How in the bloody hell did I end up at this show over the weekend?
Some say it’s because I’m Father of the Year. I volunteered to take my 15-year-old daughter and her friend to see the feminist punk band Destroy Boys. You may remember them from their haunting ballad “I Threw Glass at My Friend’s Eyes and Now I’m on Probation.” Anyway, I took these two lovely young ladies into Chicago to Metro to see the show.
That’s my daughter wearing my tie which I expect I will never see again. And that’s her friend … in the winter jacket … in July … going to an indoor concert.
Concert Pro Tip: Do not wear a winter jacket to an indoor concert in July. And if you take a child wearing a winter jacker to an indoor concert in July, just be aware that you will end up holding that child’s winter jacket for the whole freakin’ concert.
I thought it wasn’t going to be too long of a night. I was actually enjoying some of the music from the band I thought was the Destroy Boys.
As they ended their set, I looked at my watch and was thrilled that it was only 9PM. We had been there since 6:30ish. I got ready to leave, but I was the only one. Nobody else was moving. I asked the nearest security person why. It turns out that I couldn’t keep my boys straight. Oh, that sentence can be interpreted several ways. I had mistaken the Gully Boys for the Destroy Boys who were still to come. Lovely. It was 10:30 by the time the Destroy Boys finished punishing my ears with their set.
I needed a musical palate cleanser. I found it two nights later on Chicago’s lakefront at the gorgeous Pritzker Pavillion for a FREE concert by Kurt Vile and the Violators. The stage is so large that it seems to swallow a normal band.
Thankfully, the enormous video screen allowed us to see Vile’s slick guitar work. And thanks to the City of Chicago and 93XRT radio for making it happen. Here’s a little tidbit from my favorite Vile song called “Loading Zones.”
Any song with the word exoskeleton as part of the lyrics is okay by me. It was a great night, and I even indulged in some touristy activities by taking some pics. Here’s an interesting shot of angles, curves, and some iconic Chicago buildings from my seat during the concert.
You may recall the diamond-shaped building on the left from the movie Adventures in Babysitting.
And here’s a cool shot looking north up the Chicago river at night.
Yes, I dared to walk the streets of Chicago at night. I felt safe, because I knew no crazy Fox News viewers carrying guns that they may irresponsibly use would dare to be in Chicago, especially after dark.
As for Destroy Boys, my daughter tells me that they are opening for Pierce The Veil, whatever that is, on my birthday later this year at the Aragon Ballroom, which we affrectionately called the Aragon Brawlroom back in my day. I think I know what I do NOT want for my birthday. Concert tickets!
Jim Flanigan Looks at the World 