tie but his sleeves were rolled halfway up showing his tattoo sleeves, making for a decidedly more casual look. Without the back trouble of his last performance in Chicago, he played guitar himself throughout, including a few solo songs in the middle of his set. At some point, he noted that it was show number 1745; he has the full list on his website. Apparently when it comes chronicling concerts, he’s just as big of a nerd as me.

At the start of the encore, I slid into the pit, right in the thick of things amongst the hardcore fans that knew every word to every song. During the encore of the show, a fan jumped on stage. As the bouncers aimed to throw him off the stage, perhaps out of the venue, Frank stopped them and instead gave him a harmonica. The look on the guy’s face indicted that this might be the most important moment in his life. He loved every minute of it, even though he looked a bit like a deer in headlights at first, having no idea what to do with himself when he succeed in getting on stage. Frank crowd surfed a bit himself during the encore as well. Everyone walked out with such joy. A guy stopped me outside the L when I had gotten all the way back to my local station to ask if I was at the show. I guess he was there too and at that hour, assumed it was probably the only rational explanation for why a person would be so sweaty and look so happy.

Setlist:
Get Better

If Ever I Stray
Try This at Home
Long Live the Queen
Out of Breath
Poetry of the Deed
Peggy Sang the Blues
Josephine
Polaroid Picture
I Am Disappeared
The Opening Act of Spring
The Ballad of Me and My Friends
Tell Tale Signs
Somebody to Love [Queen cover]
Wessex Boy
Plain Sailing Weather
Glory Hallelujah
Reasons Not to Be an Idiot
Mittens
Recovery
The Road
The Next Storm
Photosynthesis
Encore:
I Knew Prufrock Before He Got Famous
The Way I Tend to Be
I Still Believe
Four Simple Words

The Districts, Metro, Chicago, Illinois

Even though they’re from a town not far from my hometown of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania and have been around for a couple of years, I only recently discovered indie rock band The Districts. They stopped at Metro while touring to support the release of their sophomore album, A Flourish and a Spoil (2015). Not too far out of high school, the band features a standard four piece setup and plays with an alternative/garage rock sound, though they gave each other some space and everybody had their chance at a solo or two. Their set included a songs from both albums as well as a few that I believe have yet to be released. The show wasn’t close to sold out, so we had plenty of room to move around. Overall, it was an enjoyable if generic show.

Setlist:
Heavy Begs
Rocking Chair
Hounds
Long Distance
Funeral Beds
Chlorine
Jam + Fat Kiddo
Peaches
Bold
Silver Couplets
Airplane
4th & Roebling
Encore:
Suburban Smell
Young Blood

Farm Aid, FirstMerit Bank Pavilion at Northerly Island, Chicago, Illinois

Farm Aid is a benefit concert first held in 1985 by Willie Nelson, John Mellencamp and Neil Young to raise money for US family farmers. The single day event has been held annually more or less every year since. With a few exceptions, Nelson, Mellencamp, and Young have headlined the festival each year. In the mid-90’s Dave Matthews, either with his bandmates or with Tim Reynolds, became a Farm Aid regular as well. Dave now sits on the Board of Directors with the three founders. The undercard for the festival varies from year to year. It takes place on a single stage with each artists playing an abbreviated set with only a few minutes between artists. In their audience banter, many artists note the importance of family farming and how it relates to their own lives.

A sunny afternoon on Northerly Island marked the 30th anniversary of the festival (though only the 29th iteration since there was no event in 1988 or 1991). In total, I was treated to a total of 83 songs (less than a buck a song) by ten artists. Included among this was 16 covers plus 14 songs from the artists other bands/line ups (though half of that were Dave Matthews Band songs). Many of the covers were of songs by country stars of previous generations, like Woody Gutherie and George Strait.

We arrived a couple hours after the event started, so the lawn was already a bit crowded. Not so crowded that it was difficult to move around, but it took a bit of effort for the two of us to find a place to sit that met my criteria. I wasn’t too concerned with being close, but I wanted a decent view of a screen and most importantly to be optimal distance from a set of speaker. I also would have preferred to stand in the grass instead of the plastic matting that covered many areas of the field. Unfortunately that last aspect wasn’t destined to be. It didn’t help that a lot of the grassy areas were out of bounds, having turned to mud from rain the previous days. As far as the music was concerned, we arrived the perfect time, just a bit before the first act of the day that we wanted to see was taking the stage, Old Crow Medicine Show.  I have seen them before, first when they guested with Mumford & Sons at Bonnaroo 2010, then the following year at the same festival when they played alongside Mumford & Sons on the Which Stage. They were enjoyable, but the day was still ramping up.

