2014 Concerts Review

What you see directly above are my credentials.  In what was the most lucrative and impressive year of live music in this young journalist's career, I saw a grand total of 31 sets of music as each calendar month flipped away -- and that doesn't even count the random bands I had not heard of at the time who simply entertained me for a passing moment while I waited for something else.  All in all, it would be safe to say that I enjoyed 40+ live shows in the year 2014.

The majority of those bands can be branded as alternative rock or straight up punk.  But to keep the diversity alive, we have such bands as old school rock quartet, Cheap Trick as well as electropop darling, Lights.

27-year-old synthpopper, Lights takes over the House of Blues Chicago in October

The year of music began in April as alternative rock, emo legends Taking Back Sunday and post-hardcore royalty in The Used teamed up for one of the more anticipated tours of the year along with an up-incoming pop punk band named Tonight Alive, took over the Aragon Ballroom.

The polarizing singer for The Used, Bert McCracken captivated the crowd behind the incredible light show

Sporting a Chicago Bulls shirt, Jenna McDougall of Tonight Alive skips across Aragon Ballroom's stage

With the crowd in the palm of his hand, Adam Lazzara, lead singer of Taking Back Sunday, illuminated Chicago for a night.

The show kicked off with Tonight Alive warming up the Chicago crowd, but unlike most opening bands, there was an actual sense of anticipation.  Either the immense excitement of seeing two top-notch bands in Taking Back Sunday and The Used that night was too much for the crowd to contain or a cult following let their voices be heard.  Probably a combination of both.  The catchy pop punk group hailing from Australia busted out several fan favorites that left the front of the pit area singing along, including "Lonely Girl" from the band's second full-length album, "The Other Side" which released in 2013.

As Tonight Alive exited, many in the crowd pondered which one of the worthy bands of the two would open and which would close.  The answer was shortly answered as a murmur and spark of anticipation noticed a huge, impressive red tiger backdrop emerge from the ground at the back of the stage.  The logo has quickly become the calling card of Taking Back Sunday.

Heralded as one of the grandfathers of emo, Taking Back Sunday has transcended into alternative rock mainstays as their sound evolved from their 2002 legendary emo debut album, "Tell All Your Friends" to this year's alternative graduation to "Happiness Is."

Despite going through a plethora of lineup changes over the past decade and some change, the band has not missed a beat thanks to the leadership and performance instincts of singer Adam Lazzara.  The band thrilled both die-hard fans and new ones alike with an ecclectic mix of classic sing-alongs as well as introducing new hard-hitting tracks leaving the crowd completely satisfied.

There was only one band left on the night and the hardcore fanbase of the crowd began surging closer to the stage.  Grimaces of unfortunately fortunate fans who had managed to sneak their way to the front against the barriers were greeted to new friends pressing behind them hoping to get as close as they could.  The hard-hitting post-hardcore band known as The Used took the stage behind their signature opening track of "Take It Away" as fans were told over the speakers:

"Life's greatest questions have always been: Who am I? Where did I come from? Why am I here? Where am I going? You are about to see and hear one of the most significant messages given to us from God."

The signature shotgun blast filled the auditorium as a horde of fans synchronized a jump which required instantaneous organization the likes of which the Rockettes would have been jealous of.  Playing mostly old favorites, lead singer Bert McCracken left the most intense screaming portions of the songs for the adoring fans to handle as a room full of punks transformed into a sing-along choir.

Fast forward to July as indie rock sextet Say Anything played their first of what would be an unprecedented three shows in Chicago in 2014.  They were accompanied by a new band hitting the indie/folk scene, The Front Bottoms.  The duo rocked one of Chicago's newest venues, Concord Music Hall located directly next door to the now-closed Congress Theater.

Armed with wacky inflatable arm-flailing tube men, The Front Bottoms walked the crowd through an assortment of incredible songs

Shining in the dark, Max Bemis seduced the crowd with his unique singing style

Armed with an already faithful following, The Front Bottoms introduced their unique style to the Chicago crowd.  A simple band with a few guitars and a keyboard, The Front Bottoms have a similar style to the band they were opening up for that night in Say Anything in the sense of the songs being stories.  Singer Brian Sella narrates songs more than singing it seems as he holds the fans' hands through a musical journey.

Say Anything took the stage and lit it up so intensely that the power could not handle it.  Literally.  During the band's performance of electronc favorite "Baby Girl, I'm a Blur," the power abruptly shut off.  Mixers in the middle of the floor flung their hands up in the air in disbelief as the band and crowd waited anxiously for the set to resume.  Luckily it did not take long as the crowd was treated to rare performances suck as acoustic performances of "Every Man Has a Molly" and a cover of "Got Your Money."

Just a week later, one of the most anticipated days in Chicago's music scene was upon us as Warped Tour took over the First Midwest Bank Amphitheatre.  Armed with eight stages across a massive set of land, the incredible mix of punk, emo, hardcore and metal created a melting pot of musical die-hards under Chicago's hot summer sun.

