Car Seat Headrest Concert at Thalia Hall

Car Seat Headrest has been my favorite band for a few years now and I was lucky enough to see them live at the Vic Theater over spring break. I got to go with some of my friends and recently released a v-log about the experience. Here are my thoughts on the second night of CSH at the Vic Theater. 

In terms of the opening act, Bartees Strange, I wasn’t too familiar with their music but I was pleasantly surprised by their performance. There were many points where I got chills listening to them perform, especially during the guitar solos. There isn’t too much to say other than I enjoyed their performance and will be checking out their music in the future. 

Coming into this concert, I knew I wouldn’t be disappointed because I have loved all CSH’s live recordings and performances (I used to watch their KEXP performances every morning for like a month straight). Even though I wasn’t the biggest fan of their latest release, MADLO, I was excited nonetheless. The intro to their setlist was flawless and the spoken word added to the epic atmosphere. I was a little bit skeptical of the mask being worn by Will, but the vocals actually sounded clearer than the handheld mics used by their opening act. The light coordination with his mask was also really awesome to witness as it blinked and would sync up with the rest of the lights. There also was one part where the lights cut off except for his mask, which emitted two white beams into the audience. That was a really cool moment. They played a lot of their expected hits like “bodys,” “blid” and “Fill in the Blank,” but also threw in some unexpected songs like “1937 Skate Park” and some tracks from “Nervous Young Man.”

I actually became a fan of CSH after seeing their live performance on KEXP. This is a recurrence where I see songs performed live and find more enjoyment from them; I can say that after this, my views on MADLO have changed. I enjoy a lot more tracks from this album after seeing them performed live, my favorites being “Weightlifters,” “Deadlines (Hostile) & (Thoughtful)” and “There Must be More than Blood.” At first I dismissed them as not being as organic in instrumentation compared to their previous works and wasn’t a fan, but I actually like this difference more now, since these songs are a lot more punchy with great synth work and amazing songwriting and lyrics as usual. 

If they ever come back to Chicago I will definitely see them again. The only complaint I have is that I didn’t get to see Will Toledo’s face and some of the crowd was annoying, but for the most part it was an amazing show.

Here’s another link to the v-log in case you missed it: https://youtu.be/BOdmuq-CCVk

Rating: 9.75/10