Chicago – Friday night, the Ones To Watch sponsored co-headlining tour with Finish Ticket and Vinyl Theatre blew into the Windy City. Hoards of teenagers and twenty-somethings lined up outside West Loop venue Bottom Lounge, down Lake Street, wrapped in blankets to keep the chill out. The passing Green Line EL train blew snowy gusts as flurries began to fall in what has seemed like Chicago’s never ending winter, but fans didn’t seem to mind. After all, they were about to see two of the hottest indie-pop bands around, and in all honesty, Finish Ticket and Vinyl Theatre (pictured above) made the wait worth every cold minute.
San Fransisco band Finish Ticket took the stage first, which seemed fitting given Vinyl Theatre’s Midwestern roots would make for a better pick to close out the night. Finish Ticket, ordinarily a five-piece, comprised of vocalist Brendan Hoye, bassist Michael Hoye, guitarist Alex DiDonato, drummer Gabe Stein, and keyboardist Nick Stein, was joined by a sixth touring member – guitarist Crim Nguyen – who intensified the band’s sound. The six twenty-somethings knocked it out of the park, putting on an impressive performance that drew the attention of audience members to the point of early 90s concert watching. That is, people were actually watching with their eyes, rather than watching it all unfold on a smartphone screen. Frontman Brendan Hoye took notice of this and thanked the crowd for “not living through their phones” and enjoying the moment.
Brendan Hoye rambled on throughout the night. At one point he joked he’s known to talk too much, but he was all the more endearing for it. Early on in the night, he told the crowd, “Someone on Twitter asked for a deep cut, so this is for you.” The fan announced herself. Brendan smiled and warmly said hi before breaking into “Never Alone.” In a recent interview for our Featured Artist piece, Brendan told Best New Bands “Never Alone” was written for an anti-bullying campaign and has resonated deeply with so many fans.
Finish Ticket covered The Killers’ “When You Were Young.” The members of the band are self-proclaimed fans of The Killers. The fan boys nailed it! More importantly though, every member of the band looked like they were having the best time, singing a song from a band they idolize, while fans sang along atop their lungs, word for word. Of course, fans sang along to original Finish Ticket songs too, including “Wrong,” “When Night Becomes Day,” “Numb,” and one of my favorites, “Scavenger.” Finish Ticket also played the single “Colors.” Hands raised in the air and smiles were abound.
By the time Vinyl Theatre took the stage, the crowd was amped to the max. I, too, was eager to see this Wisconsin band, who has become much beloved by Chicagoans. Admittedly, I was mainly excited because it had been quite some time since I last saw them live. When I last saw Vinyl Theatre, the band was still a four-piece and were opening for Twenty One Pilots on the Quiet Is Violent Tour, back in 2014. I was curious how the band would now sound as a three-piece. (In February, bassist Josh Pothier left the band.) Well, I was more than pleasantly surprised! Vinyl Theatre as trio is spell-binding. The three friends seemed tighter than ever. Clearly, the last two years of non-stop touring has helped the band grow, but especially Keegan Calmes. He has become a seasoned frontman, worthy of bigger stages and bigger venues. I have no doubt Vinyl Theatre will soon be drawing larger crowds and making major radio play. Vinyl Theatre’s performance was captivating, and the audience’s response was just as wonderful. Like their Fueled By Ramen label-mates, Josh and Tyler of Twenty One Pilots, Keegan Calmes (vocals, guitar), Chris Senner (keys), and Nick Cesarz (drums) have a strong, loyal fanbase that will support VT and lift the band to the top of the charts.
Vinyl Theatre covered Coldplay’s “Viva La Vida,” getting plenty of fans in a frenzy. The room steamed up like a sauna, despite the cold weather outside. The men of Vinyl Theatre were dripping in sweat. Fans up close looked just as flushed as the band. Calmes scanned the room and said, “I see a lot of familiar faces in the crowd. Lots of friends.” Screams bellowed from the crowd: “I love you, Keegan!” Side stage a teenage girl hollered at Cesarz, “Nick, I love you!” Calmes told the room, “Chicago, we feel like we’re home. Thank you so much!” All three men were decked out in Chicago Bulls gear, repping their adoptive city. Later, with a look of awe, he confessed, “The first time we played Chicago, we played the Double Door. There were maybe ten to fifteen people there, so this is incredible!” Vinyl Theatre then played the oldie “Breaking Up My Bones.” The band also played a new song, titled “My Fault.” It had more of a rock edge than the indie-pop sound the band has become known for. In an interview with Best New Bands, Calmes said Vinyl Theatre has been hard at work in the studio working on a sophomore album. If “My Fault” is any indication of where album number two is headed, expect to hear a new and improved Vinyl Theatre!
For “The Rhythm of Night,” Calmes asked the audience to put away phones and cameras. The majority of fans obliged. Good thing, too, because Calmes leapt into the crowd and surfed his way around before jumping back on stage, where he shared the mic with a few lucky fans up front. Afterward, Vinyl Theatre left the stage. Fans stuck around and chanted, “One more song, one more song!” Alex and Brendan from Finish Ticket cane out with Vinyl Theatre for an encore. They covered Third Eye Blind’s “Jumper.” It seemed like everyone in attendance sang along. I even saw parents of young fans singing, “I wish you would step back from that ledge my friend.” It was like a crazy karaoke session! I have to admit, this was perhaps the best part of the night for me. I’m about to date myself here and say I was obsessed with Third Eye Blind my senior year of high school. I’ll never forget seeing Third Eye Blind perform at the Riviera with my boyfriend in 2000, just shortly after graduation. I was so excited, but I ended up being extremely disappointed. The sound was awful. Stephan Jenkins sang off-key most of the night. I’m still not sure what was going on. Perhaps the band was burnt out. Regardless, I left feeling crushed. Singing along with with Keegan and Brendan Friday night, I felt I finally got to experience what I wanted oh so many years ago. So guys, if you’re reading this, I genuinely say, “Thank you. You made my night!”
Finish Ticket and Vinyl Theatre are currently on tour. A list of tour dates can be found on both the Finish Ticket Facebook page and Vinyl Theatre Facebook page.
Sarah Hess
After attending The School of the Art Institute in Chicago, Sarah went on to study education at Dominican University, earning a degree in history. When not teaching, writing, or taking in a show, she is most likely to be found with a camera to her eye or hanging out in a darkroom.
You can follow Sarah Hess on twitter at @Sarahhasanh and view her music photography on her website: smhimaging.com.
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