To promote the release of the new social networking phone the Kin, Microsoft has put together a string of secret shows from big artists in obscure locations. One recent show had Asher Roth and N.E.R.D. playing in a car repair garage. On Saturday night, the location was Chicago, and the band was the Dead Weather. The location was announced a mere 4 hours before doors opened. And literally within minutes of getting the location, I was in line. God bless the internet.
The show was in an abandoned trucking warehouse in the West Loop of Chicago. How abandoned? Marquardt Trucking Company sign isn’t even readable, with random letters the only remnants of the building. So 4 hours of waiting, talking music with strangers, listening to my iPod, and texting went by and we were finally allowed in with Kin signage everywhere and 2 open bars. Thank God.
The show was sweltering. 500 people crammed into a space where 500 wouldn’t under any other circumstances be allowed in. Aside from the front door and back door, there was very little ventilation. And I don’t recall seeing any fans. But it didn’t matter. I was about to see the Dead Weather in as intimate setting as you can get, and as rare a setting as you can get.
Opening with “60 Feet Tall” off of Horehound, the first few songs of the set were concentrated on their older tunes including “Hang You From the Heavens” and “I Cut Like a Buffalo”, which really are barely a year old. Transitioning to new songs like “I’m Mad” and “The Difference Between You and Us,” the band continued to whip the audience into a frenzy that continued all night. There was little banter with the crowd, with the exception of the “Hello Chicago!” and an introduction of the band, the Dead Weather stuck to their guns and played a tight 75-minute set that had every member of the audience jumping, screaming, and fist pumping to every word and every note being played. Closing with “Treat Me Like Your Mother” that could have blown the roof off the abandoned warehouse, the band gathered together, took a few bows, and thanked Chicago and said they’ll see us real soon. They are coming back to play a venue 9X last night’s venue, the 4500 capacity Congress Theater in July. The crowd began to disperse, with sweat drenched patrons randomly high fiving at the incredible show they just witnessed while heading to the bar to redeem their final free drinks. And the DJ threw on some Mystikal, yes, THAT Mystikal, which began an impromptu dance party.
Even though this was a corporate sponsored show, it didn’t feel corporate at all. Typical corporate shows have people hawking products at you and talking your ear off, and everyone there is in a suit and probably has never heard of the performer, who ends up playing 6 or 7 songs and says good night. While there were Kin people there, they weren’t intrusive at all. And instead of suits and ties in attendance, there were 500 rabid Dead Weather fans who went nuts during the entire show.
On the Facebook event page, there were people saying, why would you go to this show and stand in line for 4 hours? Seems like it’s a waste of time. I’ll put it this context. Think about your favorite band of the moment. They’re gonna play a FREE show 20 minutes from where you live in an intimate setting, in a location that will probably never ever hold a concert ever again. It’s a once in a lifetime opportunity. You go. It was an amazing show and an amazing experience, and all I spent was $8 for White Castle afterwards. Not a bad Saturday night in Chicago.
