The Millennium Park Music Series Played Host To A Living Legend On Monday As It Welcomed Aimee Mann to the Jay Pritzker Pavillion.

Aug 03, 2018 James Currie Features, Music News, Reviews 0

By Christopher David

Now in the final stages of her tour in support of last year’s Mental Illness (an arguable contender for her best record yet), the set was filled with surprises and good-natured self-depreciation as Mann’s wry sense of humor offered thoughts on song titles and rarities. Opening with the gut-wrenching “4th of July” from 1993’s Whatever, the set highlighted six records in six songs, a testament to Mann’s consistency, as every song sounded as if it could have come from her newest record. The easy flow from such a broad swath of career-spanning songs came as no real shock, as this has always been one of her greatest strengths as a songwriter; Mann knows her strengths and doesn’t shy away from flexing her muscles when it comes to subtle, hooky melodies and emotionally narrative lines that would make even the most seasoned writer jealous.

“I thought that I’d obviously sit down and come up with a better title that I didn’t have to explain every single time I played the song,” she quipped while introducing “Goose Snow Cone,” one of the more delicate offerings from Illness that showcased the understated power of her current lineup. Keyboardist Jamie Edwards maintained a razor-thin balance of driving melody and provided some lush layering; he even offered a nod to Squeeze classic “Up the Junction” at the tail end of “Long Shot,” to the delight of those who caught it. A few songs in, Mann welcomed frequent collaborator and fellow songwriter Ted Leo for a song from the duo’s side project The Both (and an impromptu announcement of their new podcast, The Process, which will explore songwriters and their methods of writing); Leo returned later for perhaps the biggest surprise of the night – “Voices Carry,” the song that broke Mann into the mainstream with ‘80s outfit Til Tuesday. Imagine a folksier version of the song—though the signature keyboards remained—that wouldn’t have been out of place on Lost in Space or Charmer. In a night full of special moments, it was perhaps the most unexpected. One couldn’t have asked for a better overview of—or introduction to—Mann’s unique, seemingly endless talent.

For more on Aimee Man, click here

For photos of Aimee Mann at Jay Pritzker Pavilion, click here

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Setlist: Aimee Mann live in Chicago at Jay Pritzker Pavillion July 30, 2018

4th of July

Little Bombs

Patient Zero

The Moth

Labrador

Humpty Dumpty

You Can’t Help Me (w/ Ted Leo)

You Never Loved Me