Gogol Bordello & Debauche, Riviera Theatre, Chicago, Illinois

I first saw Gogol Bordello at a festival in 2008, then a second time a few months later at the 9:30 Club in Washington DC. Despite loving both performances and to this day considering them to be one of the best live acts touring today, I had not seen them in over seven years and still didn’t get tickets in advance. I don’t know what I was thinking. I always planned to but was hoping to find someone interested in going with me. I didn’t push anyone too hard because it was on a Wednesday night, and not having to wake up early the morning following their show would definitely be preferable. I didn’t end up getting a ticket and the show ended up selling out in the days preceding.

So upon arriving, I migrated up and down the long line of guests waiting to enter the venue. Towards the back of the line, I found a guy with an extra ticket that he was willing to part with for face value. Like lead singer Eugene Hütz, he and his friends were Ukranian. Actually, he claimed to be from the same area as Hütz, and spoke of Gogol Bordello song lyrics that reference places in his old neighborhood.

I split off as I entered the venue and headed to my usual Metro spot on the far left, finding a group of short people to stand behind. I arrived around 9:30 while Debauche was still opening up the show. On their website, they describe themselves as “a Russian Mafia Band that plays great Punk Rock Hooligan Russian Street Songs.” They were the perfect pair for Gogol Bordello, maintaining a similar gypsy punk vibe. They was also a bit of a circus aspect to their performance, including a belly dancer with a tambourine and an upright bassist that played while standing on his instrument. And he wasn’t a slight man. I’m not sure where the rest of the band called home, but the lead singer was the squirrely, but tough looking guy who spoke with a Slavic accent. I certainly wouldn’t have been surprised if he was indeed part of the Russian Mafia. They were quite good, though not nearly as rambunctious as Gogol Bordello.

Between sets, a bouncer and guest came crashing to the floor in front of where I was standing, as the bouncer attempted to wrestle the guest to the ground and the incredulous guest demanded an explanation. I never found out what he was accused of but after a minute or two, the pair headed towards the back. Their shenanigans opened up a large hole and I found myself only a couple rows from the stage, though off to the far side still.

Gogol Bordello plays punk rock with traditional Romani (the actual name for “gypsy,” which refers to a traditionally nomadic ethnic group, living mostly in Europe and the Americas and originating from the northern regions of the Indian subcontinent) sounds and instruments. In accordance with the band’s target demographic, there was an unusually large number of punks and Eastern Europeans in attendance (including many instance in which both categories applied to the same person). There were many people speaking what sounded like Slavic languages around me. A group of such girls tried to wedge themselves in front of the guy standing next to me. His comment, “I’m not sure they know that it’s a punk show. When they figure it out, I doubt they’ll keep standing there.”

It was almost 10:30 by the time Gogol Bordello took the stage. Their performance soon proved to be just as I remembered it, a massive amount of energy and a grand time. Shortly after it began, the mosh pit started. I was on the outside of it, but it wasn’t too long before I threw myself into the mix, then headed more or less front and center. Through much of the show I was dead center and only a few bodies from the front. The only people in front of me were clinging onto the railing or the person in front of them for dear life. The pit was a blast, and as I hoped everyone was friendly and respectful – stopping to find lost shoes, elbows down, immediately helping anyone who fell to their feet. Everyone around me had broad smiles spread across their sweaty faces. As close as I was, with all the moving, it was a bit hard to get decent, unshaky pictures. At some point, the acrobatic bassist from the previous band joined us in the pit.

Hütz and his band were working just as hard on stage. He started with a jacket but soon started stripping layers. It wasn’t looking before he was shirtless. From my vantage point, it was easy to see the sweat pouring down his face the same as with the crowd. The band hails from all of the world – Ukraine, Russia, Belarus, China/Scotland, Ethiopia, Ecuador, and the US. The many members play a variety of modern and traditional instruments. Often the entire band except the drummer would come to the front of the stage to play, sing, and dance.

