Indie Legends Blonde Redhead return to Chicago
The show took place at The Salt Shed Fairgrounds, which is a section of the venue strictly reserved for outdoor shows, sitting right next to the restored indoor seciton that the venue was originally renovated for in 2022, which used to belong to Morton Salt as their packaging and warehouse facility. The fairgrounds features an almost cinematic-like view of the Chicago skyline behind it’s main stage, and although the night was overcast with light showers scattered throughout the day, that wasn’t enough to stop Blonde Redhead from giving the audience an incredible performance.
June 9th, 2025 - Chicago, Illinois
Indie legends Blonde Redhead took the stage at Chicago’s premiere outdoor venue The Salt Shed on Monday night supporting Bloc Party on their 20 Years of Bloc Party tour. Also appearing on the lineup was Little Rock, Arkansas duo Joan. The sold-out show was a celebration for not just Bloc Party, but indie fans in general, with Blonde Redhead being pioneers of the genre, a cult-like fan favorite amongst many. The band, who formed in New York City in 1993, have released ten studio albums over their 30 year run, and gave Bloc Party’s audience a proper warmup to a special night.
The trio consists of vocalist Kazu Makino on vocals, guitar, and synth. Her high pitched, vibrato-filled howls echoed through the city, making for a trippy, ethereal sensation that’s ever-so prevalent through their gem-covered discography. Accompanying Makino are twins Simone and Amedeo Pace, with Amedeo also taking vocal duties on a few tracks, and Simone behind the drum-kit.
The band’s setlist consisted primarily of cuts from their latest studio album; Sit Down For Dinner. A record that was fairly well-received by critics upon its release in 2023. However the band had not quite forgotten about the tracks they gave their audience in their formative years, opening their set with “Bipolar” off their third studio album Fake Can Be Just As Good.
The band played the clouds away, the light-drizzle slowly began to fade, and the sun started to set. The band powering through their 11-song set, concluding with their final song for the night; Kiss Her Kiss Her. Makino danced her way through the overcast day, parading through their farewell to Bloc Party’s audience. Blonde Redhead showed that they aren’t going anywhere except to the next city on this tour to take more audiences into their ever-so captivating world.
