A nervous tension loomed over the audience at Thalia Hall in Chicago that night. While there was undeniable excitement for the night’s headliners, Chat Pile. But there was also a major historical event taking place at the same time: the 2024 U.S. election. I love politics in music and at shows, yet going to one on election night is a whole different animal. My anxiety was through the roof. Without question, focusing on the grand performances of the bands on stage was admittedly harder than usual.
As Porcelain took the stage, the very first thing the singer did was acknowledge the strange circumstances of a show during the election. While it was indeed a strange night to be attending, the singer encouraged us to stay strong, ending his remarks with “Free Palestine.” On this note, the audience cheered and returned screams of “Free Palestine!” It was at that moment I knew that I was surrounded by like-minded individuals.
We were going down in this ship together regardless of the election results. Might as well have fun.
Porcelain rocked the stage and set the tone for the rest of the night: furious and angsty. Following them up was the Los Angeles-based quarter Agriculture. Their frantic guitars, intense blast beats, and terrifying screams brought true catharsis to the audience. The beautifully heavy music had people staring in awe and cheering in joy. Agriculture brought what seemed to be the only hopeful emotions of the night. Switching between grueling vocals with distorted guitars and clean singing with clean guitars showcased their impressive range.
It was a wonderful glimmer of hope sandwiched in between two angry acts, and believe me, Chat Pile was angry.
Now that the dust has settled, I can’t stop thinking about how we are living through something so historical. Between sets – hell, even during the performance – people were nervously glancing at their phones to check election updates. Sure, there was the usual show camaraderie but there was something else happening. As the night went on and the map turned more and more red, morale very noticeably went down. Stressed looks on people’s faces and fans angrily reacting to election results set an enraged tone for the rest of the night. Even as the night took a turn for the worse, Chat Pile was still determined to give the audience everything they had.
Demonstrating sludge-metal ferocity at its finest, Chat Pile powering through “Shame” and “Frownland” off of their latest album Cool World. Before getting into the show, the band also acknowledged the strange circumstances of the night. They tried to make everyone feel united in such a hopeless time, and they also ended these remarks with “Free Palestine.” At this point of the night, the election map was looking quite red. Despite this, the crowd was moshing the entire night, reaching new levels of anger when the band performed “Why.” The chants of “We have the resources! We have the means!” rattled the venue.
While the tension was still present, Chat Pile tried to keep their banter light and humorous.
Frontman, Raygun Busch showed lots of love to the city. From praising Pequod’s Pizza to citing his favorite Chicago movies such as Candyman, Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer, and The Dark Knight. Chicago was given so much love by the band, enough so that for the encore we were given two songs instead of the normal one. While the tour was to commemorate the release of Cool World, there was a lot of attention to their first album God’s World. The band’s commitment to not having a setlist made the show’s flow feel much more organic. There was no fancy production. Just four guys playing rock music to an enthusiastically angsty crowd.
Chat Pile’s music hits hard live. The riffs are just as nasty live and audience engagement made the experience so much more epic.
When the show ended at 11 p.m., things were not looking so good for the election. By the next morning, everyone would wake up to the news that Donald Trump would be the next president of the United States. I haven’t stopped thinking about how unique the audience’s experience of the 2024 election was. It’s impossible to speak for everyone, but there were very obvious concertgoers at Thalia Hall upset about the election. People even commented about their struggle to disconnect and enjoy the show for a few hours. There is no denying that the bands gave it their all and that the crowd was into it. Unfortunately, that night at Thalia Hall will always be memorable for more than just the show.
All photos by Oscar De Leon
