Chi, IL Live Shows on our Radar:
The Crane Wives
With Direct Support by Brye
Play Chicago's Park West on August 18, 2026
All Show Photos by Dugan Kenaz-Mara
GUEST REVIEW
By Dugan Kenaz-Mara
On August 18th the Crane Wives made one of the last stops on their Act III tour, once again gracing Chicago with their presence. Spanning the month of August, their tour has 3 stops left. And if you’re quick, you can still catch their final show in Indianapolis on the 22nd.
The concert started with special guest Brye, a solo artist who grew up in the suburbs of Chicago. Her beautiful music captured the audience and took us on a journey exploring themes of body positivity, queerness, and mental health. During the set we also got to learn about the hardships that she had recently experienced. About a week before the show the trailer with all of her merch and instruments was stolen, and then later found empty. Luckily the Crane Wives were able to lend her a guitar for the end of the tour and she was available in the lobby after the show to take polaroids with fans in lieu of missing merchandise.
When her set finished, we had a short interlude for the bands to switch over. To my delight, the Crane Wives continued their mysterious pre-show tradition. We watched as the “Mysterious Deer Man” emerged through the haze into the blue stage lights. Walking through the cattail cutouts to place lanterns down, creating the whimsical atmosphere on stage. But this time he wasn’t alone. A second deer appeared and chased the first one, Benny Hill-style, around the stage, before composing himself and leaving the stage so the band could begin. It was a hilarious and unexpected twist that the onlookers thoroughly enjoyed.
The past 2 years I have covered The Crane Wives when they stopped in Chicago, and like both times before, this concert was a blast to attend! The band always delivers a high-energy show that’s perfect for letting out all of your big emotions. They even encourage the audience to sing, clap, and dance along, inviting everyone in attendance to build up the lively atmosphere their shows are known for.
I also found this performance at Park West highly engaging compared to previous shows. The band was fairly close to the audience thanks to having no pit area, so Kate Pillsbury (guitar/vocals) commented about trying not to look people in the eyes. During the encore she also asked if we were more "The Hand That Feeds" or "Steady, Steady" people, letting us vote. Luckily the vote was split and we got both songs as a treat.
Which brings me my main takeaway from the night: the Crane Wives are particularly kind. The more intimate site really highlighted all of the things they did to make their performance special for us, and for those they work with. They introduced Brye at the start, encouraging us to give her as much love as we would give them. They lent her the guitar and promoted her merch. They shouted out their crew members by name as well as their tour manager who books their locations. And when they left the stage at the end of the night, they made heart hands to the audience which were returned in kind.
The last time the Crane Wives performed in Chicago, they were promoting their most recent album and played 6 songs from it. This time, the audience was treated to a fairly even mix of newer and older songs from almost all of their albums. This setlist featured the most songs from Coyote Stories and Foxlore, their hit 2015 and 2016 albums, then wove in a few songs each from The Fool in Her Wedding Dress (2012), Here I am (2020), and Beyond Beyond Beyond (2024).
The full set list is below:
Brye:
Lemons
Apples
My Body’s My Buddy
Little Things
Not a Baby
Jenna
Diet Culture
Crane Wives:
Queen of Nothing
Icarus
Arcturus Beaming
The Well
Allies or Enemies
Never Love an Anchor
Turn Out the Lights
Take Me to War
Pretty Little Things
The Moon Will Sing
Black Hole Fantasy
Nobody
Sleeping Giants
Curses
The Garden
The Hand That Feeds
Steady Steady
Tongues & Teeth
Dugan Kenaz-Mara is a Chicago based designer, photographer, educator, and graduate of Northwestern University's theatre program.
All Show Photos by Dugan Kenaz-Mara
The Crane Wives
"The Crane Wives charmed us again with its harmony-laced folk-rock…polished sound and dynamic energy…proves just how much fun the band is having with its music.” - NPR"The Crane Wives are a four-piece band that have an uncanny abilityat crafting goose-bump inducing three-part harmonies.” - No Depression"They’re an impeccable band with incredibly tight instrumentation and harmonies that, paired with an inclination for catchy hooks and scintillating lyricism, make a strong case for their burgeoning popularity.” - For Folk’s Sake"Harnessing a sense of emotional honesty, guttural lyrics are backed by twangy guitar and steady drum beats" - NYS MusicThe Crane Wiveshighly anticipated US tour.Kicking off on April 14, The Crane Wives will bring their dynamic live show to stages nationwide, delighting audiences in cities including Los Angeles, Portland, Houston, Seattle, San Francisco, San Diego, and beyond.The band has also announced new tour dates this August, hitting cities across Colorado, as well as Chicago, St. Louis, Indianapolis, Minneapolis, and beyond.
Tour dates and tickets for all shows are on sale now and available here.
Born of the 2010’s folk boom and now comfortably stationed in their rock and roll era, Grand Rapids’ The Crane Wives epitomize the evolving landscape of indie folk. Their high-energy performances have been described as “charged with emotion and technical skill” (Blurred Culture), while their harmony-dense melodies support deeply resonant lyrics, exploring the vulnerable and the ugly sides of the human condition. The band has built a global community and has amassed over 1m Spotify monthly listeners and 150m total streams with their unparalleled, spirited live show, evocative lyricism and glimmering harmonies.
Featured by Michigan Radio and NPR’s All Songs Considered, the band’s sixth full-length studio record Beyond Beyond Beyond received high praise, with Glasse Factory calling the album “a testament to the band’s ability to turn personal struggles into universally relatable anthems." Niner Times describes the album as “angsty, haunting and gritty,” praising its departure from the more traditional folk sound of The Crane Wives’ previous records. Since its release in September 2024, Beyond Beyond Beyond has accrued over 7 million streams on Spotify.
The pulse of The Crane Wives is delivered by Ben Zito (bass) and Dan Rickabus (drums), creating a driving, dynamic backdrop while co-leads Emilee Petersmark and Kate Pillsbury establish expansive and gritty conversations between their electric guitars. A web of three-part harmony helps to soften the blow of their emotional candor, like a 21st century Cerberus, the hound of Hades reimagined as an emotional support animal.
The Crane Wives have 6 full-length albums under their belts and have performed over 600 shows across the US, sharing stages with acts such as The Avett Brothers, Lake Street Dive, Rusted Root, The Dead South, Joseph, and many more.
US August Tour Dates:
August 5 Crested Butte, CO @ Mt. Crested Butte
August 7 Fort Collins, CO @ Washington’s
August 8 Colorado Springs, CO @ Black Sheep
August 10 Dillon, CO @ Dillon Amphitheater
August 12 Omaha, NE @ The Admiral Theater
August 13 Des Moines, IA @ Wooly’s
August 14 Sioux Falls, MD @ The District
August 15 Minneapolis, MN @ First Avenue
August 16 Madison, WI @ The Sylvee
August 18 Chicago, IL @ Park West
August 20 Columbia, MO @ The Blue Note
August 21 St. Louis, MO @ The Sovereign
August 22 Indianapolis, IN @ Nickel Plate District AmphitheaterFollow The Crane Wives:
Website | Instagram | Facebook | TikTok | Spotify | YouTube | BioAll Show Photos by Dugan Kenaz-Mara
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