Concert Review: Lollapalooza After Show: Walk The Moon & Local Natives: Lincoln Hall August 5, 2011

The After Show: (n) the opportunity to prolong your festival weekend with a low capacity, indoor venue where festival acts (and the occasional local product) join forces to rock your sun burnt faces off.

Lincoln Hall is a spectacular venue.  The capacity maxes out under 500, with plenty of room to hand jive and such. (As a fellow from Indy, I am not quite Rhodes Scholar status when it comes to Chicago venues, I could be wrong about the capacity).  Alpha King on tap – YUSS SIR. The ability to build your chill zone and vibe out to music – ABSOLUTELY!

Cincinnati poppy pop pop alt rockers Walk the Moon served as the opening act.  I have gushed over these guys over the past few months. Their release I Want, I Want has been a member of the Heavy Rotation Club since July.  Disappointment quickly set in after the band closed “Anna Sun.”  Failing to play the title-track “I Want, I Want” coupled with the neglect of “Blue Dress” set me off to a bad start.

Then it happened…..

LOCAL NATIVES!!!!!!!!! This group reaffirms my belief in music.  The crowd was heavy and the delivery was earth shattering. Opener “Camera Talk” set the Gorilla Manor Army into a frenzy.

 “I knew this would be the part

My plane’s arrival catches me off guard

We’ll all be leaving with a broken heart

Wallets empty and we’re back at start”

The lyrics from these LA All-Stars could not have proven any more correct.  My wallet was on its last legs after this show (not to mention weekend) but being caught off guard never felt so $$$$!

“Airplanes” was a uniform bonding experience with strangers.  “Sun Hands” was passion derived from common interests. Finally, “Shape Shifter” changed perspective while placing importance on positioning and lust for a band.

Local Natives – you pull my strings.  “Who Knows, Who Cares…”

Written and experienced by Brett McGrath