Death Cab for Cutie, Chicago Theatre, Chicago, Illinois

It seems that I've recently seen a string of artists who I had previously seen live a handful of times. Continuing in this trend, this evening’s performance at the Chicago Theatre marks my fourth time seeing Death Cab for Cutie, plus another show by frontman Ben Gibbard’s side project, The Postal Service. Death Cab is comprised of the aforementioned Ben Gibbard (vocals, guitar, piano), Nick Harmer (bass) and Jason McGerr (drums). Last year, founding guitarist and producer Chris Walla departed from the band after recording their eighth studio album. The album’s title, Kintsugi (2015), is derived from kintsugi, a type of Japanese art involving fixing broken pottery, and as a philosophy of treating breakage and repair as part of the history of an object, rather than something to disguise. To my understanding, this is at least in part a reference to Walla’s departure, in that the band would have scars and something missing from his departure, but it could still be something beautiful. For their current tour, they added two additional musicians on guitar and keyboard.

Our seats were located house right, twenty to twenty five rows from the stage. It was only upon arrival that I realized that except for Neil Young, for which my seats were in the house right balcony, ever other of the six shows that I had been to at the Chicago Theatre were located house left. We arrived is the midst of The Antlers warming up the crowd. They were quite good.

Death Cab took the stage a bit before nine, opening with a track from Kintsugi, “No Room in Frame.” Gibbard then asked the audience to rise to their feet and launched into “Crooked Teeth,” a crowd favorite. Everyone stood throughout the rest of the show. They played a pretty solid mix of songs from all their albums, at least a couple from nearly all of their studio albums, though they skipped anything from We Have the Facts and We're Voting Yes (2002). Kintsugi had more songs than any other, but the set certainly wasn't overloaded with them. There were many fan favorites, especially selections from Transatlanticism (2003) and Plans (2005). Gibbard did a solo performance of “I Will Follow You into the Dark” and I believe one other song. During the former, many in the audience pulled out their phones to record video of the performance. The band ended both their main set and their encore with their two most slow-building songs, “I Will Possess Your Heart” and “Transatlanticism.” Both were very satisfying. At the end of the show, Gibbard, as always, left the stage very sweaty.

I had been somewhat disappointed with some of the previous Death Cab shows that I had seen. My first was a DAR Constitution Hall in DC, which is a terrible venue and frequently leads to disappointing performances. The second show was at Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles, which was a pretty good show but performed with a string orchestra, so a bit difference of an experience. The third was a set at the inaugural Firefly Festival, for which we were far away from the stage and Ben Gibbard was sick and didn't sound very good. All and all, this was a much better performance; my favorite of those that I've seen.

Setlist:
No Room in Frame
Crooked Teeth
Why You'd Want to Live Here
Doors Unlocked and Open
The Ghosts of Beverly Drive
Grapevine Fires
Black Sun
Little Wanderer
Photobooth
President of What?
You've Haunted Me All My Life
What Sarah Said
I Will Follow You into the Dark
El Dorado
You Are a Tourist
The New Year
Cath...
Soul Meets Body
I Will Possess Your Heart
Encore:
Your Bruise
We Laugh Indoors
The Sound of Settling
Transatlanticism

Sufjan Stevens, Chicago Theatre, Chicago, Illinois

We arrived to the Chicago Theatre with just enough time to hit the bathroom and grab a drink before indie icon Sufjan Stevens took the stage. The audience remained in their seats as he took the stage, which I normally don’t prefer but would come to find appropriate for the performance to come. Like the previous time that I saw him in 2010, the majority of the evening’s setlist were songs from his most recent album, in this case Carrie & Lowell (2015). However, that meant a strikingly different experience as compared his previous performance of songs from his last album, Age of Adz (2010). That album was a highly orchestrated and experimental wall of sound augmented by electronics and inspired by the apocalyptic artwork of schizophrenic artist Royal Robertson. In contrast, Carrie & Lowell marks a return to the quieter, elegant, and introspective folk music from earlier in this career. The album is named for Steven’s mother and stepfather and recalls experiences from his childhood. In keeping with this dramatic shift, gone were the colorful illuminated outfits, feathers, and backup singers from his previous tour. Other than some fairly basic lighting, the stage was only augmented with LCD screens projecting home movies and nature scenes. Though a band of five or so musicians playing a variety of instruments joined him onstage, he played several songs on his own.

