Blistering Blues With Samantha Fish As She Ignites A Heatwave At FitzGerald’s American Music Festival

Jul 07, 2025 admin_bitlc Features, Music News, Reviews 0

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By James Currie

Samantha Fish’s set at FitzGerald’s Nightclub in Berwyn, nestled under the new outdoor pavilion during the American Music Festival, was nothing short of electric. Blazing through a blistering summer evening, both weather and performance combined for an unforgettable experience. She’s on tour for her current album, ‘Paper Doll’.

Fish ripped into “Kick Out the Jam” (MC5 cover) a bold move that instantly set the tone. The chord-driven intro reverberated throughout the pavilion, drums pounding and Fish searing through gritty guitar licks. The crowd roared in approval, already hooked before the band even launched into their own material.

When Fish ripped into “Can’t Handle The Heat,” the timing couldn’t have been more perfect. It was legitimately one of the festival’s hottest days, thermometers hovered in the mid-90s and the steam rising off the pavement almost made the song’s lyrics feel prophetic. She leaned into the theme, wringing every sweat-slicked riff and rasping lyric for maximum effect. By the chorus, the audience was drenched—not just from heat, but from pure excitement. I myself was literally melting standing front row.

Playing outside under FitzGerald’s new pavilion gave the show a fresh, open-air edge—no tight walls, no forced acoustics. Fish’s tight-knit band—featuring punchy drums, snarling bass, and sizzling keyboards—thrived in the space. Her guitar was loud and clear but vocal’s extremely low in the mix. There wasn’t enough in the front fill for the fans at the front line. Once I moved back in the house the mix was better.

Throughout the show, Fish milled around the stage with infectious charisma. She bantered about the heat, joked that “this song’s for everyone melting out here!” and seemed to genuinely feed off the audience’s energy.

At the nights end, she came back with “Bitch on the Run”. Telling the audience to have a great 4th weekend and to raise their hands before tearing into her signature ending. She railed through the song, came to a break and told us about how she was just coming off a very long tour that was over 11 weeks. Fish then commanded the crowd to help her finish it up by joining in with “Right now, right now I’m feelin’ it”, which she clearly did.

This was a masterclass in live blues-rock under pressure—the pressure of high temperatures and audience expectation, both of which she met head-on. Opening with a punchy MC5 cover and threading in scorching originals like “Can’t Handle The Heat,” she proved that she’s not just capable of commanding an intimate club gig, but can own a heat soaked evening outside of Chicago.

For more on Samantha Fish, click here

For photos from the show, click here

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Setlist: Samantha Fist live at FitzGerald’s Nightclub in Berwyn, IL July 5th, 2025

1. Kick Out the Jams
2. Paper Doll
3. Can Ya Handle The Heat?
4. I’m Done Runnin’
5. I Put A Spell On You
6. Lose You
7. Sweet Southern Sounds
8. Off in the Blue
9. Bulletproof
10. Fortune Teller
11. Don’t Say It
12. Poor Mattie
13. Rusty Razor
14. Dream Girl
15. Black Wind Howlin’
16. Bitch on the Run

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• American Music Festival, Blues, concert review, FitzGerald's Nightclub, Illinois, Samantha Fish

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