UK’s Kasabian Kick Off Their US Tour In Chicago And Treat Fans To A Festival Level Performance

Nov 13, 2023 admin_bitlc Features, Music News, Reviews 0

By James Currie

Kasabian opened their US tour right here in Chicago at the historic Vic Theatre on the northside. The thing is, I don’t think they knew it was a small club show because they brought it like it was a festival! I kid of course, but wow, from the performance they gave, you would have thought it was Lollapalooza, Victorious or Coachella. From the first note of the band, they kicked it into high gear and never backed down.

Stage backdrop resembling the Matrix, Kasabian started the show with a blast, they kick into “Rocket Fuel”. Sergio runs out and does a flying kick in the air. Yeah, that’s how this show was gonna go. He never sat still. Pacing across the stage like a wild animal. From there they continue on right into “Club Foot”. The track that got me hooked almost 20 years ago. Followed tight by “Ill Ray (The King)” which wrapped the first whirlwind of a show start. This tour a continuation of support for last years album, The Alchemist’s Euphoria.

Sergio, sporting an NBA basketball greats tracksuit, greeted and thanked Chicago for coming out and let them know this was the best city for Kasabian fans. He let them know it’s our choice to rock with them and be there. He then reached for a guitar and rocked out “Underdog”.

After that, the music kept going and we hear those famous synth beats from Daft Punk’s, “One More Time” and Kasabian’s “Your In Love With A Psycho”. Again, Serge takes control of the stage and jumps down into the crowd. He runs through the audience singing and getting others to join in along the way before making it back to the stage. This got the house pumped as they all joined in like the pied piper just walked by.

This level of show continued on until the end. They didn’t take this lightly. The brought thier A game and more for this opening night gala.

After the main act was over, Kasabian left the stage for a minute before returning for the encore starting with “Bless This Acid House” that led into “Vlad The Impaler”. This is where Serge once again brought the house together as he jumped down off the stage again and ran through the audience. He got to the middle of the front on the floor and led them into a chant and brought them down low. From their he screamed “JUMP!” and everyone came up and he took off for another part of the house ending up in the balcony. The song ended and he was still in the house. “Stuntman” kicked in and he made his way back to the stage. They ended the night with the fan favorite, “Fire”.

As amazing as the show was performance wise, there is still the elephant in the room. This was the first time out in the States without former lead singer / frontman Tom Meighan. Now, for many, this is a hot topic. I mean, he’s been the main voice of the band since their beginning. Sergio did a phenomenal job. He knows the songs better than just about anyone else. It makes sense he should be the one to sing them since he wrote most of them. But still, it was odd. I’m sure it’s something we will learn to get use to, but Tom’s voice and character really helped round out the band into what they’ve become. The other thing that bothered me was that Sergio didn’t hold and instrument very often. And he never donned the legendary Rickenbacker. I mean, that’s his axe. His right hand. It’s like Paul McCartney playing a show without picking up his Hofner bass. Still with these minor thoughts, Kasabian put on a killer show.