Alabama Shakes Shake Things Up At Chicago Theatre
By Sophie Day in Arts & Entertainment on Mar 17, 2015 7:30PM
The Alabama Shakes headlined The Chicago Theater on Saturday night, currently on tour to promote their new album Sound and Color, out April 20.
Opening with "Rise to the Sun," vocalist and guitarist Brittany Howard had the at-capacity crowd on their feet. As she sang the words, "I feel so homesick/Where's my home?" it was clear, at least to the audience, that her home was with them. The love and adoration for Alabama Shakes, and Howard herself, was palpable in the room. With every lull in the music, cheers and shouts of "I love you" became a common refrain.
The show was a perfect blend of old and new music (like the single "Don't Wanna Fight" that they recently debuted on "Saturday Night Live"), and the audience never lost interest. Besides her powerhouse vocals, Howard is an incredibly talented guitarist so just watching her play was a joy. The whole band also seemed to be having such a great time that the energy in the room became infectious. After a very full and exciting set, the band returned for a four-song encore before bidding Chicago good night.
If there was any misstep, it was that the Shakes did not play "Hold On," their first single from debut album, Boys & Girls, which received high praise when it was released in 2012. It was named song of the year by Rolling Stone, and seemed like a safe bet as a closing song or an encore, but alas it never came.
Check out Alabama Shakes on Spotify and watch for Sound and Color, coming out April 20.