It wasn’t long until people started crowd surfing, which I never really mind. However, what really did get under my skin was that the bouncers didn’t “catch” people, and allow them to come over the railing in a controlled and safe fashion. Instead, the bouncers would literally push or shove the people back into the crowd when they came towards them, yelling that we should put the person down. There are a few problems with this. First, crowd surfing is fine when done in a controlled way. However, pushing surfers back to the crowd is dangerous. It creates an abrupt change in the surfer’s direction, not only forcing the people holding them to do so longer than they planned but also throwing them off balance. The only people that I saw fall did so after a bouncer pushed them back into the crowd. Next, those of us underneath the person don’t have specific individual control where they’re going. All we can really do is hope to keep the person up, thus keeping them safe. Yelling at us to put them down or send them another direction isn’t really effective. Last, don’t invite Gogol Bordello to play your club, then act surprised when people start crowd surfacing.

The show had advertised that the band would be playing their seminal album, Gypsy Punks: Underdog World Strike (2005). From what I could find of the setlist, it looks like they might have played it out of order. They also made no mention of it during the show, though as lively as the performance was, Hütz didn’t really talk to the audience much. It was a bit before midnight when they finished their main set, with Hütz sitting on a drum held up by those in the front couple rows. At that point, I broke for the door. A staffer mentioned on my way out that that the band would have another 4 songs or so to play. Dripping with sweat and exhausted, I replied something like “look at me, you don’t think I got my money’s worth.” It was awesome, but I was spent and it was a weeknight.

Setlist:
Sally
Never Young
Not a Crime
Immigrant Punk
Avenue B
Oh No
Dogs Were Barking
Mishto!
60 Revolutions
Illumination
Think Locally, Fuck Globally
Underdog World Strike
Santa Marinella
Start Wearing Purple
Wonderlust King
Undestructable
Pala Tute
Ultimate
Alcohol
Baro Foro

CHVRCHES & Potty Mouth, Riviera Theatre, Chicago, Illinois

We arrived at the sold out show before any music had started. Despite bouncers ushering us towards the rear areas, within a just a few minutes we were able to scoot though the crowd, down the last set of stairs onto the rear of the main floor. There was still quite a bit of room on the far side. Shortly after we arrived opening act Potty Mouth, an all-female garage rock band from Western Massachusetts, began their set.

CHVRCHES took the stage a bit before 9:30. They’re fronted by Lauren Mayberry with the instrumentation provided by Iain Cook and Martin Doherty or synthesizers/keyboards. One of the guys sings lead vocals on a song or two as well. Their brand of indie pop is often very high energy, and the style of their show fit their music with ample lights and LED panels choreographed to illuminate in time with the music. I did a lot of bouncing up and down in place, but it was pretty close quarters where we were standing so I couldn’t move around too much.

Their mix of songs included the live debut of “High Enough to Carry You Over” and many of their best songs from both of their albums. It was definitely one of the better shows that I’ve seen so far this year. Lauren also had some funny musings, which I partially attribute to her Scottish heritage. Mind you, it was nothing approaching the hilarity of Frightened Rabbit’s Scot Hutchinson, but honest and entertaining little tidbits between songs, a few of which I’ll paraphrase below that stood out in particular:

• “It’s a CHVRCHES Rule to never look each other in the eye [during a performance], but over the last six months or so, Iain keeps getting closer and closer to breaking it.“
• “I steal an HBO password, or I did for a long time. Now I have my own because I have a US address. It wasn’t that I was unwilling to pay before, but [HBO’s attitude was] ‘hey we’re like fuck you you’re British.’” 
• “I had a dream I was dating Justin Bieber. Nothing sexy, he was just upset and I had to console him. So it was really just all the baggage.”
• [After noting the cancelation of the Donald Trump rally at UIC that evening] “He used prime time television to tell everyone he’s got a big dick so it’s alright.”