Stevens didn't speak a word until almost halfway through his main set, when he shared a story about watching Bring It On 2 on his tour bus. The movie led him to consider that we all need more cheerleaders/positive reinforcement in our adult lives, from ourselves and others. I was surprised how deep his speaking voice was compared to his singing voice. A was also a bit surprised by his ample use of the filler “like,” especially considering that according to at least one source, those of us sitting in the audience are among the smartest fans around.

Though he opened the evening with “Redford (For Yia-Yia & Pappou)” from Michigan (2003), he followed it with nearly the entirety of Carrie & Lowell, though somewhat out of order. I wish I had spent a bit more time with the album before hearing it live. Before playing the last song on the album, “Blue Bucket of Gold” to close the main set, he played two songs from Seven Swans (2004) and one each from All Delighted People (2010), and The Age of Adz before returning to complete the album. With Carrie & Lowell complete, his encore included mostly songs from Illinois (2005), which was fitting considering the venue. This included what he said was his first time playing “Casimir Pulaski Day” on this tour. He had a false start on the chords and later had to be reminded of the words by one of the members in his band. He closed with the lustrous “Chicago” which finally brought the entire audience to its feet.

Setlist:
Redford (For Yia-Yia & Pappou)
Death With Dignity
Should Have Known Better
Drawn to the Blood
All of Me Wants All of You
Eugene
John My Beloved
The Only Thing
Fourth of July
No Shade in the Shadow of the Cross
Carrie & Lowell
The Owl and the Tanager
In the Devil's Territory
Futile Devices
Sister
Blue Bucket of Gold
Encore:
Concerning the UFO Sighting Near Highland, Illinois
Casimir Pulaski Day
The Dress Looks Nice on You
Chicago

Delta Rae, Metro, Chicago, Illinois

We arrived midway through Scottish folk rocker Greg Holden’s opening set. I found him to be one of the better opening acts that I’ve seen in a while (except for Kishi Bashi) and a good pairing for Delta Rae. It was my fourth time seeing Delta Rae, including third time within the past year. After playing Lincoln Hall a year ago and opening a minor stage at Lollapalooza last summer, Delta Rae are growing in popularity, moving up to Metro following the release of their sophomore album, After It All (2015). The room was crowded, though not sold out.

Since their last show, they had acquired some additional lighting, including a handful of white plastic trees for the stage and some lanterns spread through the main room. The lanterns flashed in sync with the rest of the stage lighting, which was a novel addition. They also augmented their normal six person lineup with a violinist for some songs.

Though the vibe of the show was similar, the setlist was significantly different from previous Delta Rae performances that I've seen, with the addition of many songs from their recent album, many of which I really enjoyed. In fact, they only played four songs from their debut album, Carry the Fire (2012), compared to eleven from After It All [though three of those were also on the Chasing Twisters EP (2013)]. They also included a new a capella song, “Doesn't Get Any Better Than This.” There was a good order to the setlist as well, with some particularly high energy songs placed toward the beginning and end of the setlist. The end of the show included a couple covers, including one that was integrated into their final song, "Dance in the Graveyards.”

