Local Legends #5
Venue : LiveWire Lounge
City : Chicago
Line Up : Silvertone (as Queens of the Stone Age), Ricky Liontones Revue (as Soundgarden), Doll Parts (as Hole)
Tonight was a cover show event with each band playing the part of a selected legendary group which turned into quite the party. The venue, LiveWire Lounge, is my own secret gem. It has all the makings of a terrible venue but for some reason it refuses to be one as it keeps showing up in my life like my favorite worst ex-girlfriend. (Shout out to Tabatha.) It’s laid out like a shotgun barrel and the stage houses all the ammunition…but surprisingly there are no dead zones and the music selected to play there is generally top notch local and beyond. You might have to scream at the bar for your next drink during a show but trust me, if you do that on stage even a few nights a year, this is the place you want to be. Your favorite bands are probably watching their favorite bands here.
Up first are the proverbial homies, Silvertone, playing the part of Queens of the Stone Age. I had a quick minute to catch up with them pre-show and had what felt like a nice moment connecting with a group of guys I find genuinely talented. Then they knocked hits like “Songs for the Dead” and “No One Knows” out of the park I was reminded that I’m just a speck of sand on Silvertone Island. Watching Tyler on drums putting one of my drumming idols (Dave Grohl) up against the musical ropes was a moment I never imagined I would see but I’m so glad I did. Also, they closed out with their new single “Only Luck Can Save Me” and lucky for YOU, they recorded it. Go find it.
On deck is The Ricky Liontones Revue as Soundgarden. In a past blog I briefly mentioned Ricky’s side-hustle as a Chris Cornell cover artist but instead of just telling you how perfectly this band mixes a sonic cocktail, I’m going to tell you a story. In the bygone year of 2007, I was a lonely music junkie working at a Best Buy in Louisville, KY. It was a time of great music and weird movies, but the days of Spotify and Apple Music weren’t yet fully upon us. As such, the store I worked in played one CD that had 16 songs on it. For 12 straight months. One of those songs was “Black Hole Sun” by Soundgarden and I never wanted to hear that band again in my life so please believe me when I tell you; I’m very sad that this band didn’t play Black Hole Sun tonight. When these guys play Soundgarden, it’s as close to the real thing as I’m ever going to get.
Now. I refuse to label the next band as “last”, so I think both of the other groups tonight would be okay with me saying most impressively tonight, Doll Parts as Hole. I am devastated to report that this is the first time I’ve seen them AND the last time they will perform in this capacity. I went in blind and left damning my newfound ability to see. I have learned…only to long for my lost stupidity. Okay I’ll stop ass kissing but they ended their set with 10+ people from the audience on stage and it really highlighted the Love in Courtney Love. I was so into the 45-minute-long moment that I paid almost no critical attention to the performance and simply melded with an audience of close friends I didn’t know and would never meet again. I do remember that tall guitar player was named Paul and he opined having to tune a guitar on stage…but even if all they did was tune guitars all night, I would have walked away a more proficient musician. If I can find them in any form I’ll happily report back in a future review.
Tonight’s moral : don’t skip out on your next cover-band night. You’re bound to catch a few originals and you might have the time of your life.