Warped Tour requires an incredible amount of planning.  With nearly 100 bands playing over the course of 12 hours, it becomes a scavenger hunt of spectacular music and merchandise as you squeeze your way through tens of thousands of people.

Four Year Strong kicked off the afternoon with their melodic hardcore mix of punk and rock nailing the crowd with guitar riffs too heavy and catchy to ignore for fans and passersby alike.

Not even billed to be there, A Day to Remember became a headlining act of Warped Tour in Chicago

A surprise show by mega-post-hardcore studs A Day to Remember hit the stage as the crowd was treated to an unexpected impromptu performance.  The mashing of pop punk and metal left the crowd smashing into each other and desperately crowd surfing just to get inches away from their pop-moshing heroes.  The introduction of "The Downfall of Us All" immediately sparked a stagnant crowd into a frenzy.

Several other bands had noteworthy performances as the day of music dwindled away until the sun set on a crowd of sweaty punks.  Catchy pop-punk mainstays Mayday Parade as well as The Maine rocked the crowd with passionate performances while that catchy Californian group off Ocean Avenue, Yellowcard, endeared themselves to everyone playing incredible pop-punk hits from their 2003 release.

If you are looking for the Lollapalooza section of this post, you may need to Google something else.  A spectacular meeting of musical fans coming together in Grant Park, to be sure, but if you want the music festival to sink your teeth into in Chicago, look no further than Riot Fest in Humboldt Park.  A three-day weekend extravaganza, Riot Fest brings a staggering amount of punk-rock fans huddled in a massive plot of land.  Six stages worth of an absurd amount of bands creates one of the most impressive concoctions of musical goodness offered anywhere in the world.

Headlined by Jane's Addiction, The National and The Cure, Riot Fest welcomed fans across a wide spectrum of genres.  Sub-headliners included Chicago natives Rise Against as well as the eccentric Flaming Lips and Weezer.  Not to mention metal legends Slayer and hip-hop royalty Wu-Tang Clan.  Part-carnival, part-music festival, Riot Fest became a memory churner for an unprecedented amount of music fans from all across the world.

The Offspring empowered the crowd Friday night with one of the most electric sets of the weekend behind a passionate fanbase enjoying their playlist dedicated to the 1993 release, "Smash."  Now a punk-rock staple, the crowd standing in the pouring rain reminded the world you "gotta keep 'em separated" as the California surf punk legends introduced the classic "Come Out And Play" with the signature drum beats.

Old friends in Say Anything, The Front Bottoms, The Used and Taking Back Sunday introduced themselves to the Riot Fest pits over the memorable September weekend as Riot Fest took over the musical world with fans flying in from all over the world to take it all in.  From pop rock in Dashboard Confessional to heavy metal and the world of bizarre with Gwar, Riot Fest had something for everyone.

Two shows in two weeks at House of Blues in downtown Chicago brought the end of the concert calendar year to a sprint to the finish line.  New Found Glory took over the stage in phenomenal fashion with a smorgasbord of fan favorites from old albums like "Sticks and Stones" and "Catalyst."

Not a person in the crowd kept their feet on the ground while New Found Glory performed at the House of Blues Chicago

Capping off the show with a confetti-filled shower accompanied by fan-favorite "All Downhill From Here," New Found Glory reminded Chicago that they will always be pop-punk legends.  Their performance of "My Friends Over You" was so passionately sung back to the band by the crowd that singer Jordan Pundik and guitarist Chad Gilbert could not help but go silent and take it all in.

Capping off an incredible year of concerts in the rock and punk scene, Lights elbowed her way into the scene with a catchy set of synthpop entrancing the House of Blues.  Leaving her fans in tears with the set's beauty, she went through a spectacularly diverse set spanning over 90 minutes.

Finally it was Yellowcard returning to the heart of Chicago in late 2014 that book-ended a fantastic year.  Along with post-hardcore moshers Memphis May Fire, the unique duo of genres brought together two separate fan bases in one night.

Combining hits from their new release, "Life a Sail" as well as beloved classics such as "Ocean Avenue" and "Only One," Yellowcard connected with the crowd in a way not yet seen by me this year.  Personal stories of missing loved ones and the journey to get where they are now from singer Ryan Key captured the crowd's attention the whole night in Concord Music Hall.

With ballads like the aforementioned "Only One" and new release "California," it was impossible not to notice the same crowd that was once moshing to Memphis May Fire and jumping in unison to "Ocean Avenue" was now holding hands and swaying as Yellowcard ended the night with a personal story and a few piano keys.

With 2014 coming to an end, one is left to wonder what is in store for next year.  Chicago is a mecca of live music as Riot Fest and Lollapalooza are sure to deliver epic shows once again.  This reporter will be there, screaming, dancing and taking in every single goose-bump filled moment presented to him.  Hope to see you there.