Photo Recap and Review: Good Kid at Thalia Hall, Chicago April 25, 2024

ChiIL Live Shows On Our Radar

U.S. - CANADA - EUROPEAN TOUR:

GOOD KID 

SOLD-OUT SHOWS IN SEATTLE, LOS ANGELES, DALLAS, WASHINGTON, NEW YORK, CHICAGO, AND MANY MORE CITIES

Guest Review and photos 

by Dugan Kenaz-Mara 

Good Kid was incredibly fun to attend, even as someone who did not know their music beforehand. They had a great stage presence and made fun banter with the audience, giving us insight into a lot of their history and the backstories behind their music. 

As a theater designer I was intrigued by the stage design. All of the elements worked really well together and made the environment unique. The lights were dynamic and the backdrop brought their style to life on stage. They also had moving hot air balloons that went up and down during the set and had projections on screens outfitted to look like speakers. These displayed pixel art versions of the band and their art and were also used to show lyrics when the audience was instructed to sing along with them during “tell me you know” and “Witches”. Especially observant audience members might have also noticed that the speakers were branded with ‘Mimi’s Tone Service’, which references their song Mimi's Delivery Service. 

During the entire show the crowd was enthusiastic, and the band knew how to keep the energy up. They had many bits that they brought us into, from hiding the setlist in a unicorn piñata to laying on the ground during a break between songs and bringing out a “Wheel of Chaos”

The wheel of chaos is spun each performance and includes options like playing their song “faster” faster every time they say the word ‘faster’, singing a Sea Shanty, and having a Beyblade battle. We were treated to a cover of All Star by Smash Mouth when the wheel landed on an option called “Get Shrek’d”. 

The band also had a super fun relationship with their opener - Adan Diaz. They brought him and his bassist out to cover a song, and they swapped drummers twice - once in the opener and once during the set. 

Good Kid was definitely worth seeing in concert. Their music was catchy and a few of their songs made it onto my playlists after the show. 

Thalia Hall, Chicago 4/25/24 Set list included:

• Down with the King

• First rate town

• Atlas

• Premier Inn

• Witches

• Ground

• Tell me you know

  
  

  Check out our full set of photos HERE

  
  

  Dugan Kenaz-Mara is a designer, photographer, educator, and recent graduate of Northwestern University.

Credit: Dugan Kenaz-Mara

The freshly JUNO-nominated indie outfit Good Kid recently unveiled their latest single, “Summer,” along with an enchanting animated music video by XrayAlphaCharlie. “Summer” finds Good Kid delivering another of their signature indie earworms, with singer Nick Frosst's clever lyrics and catchy hooks taking center stage on this irresistible indie-pop hit. We'll be out to shoot stills at their Chicago Thalia Hall show. Check back soon for our photo filled recap.

The new single came out ahead of the sold out U.S. Tour and the band’s highly anticipated EP, Good Kid 4 now out as of March 27th. Click HERE to stream. The band's previous single from the EP “Bubbly” had Billboard raving that it was “one of Canada’s hot new radio songs…right up there with Beyoncé.”

2024 TOUR DATES:

2024 NORTH AMERICAN TOUR DATES:

MAR 29 - Vancouver, BC - The Pearl [SOLD OUT]

MAR 30 - Seattle, WA - Crocodile [SOLD OUT]

MAR 31 - Portland, OR - Hawthorne [SOLD OUT]

APR 02 - San Francisco, CA - The Independent [SOLD OUT]

APR 03 - San Francisco, CA - The Independent [SOLD OUT]

APR 05 - San Diego, CA - Quartyard [SOLD OUT]

APR 06 - Los Angeles, CA - El Rey [SOLD OUT]

APR 07 - Los Angeles, CA - El Rey [SOLD OUT]

APR 09 - Phoenix, AZ - Crescent Ballroom [SOLD OUT]

APR 12 - Austin, TX - Empire Garage [SOLD OUT]

APR 13 - Dallas, TX - Ferris Wheeler [SOLD OUT]

APR 15 - Atlanta, GA - Masquerade (Heaven) 

APR 16 - Carrboro, NC - Cat's Cradle 

APR 17 - Washington, DC - 9:30 Club [SOLD OUT]

APR 19 - Brooklyn, NY - Elsewhere Hall [SOLD OUT]

APR 20 - Philadelphia, PA - Theatre Of Living Arts [SOLD OUT]

APR 21 - Boston, MA - Sinclair [SOLD OUT]

