Review: Samantha Fish Melts The Tundra Away At House Of Blues Chicago On ‘Shake Em Down Tour’ With Jon Spencer and Cedric Burnside

Dec 08, 2025 admin_bitlc Features, Music News, Reviews 0

By James Currie

If there was any doubt that Samantha Fish could warm up a frozen Chicago crowd, the proof arrived just minutes after the Bears dropped yet another bitter loss to the Packers. The air outside the House of Blues felt like it could crack steel, single-digit wind chills, gray lakefront mist, and a general sense of post-football misery, but by the time Fish took the stage on her “Shake Em’ On Down Tour,” the temperature inside was something closer to a hot dipped beef ‘sangwich.

This was Fish’s second visit to the Chicago area this year, following her packed summer set at FitzGerald’s American Music Festival in Berwyn. That show hinted at what was coming, a more daring, textural evolution of her sound, but this performance cemented it.

The evening began with a double shot of tradition and distortion.

First came Jon Spencer, yes, that Jon Spencer of the Blues Explosions, the genre-melting icon whose name alone still evokes sweat-stained basement clubs, punk swagger, smashed microphones (of which he actually sells at his merch booth, and fuzz-burned amps. Spencer delivered a performance part performance-art, part sonic riot, slashing riffs like he was painting the walls with feedback. It was wild, unexpected, and a perfect chaotic preamble.

Spencer is touring with new musicians playing tracks from across his legacy including Boss Hog, Pussy Galore and Jon Spencer’s Blues Explosion. The current three-piece is comprised of bassist Kendall Wind and drummer Macky Spider Bowman and they were nothing but eclectic and energetic.

Cedric Burnside opened second, leaning deep into the hill-country blues lineage that flows directly through his veins. His set was stripped down but hypnotic, drenched in Mississippi grit and raw storytelling. You could literally feel his history, grandson of the legendary R.L. Burnside, echoing into the rafters. He was joined by two others, a drummer and guitarist/bass player that played an electric guitar like a bass.

By the time Fish walked out, the crowd wasn’t just ready, they were roaring.

Fish arrived in a slick black studded panes and laced tank top, silver-accented 4″ healed boots, and that unmistakable Gibson SG guitar draped on her from her tech like a weapon. Throughout the night she changed guitars every song one that included her cigar box guitar during “Bulletproof”. Her presence was immediate and cinematic, the kind of entrance that feels like a curtain drop in a film.

She opened with the headline track off her latest release, “Paper Doll” before slipping into a beefed-up, sharpened version of “I’m Done Runnin’” The sound was thicker than in past tours, more texture, more jagged edges, background harmonies floating in the mix. But through it all, signature Fish hallmarks cut clearly were her razor-slice slide guitar, fever-driven solos and that smoky-bright vocal tone that goes from velvet to gravel in a heartbeat.

It’s wild to think about how far she’s traveled, from Kansas City bar gigs and the Ruf Records Girls With Guitars days, to becoming one of the most distinctive blues-fusion performers touring today. The crowd seemed well aware as there were fans wearing merch from her 2017 “Belle of the West” tour, others quoting lyrics from Kill or Be Kind with “Bulletproof”. And yet, tonight felt like the fullest version of Samantha Fish yet.

Fish leaned heavily into material from her newest release, Paper Dolls, playing at least five tracks, each more nuanced than the next. The album’s standout hits came mid-set, reshaped into a sprawling, shadowy blues-torch piece. “Lose You” shimmered under icy blue lighting, a perfect match to the evening’s weather theme. “Fortune Teller” brought electronic percussion pulses beneath her guitar lines, a fresh angle that worked surprisingly well live.

Fans sang along to songs that were just months year old, which says everything.

The night peaked at the encore when Fish came back and invited Burnside to join her for a cover of John Lee Hooker’s, “I Don’t Care When You Go”, for a roaring duet. His rooted-earth growl balancing Fish’s high-voltage wail. She played the white Gibson SG with the slide and he picked through solos on his custom six string. As the song built, so did the bandmate as the stage presence grew with Spencer’s drummer and bassist brought out drums and beat along with the duo in unison. Fish exclaimed, “I’m getting surrounded, this is great!” The song drew on for over 10 minutes and again Fish reached out to the audience for reaction, “Are you all having a good time?”

Soon, a Jon Spencer cameo. Spencer preaches on a mic, “Now wait a second! This is the house of blues.” Continuing with, “This is not the House of Pancakes, of the Home of Economics and it is certainly not Fredricks of Hollywood.” He set his sights on Samantha Fish and commanded, “What does a woman know about the blues?” The audience boos and hisses. “You know about cookin’ and cleanin’ and standing by your man right?” Said Spencer. Which was met with, “Oh John… bullshit!” by Fish. He continued with, “But what do you know about the blues?” To which Burnside approached the mic and said, “Samantha, show ’em what you know about the blues.” Fish, breaks into a fiery solo and shows them just what it’s all about, enhanced as a blues-punk firestorm by Spencer’s distorted mic wails.

When the house lights finally rose, coats went back on, hats pulled down tight, and everyone stepped into the kind of Chicago night that makes the skin sting. But people walked out smiling, humming, shaking their heads a little like they’d just witnessed something rare.

For a city still sore from a football defeat, this was catharsis. For Fish, it was command. And for Chicago’s icy cold winter? Well, it never stood a chance.

For more on Samantha Fish, click here

For photos from the show, click here

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Setlist: Samantha Fish live in Chicago at the House of Blues December 7th, 2025