Old Crow Medicine Show Setlist:
Brushy Mountain Conjugal Trailer
Alabama High-Test
Take 'em Away
I Hear Them All / This Land Is Your Land [Woody Guthrie cover]
City of New Orleans [Steve Goodman cover]
Wagon Wheel
8 Dogs, 8 Banjos

Next up was country artist Jamey Johnson, who debuted a new song and threw in a couple good
covers. Willie Nelson protégée Lily Meola also joined him on stage for a song; she would make a few other appearances throughout the day. Unfortunately, his style of softer country folk suffered a bit from an audience that really wasn’t all that interested in him. He seemed to fail to really captivate the audience as some later acts of the day would. It was my first time seeing him, and I thought that he was definitely someone worth keeping an eye on. I would also love to catch him on smaller stage.

Jamey Johnson Setlist:
Willie Got Me Stoned and Stole All My Money
Write Your Own Songs [Willie Nelson cover]
In Color
We Go Good in Bad Weather
That Lonesome Song
Wild and Blue [John Anderson cover]
Can't Cash My Checks
Give It Away [George Strait cover]
This Land Is Your Land [Woody Guthrie cover]

Immediately following was country singer songwriter Kacey Musgraves, a personal favorite of mine and someone whose star I hope will continue to rise. I suspect that in the coming years, she might earn a later spot at the festival. Though I’ve seen her before, I was glad to get to hear a couple of her biggest hits again. She seemed to hold the audience a bit more, but perhaps that was my personal bias and the fact that the young ladies next to us were very excited to see Musgraves.

Kacey Musgraves Setlist:
High Time
Pageant Material
This Town
Dime Store Cowgirl
Blowin' Smoke
Merry Go 'Round
Follow Your Arrow
These Boots Are Made for Walkin' [Lee Hazlewood cover]

I wished Kacey would have had a bit more time, but the show had to continue for surf folk artist Jack Johnson. He also debuted a new song, “Willie Got Me Stoned and Stole All My Money,” and was the only artist of the day who didn’t do a cover or song from some other iteration of one of his musical projects. Jack is just always fun, laid back music. He might be the most relaxed man on earth. I had seen him twice before, first at Virgin Fest in 2008, then a few years ago at Bonnaroo when he agreed to take over for Mumford & Sons headlining set when they were forced to bail on the festival at the last minute due to bassist Ted Dwane needing surgery to remove a blot clot from his brain.

Jack Johnson Setlist:
Taylor
Sitting, Waiting, Wishing
If I Had Eyes
Bubble Toes / Not Fade Away
Banana Pancakes
Wasting Time
Flake
Willie Got Me Stoned and Stole All My Money

Following Jack Johnson’s mellow set, R&B diva Mavis Staples kicked it back up a notch with some soulful ballads. Though she may be getting old, she still certainly has a powerful set up pipes. Mavis began her career with her family’s band, The Staple Singers, consisting of patriarch “Pops” Staples and his children, before going on as a solo artist. Her style and voice are similar to Aretha Franklin, but even though they’re part of the same generation of singers, Mavis never achieved success on par with the Queen of Soul. Nonetheless, she’s a legend in her own right.

Mavis Staples Setlist:
If You're Ready (Come Go With Me) [The Staple Singers song]
Slippery People [Talking Heads cover]
Can You Get to That [Funkadelic cover]
You Are Not Alone
Freedom Highway [The Staple Singers song]
I'll Take You There [The Staple Singers song]

The sun was finally setting as Imagine Dragons began their set. I’m a casual fan of theirs, but ended up really enjoying their set. More than any other artist that day, I was surprised by how much I ended up liking it. As far as I was concerned, I think they really benefited from a short set. They have yet to cultivate a deep catalogue of songs that I would have wanted to hear, so having them play just a nine song set gave them a chance to cycle through all their best songs and maintain my interest throughout.

