RIVAL SONS
You Want To
Get What's Coming
Wild Animal
Memphis Sun
Torture
All the Way
Until the Sun Comes
Jordan
Manifest Destiny, Part 1
Keep On Swinging
Pressure and Time
Face of Light
Note: Burn Down Los Angeles and Soul were listed on the printed setlist as encore songs, but no encore was played due to time constraints
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| The author can be seen in his Jimmy Page shirt. (photo by Brigette Sullivan) |
APOLLO HOUSE
setlist included:
Medicine Head
No More
No Quarter (Led Zeppelin)
BLUE DREAM
setlist included:
Ice Bomb
Battle of Cicero
Via Facebook, 'Rival Sons Fans USA' asked me to write a review of the show, so I did:
RIVAL SONS swung back into Chicago Thursday night to play a high-energy set in a rather intimate setting before a raucous crowd at Reggies in the South Loop/Near Southside neighborhood. The band blasted through an opening barrage of 'You Want To'>'Get What's Coming'>'Wild Animal' prior to launching into the epic 'Memphis Sun' from their 2009 debut album, Before The Fire.
Bassist Robin Everhart laid down a smooth line while singer Jay Buchanan took a breath and said, "I wanna complain just a little bit..." leading into the dynamic 'Torture' ("I'm a bitch for your abuse, and a glutton for the pain...") from the band's 2011 EP. 'All The Way' became a singalong for the crowd with guitarist Scott Holiday adding some touches of the fuzz/vibrato found on Norman Greenbaum's 'Spirit in the Sky'. Buchanan introduced the soulful 'Jordan' as a song about loss; powerhouse drummer Michael Miley showed plenty of finesse and restraint, perhaps most deftly here.
The meaning of the lyrics of 'Manifest Destiny, Part 1' may have been lost on some of the more oblivious members of the audience, but even if they missed the point, they couldn't fail to be trampled by Holiday's massive riff. 'Keep on Swinging' may have received the biggest crowd reaction, but the Zeppelinesque 'Pressure and Time' is the track that first indoctrinated me, and it did not disappoint. In fact, the only letdown of the night was the lack of an encore after the very effective closer of 'Face of Light', which built to a stratospheric climax.
The disconnection of mics and various cables and the bringing up of the house lights was met with confusion, especially among those of us with a clear view of the setlist, which seemed to promise us 'Burn Down Los Angeles' and 'Soul', but it was not to be. I'll have to blame the venue unless I hear differently... [Note: someone from the band's crew affirmed on Facebook that the show was cut short due to the venue's curfew.]
Rival Sons were supported by two great local Chicago bands - the psychedelic excellence of Blue Dream and more straight-ahead bluesy rock from Apollo House both gained some admirers with their convincing performances.
