Wavves, Best Coast and Cherry Glazerr came together to create the perfect noise-pop lineup for the Summer is Forever, Part II tour. The tour originally had one show in Chicago, but because the first show sold out so quickly, the three bands played in the windy city two nights. I made the four-hour trip to Chicago from East Lansing to attend the show on Feb 25.
The Summer is Forever, Part II tour was much needed. Both headliners recently dropped new albums. Wavves released V back in October of 2015, and Best Coast released California Nights in May of 2015. Wavves and Best Coast toured together in 2011 for the first Summer is Forever tour, and decided to tour together again accompanied by Cherry Glazerr. The tour kicked off in Austin on Feb 11 and ended in Anaheim on March 5.
Both Chicago shows were at Chicago’s Pilsen neighborhood’s Thalia Hall. The restaurant/bar/venue had a huge general admission floor, balcony seating and opera boxes. It was a pretty neat venue with a lot of space.
Doors opened at 7:30, and the show started at 8:30. I got there around eight, and it was pretty easy get close. Cherry Glazerr was the first act, and succeeded in getting the crowd riled up. After opening with their most popular song, “Had Ten Dollaz,” the band proceeded to play songs off of Haxel Princess released in January of 2014. Clementine Creevy, the lead singer of Cherry Glazerr, even gave a shout out to her mom sitting in the balcony.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=79l5eAbljR4
After Cherry Glazerr’s short set, Best Coast was up. Lead singer Bethany Cosentino sported a tight, all-black outfit. Cosentino swayed back and forth gracefully in front of the microphone as she sang songs from California Nights, Crazy for You and The Only Place. Before singing, “Goodbye,” she dedicated the song to Donald Trump because that is exactly what she wants to say to him. About halfway through her show, the crowd broke out into a mosh pit, which was surprisingly wild because most of her songs are on the slow side.
I could feel the anticipation in the crowd while everyone waited for Wavves to come out. When the band walked on stage and opened with “Sail to the Sun,” the crowd instantly opened up into a mosh pit. Wavves proceeded to perform songs from Afraid of Heights, King of the Beach and V. During the middle of the set lead singer Nathan Williams said, “I have a surprise for you guys,” and dumped a bag of alien balloons onto the crowd. This is the third time I have seen Wavves in concert, and at the other two shows they ended with, “Green Eyes.” This time was no different.
Wavves’ shows usually have a pretty insane crowd, but I found this crowd to be pretty well behaved. There was no crowd-surfing, and I didn’t see any broken noses or teeth like I usually see at their shows. Nonetheless, Wavves put on an excellent show like they always do. The band’s sound improves with every album they release, and they have some a long way since releasing their first album, Wavvves, back in 2008.
