i was there || oneohtrix point never

Show: Oneohtrix Point Never

Spektral Quartet

Location: Jay Pritzker Pavilion

Date: 6.26.14

Memorable Moment: It was a pretty perfect night to be at Millennium Park. It was comfortably cool with some crazy fog as you can see in the photo above. Oneohtrix Point Never made for a pretty great (free) concert + his visuals were exceptional.

Biggest Letdown: I had a great time regardless but this was one of those shows where I wished I had partaken in some recreational activities prior. Both the music + the visuals were that perfect level of weird, I just wish I was a little more weird. The rosé  helped though.

This Show: I haven't been the greatest at taking advantage of these free shows at Millennium Park but I'm glad I made it to this one. I had seen Oneohtrix Point Never briefly at Pitchfork 2012 but it was probably less my cup of tea then than it is now. The only reason I probably remember that is because I kept thinking "What the fuck is this name?" This show was memorable though + I very much enjoyed myself in an absolutely perfect setting.

i was there || andrés

Show: Andrés

Location: Smart Bar

Date: 6.14.14

Memorable Moment: No comment.

Biggest Letdown: I don't like to admit this but I barely recall this show at all. I started drinking around 3pm + essentially didn't stop until 3am. While I'm sure I was a totally charming drunk + I know I had a good time I  still prefer to be more aware of the music I'm listening to. Get yourself together, girl.

This Show: Gave me the warm + fuzzies. Even though I was a complete lush, there is nowhere else I would have wanted to end my drunken day than at Smart Bar.

justin martin || don't go (dusky remix)

Last week I rediscovered Dusky's amazing 2012 Essential Mix. It is filled to the brim with hit after hit, including this one. I highly recommend giving it a relisten or first listen.

bicep + ejeca || you

nao vs. a. k. paul || so good

i was there || disclosure (dj set)

Show: Disclosure (DJ set)

Derrick Carter

George Fitzgerald

Location: The Mid

Date: 6.11.14

Favorite Song: As long as I hear "When a fire starts to burn..." in a club setting I will be happy. Few other songs get can a crowd that amped up.

Memorable Moment: Not totally surprising because this guy is a fucking legend but I actually think I enjoyed Derrick Carter's set the most. Sometimes music just speaks to you + he was playing exactly what I needed to hear.

Biggest Letdown: I just recently read an article that mentions an interview Disclosure did where they claim to dislike playing in clubs. Essentially they dislike it because the crowds are always drunk + obnoxious. Welp, I'm guilty of that for this show. I was a happy + fun obnoxious drunk at least so personally I see no harm done.

This Show: was the best I've seen The Mid in a while. Granted, I don't go to The Mid very often any more + the last time I was there was the Disclosure + SBTRKT Lollapalooza after show last August. Still though, I kind of loved this place for this show. I'll chalk it up to being on a Wednesday night but it wasn't over-croweded, most of the people weren't obnoxious (except probably me) + you had a good view of the performers. I've always loved that set up there it's just amazing how different it feels there when you can easily get to the bar, go to the restroom + dance around without slamming into people.

i was there || disclosure

Show: Disclosure + Friends

Location: Lincoln Park Zoo

Date: 6.11.14

Favorite Song: I still find myself loving "Grab Her" in live settings. "Help Me Lose My Mind" often seems to make it's way into the end of their sets which is a nice cool down for the night.

Memorable Moment: The Zoo did make for a pretty great setting. I was a little worried that they would be obnoxious with rules but in my opinion the night seemed to go off pretty well. It was crowded + beer lines were a mess but I personally didn't see any one get too out of control which was nice. I was also a big fan of the people in costume too.

Biggest Letdown: I hated the scheduling. Logistically it made no sense to have the one hip hop dude (named Joey Bada$$, mind you) playing before the main act. From a flow standpoint having George Fitzgerald or even Green Velvet would have worked much better. I missed both of their sets because I didn't want to get their early + then waste an hour seeing Mr. Bada$$. Would have loved to see George Fitzgerald play but luckily I got a second chance later at The Mid.

This Show: Mother Nature seemed to be threatening us prior to show time but it ended up being a beautiful night in a cool setting. I've now seen these guys a handful of times + both their live sets + dj sets are pretty spot on. They know how to get a crowd going.

i was there || poliça

Show: Poliça

Location: Lincoln Hall

Date: 6.6.14

Favorite Song: I got a bit ridiculous during the encore of "You Don't Own Me." You can't really blame me. It's a classic + feels highly relevant to my life right now.

