The 1975 and Dua Lipa at House of Blues Chicago
Lollapalooza After show
Doors: 10PM
Show: 11PM
When did I get home? 3AM
I'm deciding to start with the most recent show I've been to. You'll note this was a Lolla after show. I'm not starting with Lolla not because it was 4 days of music deserving multiple posts and lots of attention but because, unfortunately, I didn't have passes. I also didn't have passes to this show as it was Sold Out. But luckily, thanks to local radio station 101WKQX, I was able to attend my second 1975 show in as many months, both of them free (I'll share the other show in another post).
Some key things to understand about my attitude going into this show: I had seen the 1975 recently for what I would consider an average performance, this was my second show at HoB (first was The Darkness and I watched from the floor), and I was exhausted, just like anyone who had spent the entire day at Lolla. So, to be honest, I was excited for a winning my way into a show, but I was hoping it would be worth getting home extra late.
HoB opened the doors a half hour early because the line was already out the door, around the corner, and about the hit the bridge. They processed people fairly quickly, especially considering everyone got a bag check and pat down. I was able to claim my tickets at will call without any wait and headed up into the venue. By the time my friend and I had entered the venue, the floor was loosely packed and 75% full. It was my friend's first time to the venue early enough to look around so we took a tour that lasted about 15 minutes (including taking a look at the merch available) and settled on the second balcony, top tier near the bar.
While we waited for the show to start, my friend showed me how to use snapchat as the venue became more and more full. By the time Dua Lipa came on stage, the floor was packed, but luckily the upper tiers had stayed fairly open. I had checked with the security at the boxes and found out that they were going for about $1200 tonight which made perfects sense for those this didn't want to be packed on the floor. Anyways Dua Lipa (who I knew nothing about) came out to start the show.
Dua LipaGenre: "Dark Pop"
Stage Presence: Stunning
Dua Lipa is an English performer who apparently is also a model (not kidding). And if you look at her outfit (I literally spent the entire first song appreciating her boots [you can't tell but they had clashing color heels]) and the way she carried herself on stage, it's not hard to believe. I just want to say that, since I had heard zero of her music, the bar was pretty low. Now, I can't wait for her first album "Soon and Jetlag" to be out. Steady beats with warm sounding vocals made it easy to get lost in a trance during her set. The vocals tended to remind me of Sia and left me hoping to hear more of her as a mainstay on radio. She has a new single out, "Hotter than Hell" that is definitely worth a listen. A great performance to open for the 1975 to get the energy and dance flow setup throughout the entire venue.
Once Dua Lipa was done with her set, the audience had the pleasure of multiple miscues while waiting for the 1975 to come on stage. As the music and house lights would fade in and fade out, the audience would cheer, ready for the band to come on stage. After the 4th time, most just assumed it was another miscue and went on chatting with friends, getting drinks, etc. Eventually, the 1975 did come out to a very excited, sold out House of Blues crowd.
the 1975
Genre: Rock (casual pop rock)
Stage Presence: Casual and Mellow
The 1975 are an English rock band with two albums out, the first a self titled album and the second, recently released "I Like It When You Sleep, for You Are So Beautiful yet So Unaware of It" or, as I like to call it "The White Album". The made a solid decision to open with "Love Me" (off The White Album) which drove the energy through the roof to start the show. Big kudos to them for acknowledging the audience is probably tired at 1230AM after spending most of the day at a musical festival and probably needs something to pick them back up.
They progressed through their set, playing what felt like more songs off the second album. Now, admittedly, their popularity has grown recently, but the first album received a decent push by being on the Victoria's secret playlist. Anyways, they tried to keep the energy high for a few songs but inevitably, some of their songs get fairly mellow. Especially as the sax showed up with an elevator music backing. That's not to say the performance was dragging or boring, not by any stretch. More like they were giving the audience a chance to relax and connect. In fact, during "A Change of Heart" the lead singer very tastefully requested everyone put the phones away for just a few minutes and connect. And a vast majority of the audience obliged.
Without a set list in hand, it's hard for me to recall exactly what songs they did and didn't play. I recall enjoying "Loving Someone" (backed by the entire audience), "She's American", "The City", "Menswear", and "Girls". I don't remember hearing "Talk" or "She Way Out" which are two songs I appreciate off the first album, but there's only so much time.As time dug deeper and deeper into tomorrow morning, the audience got the big three songs most people came for: "Chocolate", "The Sound" and "Sex". I think this was a great order to play the songs. Starting with "Chocolate" provided the audience with a little more energy and pepped everyone up for "The Sound" which everyone went crazy for. Personally, I loved that they closed out with "Sex", a song with high energy but that's a little bit edgier than the rest of their music.
I bought a T shirt for myself and my friend. They had a decent selection of items (tanks, hats, hoodies) and pretty much all sizes still available, even at the end of the night. I didn't see vinyls for sale which always leaves me bummed, but that's okay because my shirt had tour dates which is another need for a concert T.
If you have any questions or comments about the show, feel free to let me know!