Setlist:
The Dream
Outlaws
Run
Morning Comes
Chasing Twisters
Bethlehem Steel
Doesn't Get Any Better Than This
The Meaning of It All
Cold Day in Heaven
I Will Never Die
My Whole Life Long
Scared
If I Loved You
After It All
Bottom of the River
Encore:
Chandelier [Sia Cover]
Dance in the Graveyards/I Wanna Dance With Somebody [Whitney Houston Cover]

Damien Rice, Auditorium Theatre, Chicago, Illinois

Tonight was my third time seeing Damien Rice in only six months, as he announced his return to Chicago in the spring shortly following his brief fall tour. I still don’t have any regrets about flying to Montreal to see him. It was however my first time at the Auditorium Theatre, a beautiful monument to the arts in downtown Chicago, originally completed in 1889. The theatre currently hosts performances by the Joffrey Ballet, in addition to a variety of concerts, musicals, and other performances.

Our seats were towards the back of the main floor, though the seats in fact sloped up in the back, giving us a great straight on view, even if we were well past optimal viewing distance for a quiet solo act like Damien Rice. Though this time he had a [subpar] opening act, the set up for his stage was the same as before – just Damien Rice, his guitar, and a handful of lights. During quiet moments, he was illuminated by a single spotlight. When the guitar effects kicked in, additional light exploded from the stage. He also played an actual electric guitar for a few songs during this set, including his opening number, the title track from his recent album, My Favourite Faded Fantasy (2015).

He shared the same humor and many of the same stories with us in Chicago as in Montreal. He admitted that his music isn't going to get anyone “up,” unless by somehow making you feel relatively good compared to his depressing music. He again did “Cheers Darling” midway through his main set. Though this time he just downed single glass of wine instead of a few bottles. He also performed the song on his guitar instead of with a backing track and gave a much shorter and slightly different version of the story that accompanies the song, explaining that a lot of people have probably heard it before anyway. During the story, he also noted that the couple in the bar shake a cigarette, as smoking in bars used to be the standard in Ireland. He remembers it as great, it required doing “a whole catch of laundry in the morning, but it was great.”

Between songs, he playfully mocked a fan expressing their love for him, “I love you if you play the songs I want to hear and give a fantastic performance. Oh, you love me unconditionally? Then good night.” He shared further ruminations on Ireland and God, explaining that “Ireland is great if you’re into guilt.” When responding to another fan who presumably yelled out, “God Bless You,” he replied, “I don’t believe in God, but yeah whatever thanks.”

Like in Montreal, his set included “Cannonball” without the use of a microphone. His guitar was still plugged in, though turned down. He also did another audience participation version of “Volcano” and took a couple of audience requests, though not nearly as many as in Montreal. One new aspect was a version of “Trusty and True” on the harmonium on the side of the stage. He used some guitar effects on and off throughout the set but no heavy bass until the last minute or two of “I Remember,” the closing song of his main set.

After a short encore break, he returned to the stage only a few minutes before 11, telling us he had to wrap up in a few minutes. We wouldn't be treated to a multi-hour encore tonight. In fact, the two hour set ended with just a single song for the encore. I think mostly to make up for the abbreviated encore, he mixed in an amazing version of Radiohead’s “Creep” into “The Blower’s Daughter.” I was very impressed as it’s a very difficult song to cover vocally, but Damien Rice and Thom Yorke have similar voices so he really nailed it. Furthermore, the theme of the song is certainly fitting with much of his music as well.

Setlist:
My Favourite Faded Fantasy
The Box
Elephant
Delicate
Colour Me In
Cheers Darlin'
I Don't Want to Change You
Cannonball
Volcano
Rootless Tree
Trusty and True
9 Crimes
I Remember
Encore:
The Blower's Daughter/Creep [Radiohead Cover]

Guster & Kishi Bashi, Riviera Theatre, Chicago, Illinois

It was my third time seeing Japanese-American indie pop violinist over the course of the previous year. Though each performance was a different format of his music. Following a full band show at Metro a bit less than a year ago and another performance with a string quartet a few months back, tonight’s opening set was a completely solo set. On stage were just him, his violin, and some looping equipment. This meant that he often played the violin, worked looping pedals, and sang all at the same time. It was an early show, especially for a Friday night, so we arrived a bit before 7:30 when Kishi was about to take the stage, finding a spot on the lowest section pretty close to center of the floor and near the stage.

