{"id":55047,"date":"2024-06-25T10:45:05","date_gmt":"2024-06-25T15:45:05","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/beintheloopchicago.com\/?p=55047"},"modified":"2024-06-25T10:45:06","modified_gmt":"2024-06-25T15:45:06","slug":"chicagos-own-brigitte-calls-me-baby-wraps-up-two-sold-out-shows-at-lincoln-hall","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/beintheloopchicago.com\/?p=55047","title":{"rendered":"Chicago’s Own: Brigitte Calls Me Baby Wraps Up Two Sold Out Shows At Lincoln Hall"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

By: Raymond Burton Estes<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On Saturday, June 22nd, Chicago\u2019s own Brigitte Calls Me Baby wrapped up two sold-out shows of eager fans at the Windy City\u2019s Lincoln Hall. As their sound is a perfect blend of Americana, early rock \u2018n\u2019 roll, and guitar-driven post-punk and indie rock, it\u2019s no surprise that the age range of their audience included Boomers in their seventies to Gen Z fans in their early teens and folks from different backgrounds and walks of life. Perhaps their timeless sound or hopeful pessimism brings all these people together or both. Whatever the case, Brigitte Calls Me Baby has a little bit of something for anyone who shows up to the party.

Brigitte Calls Me Baby hit the stage and opened their set with the still unreleased \u201cThere Always,\u201d which got the packed club moving and eager for more. The band played a well-crafted set of released and unreleased songs but many of those in the audience knew all the words, likely from listening to their singles and EPs, attending their shows, and watching videos of their live performances online. It was refreshing to see such a diverse audience take ownership of this band, clapping and singing along throughout the performance as if the songs also belonged to them. After about an hour, the band closed their powerful set with \u201cThe Future is Our Way Out,\u201d hinting that both the band and the audience had unfinished business before this party could end.

Satisfied but not satiated, the crowd clapped as they chanted \u201cone more song\u201d to cajole Brigitte Calls Me Baby back to the stage to finish what they started. When the band returned, they launched into their upbeat interpretation of Wham\u2019s \u201cCareless Whisper,\u201d which has been a staple in their performances since late 2023. The band took liberties with the rhythm, tempo, and vocal approach, making this song their own in ways that many artists could only dream of achieving, updating this classic 1980\u2019s pop hit for the current era. Old and young sang along, thrilled to share this familiar song, this band, and this night together. The band then broke into their recently released synth-heavy, new wave-inspired dance single \u201cWe Were Never Alive\u201d before closing out the night\u2019s roughly 70-minute set with their upbeat guitar-driven \u201cImpressively Average.\u201d Though ready for more, it was clear that the crowd had their fill as there was no question that the band had indeed delivered the goods.

So, what could have brought this cross-section of the American public out to the packed club on one of the city\u2019s hottest nights of the year? The only explanation could be Brigitte Calls Me Baby\u2019s tasteful blend of genres, exceptional musicianship, appreciation for their fans, and sense of enjoyment while playing and interacting with the crowd. There aren’t many artists that blend the energy of early rock \u2018n\u2019 roll, the urgency of punk, the romanticism of new wave, and the classic feel of Americana to create a contemporary soundtrack for a community facing so many challenges and opportunities. Their music is both familiar and strange, providing both comfort and adventure. There also aren\u2019t many bands that can deliver an addictive melange of melancholy and joy perfect for brooding or dancing your woes away. Brigitte Calls Me Baby is that band. They\u2019re also a band that makes the time to thank their crowd, acknowledges their fans\u2019 role in their success, and invites the crowd to visit with them after their shows. When the darkness is this sweet, it\u2019s hard for the initiated to stay away.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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If you\u2019re late to the party, check out their music and catch them live. Their debut album, \u201cThe Future Is Our Way Out,\u201d will be released on August 2nd<\/sup>\u00a0and they\u2019re playing Lollapalooza on August 3rd<\/sup>\u00a0at Chicago\u2019s Grant Park with the Killers. There\u2019s no better way for Chicagoland to celebrate this band\u2019s accomplishments. If you\u2019re out of town, buy their records and catch them on tour as their calendar is filling up for September through November. With all they have going on, it\u2019s hard not to notice they\u2019re a local band on the rise.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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On a personal, or personnel, note, Brigitte Calls Me Baby\u2019s lineup included Wes Leavins (vocals), Jack Fluegel (guitar), Devin Wessels (bass and synth), Jeremy Benshish (drums), and David Rosendahl (guitar). Rosendahl recently replaced co-founding and long-time guitarist Trevor Lynch. Among the newly initiated, none could have known Rosendahl was a new recruit, as his performance was flawless and he clearly fit in well with the rest of the band.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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RIYL: Elvis Presley, Roy Orbison, the Smiths, the Strokes, and the Killers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The band\u2019s setlist for the night follows.
\u201cThere Always\u201d
\u201cPalm of Your Hand\u201d
\u201cI Wanna Die in the Suburbs\u201d
\u201cFine Dining\u201d
\u201cI\u2019m Still Here\u201d
\u201cSlumber Party\u201d
\u201cAlways Be Fine\u201d
\u201cYou Are Only Made Of Dreams\u201d
\u201cEddie My Love\u201d
\u201cPink Palace\u201d
\u201cToo Easy\u201d
\u201cThe Future is Our Way Out\u201d
\u201cCareless Whisper\u201d
\u201cWe Were Never Alive\u201d
\u201cImpressively Average\u201d

The show\u2019s only opening act was New York City\u2019s Telescreens, an alternative rock band that provided a perfect start to the show. The band played a cohesive set of catchy tunes that got the crowd moving and warmed up for the main event. Telescreen\u2019s social media posits the question, \u201cWhere do we go but up?\u201d If their solid performance and appreciation for the audience and Brigitte Calls Me Baby is what\u2019s to be expected, then this band has no other place to go but up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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By: Raymond Burton Estes On Saturday, June 22nd, Chicago\u2019s own Brigitte Calls Me Baby wrapped up two sold-out shows of eager fans at the Windy City\u2019s Lincoln Hall. As their […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":55048,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_active":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_note":"","_exactmetrics_sitenote_category":0,"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[41,46,39,20],"tags":[295,373,199,375,374,122],"class_list":["post-55047","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-features","category-local-loop","category-music-news","category-reviews","tag-295","tag-brigitte-calls-me-baby","tag-chicago-music-news-live-venue-interviews-reviews","tag-chicagos-own","tag-lincoln-hall","tag-sold-out"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/beintheloopchicago.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/55047","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/beintheloopchicago.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/beintheloopchicago.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/beintheloopchicago.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/beintheloopchicago.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=55047"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"http:\/\/beintheloopchicago.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/55047\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/beintheloopchicago.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/55048"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/beintheloopchicago.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=55047"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/beintheloopchicago.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=55047"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/beintheloopchicago.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=55047"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}