APR 22 - Brooklyn, NY - Elsewhere Hall 

APR 25 - Chicago, IL - Thalia Hall [SOLD OUT]

APR 26 - Detroit, MI - El Club [SOLD OUT]

MAY 10 - Toronto, ON - Danforth Music Hall [SOLD OUT]

MAY 30 - Waterloo, ON - Maxwell's 

MAY 31 - Montreal, QC - Le Studio 

JUN 01 - Ottawa, ON - The Bronson Centre 

 

2024 EUROPEAN TOUR DATES:

SEP 15 - Dublin, IE - The Academy

SEP 17 - Brighton, UK - CHALK

SEP 19 - London, UK - O2 Forum Kentish Town

SEP 20 - Bristol, UK - SWX

SEP 21 - Birmingham, UK - O2 Institute 2

SEP 23 - Nottingham, UK - Rescue Rooms

SEP 25 - Glasgow, SCT - Galvanizers SWG3

SEP 26 - Manchester, UK - Manchester Academy 2

SEP 27 - Leeds, UK - Stylus

SEP 29 - Amsterdam, NL - Paradiso Grote Zaal

OCT 01 - Cologne, DE - Gebäude 9

OCT 02 - Berlin, DE - Badehaus

OCT 03 - Hamburg, DE - Knust

The upcoming six-track EP also features the hugely popular single “From The Start'', which garnered 1 million streams in just 24 hours, and has since accumulated 24 million more. Known for their eclectic blend of J-rock, indie-rock, and pop-punk, Good Kid’s massive streaming success is not just a result from their propensity to create catchy songs, but innovative fan engagement alongside savvy, fan-favoring business decisions, have helped the band amass an extensive and devoted fanbase, only serving to further the hype for the upcoming EP.

“The band is coming away from the busiest touring year of our musical careers, and this 4th EP “Good Kid 4” is the product of that journey. Many of the songs on this album are about the experience of music itself and how it has impacted our lives immensely. We wrote songs about facing anxiety with your friends, and about dancing. We wrote songs about reaching your breaking point, and about the hotels we would stay in night after night which eventually blended into one, endless timewarp of beige hallways. We wrote a song about the Summer we never wanted to end, and the only song that we didn’t write went over so unbelievably well with our fans, we had no choice but to record our own version of it.

Good Kid 4 is our favorite EP yet, and it represents the best of our last two years as a band when everything started to make sense for Good Kid.” - David Wood, Guitarist.

Case in point, the band’s entire Discography is content ID free and DMCA free, meaning content creators on platforms like Youtube and Twitch are able to freely use their music without fear of copyright takedowns. This has only slingshotted Good Kid’s already impressive following through the pervasive use of their music by hugely popular content creators.

Youtube’s biggest creator Mr. Beast, who boasts a mind-boggling 237 Million subscribers, featured 7 Good Kid songs in a video, garnering over 231 Million views. This is but one of many examples of the band’s online reach, which also includes direct collaborations with notable personalities such as XrayAlphaCharlie, Julien Solomita, and Trash Taste.

“We are very involved in the content creator community,” shares bassist Michael Kozakov. “All our music is free to use in monetized Streams and YouTube videos, which has led us to developing relationships and friendships with some of the biggest eSports players and YouTubers. We are very open and excited to continue collaborations with content creators and e-sports brands, and want to develop our brand as the world’s most creator friendly band.”

Beyond the digital realm, the band was recently nominated for Breakthrough Group Of The Year at the 2024 JUNO Awards and are soon to embark on their biggest headlining tour to date. Having already sold out over 90% of their North American dates, demand for tickets to their European and UK shows has been so overwhelming, that the band has had to upgrade multiple venues, several times, to accommodate the influx of enthusiastic fans. 

The upcoming tour comes on the heels of two previously sold-out US headline tours in 2022, two sold-out UK and EU tours as well as a 2023 Canadian tour supporting Grammy Award winning Portugal. The Man.

A jack-of-all-trades ensemble - musicians, programmers and storytellers, Good Kid has carved a unique path for their audience to follow suit. In essence, Good Kid's story is not just about music; it's about building a dynamic, engaging universe where fans play an integral role. With an unwavering commitment to joy, creativity, and inclusivity, Good Kid is more than a band — it's a thriving community of music enthusiasts shaping a unique and memorable experience together. Want more? Check out their site, HERE: https://goodkidofficial.com

PHOTO RECAP: Rachael Yamagata With Special Guests Radnor & Lee at City Winery Chicago January 29 & 30, 2019

ChiIL Live Shows On Our Radar

Check Out My Full Set Of Live Rachael Yamagata Show Shots In The Slideshow HERE and more favorites Below (City Winery Chicago 1/29/19):

It was my pleasure to catch Rachael Yamagata With Special Guests Radnor & Lee at City Winery and shoot stills for ChiIL Live Shows. Rachael's sultry vocals and witty banter between ballads made this a great date night choice for my husband and me. 

