Monday night was an interesting night in Chicago, musically speaking of course…TV on the Radio was playing at the Metro. Secret Machines at Park West. DJ Shadow at the Vic…all in all, a tough decision…
This wasn’t all that tough for me, though; once I caught wind of the Secret Machines doing an “in the round’ tour similar to their Hiro Ballroom show from NYC last year, I was immediately booked for that night. It had to be Secret Machines…
Fast forward to Monday and a nearly packed house at Park West, and I grabbed a good spot on the balcony for the show. The venue isn’t the most ideal place to host an “in the round” show — where the band sets up a stage in the middle of the venue to allow fans to fully surround them — as there really isn’t the room to support that. The stage looked more like a “270 degrees in the round” setup, and at that point why would I care that much. It still accomplishes what it’s supposed to.
The trippy electronica intro music begins, and I know that this means the band is ready to play. What came next surprised me — they jammed a bit and flowed seamlessly into “What Used to Be French” off their September 000 EP. I love this tune. Definitely a nice surprise to open the show and it had the driving beat that really lead the rest of the night.
Other stand-outs were “Marconi’s Radio,” “I Hate Pretending,” and the always spine-tingling “First Wave Intact” to end the show. “All at Once” actually fell quite flat, but other than that, every other song was executed as I’d want them to be.
Seriously, I can’t write an objective review here.
I had high hopes and expectations for this show, and the band did not disappoint. The Secret Machines are truly masters of the live show — the lights, the swagger on stage, the drone of their three-man sound — and I’ll continue to see these guys whenever they come through town. I’m continually amazed by the band and how they continue to amaze wherever they go.
Read on for more photos (full set on Flickr here) and a hilariously un-synced YouTube video clip from “I Hate Pretending.” Josh Garza actually broke his snare drum towards the end of the tune with Brandon Curtis replying, “I don’t think you’re doing it right…” Hipster hilarity ensues…
