This past Wednesday I made the trip north near Wrigley Field. However, this trip had nothing to do with baseball. Instead, I went to a concert at a music venue called The Metro. Despite the hour long commute to get there, the experience was worth every minute in the I spent on the red line.
The music venue itself supports the music names it brings in.
The art deco feel to the stage gives it a unique style. The crowd has the feel of an eclectic group that somehow found a hidden concert hall. For the rest of the building, there is the initial ground floor as well as a floor which includes the stage and an open space for the audience with a bar in the back of the stage floor. For your convenience there is a coat check as well.A floor above, music junkies can watch the bands perform while sitting at tables sipping drinks. Being under the drinking age and wanting to be in close vicinity of the performers, I stayed near the stage.
The tickets where relatively cheap; I paid twenty two dollars to see three artists, one being well known. The tickets range in price, with some as cheap as eight dollars. Also, there is a show almost every night. So when in doubt, check the Metro’s website for show listings.
There were a total of three performances the night I visited. The opening act started with an artist called Kishi Bashi who set the tone with his melodic sound.
Using a live recording device (set on the floor in front of the performer who then steps on it to record sound) to create a layered sound, Kishi Bashilet released smooth notes from a violin with a modern edge. He mixed in his eerily beautiful voice (especially for being live) which could jump octaves seamlessly to create an intricate sound. I thoroughly enjoyed his performance. He just released his first album called 151a which is, to my delight, available in vinyl.
The next set was by a band called Loney Dear.
From Sweden, the band consists of two people, Emil Svanängen, the lead signer, and Malin Ståhlberg who plays the accordion. A soft, night-like sound describes the sweet Swedish voices of Loney Dear who are like a new age folk band with a mixture of rock. One of the best parts of their set was the crowd interaction. With a tuner, the lead signer gave the crowd a note to hold throughout the song. For the entirety of the song, the crowd acted as the backdrop for their song. Directing when to raise the sound and when to be softer, Emil Syanängen created a concert experience that made the audience feel musical.
And for the final act, of Montreal.
People always say musicians are artists; of Montreal’s performance couldn’t have proven that sentiment better. Each performer had a white screen set in front of them along with a white backdrop in the back of the stage. For each song there was a different modern art video projected onto the screens. Periodically, stage performers would come out in different costumes, anything from black morph suits and superheroes to crinkled white flowers, adding to each song. The sound the band has is all their own. With instruments such as the saxophone to add depth to their sound, of Montreal creates a detailed sound embroidered with details of different musical techniques. The performance was a bit bizarre, but in a good way. The music and performance were sincere, making the concert well worth the ticket price.
Overall, the whole scene and amazingly talented artists made the evening a smashing success. I would recommend The Metro for a good music show that won’t leave you without change to get home. The upcoming artist lineup is strong so check it out if you need somewhere new to go!
The Metro
3730 N. Clark St. Chicago, IL 60613 (Two blocks North of Wrigley Field)?
Phone: 773-549-4140
?Fax: 773-549-0337
?Email: info@metrochicago. com