Crying, Laughing, Waving, Smiling with Slaughter Beach, Dog at Thalia Hall.
Review of Slaughter Beach, Dog’s current tour.
Slaughter Beach, Dog; taken by Toby Chan.
As Slaughter Beach, Dog (SBD) embarks on the first leg of the US tour for their new album, I was lucky enough to catch them play at the Thalia Hall here in Chicago. Prior to, my expectations for the performance were quite high, as frontman Jake Ewald has yet to disappoint me in a release from both his past project, Modern Baseball, or from his current endeavors. I got to the venue with a small group of friends about three hours before doors opened, as we felt the idea of being so close to such an intimate performer would be an ideal experience.
As the show began, the environment immediately felt extremely comforting, as opening act Bonny Doon put on a great performance, bringing the crowd together with an array of folkish tunes. I was not extremely familiar with their music before they played, but the gentle aura they exude on stage is enough to make anyone feel like a long time fan. With two versatile singers, coming in the duo of Bill Lennox and Bobby Colombo, they were able to pull off seamless transitions between song after song with soft melodies and simple, yet effective lyrics. Although they seemed to care deeply about their performance, which showed through their music, it felt like much of the crowd was really there for Ewald and co., not giving much of their energy to the opening act. Regardless of the crowd's energy, however, I think Bonny Doon put on a great performance and has a bright future ahead of them.
Bonny Doon; taken by Toby Chan.
With the general mood of the audience still being rather reserved at this point, I was interested to see what their reaction to the main performance would be and if the environment would enter a more joyous state. As SBD took the stage, with the first strum of Adam Meisterheim’s guitar it seemed as if every person in the room was waiting in anticipation. Opening with “My Sister in Jesus Christ”, a track from their recent record, was a great choice, as it really gaged the passion of the crowd, with a large group singing along merrily to the rendition. Turning from this point on, Ewald and the band played “Strange Weather” and got the audience moving even more, truly bringing the song alive with the great spread of instruments present on stage. After this, the group played an excellently curated selection of songs, alternating between fan favorites and new songs from their most recent release. At one point during the show, someone standing to my left shouted out “I love you!”, and Ewald responded saying he loved us too, that the street was two ways. In that moment, it really did feel like the truth, as the crowd began to sway to the strums of the next song.
The final four songs of the show truly were an accurate reflection of the band’s musical prowess and fantastic performing ability. The sequence began with arguably their most popular song “Acolyte,” with an intimate and heartfelt performance vocally and instrumentally, surmising to a fantastic rendition. Their final official song was “At the Moonbase,” which was a bittersweet final track, as there were so many other songs I would have wished to have heard live; however, it was definitely a classic that was nice to hear in person. As the band left the stage, the crowd roared with applause, and an encore chant took hold. As the band returned to stage, they played two more fan favorites: “Your Cat” and “104 Degrees.” Meisterheim’s performance for both of these songs was excellently meshed with Ewald’s soul warming vocals, which was clearly loved, as the audience screamed along dancing. As a collective, Slaughter Beach, Dog really was able to prove how much they care about their music and fans, proving to the audience that their music is not a product of meticulous studio editing, but comes from a genuine place in their hearts. Seeing Ewald perform live cemented my belief that he truly is one of the greatest songwriters active at this time.
Slaughter Beach, Dog; taken by Toby Chan.
edited by Vikram Mahendru & Nico Stefanov.
photos taken by Toby Chan.