It’s a funny thing really… Just one month ago, my innocent ears had never heard one microsecond of anything by Hurray For The Riff Raff, but there I was one month later within arm's reach of the stage at Lincoln Hall with my jaw on the floor watching this incredible artist performing what will surely be my favorite album of the year in full with such ferocity and passion. Ain’t life grand? Yes, it is and so was Hurray For The Riff Raff and NNAMDÏ at Lincoln Hall last Thursday. It was a grand display of artistry, versatility, creativity, and above all else honesty that both artists contributed to with a fire in the belly.
NNAMDÏ is one of those artists that after having seen them perform live, I’m overcome with feelings of sadness and disappointment for having never heard of them before. These feelings are only compounded annually knowing that they’re from Chicago. Suffice it to say, I had no idea what to expect from NNAMDÏ outside of the “Fans also like” section on their Spotify profile so I was rather confused by their presence on the tour seeing as the foundation of Hurray’s sound feels so far removed from that of NNAMDÏ’s. However, having days to process the show, I’m really starting to love the idea of having artists on the same bill who feel so distant sonically as long as they feel singular in spirit and perseverance, two things both artists Thursday night had in spades.
When NNAMDÏ walked out on stage, I don’t think there has ever been a single other time in my concert-going life that I laid witness to an opener with such a demanding presence. Not were they wearing the greatest pair of Dickies I’ve ever seen on another human being, but NNAMDÏ came out alone with such confidence that it was inspiring. Showing up to an indie folk concert I certainly didn’t expect to be getting some synthy experimental pop-infused hip-hop but was pleasantly surprised and loved the diversity in sounds the night had to offer. NNAMDÏ had an insane level of energy, confidence, artistry, and passion oozing out of every second of their performance that consistently left me wanting more after each song. Their last three or so songs were especially entrancing and loaded with so many memorable moments. Not only were they filled with evocative lyricism about legacy, family, love, anxiety, and fear coupled with blissfully noisy guitar passages of chaos, but we finally got to hear how NNAMDÏ really feels about the Metra. Spoiler alert: they’re not in love.
Sometimes, every once in a while, an album comes along where you listen to the first song or two and immediately check to see if the artist is playing anywhere remotely close to you because you, out of nowhere, develop the strongest need to see them, hear them, and witness their entire being live. After I finished listening to “Alibi” for the first time, the opening song from Hurray For The Riff Raff’s eighth studio album entitled The Past Is Still Alive, I immediately did just that and by the grace of some higher power masquerading as lead singer and songwriter Alynda Segarra’s love of touring albums they just released, they were going to be passing through Chicago in a month! I know it’s only been about a month since then, but The Past Is Still Alive is already one of my favorite albums and I’ll be utterly bamboozled if another comes along this year to dethrone its already album-of-the-year status.
I haven’t felt this way about a new album since Plain’s I Walked With You A Ways but there’s just something so warm, comforting, and familiar about Hurray’s new album that keeps me coming back. It’s unrelentingly beautiful, poignantly raw, and one of those ultra-rare releases where every damn song is a greatest hit that any artist would be proud to be a part of their musical retrospective. It’s hard to pick out my favorite tracks from the night because much like The Past Is Still Alive, this was one of those rare concerts where every song was just so masterful, so full of life, and so memorable that I’d have to talk about every song on the 15-song setlist if I wanted to talk about all my favorites and that would just be too long of a review. It doesn’t help matters that she played the new album in its entirety and I could just go on about every song.
New album favorites like “Buffalo”, “Hawkmoon”, “Colossus of Roads”, and “Snake Plant” sounded so massive in a live setting. “Hawkmoon” and “Snake Plant” went especially hard with energetic choruses and loud extended solos. However, it’d be a pretty short concert if they only played songs from the new album. “Rhododendron” from their 2022 release LIFE ON EARTH was immensely enjoyable and is a fan-favorite for a reason only made better by NNAMDÏ’s monstrous bass tones perpetuating the song forward. “The Body Electric”, from the 2014 album Small Town Heroes, was brought out not only for its tenth anniversary but because its message is unfortunately as necessary today as it was ten years ago when NPR named it “The Political Folk Song Of The Year”.
In true Hurray For The Riff Raff fashion, the politics kept on flowing with “SAGA”, the closing track to LIFE ON EARTH. The fiery and energetic song about politicians’ obsession with sexual orientation and gender identity rang loud and true through Lincoln Hall’s hallowed walls and acted as a great final juxtaposition with the remaining three pre-encore songs all being somewhat on the slower, laidback side. “Hourglass” and “The World Is Dangerous” were as methodically intoxicating as they are beautiful, but the real power came from “Ogallala”, the closing track off The Past Is Still Alive. The song is, without a doubt, among some of the best closing tracks to an album I’ve had the pleasure of hearing and only sounded better live, as many of the songs from the album did (how that’s even remotely possible, I just don’t know.) Anyone familiar with the song knew to anticipate a grand, bombastic finale, but even I got more than I bargained for with uproarious, grungy soloing, utter animalistic brutality on the drums, and soaring saxophone from Chicago’s own Sen Morimoto who joined the band for the final five songs of the night.
Speaking of encore, Hurray came out swinging with a brilliant cover of the Pixies classic “Wave Of Mutilation” followed by one of the band’s most precious and sacred songs, “Pa’lante”. The penultimate finale to the 2017 album The Navigator, named after the Spanish command to move ever onward, although seemingly not their most listened-to or popular track in their discography is nevertheless their most important musical statement. It stands not only as a direct line to lead singer Alynda Segarra’s Puerto Rican lineage but as a cry for unity, harmony, and solidarity amongst all who consider themselves part of the downtrodden. Living in America, I’m sure Alynda was in no small way alluding to the chaotic and disturbing political climate surging through the air when the song was released in 2017. It was a powerful closer filled with exuberant chanting and impassioned performances that perfectly capped off the concert as one of my personal favorites. It’s kinda wild how close you can feel to an artist after only one month but Hurray For The Riff Raff is just that kind of artist.
All photos by Lorenzo Zenitsky.
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