Dan Auerbach and The Low Anthem each performed sets in Chicago last weekend, both at Lollapalooza and in the city's clubs, where, says Rolling Stone, "Auerbach slayed a lucky crowd with tunes from his solo debut, Keep It Hid." Paste reports that Dan's festival set was "top-notch"; the Chicago Tribune says he "unfurls grooves that are as thick as the beard on his face"; and Time Out says he proved he's "got a soulful, lived-in voice that speaks to his promise as one of the great songwriters of his generation."
Lollapalooza 2009 turned Chicago's Grant Park into a mix of musical styles and meteorological extremes, with fans soaking up the sounds and soaked through by Friday's cold rain or the strong summer sun of Saturday and Sunday. The Low Anthem and Dan Auerbach (backed by Hacienda) each performed sets on the festival stages and in more intimate club settings, which, says Rolling Stone's "Smoking Section," was where much of the weekend's action took place.
Even with all that was going on at the festival, "most of the hottest shows in Chicago haven't been in Grant Park, but rather in the Chi-town clubs," says "Smoking Section"'s Austin Scaggs. "Like Saturday night, when we made our maiden voyage to Schuba's Tavern, where Black Keys singer-guitarist Dan Auerbach slayed a lucky crowd with tunes from his solo debut, Keep It Hid." Read more at rollingstone.com.
Even after Saturday's late-night show at Schuba's, Dan and the band, with My Morning Jacket's Patrick Hallahan on percussion, turned in a "top-notch" set in Grant Park on Sunday, says Paste magazine's Gavin Paul. Time Out Chicago's Areif Sless-Kitain says he "was happy to hear [Dan] play from his impressive solo debut, Keep It Hid. Auerbach’s got a soulful, lived-in voice that speaks to his promise as one of the great songwriters of his generation, as cuts like 'Last Mistake' make plainly clear."
The Chicago Tribune cites that song as well. Writing in the Tribune's "Turn It Up" blog, reviewer Bob Gendron reports that Dan "unfurls grooves that are as thick as the beard on his face." Gendron continues:
The sextet’s formidable low end underscores the swampy vibes of "My Last Mistake” and hardened footprint of the aptly titled “The Prowl.” Auerbach’s fuzz-toned guitar snaps and snarls, and still it’s played with a taut dexterity that leaves room for his world-weary yowl to roam. This is hypnotic, bluesy trance filtered through a Southwestern motif and a garage-rock aesthetic.
There's more at leisureblogs.chicagotribune.com.
---
You can listen to The Low Anthem's set at the previous weekend's Newport Folk Festival online at npr.org.
- Log in to post comments