Setlist:
Never Ending Circles
We Sink
Keep You on My Side

Make Them Gold
Empty Threat
Tether
Playing Dead
Science/Visions
Gun
Bury It
High Enough to Carry You Over
Under the Tide
Recover
Leave a Trace
Clearest Blue
Encore:
Afterglow
The Mother We Share

Daughter, Metro, Chicago, Illinois

It was my second time seeing English indie rock/folk band Daughter. The first time was two years ago when they opened up for The National. At the time, I had already heard and really enjoyed their debut album, If You Leave (2013), but I was really looking forward to seeing their headlining show. It’s just a lot different seeing a band as an opening act surrounded by a lot of disengaged people, as compared to being surrounded by their fans. They’ve also since released a second album, Not to Disappear (2016), the quality of which rivals the first.

We didn’t arrive at Metro particularly early, but slid up into our normal spot off to the far left, and we were already out from underneath the balcony when the show started about 9pm. As the evening went on, we scooched closer to the stage. The band consists of Elena Tonra (lead vocals, guitar), Igor Haefeli (keys, guitar, bass, occasional vocals), and Remi Aguilella (drums). They were also joined by a touring keyboardist. They’re pretty quiet, and didn’t add any on-stage theatrics to the performance beside a few stage lights. Nor are any of the band members particularly animated or engaged with the audience. With a setlist that consisted of an equal mix of songs from the first and second albums, plus one from The Wild Youth EP (2011), the show was kind of just watching a live rendition of a greatest hits record. But since I really like both those records, I was satisfied.

Setlist:
How
Tomorrow
Numbers
Alone / With You
Amsterdam
Human
Doing the Right Thing
Shallows
Home
No Care
Winter
Smother
New Ways
Youth
Fossa

Sheila Jordan & Tynan, Green Mill & Uptown Lounge, Chicago, Illinois

Despite just returning from Milwaukee, it felt like time for a Chicago concert. Since nothing too enticing was coming up that weekend, we tried to find something low key. I had yet to see a performance at the Green Mill, a historic jazz club in Uptown on an opposite corner from the Riviera Theatre and the Aragon Ballroom, so decided it would be a good place to start. It consists of a bar and a small stage. Upon entry we were charged $20 and told that it would be a quiet show. This gave me pause, but I mistakenly still handed over my money. We cozied up to the bar as jazz singer Sheila Jordan’s set began.

Though I had never heard of her before, 87 year old Sheila Jordan is an accomplished session musician who has collaborated with an array of critically acclaimed artists such as Charlie Parker in addition to having a modest solo career. She was a pioneer of bebop and scat jazz singing with an upright bass as the only accompaniment, though this evening she was accompanied by a pianist as well as a bassist. On a different night, it would have been pretty interesting. But tonight, it unfortunately was not at all what we were looking for. As I was warned at the door, the show was really quiet and slow; every guest in the room was silent. We didn’t end up staying too long, only about four or so songs worth. During that time she played what I recognized as several jazz standards, though I couldn’t name the tunes.

We wandered across the street to the Upton Lounge for a much lively (and cheaper) performance by Tynan. Describing itself as “Chicagoland’s #1 Horn Driven Party Rock Band,” they specialize in Chicago-inspired jazz and funk tunes and mostly played covers. They were a great band to wander in on. We ended up talking to the manager and band leader, Tom Tynan, between sets. Tynan took his performances very seriously and both men seemed to be under the impression that we were there specifically to see them, rather than just happening upon the show. Though we had our fill and left before their second set, I would certainly keep an eye out for them in the future.

Bruce Springsteen, BMO Harris Bradley Center, Milwaukee, Wisconsin

I wasn’t planning for my fourth time seeing Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band (plus once seeing him solo at an Obama rally) to be at the BMO Harris Bradley Center in Milwaukee. Rather, I was hoping to go to the United Center show. But when anything resembling a decent it sold out immediately, I resigned myself to the fact that I wouldn’t catch the Boss on this tour. I do love his music, and every one of his shows that I have seen, except for that Wrigley Field sound debacle, has been incredible.

