What an exciting sold out Yeasayer show at the Metro Thursday night. After Slieghbells finished their set and the sound crew completed what they were doing, the audience slowly got louder as the lights dimmed – Yeasayer was about to take the stage. Yeasayer walked to their positions and began singing, “We are children and we’ll give you trouble if we don’t like what you’re doing…” But trouble is not what the “children” of Yeasayer gave to their audience that night. What they did give was a quality performance with jivey feel-good music. The lyrics mentioned earlier are from the song The Children, which is the first track from their second album, entitled “Odd Blood”, released in February of this year. Since the majority of their songs are lively and upbeat, the ominous tone of The Children was a good choice for the outset of the performance. Other songs played from their “Odd Blood” album include O.N.E., Mondegreen, and Ambling Alp.
Half-way into their performance, Chris Keating (lead vocals) thanked the other bands (Chandeliers and Slieghbells) for playing and said that, “They fucking rock!”. During this time, Keating mentioned that he lived near the Metro in the past and pointed to his upper right (at the balcony) claiming he sat there during a performance years ago. Keating did not make clear which performance he saw because he was apparently embarrassed about it. Later on he made a joke and said that it was “Nickelback” he saw - after which the crowd “Boo’d” and some flaunted their thumbs in the down position, others laughed. Closer to the end of their performance, Keating suggested (more earnestly) that it was a Slayer/Megadeth show that he attended. Keating also stated several times, throughout the performance, that he was thankful to play in Chicago and was having fun.
The singles played from their debut album “All Hour Cymbals” (2007), included Wait for the Summer, 2080, and perhaps most notably Sunrise, which closed the show as Yeasayer’s encore. Sunrise created a memorable scene – many people raised their hands in the air while rhythmically clapping to the jam-band like beat of the song. In fact, all of the music that Yeasayer played enticed many people to either clap or dance. The sound of their performance was definitely outstanding. The vocals almost mirrored their studio produced sound as did many of the instruments. The Metro is a great place and Yeasayer played fantastically. However, if you decide to see a show at the Metro and plan to buy beverages, be sure to bring cash because at the bar they did not accept cards the night I was there. I would certainly revisit the Metro and if Yeasayer ever comes back to play in Chicago I will absolutely attend.
