Have A Nice Life brings their expertise to The House Of Blues
There's a strange feeling that comes attached to Have A Nice Life's music. Upon first listening, you're thrown straight into an abundance of overwhelming melancholy. They are a band best enjoyed after dark, when the streets are empty, and all you're left with is yourself, and their music. So when they took Chicago's House of Blues last night for the first time in the 15 years of them being a band, over 1,000 attendees came prepared to bask in the gloominess together. And bask they did.
The band sounded tight and heavy, especially for being one that doesn't often give live performances, with this particular show being number 3 of a small 5 date summer run. Core members Dan Barnett and Tim Macuga, accompanied by a live band, were able to breathe new life into older tracks off "Deathconsciousness", which was originally recorded with minimal equipment and is notorious for its low-fidelity sound. Even if you were already familiar with these songs, it almost felt like you were hearing them for the first time again.
Opening with the song "The Big Gloom" from their debut album and cult-classic "Deathconsciousness", fans did not hesitate to sing all the words straight back to vocalist Dan Barnett, singing in unison like that of a church choir. It wasn't until the band broke out into the fan-favorite track "Bloodhail" that the mood shifted. This wasn't group therapy anymore, mosh pits started to open, people started crowd surfing, and the floor began to shake, Barnett even began to throw himself around the stage, turning what should be a song representing despair and agony into a mosh anthem.
This feeling only grew stronger throughout the band's set, with the band giving the Chicago fans a live debut of their song "Burial Society" to celebrate their first live performance in the city. By the time they got to their 11-minute masterpiece "Earthmover", the lines between the fans and the band had become blurred. They had become one, screaming the words to and back at each other. A symphony of catharsis. Have A Nice Life gave their Chicago audience a night they'll be sure never to forget.