However, it was only following his February show at the United Center that I learned that the reason that this tour would be called “The River Tour” was because Bruce would be playing his seminal album The River (1980) in its entirety. I kicked myself for not finding my way into his Chicago show. Fortunately, I was granted a reprieve. My two cousins, Pete and Paul, are even bigger Bruce fans that me. Even though they were both at the Chicago show, they were interested in driving up to Milwaukee to see it again. Count me in. Again all the best seats were taken, but many artists, especially Bruce, release extra tickets here and there as the show gets closer. We all kept an eye on tickets, and in the week or two before the show, some additional general admission floor tickets opened up. We didn’t arrive particularly early for the show, so we were towards the back of the floor, but it was still fine.

The E Street Band currently consists of nine musicians including their leader. Besides Bruce, the most famous members of the band are probably Steve Van Zandt (guitar) and Max Weinberg (drums) due to their work on The Sopranos and Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien, respectively. I still mostly think of Van Zandt as Silvio. Though I had heard plenty of Bruce Springsteen, I wasn’t familiar with the other members of the E Street Band until after I had seen The Sopranos. Jake Clemons is now a touring member of the band, having taken over for his late uncle Clarence Clemons, who died in 2011. During one segment of the show, a picture of Uncle Clarence was prominently featured on the arena jumbotron.

Without an opener, Bruce and his colleagues took the stage promptly at 8, leaving the lights on for their opening song, “Meet Me in the City.” Following that one warm up track, the lights came down and Bruce announced that he was going to “take us to The River.”

The River is Bruce Springsteen’s firth album and the only double album of his career to date. Like his previous work, one of the central themes of the album was working-class life, though songs featured on the album included a purposely paradoxical mix range from party jams to intensely emotional ballads. The album also marked Bruce’s first top ten hit song, "Hungry Heart." Bruce worked his way through the album’s other songs including "The Ties That Bind," "Out in the Street" as we kept finding ourselves working our way closer to the stage.

The title track, “The River” has always been one of my favorite of his songs. The song is a fairly precise description of the early working class life of Bruce’s sister and her husband. The song narrates life from the husband’s point of view. It begins when he is a carefree teenager from a blue collar family. When his girlfriend gets pregnant, he gets a job and starts a family much sooner than he anticipated. A tough economy makes work scare, and his new family finds it difficult to make ends meet. The dreams he had for the future slowly die, and the reality of everyday life sets in. He doesn’t begrudge his wife or family, just wants a better life for them. He still tries to go back to ‘The River,’ which is referred as a real place where he spent wonderful days and nights with his wife before they were married. He keeps trying to go down to The River to replenish his soul but finds it dry. His dreams are tough to keep alive. The song is beautiful but heartbreaking, with a haunting harmonica interlude between each verse. As Bruce would explain on stage: the album was an important one. It solidified his music career. Though it spoke of where he came from, it shaped who he would become and what he would be about. From there, the album continued with songs like "Stolen Car" before it finally came to a close with a “Wreck on the Highway."

Even after playing a full double album, the legendary E Street band wasn’t done. They added an extra seven songs to the main set, including a few big hits. I was particularly pleased to get to hear “Lonesome Day” and “The Rising.” I was also glad to hear “Because the Night.” Over the years, I’ve heard many artists play that song, but now I had finally heard it performed by both Bruce Springsteen and Patti Smith – the man who wrote it and the woman who made it famous. The lights came on again, as is customary for The Boss’ encores, and he launched into another five songs, reeling in audience request signs along the way.

Setlist:
Meet Me in the City
The Ties That Bind
Sherry Darling
Jackson Cage
Two Hearts
Independence Day
Hungry Heart
Out in the Street
Crush on You
You Can Look (But You Better Not Touch)
I Wanna Marry You
The River
Point Blank
Cadillac Ranch
I'm a Rocker
Fade Away
Stolen Car
Ramrod
The Price You Pay
Drive All Night
Wreck on the Highway
Badlands
No Surrender
Lonesome Day
Because the Night [Patti Smith cover]
Jungleland
The Rising
Thunder Road
Encore:
Born to Run
Dancing in the Dark
Rosalita (Come Out Tonight)
Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out
Shout [Isley Brothers cover]