Chicago Concert Review: Phoenix @ Park West

Heeeeeey y'all! Hopefully I'll be able to do a lot of these in the near future (b/c I'll hopefully be going to a bunch more shows). But without much further ado, I'm gonna dig right in. 

THE VENUE: 

This was my first time at Park West, but it was pretty legit. Nice, cozy, great sound. Described by Bo, B., and myself as having a 70s feel, 80s feel, and 90s feel, respectively (do with that what you will). There are a bunch of permanent lounge-y tables and benches and chairs there, which were a little bit obnoxious for a show like this, but if you get close enough to the front (like I did), it was no biggie. 

THE BAND: 

The band was EXCELLENT! Up until now, Kings of Leon held the title for most spot on sounding live band. After Saturday, Phoenix became the new title-holders. Considering how meticulous the instrumentation and orchestration on the albums can be, I was blown away to hear not a single note out of place in the live setting. I don't mean to say that the songs were played verbatim (they weren't, as there was quite a bit of jamming and new arrangements going on), but just that they nailed every single note with such precision and conviction. On top of that, the band looked like they were enjoying themselves so so much. Vocalist Thomas Mars (who was an extremely charismatic frontman) couldn't stop smiling the whole show, like a little kid on Christmas, skipping around on stage and weaving in and out of the crowd. Also, the band's got one of the most fun drummers I've ever watched. Such exaggerated stick swinging. Loved it.

THE CROWD:

Much to my surprise, the crowd was great. With a lot of "buzz bands" or even "indie bands" in general, the crowds can tend to be very static, just sort of standing there, seeming like they're waiting to be impressed. And since Phoenix's p4k-approved Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix has been getting love from all over the place (coupled with an SNL appearance), I was sure that the crowd would be filled with casual listeners and hipster head-nodders. Not the case. The crowd was dancing and singing the whole time, just as much for the new songs as for the old ones.

THE HIGHLIGHTS:

Lots of 'em at this one. One of the ones that sticks out the most in my mind was the jammed out "Run, Run, Run." Never been a personal favorite of mind, but it was supersick and superslick live. Oldies "Too Young" and "If I Ever Feel Better" (which turned into a bit of an "Owner of a Lonely Heart" medley) were particularly dancified and particularly awesome. But the real highlight came with final song and Wolfgang standout "1901," (extended to 9 plus minutes live) where in the middle of the song Mars snuck into the middle of the crowd, looked back at the stage, and with a smile from ear to ear and commanded the band to "get harder" (or maybe he said "get louder," or something to that effect), to which the band swiftly complied and rocked the flippin' house while the crowd fist pumped to the "hey hey hey heys"!!! So good. The only song that was conspicuously absent from the set was "Everything Is Everything." Not my favorite Phoenix song, but that was my introduction into the band, so I was a little disappointed. But with a show that strong, I was able to cope.

OVERALL RATING:

A.