I was interested to learn that Rachael made Chicago her home for a decade and performed her first open mic right here in a little bar on Lincoln Avenue. She laughingly confessed it was an unmitigated disaster and she stopped performing in public for 5 years after that. Fortunately for her fervent fans, she did give it a go again, eventually joining Chicago funk band, Bumpus.

At Tuesday night's show, we got to see Rachael's on stage "bass debut", as well as her stylings on grand piano and guitar. 

She played a number of old favorites, new tunes, and even an excellent encore number of Fleetwood Mac's The Chain, garnering a standing ovation. Check out her site here. 

Radnor & Lee were folky and fun as openers, with a clever vintage suitcase drum and foot tambourine. 

Does Josh Radnor's face look familiar? He's a creative guy, rockin' a bunch of titles: American actor, writer, director, filmmaker and musician. He's most often recognized as Ted Mosby from the Emmy Award-winning CBS sitcom How I Met Your Mother. He wrote and directed the 2010 comedy drama film Happythankyoumoreplease, which won the Sundance Film Festival Audience Award and was nominated for the Grand Jury Prize. In 2014, Radnor portrayed Isaac in Tony nominated Broadway play, Disgraced. You may have also seen him as Dr. Jedediah Foster on Mercy Street, the PBS American Civil War drama and as Lou Mazzuchelli in the musical series Rise. Check out Radnor & Lee's Facebook Page Here.

Check Out My Full Set of Radnor & Lee Live Show Shots In The Slideshow HERE and more favorites Below:

Rachael Yamagata
Tuesday-Wednesday, January 29-30
Called “the troubadour of heartbreak,” Rachael Yamagata bears the “old soul” singer/songwriter essence that calls upon Todd Rundgren, Carole King, Joni Mitchell, The Carpenters, and Elton John, while sonically gravitating towards the darker stylings of Nick Cave, Tom Waits, P.J. Harvey, and Danny Elfman. She has toured with The Swell Season, Ray LaMontagne, Ryan Adams, and Sara Bareilles. Yamagata has also opened for David Gray solo at Madison Square Garden; and she has shared the stage at Carnegie Hall with R.E.M. and Patti Smith. She released a new EP, Porch Songs, in October 2018. Yamagata returns to City Winery for two intimate performances.

Yamagata unlocks your pain and gives it permission to breathe.

"Along with the bad-assery, Yamagata brings a world-weary passion to her singing. Her voice is a soul-baring, sultry instrument that commands center stage at all times. She has that deliberate, I’ll-sing-the-note-when-I’m-ready pacing that helped make Amy Winehouse great, and before her Billie Holliday.” Associated Press

"The singer-songwriter unveils a dark fire burning within her obstinate self.” Paste

“Some singer/songwriters wear their hearts on their sleeves. Some of them also make sure they’re dripping with blood. Case in point: the ultra-emotive singer/pianist Rachael Yamagata.” Digital Trends

“Catchy and engaging, but consistently smart to boot” -- Mother Jones

“Like Screaming Jay Hawkins meeting Patsy Cline in a studio built by Sam Phillips and David Gold with Daniel Lanois producing, Tightrope Walker is all soul-fever dreams and bittersweet echoes, Yamagata’s breathy, sensuous vocals leading rumbling drums and swampy guitars, ghostly keyboards, and sorcerer’s tones.” - Electronic Musician

'More classy soul-baring pastorals from upstate New Yorker... a sonically rich experience that repays closer listening... Yamagata’s voice is superb at evoking languid heartache... This is an album of immersive and emotive pleasures’ – Uncut

