Deerhunter's Secret Show

Chicago’s Kennedy Expressway seemed a surprisingly fitting venue for Deerhunter’s aesthetic. They are not, after all, a shiny, no-frills pop band. Their soundscapes are often gorgeously layered, but often grungy and haunting as well. A sensation is often evoked from their music not unlike something that might emanate from, say, a shadowy corner underneath an urban overpass.

On late Saturday afternoon on the 25^th, the Kennedy overpass was not filled with any of the shadows, haze or rubble that you would usually picture laying in this lonely section of downtown. Instead, it’s concrete barriers housed a multitude of cigarette smoke, $900 cameras, loafers, Levi's, the occasional moustache and a whole lot of flashy smart-phones being stared at intermittently by the mix show-goers that Urban Outfitters and Deerhunter had jointly mustered.

The show was without a doubt a privilege. For one thing, it was free. For another - as lead vocalist Bradford Cox stated mid-show - this was the first time they were playing most of these songs live. And what took place was by no means a practice session for the band to try out their new material.

The show opened with brand new track “Desire Lanes,” guitarist Lockett Pundtt’s vocals growing more and more confident as the song progressed. The song’s long finale of interlocking guitar work pulsated all throughout the overpass and the Downtown area, slowly building until the concrete make-shift venue was full, too full. It was all going to collapse, but of course did not and the song finally faded out and the atmosphere settled once again.

Right off the bat, this band was on top of their game. Clearly ready to blow the rest of their fans away with Halcyon Digest, it felt a real honor to be seeing them now, just before that wave rose up.

The band moved from here into "Hazel St.", Cox’s angelic vocals now taking command and hovering up over the crowd where they would settle and remain for the rest of the show. After this a string of all new songs followed, and then “Never Stops,” which marked the first appearance Microcastle in the set-list. Lock’s spider-like guitar work slowly building up as Cox’s long-wave, echoing vocals interlocked and contrasted impressively.

The heavily blogged about new track Helicopter followed, tossing wave after wave of sweet, washed out guitar licks into the crowd. Between here and the downright gorgeous closer for Halcyon Digest, “He Would Have Laughed” came a series of ever building and collapsing soundscapes, which the band seems to have an amazing knack for creating in and out of the studio. At many points during “He Would Have Laughed,” and the scenes that preceded it, one could simply close their eyes and no longer be surrounded by the concrete of the traffic-ridden overpass, but instead be floating in an ocean far, far away. Moreover, there was an intense feeling of solidarity throughout the crowd, which I feel is a key aspect for any important rock show.

Being the sweethearts that they are, Deerhunter treated myself and all of the other broke show-goers present to an encore of “Famous Last Words,” “Saved by Old Times,” and of course “Nothing Ever Hapenned.” It seems that the latter in particular is becoming a staple for their shows, and it didn’t disappoint an ounce. I do, however, wish I had brought ear plugs.

Thank you Deerhunter, and thank you, ahem….Urban Outfitters(?!) as well for what I consider to be one of the coolest, most entrancing shows I have ever had the pleasure of attending.