Feeling The Love With The Lemonheads on Their Love Chant Tour

Despite The Lemonheads being on the road for two months straight for their Love Chant tour, the band delivered a lively night at Thalia Hall at their Chicago stop. The cold night didn’t stop the crowd of dedicated fans from stepping out. Love Chant, released October of this year, is the 11th studio album of the 90’s alternative rock band. 

Opener Erin Rae, hailing from Nashville, brought a little piece of the town on stage during her 30-minute set. She had a very stripped down set: her own acoustic guitar plus her bassist and drummer. This allowed for her vocals and lyrics to stand out. It was a warm, calm introduction to the late night. 

After the brief transition, The Lemonheads stepped on stage engulfed in a sea of blue lights. Frontman Evan Dando immediately picked up his guitar, playing a tune before his fellow members Ben Deily and Jesse Peretz followed suit, then starting off with “Roky” from Love Chant. While it is called the Love Chant tour, the band only played a few of their hits from the album. They group played mostly covers from bands like Love Positions, Smudge, and the Ramones, but also songs from their early albums It’s a Shame About Ray and Come On Feel The Lemonheads. Dando had a solo moment, including a cover of Whitney Houston’s “How Will I Know” and The Rolling Stone’s “Play With Fire.” Though it didn't feel like the set list honored the title of the tour, the band undoubtedly delivered a stellar performance with amazing harmonies and instrumentation.

Thalia Hall’s sound system was incredible at immersing the entire audience in The Lemonheads’ sound. Even from the venue’s balcony level bar at the back, it felt like I was right at the barricade. The small but mighty crowd led to the vibe of the night feeling similar to that of a dive bar, from sounds of the band to the audience themselves, bearing quite the resemblance to the band members - down to the flannels and beards.

The Lemonheads proved a packed room doesn’t define a good show. Although songs from the newest album were missed, fans can hope to look forward to the newest releases to fully shine at future shows.