Opened in 2012, City Winery Chicago is a fully operational winery, restaurant with outdoor patio, concert hall and private event space located in the heart of the West Loop at 1200 W. Randolph, in the historic urban Fulton Market district. Once a refrigerated food distribution warehouse, the 1911 building has been transformed into a contemporary 33,000 square foot haven for those passionate about wine, music and culinary arts. The décor evokes the romance of being in wine country, from the exposed stainless steel fermenting tanks and French oak barrels, to the aroma of fermenting grapes. The West Loop’s only fully operational winery has produced dozens of in-house wines sourced from vineyards in California, Oregon, Washington, Argentina and Chile, including a Wine Enthusiast 92-point 2015 Verna’s Vineyard Reserve Pinot Noir. With more than 400 unique producers from around the world City Winery is recognized with 2014 and 2015 Best of Awards of Excellence “for having one of the most outstanding restaurant wine lists in the world” by Wine Spectator. The globally inspired, locally sourced, wine-focused food menu is conceived for pairing and sharing. The concert hall accommodates up to 300 guests, all seated at tables with complete beverage and dining service, ensuring a comfortable “listening room” experience enhanced by a state-of-the-art Meyer Sound system. Riedel is the official and exclusive provider of glassware, showing City Winery’s commitment to enjoying quality wine in a quality vessel. American Airlines is the Official Airline and Virgin Hotels Chicago is the Official Hotel of City Winery. For more information, please visit www.citywinery.com.

More Favorites Show Shots Below:

PHOTO RECAP: THE OBSESSED Opening for CLUTCH New Years Eve 2017-2018 at Express Live! In Columbus, OH

Opening Artists: Devin Townsend Project, 

The Obsessed, Mike Wescott Band

Clutch - Psychic Warfare World Tour 2017

EXPRESS LIVE! - 405 Neil Ave Columbus, OH 43215

Sunday, December 31, 2017

Here at ChiIL Live Shows we've caught The Obsessed in Chicago on past tours and they were our favorites of CLUTCH's NYE 17/18 openers. We're Chicago based, but we were more than happy to road trip from Chi, IL to Columbus to catch CLUTCH. We've seen and photographed CLUTCH live numerous times over two decades and this was our 2nd time to catch them for a NYE show. I've even done a video interview with lead singer, Neil Fallon, that's still one of my favorite metal band interviews of all times. Fun fun. Here's our full set of photos of their openers, The Obsessed in the slide show here, with a few favorite shots embedded below. All photos by Bonnie Kenaz-Mara for ChiILLiveShows.com.

Thanks to CLUTCH for providing us with press comps and photo credentials. It's always a joy to shoot them and their openers in action.

The Obsessed
Full Set in the Slideshow Here 
& More Favorites Embedded Below

Disclosure: Once again, thanks to CLUTCH for providing us with press comps and photo credentials. It's always a joy to shoot them and their openers in action.

More Photo Favorites:

PHOTO RECAP: CLUTCH New Years Eve 2017-2018 at Express Live! In Columbus, OH

Clutch - Psychic Warfare World Tour 2017

EXPRESS LIVE! - 405 Neil Ave Columbus, OH 43215

Sunday, December 31, 2017

   

Thanks to CLUTCH for providing us with press comps and photo credentials once again. It's always a joy to shoot this fierce foursome and their openers in action. Check out our photo features on NYE Opening Artists: Devin Townsend Project and The Obsessed.

The New Years Eve show (appropriately enough on NEIL AVENUE) was incredible, with a stellar mix of old favorites and even a few brand new tunes off their upcoming release, slated for later this year. 

NYE Setlist:

We love that the band members take turns making the set list and it's always different from town to down, like the Grateful Dead of the metal scene. After over a quarter century touring together (still with the original lineup), they've got more than plenty of material to choose from, and tend to play a vast variety of obscure tracks mixed with old and new hits and fan favorites.

Two hours to showtime, we began the evening in earnest, with a pre-show meet up with a bunch of Gearheads from the private Clutch fans FB Page. Here's a shot from earlyish. Lots more members of the "Clutch family" showed up closer to show time. It was great to put some faces to the friends we've been on line with in the Clutch group since 2014, and to meet some new fans too.  

We met a girl celebrating her birthday, 

a couple celebrating their anniversary, several hard core fans 

who've been seeing shows since the mid 90's like us, 

and a handful of newbies catching their first live CLUTCH show. 
Energy was high and everyone was stoked to be there, from the back of the balcony to the rail riders that got to the venue 
hours early to stake out a spot.

Clutch did not disappoint. 

I can't think of a better way I'd rather welcome in a new year.

Here's our full set of photos in the slide show here, with a few favorite shots embedded below. All photos by Bonnie Kenaz-Mara for ChiILLiveShows.com.

Clutch NYE 2017/18 Express Live! 
Columbus, OH

Click here and scroll down to check out loads of ChiIL Live Shows' past Clutch photo features and coverage over the years.