Memorable Moment: I wasn't really a fan of Lolawolf, the opener, but I did love lead singer Zoe Kravitz's voice. Real shocker there, right? Hard to believe that the daughter of Lenny Kravitz has a good voice. I just wish she just owned it a bit more. She should probably ditch her band too.

Biggest Letdown: You know you've reached music snob status when you see a good performance, in a great venue + all of your friends are like "THAT SHOW WAS AWESOME!!!" + you feel pretty meh. It was good, but personally I thought their Metro show was better. As is typically the case for bands I've seen multiple times. Unless I saw a band for the first time in a festival or shitty environment I really should try to wait a while before seeing them again. Lesson learned.

This Show: was good. I still very much love Poliça, I'm just going to be anxious for their next album instead of their next live show.

concert outlook || summer 2014

If you were waiting for my Summer concert outlook post to come out before buying any tickets then I totally failed you. Shows this Summer are going fast. There a still a few sprinkled in that haven't sold out though, so join me.

6.21 | Matthew Dear | Estate

6.26 | Oneohtrix Point Never | Millennium Park

7.3 | Nightmares on Wax | Concord Music Hall

7.4-7.6 | Riverwest Music Festival | River West*

7.4 | Derrick Carter | Smart Bar

7.10 | Gary Clark Jr + Janelle Monae | Taste of Chicago

7.13 | Derrick Carter | West Fest
7.18 | Cloud Nothings | Schubas

7.18-7.20 | Pitchfork Music Festival | Union Park*
7.19 | Real Estate | Lincoln Hall
7.20 | Majical Cloudz | Lincoln Hall

7.23 | Jack White | Chicago Theater

7.31 | Blood Orange | Empty Bottle

7.31 | Portugal. The Man | Lincoln Hall

7.31 | CHVRCHES | The Vic

8.1-8.3 | Lollapalooza | Grant Park

8.1. | Typhoon | Lincoln Hall

8.1 | Spoon | Metro

8.1 | Cut Copy | The Vic
8.1 | Seth Troxler + Martinez Bothers | Lacuna Artist Lofts

8.1 | DFA Residency | Smart Bar

8.2 | Flume | Concord Music Hall

8.2 | Orchard Lounge | Smart Bar

8.3 | Fitz + the Tantrums | Metro

8.5 | Hospitality | Empty Bottle

8.22 | Daniel Avery | Smart Bar

8.24 | Robyn + Royksopp | Millennium Park

8.26 | Arcade Fire | United Center*

8.28 | Chet Faker + Mount Kimbie | Concord Music Hall

8.29-8.31 | North Coast Music Festival | Union Park

9.19 | Bonobo + Falty DL | Metro

The shows in bold I either have tickets for or am fairly certain I will be attending. The asterisk means I have an extra ticket so hit me up!

velvet sphynx

It's almost Summer which means I'm about due for a new bikini. I tend to keep my swimsuit picks pretty classic in style but this year I'm eyeing something a little more fun. Enter: Velvet Sphynx.

Now is the hard part. Do I go with the pizza, the puppies, or the octopus tentacles? I'm actually leaning towards the tentacles because I like this full coverage top below for my stand up paddle board classes. But I mean the pizza...

i was there || christian martin

Show: Christian Martin

Location: Primary

Date: 5.31.14

Memorable Moment: Everyone (but me, sadly) seemed to still be riding the high from DEMF weekend. It was one of those nights where the attitudes, the music + the vibes all just felt right. I'm growing to like Primary more + more each time I go there. And that sound system..

Biggest Letdown: It's worth noting that earlier in the night I went to Smart Bar to check out Marcellus Pittman. I enjoyed myself but I don't think I've ever seen Smart Bar that empty. It does hurt the vibe a bit when the crowd is small. I even got approached by an out-of-towner looking for another good option for the night so I wasn't alone here.

This Show: was a reminder exactly why I don't turn down concerts, even if I'm not super familiar with the artists. I've said this a million times but I've never regretted a night of live music in a dark club. Never.

laplux || dny glvr (young thug remix)

truer words have never been spoken

pharrell ft. jay z || frontin' (disclosure remix)

Happy Disclosure week!

la roux || let me down gently