In The Loop Magazine Nitzer Ebb Continue The Chant Circling Back to Chicago On Their 2026 US Tour

Nitzer Ebb Continue The Chant Circling Back to Chicago On Their 2026 US Tour

Aug 25, 2026 admin_bitlc Features, Music News, Reviews 0

By Harrison Kristoff

There are bands that play their songs. Then there are bands that turn their songs into commands. Saturday night, Nitzer Ebb brought that kind of industrial authority to Chicago’s Metro, delivering the second U.S. date of their newly launched Nitzer Ebb USA 2026 tour. It was also a show carrying considerably more weight than a typical tour stop. This, after just over a year ago co-founding member, vocalist and Bon Harris’ longtime collaborator Douglas McCarthy died last summer at 58.

But there was no memorial-service melancholy hanging over the Metro. Instead, there was movement. Volume. Sweat. And a very clear message from Harris: Nitzer Ebb is still alive and well.

From the moment he hit the stage, Bon Harris owned it. For more than an hour, he commanded the Metro like a drill instructor conducting an industrial boot camp. Moving relentlessly from stage right to stage left, constantly in motion, peacocking across the stage with the confidence of someone who knows exactly what he has built and exactly what it means to the people standing in front of him.

And he gave it everything. Harris wasn’t simply performing these songs; he was physically pushing them into the room. Every stomp, every gesture and every barked vocal felt intentional. At 110 percent, he kept the legendary Nitzer Ebb cateloge alive and well, proving that the band’s music still possesses the ability to turn a room collective humans into one giant, synchronized machine.

Helping drive that machine was longtime live drummer Jason Payne, sitting behind a relatively small acoustic drum kit. The stripped-down appearance of the kit was deceptive. Payne supplied a physical punch that gave the electronic machinery some serious muscle.

Beside him was a familiar face: David Gooday, one of Nitzer Ebb’s original members and a founding collaborator alongside Harris and McCarthy. Gooday returned to the mix, controlling keyboards, samples and backing vocals from behind what could best be described as his keyboard pulpit.

It was a lineup that worked. Harris was the frontman and field commander. Payne was the heartbeat. Gooday was the control room. Together, they created something that felt less like a traditional electronic show and more like a live industrial transmission.

Songs like “Control, I’m Here,” “Captivate” and “Fun To Be Had” reminded everyone why Nitzer Ebb became one of the defining forces of electronic body music in the first place. The music remains brutally simple in the best possible way relentless beats, cold electronics and vocals designed less to serenade than to provoke.

Then came “Join in the Chant.” That was the moment the Metro became something else entirely. Gooday emerged from behind his keyboard setup and joined Harris out front, singing along as the song unfolded. Then he turned his attention toward the crowd and began leading the chant himself. The audience didn’t need much encouragement. Hundreds of voices weren’t necessary. The Metro was more than capable of making enough noise on its own. For a few minutes, the distinction between band and audience disappeared. It was exactly what the song has always demanded: join in.

Near the end of the set, Harris finally paused long enough to address the room. “Well, we’re living in some crazy fucking times Chicago.” He looked out over the crowd. “But we’ve still got music, sturdy drinks and we’ve still got each other.” Then came the command: “So let’s DAAAAAAANCE!” And with that, Nitzer Ebb launched into “Murderous.”

Behind them, visuals from “Better Now Stronger Now” filled the back wall, adding another layer to the already pounding assault. The combination of Harris’ physical performance, the driving rhythm section and the stark visuals turned the Metro into an industrial dance floor with absolutely no interest in letting anyone stand still.

And just when it seemed like the night was finished, Nitzer Ebb came back. Then they came back again. Two encores closed the night, beginning with “Down on Your Knees” before the band returned for “I Give To You,” one of the earliest tracks in the Nitzer Ebb catalog. Ending with one of the band’s earliest pieces felt appropriate. This wasn’t simply a nostalgia trip, and it certainly wasn’t an attempt to recreate the past. It was a continuation.

Douglas McCarthy’s absence was impossible to ignore. His voice, presence and decades of partnership with Harris are permanently woven into the DNA of Nitzer Ebb. But Saturday night made one thing abundantly clear: Harris isn’t interested in letting that history become a tomb. He’s carrying it forward. At the Metro, Bon Harris wasn’t trying to replace Douglas McCarthy. He was keeping the machine running. And judging by the sweat, movement and deafening response from the Chicago crowd, the machine is still running very, very well.

For more on Nitzer Ebb, click here