While I don’t have an exact setlist, I remember that he played his pretty typical set, if a bit abbreviated as he only had about 40 minutes on stage. This included songs such as “Bittersweet Genesis for Him AND Her,” “Bright Whites,” “The Ballad of Mr. Steak,” and “Philosophize in It! Chemicalize with It!” He spent some time experimenting with new loops, including a laugh track. Overall, I really enjoyed the set, but I found it really annoying being in close proximity to a few people who weren't interested in the performance and decided to fill their time with chatting through the entire set. Kishi Bashi’s delicate sound is easily ruined by someone near you talking loudly to their friend. Though I did finally ask the worst offenders to quiet down, I couldn't be too mad. I've probably done it myself during a set that I didn't care about.

After a brief intermission, Guster took the stage about 8:30. The current line-up still includes the three founding members: Ryan Miller (lead vocals and backing guitar), Adam Gardner (lead guitar and back vocals, and Brian “The Thunder God” Rosenworcel (percussion). In addition, multi-instrumentalist Luke Reynolds joined the band as an official member in 2010, plus a few other musicians also joined them onstage from some songs. This included Kishi Bashi for a handful of couple songs. I had forgotten how often all the band members switch up their instruments. Ryan alternated between guitar, bass, ukulele, and piano. Adam and Brian broke out a trumpet and trombone respectively. Brian switched between a standard drum kit and his trademark bongos. Luke also played the banjo.

As per usual, Ryan did all the talking. Towards the beginning of the set, he promised that the band would play at least something from all seven of their albums, which they did, though there were only four songs from Parachute (1995), Goldfly (1997), and Lost & Gone Forever (1999) in total. I would have been happy if those tracks would have comprised the entire setlist. Fortunately, two of those songs included “Happier” and “Demons.” If I could have heard any two Guster songs that evening, it would have been those. I was also pleased that they included “Happy Frappy” from Parachute. Though I can’t confirm, I doubt I've ever heard it performed live before. I was hoping that Kishi Bashi would join them for “Window,” which prominently features a violin, but no such luck. Many fans were prepared with ping pong balls, but I pointed out to a few that they hadn't played “Airport Song” yet on this tour. Their later four albums, made up the rest of the setlist, including four or five songs each from Keep It Together (2003), Ganging Up On the Sun (2006), and Easy Wonderful (2010) and seven from their latest Evermotion (2015).

As bands often do, Ryan also traced the band’s trajectory through the clubs of Chicago, admitting that even though they “keep making worse and worse records, more and more people come to [their] shows.” Unfortunately, I tend to agree, but I appreciated the honesty. At the end of their main set, Ryan explained that they would just stand over on the side. In fact, they didn't even leave the stage; they just huddled together on the side of the stage and with purposefully aloof expressions to their faces, still in plain view of the entire audience. They then returned to their positions expressing faux surprise. I have to admit that it quite amusing for them to poke a bit of fun at the silliness of the whole encore ritual. After a few more songs, they left the stage, returning for an actual encore, an unplugged version of “Jesus on the Radio.” They claimed their return wasn't planned, but I had seen them end a show this way before. The audience sang along, which was a bit annoying, but it certainly is a catchy tune.

Setlist:
Long Night
Careful
Red Oyster Cult
Happier
Architects & Engineers
Endlessly
Happy Frappy
Doin' It By Myself
Lightning Rod
Lazy Love
Come Downstairs and Say Hello
Do You Love Me
Hercules
Satellite
Ruby Falls
Barrel of a Gun
Never Coming Down
Simple Machine
Manifest Destiny
This Could All Be Yours
Encore 1:
Kid Dreams
Ramona
What You Call Love
Demons
Encore 2:
Jesus on the Radio (Unplugged)