Imagine Dragons Setlist:
It's Time
Shots
I Won't Back Down [Tom Petty cover]
I'm So Sorry
Gold
Demons
On Top of the World
Roots
Radioactive

Now on the other hand, I could have heard Dave Matthews & Tim Reynolds play all night long. It was fully dark by the time the pair took the stage, which is fitting because I have never seen Dave Matthews perform while the sun is up. However, though I’ve seen the pair play before, never before was it without the rest of the band. The set consisted of all Dave Matthews Band songs, except for “So Damn Lucky” which was released on Some Devil (2008), Dave’s debut solo album. However, the band frequently plays that song during their shows. Unsurprisingly, Dave Matthews never fails to please, and I was doing some serious wiggling and singing throughout the set. I really wish I was there with someone who properly appreciated his music, as Lindsey mostly just stared at me laughing and shaking her head. As I have seen Dave Matthews Band ten times before, I had heard each of the songs in tonight’s set on previous occasions at least twice before.

Dave Matthews & Tim Reynolds Setlist
What Would You Say
Satellite
The Space Between
So Damn Lucky
#41
Cornbread
Crush

Though I was happy to hear sets from the Farm Aid founders, I have to admit that following great sets from Imagine Dragons and Dave & Tim, the rest of the evening was a bit anticlimactic. I’m not a huge Mellencamp fan, so I was mostly excited to see him for posterity and out of respect for his long career. While I was disappointed that that he didn’t play “Jack & Diane,” he did play a few other songs that I knew and liked.

John Mellencamp Setlist 
Lawless Times
Small Town
Stones in My Passway [Robert Johnson cover]
Check It Out
Rain on the Scarecrow [with I Need a Lover intro]
Paper in Fire
Crumblin' Down
Authority Song
Pink Houses

On the other hand, Neil Young is by far my favorite of the Farm Aid founders. By my count, this would be my fourth time seeing Neil Young, but each time was with a different line up and iteration of his music. The first pair of times were his old bands, Crazy Horse and Buffalo Springfield.  I also saw his solo act just last year. For his Farm Aid set, he would be supported by Promise of the Real, normally fronted by Willie Nelson’s son Lukas and known as Lukas Nelson & Promise of the Real. Young collaborated with Promise of the Real on his most recent album, The Monsanto Years (2015). The entire album is more or less dedicated to condemning agribusiness, particularly Monsanto. I really like the album, even if I find Young’s choice of topic a bit alarmist and hypocritical. Nonetheless, the concept album certainly does fit in well with Farm Aid’s stated goals. Lukas is still part of the band, just without separate billing. Micah Nelson, another son of Willie, is also a member of the band. Normally his role within Promise of the Real is artwork, including painting on stage like the folks from Cloud Cult. Though I don’t think he had brought his paint and brush this evening.

In addition to songs from The Monsanto Years, Young played a pair of rarities, including the Neil Young song “Alabama” which he had not played since November 12, 1977 and the Neil Young & Crazy Horse song “Western Hero” which had not been played since January 14, 1995. It was also the live debut of the song “I Won't Quit.” With Young, I more or less knew what to expect, but was really impressed with lead guitarist Lukas Nelson. He’s a better guitarist than his father, though he has yet to have any of his own big hits which is what really matters is a musician wants to become famous to the general public.

Neil Young + Promise of the Real Setlist
Workin’ Man
A Rock Star Bucks a Coffee Shop
Big Box
Alabama [Neil Young song]
Western Hero [Neil Young & Crazy Horse cover]
I Won't Quit
Love and Only Love [Neil Young & Crazy Horse song]

The honor of closing down the festival was reserved for country legend Willie Nelson. Of course in this case, a lot of the audience had left by the time he took the stage. By the end of his set, the lawn was mostly empty. Again, I’m not a huge Willie Nelson fan but have a whole lot of respect for who he is and what he’s accomplished in his career. So I was certainly happy to cross him off the bucket list. He played a few iconic songs and was joined by his son Lukas, Lily Meola, and the Blackwood Quartet (who had joined a couple artists that day). He closed the day with a cover of the Hank Williams song “I Saw the Light.”

Willie Nelson Setlist:
Whiskey River
Still Is Still Moving to Me
Beer for My Horses [Toby Keith cover]
Good Hearted Woman [Waylon Jennings cover]
Funny How Time Slips Away
Crazy
Night Life
Texas Flood [Larry Davis cover]
Will You Remember Mine
Will the Circle Be Unbroken? [traditional]
It's All Going to Pot [Willie Nelson & Merle Haggard song]
Family Bible
Roll Me Up and Smoke Me When I Die
I Saw the Light [Hank Williams cover]