Alt-J (∆), Aragon Ballroom, Chicago, Illinois

I had seen English indie rock band ∆ (spoken as Alt-J) twice before and loved them. Even though I wouldn't be able to make their set at Lollapalooza later that weekend, I was glad to get to see them again now that I had become a bit more familiar with their second album, This Is All Yours (2014). The band has now sold out both the Riviera Theatre and the Aragon Ballroom, and I expect that their stock will continue to rise. The band includes Joe Newman (guitar, lead vocals), Gus Unger-Hamilton (keyboards, vocals), and Thom Green (drums). Following Gwil Sainsbury's (guitar and bass) departure from the band in 2014, Cameron Knight (guitar, bass, sampler) has supplemented their performances.

This evening at the Aragon was likely the closest that I had been for any of their shows. The band didn't take the stage until about 10:15, which I considered a late start for a Thursday night. As before, their performance was complimented by soft, subtle lighting and stage design. Their set included a mix of songs from both of their albums. I noticed many slight tweaks to the live versions of the songs compared to their albums which I don't believe were included as part of previous live performances. Many fans were yelling for "Breezeblocks" throughout the show, which they finally played to close their set. Since I love pretty much every one of their songs, I wasn't too particular about they played.

Setlist:
Hunger of the Pine
Fitzpleasure
Something Good
Left Hand Free
Dissolve Me
Matilda
Bloodflood
Bloodflood Pt. 2
Intro
Tessellate
Every Other Freckle
Warm Foothills
The Gospel of John Hurt
Lovely Day [Bill Withers cover]
Nara
Leaving Nara
Breezeblocks