Post by modflower on Apr 27, 2012 9:00:09 GMT
After returning home from the Portland gig, I read the back of my newest Chiefs T-shirt, and noticed there were a few more gigs... the next month! This is when I decided to try to catch them in Chicago. (And the frequent flyer miles I had accumulated seeing them in SF/Portland earned me a free round-trip ticket, so it was doable. Sweet! Chicago, here I come!) ;D
Chiefs played the House Of Blues. I learned from a local (whom I'd met at a Chiefs gig in '08) that if you eat at the HOB restaurant, you can get a priority pass so you don't have to queue outside and you get into the music hall first. I took advantage of this, but was dismayed to find it still wasn't enough to get barrier. I was in the second row which is good enough, but... There were about four people I met from the Chiefs 2008 gig at this gig, so it was kinda cool to see them again after all this time. The place was packed, which was good to see! Then the support band came on. They were called Empires. They were probably one of the most energetic bands I'd ever seen, and I thought they were pretty good. But what surprised me about them was their frontman. He looked like Ricky, dressed like Ricky, danced like Ricky, and even did the same gestures as Ricky. But he didn't sound like Ricky (deeper voice.)
Finally it was time for Kaiser Chiefs! Fortunately for me, the barrier people had shifted somewhat, so I was now at barrier too, front and center. They immediately kicked the set off with Na Na Na Na Naa, so that was different from my previous gigs. The setlist had the same songs as before, so no surprises, they were just performed in a different order. This was definitely the wildest Chiefs gig I'd been to! Crowd was mental, getting beer splashed on us during IPAR. Ricky did his usual antics, like standing on the bar, but he couldn't climb up to the balconies, so he had to settle for standing on the speakers. Interesting tidbits: Peanut had a hat with little blue lights on it, and Whitey was making some interesting sounds with a drumstick and his guitar. This was also the last gig for Nick's drumkit. He announced that David Letterman had purchased it, so it would be shipped to NY the next day. (So that's why Letterman asked about his drums after their performance on his show.) Ricky was quite generous with tambourine giveaways. At one point, he looked directly at me and threw it in my direction, but it bounced, and landed down behind the barrier. He retrieved it, and I hoped he'd just hand it to me, but no, he played it for a bit, then threw it up to some blokes in the balcony. (Dammit! ) Anyway, he gave out about three of them. For the encore, they played "Listen To Your Head" and of course, OMG. Afterwards, Nick handed out drumsticks and some of his drum covers. I would've liked a cover, but I got a broken stick, which I think he broke during OMG. The tech crew also handed out several setlists. They each seemed to have a small stack of them, so it looks like they now print up several of them just to give away. (Even so, I still didn't get one.) Anyway, for me, it was the best gig ever! Top night!!
Added bonus: Kaiser Chief DJs played an afterparty, so I attended that. Ricky and Whitey were no-shows, but I got to chat with Nick and their crew. A truly lovely bunch of people!
Chiefs played the House Of Blues. I learned from a local (whom I'd met at a Chiefs gig in '08) that if you eat at the HOB restaurant, you can get a priority pass so you don't have to queue outside and you get into the music hall first. I took advantage of this, but was dismayed to find it still wasn't enough to get barrier. I was in the second row which is good enough, but... There were about four people I met from the Chiefs 2008 gig at this gig, so it was kinda cool to see them again after all this time. The place was packed, which was good to see! Then the support band came on. They were called Empires. They were probably one of the most energetic bands I'd ever seen, and I thought they were pretty good. But what surprised me about them was their frontman. He looked like Ricky, dressed like Ricky, danced like Ricky, and even did the same gestures as Ricky. But he didn't sound like Ricky (deeper voice.)
Finally it was time for Kaiser Chiefs! Fortunately for me, the barrier people had shifted somewhat, so I was now at barrier too, front and center. They immediately kicked the set off with Na Na Na Na Naa, so that was different from my previous gigs. The setlist had the same songs as before, so no surprises, they were just performed in a different order. This was definitely the wildest Chiefs gig I'd been to! Crowd was mental, getting beer splashed on us during IPAR. Ricky did his usual antics, like standing on the bar, but he couldn't climb up to the balconies, so he had to settle for standing on the speakers. Interesting tidbits: Peanut had a hat with little blue lights on it, and Whitey was making some interesting sounds with a drumstick and his guitar. This was also the last gig for Nick's drumkit. He announced that David Letterman had purchased it, so it would be shipped to NY the next day. (So that's why Letterman asked about his drums after their performance on his show.) Ricky was quite generous with tambourine giveaways. At one point, he looked directly at me and threw it in my direction, but it bounced, and landed down behind the barrier. He retrieved it, and I hoped he'd just hand it to me, but no, he played it for a bit, then threw it up to some blokes in the balcony. (Dammit! ) Anyway, he gave out about three of them. For the encore, they played "Listen To Your Head" and of course, OMG. Afterwards, Nick handed out drumsticks and some of his drum covers. I would've liked a cover, but I got a broken stick, which I think he broke during OMG. The tech crew also handed out several setlists. They each seemed to have a small stack of them, so it looks like they now print up several of them just to give away. (Even so, I still didn't get one.) Anyway, for me, it was the best gig ever! Top night!!
Added bonus: Kaiser Chief DJs played an afterparty, so I attended that. Ricky and Whitey were no-shows, but I got to chat with Nick and their crew. A truly lovely bunch of people!