My first blog post!

Hello all! My name is Stevie Moris, and I would like to tell you all about what was going on in my life last weekend!

If you have read my about page, you know by now that I am an avid music listener. Whenever a band or artist I like comes to the Chicago area, I try my best to be at their show. On a rare occasion, lightning struck twice last weekend. My roommate and I found out that a friend had extra tickets to see the rapidly-growing hardcore punk band Turnstile last Friday at Huntington Bank Pavilion in Chicago. Since Turnstile released their latest album—Never Enough on June 6th this past summer, the band has been getting critical acclaim. The show was nothing short of magical. Their three openers helped get the crowd alive, active, and energetic as moshing was not withheld to just the front pit. The first opener, Jane Remover brought the amplitude up immediately on their 22nd birthday. It’s one of the few times I have witnessed someone my age perform on a big stage live, but none-the-less Jane Remover impressed.

The next act, Speed, is an Australian hardcore band that fueled the crowd’s rage behind a strong ‘Free Palestine’ speech. The coolest part of their set for me, besides the bruises I would have the next day from the crowd, was the lead singer pulling out his flute Jethro Tull style and absolutely rocking on-stage. What I thought couldn’t be topped for their political movements were soon diminished when the band, Mannequin Pussy took the stage.

Mannequin Pussy absolutely killed it. The lead singer, Missy Dabice, held the crowd in the palm of her hand with ripping, up-beat punk songs followed by anti-facist, anti-racist, anti-misogynist speeches that could have lead the entire crowd to battle. I had never heard of the band before, but they gained a fan for life on Friday Night.

Soon, the sky went dark, the smell of the lake was succombed to a sweaty, punk-rock crowd that had just survived three intense openers, and just when one may think the show was over, Turnstile’s song Never Enough brought an energy to the crowd that would not simmer until the clock struck 11pm. By the time the band played the song, Pushing Me Away, the barricades had been knocked over several times, voices were lost, and memories had been made for a lifetime.

While Friday night was certainly an adventure, Saturday held another concert that indie rock musicians would die for. At the 312 Beer Fest at the Goose Island Beer Co. in Fulton Market, the midwest-emo cult band American Football performed a free show. American Football got their start while at college at University of Illinois Urbana Champaign in the late 90’s, producing one album before splitting. The band reunited about a decade ago, where they have occassionally played shows and recorded two more albums. To be an Illinois kid who has grown up on the band, seeing American Football for no money at a place so local was a fever dream. By the time Never Meant ended the band left the stage, my heart had palpatated numerous times. To clarify, this was due to the band’s haunting performance and not the delicious dark brew the beer fest offerred at a very reasonable $5 price.

Before leaving, a few of my friends and I snapped a picture with a giant stuffed bear. That’s the bear hug that my buddies and I are getting in the cover for this blog! An absolute awesome weekend!