Thursday night, beloved indie rock band, Sleater-Kinney, made their return to Chicago to headline a show at the Riviera. It was a two-band bill and they packed the place.It was an all ages show and the crowd was a wonderfully diverse mix of people spanning multiple generations, races, and genders. There was a great welcoming vibe in the venue that night which made the event all the more special.
First up was Black Belt Eagle Scout. Hailing from the Pacific Northwest, this three-piece outfit played some really enjoyable melodic indie rock that mixed ambience and shoegaze elements into the sound. The vocalist had a really nice singing voice as well. They played about a half hour and they were really good.
When the members of Sleater-Kinney took the stage one by one, each was greeted with a huge round of applause. The backup band members came out first and took their respective spots and then Carrie and Corin came out last. The stage was setup with some cool lighting and a backdrop that looked like large windows. The backing musicians were also up on small risers. When the ladies all got into position, the band opened with the song, “Hell”, which is the first track from their new album, Little Rope. The stage was very dark, with pretty subdued lighting that would start flashing during the choruses and more intense part. Carrie and Corin’s guitars weaved together seamlessly, as does their voices when trading or sharing vocal duties. They sounded amazing, the sound mix was spot-on, and the band played beautifully. The audience was sea of smiles and excitement.
Another song from the new album, “Needlessly Small” quickly followed and was equally great sounding. From there the band played a sprinkling of songs from their vast catalog of albums. When they’d play some of their earlier favorite they’d really get a big pop from the crowd, but no matter if the song was a new one or an old favorite, they had the audience captivated for the entire set and between songs the band received such a warm ovation that on more than one occasion they would mention how appreciative they were for all the love they were feeling from the audience.
The band wasted little time between songs but they did make some small talk here and there as they cranked out one great sounding song after the next. There was a lot of excitement for their new album and this tour, and they. more than lived up to the hype and expectations. All these years of being a band and they are still one of the premier and best indie rock bands going these days, and have a knack for writing such great catchy songs.
Sleater-Kinney played for roughly 90 minutes, and packed a lot of songs into their set. When they finished their main set they left the stage for a few minutes and then returned for a four song encore that made a happy crowd even happier. It was an amazing, flawless performance that left a huge crowd of people very happy in its wake. This band is a must-see on this tour, they are easily as good, if not better than they’ve ever been as a live act!
