may 9, 2025 - chicago, illinois

Trousdale took a triumphant step forward on May 9, headlining the largest room of their career so far: Chicago’s beloved Thalia Hall. Just four years ago, the trio opened for JP Saxe at Metro—now, they’re drawing a full house of their own, in a venue with a capacity of 800, packed with fans singing every word.

Clad like a technicolor dream—one each as Glinda, Elphaba, and Dorothy—the band leaned into their inner Powerpuff Girls energy, bringing charm, harmony, and just the right amount of witchy theatricality to the historic stage. Between belting powerhouse vocals and bouncing around the stage with infectious chemistry, Trousdale never lost their sense of humor. At one point, they paused to shout out the new Pope, in honor of his Chicago roots and the crowd went wild.

One of the night’s most poignant moments came with “I Hope You’re Here,” a track penned in Salt Lake City during their 2021 tour with JP Saxe. Introducing it, the band reflected on how far they’ve come—producing their own music, headlining their own shows, and challenging the male-dominated music industry with sharp, deliberate songwriting.

“Stop Trying to Save Me Baby” was prefaced with a sharp take on mansplaining and the assumptions women face in the business. “It’s wild,” one member said, “how often people assume there’s a man behind the work—there’s not.” The crowd roared in agreement.

The trio’s origin story is already legend among their fans—they met in college and first harmonized on “Do Re Mi,” which they recreated live in a spontaneous a cappella moment, complete with audience participation, “The rest was herstory.”

Other standouts included a song performed off their vinyl release and introduced as “a song about catching the ick.” They described the spiral of going from attraction to repulsion—the way one minor red flag can become a domino effect of dealbreakers. They fittingly titled the track “The Ick.”

Trousdale closed with a glowing encore that brought fans to their feet: “Last Bloom,” and the emotionally raw “If I’m Honest.” The band looked out at the crowd, visibly overwhelmed. “This is the biggest room we’ve ever headlined,” they repeated, their voices cracking with disbelief.

The girls didn’t just play a show—they made Thalia Hall feel like a living room full of best friends, karaoke ballads, and deeply earned joy. If this was their biggest night yet, it won’t be for long.