Click here to check out Clutch's Official Website, for current tour dates, merchandise and tickets, and updates on their new release. 

At present, Clutch is back in the studio starting in January, working on a new release. We're excited to hear it. The world needs more Clutch! Clutch is in heavy rotation in our home, and remains one of our long time, genre defying favorites. 

We had a chance to catch a few of their upcoming songs during the new years show. Good news is, it sounds like classic Clutch. Bad news is, the new stuff seems to be lacking a bit of something. We're hoping they'll funk it up a bit more during the recording process. They're pros with 25+ years in the trenches, mostly under the radar, yet they're coming off their most commercially successful two albums ever, while staying true to their unique sound, so the bar is high. It's the old band catch 22, if you sound too much like your recent hits it's redundant, and too little like them and your core fans will revolt. 

Here at ChiIL Live Shows we've caught CLUTCH in Illinois, Ohio, and Indiana for over two decades. We're Chicago based, but we were more than happy to road trip from Chi, IL to Columbus to catch CLUTCH for New Years Eve 2017/18. We've covered and photographed CLUTCH live numerous times and this was our 2nd time to catch them for a NYE show. I've even done a video interview with lead singer, Neil Fallon, a few years back, right as Earth Rocker came out, that's still one of my favorite metal band interviews of all times.

VIP for the ADA:

At the venue I was beyond thankful for the ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) seating. I've had major knee surgery twice over the past 14 months and I'm still healing from my most recent operation. This is the 4th time I've covered Clutch from ADA seating in 4 different venues. I wove through the crowds and made a trip up to the photo pit for the first 3 songs of each band's set (pretty standard for shooting shows) and was eternally grateful for a chair to return to, in a way no-one truly understands till they've been in major pain. 

I'm finally healed enough to get back to shooting live show as of December, but standing for hours is still a pretty painful prospect. It's been amazing meeting other fans in the ADA section. Some of the most hardcore, enthusiastic music lovers are there. It takes some true devotion to navigate a metal show in a wheelchair, on crutches, or otherwise differently abled. Clutch fans are some of the friendliest, most interesting people out there.

The guy on crutches in the seat next to me had also had knee surgery. He began our conversation "I've never seen Clutch...". I jumped in "They're amazing live, and NYE would be a great first show to see." He laughed and said, "No, I've seen them a ton of times for the past 20 years or more. I was gonna say, I've never seen Clutch on crutches before. This is pretty kickass. We have seats up close to the left of the stage. This is great." Yes, yes it was!

Clutch combined elements of funk, Led Zeppelin, and metal with vocals inspired by Faith No More. Formed in 1991 in Germantown, Maryland, the group included Neil Fallon (vocals), Tim Sult (guitar), Dan Maines (bass), and Jean-Paul Gaster (drums). They built a local following through constant gigging, and after just one 7" single (the classic Earache release "Passive Restraints") Clutch were signed by EastWest Records. Their debut LP, Transnational Speedway League, followed in 1993. A self-titled album appeared two years later and afforded Clutch some mainstream exposure. Pure Rock Fury appeared in 2001, and the similarly uncompromising Blast Tyrant came three years later as their first for DRT Records. Their seventh full-length, Robot Hive/Exodus, followed in 2005 and featured the first lineup change since the early '90s, the addition of organist Mick Schauer.

Clutch's numerous side releases included a groove-based album as well as Live at the Googolplex and the rarities record Slow Hole to China, both issued in 2003. Also issued in 2005, Pitchfork & Lost Needles combined Clutch's 1991 Pitchfork 7" with unreleased demos and early tracks. In the fall of 2006 the band hit the studio with producer Joe Barresi (Kyuss, Melvins) to record its next album; the resulting From Beale Street to Oblivion appeared in March 2007. In 2008 Clutch released a CD/DVD compilation of live tracks from shows in New Jersey, Pittsburgh, and Sydney titled Full Fathom Five: Audio Field Recordings 2007-2008 on their own label, Weathermaker Music. The band followed up in 2009 with Strange Cousins from the West before delivering its tenth album, Earth Rocker, in 2013. Buoyed by the success of that album (their highest-charting release ever) and eponymous lead single, Clutch continued their relentless touring through late 2015, when they released their 11th album, Psychic Warfare.

Disclosure: Thanks to CLUTCH for providing us with press comps and photo credentials once again. As always, all opinions, photos and experiences are my own.

More Photo Favorites: