As It Is | Chicago, IL
On February 15th, As It Is brought The Great Depression Tour to a sold-out crowd at Subterranean in Chicago, IL. With a line full of people in merch and even some going as far as dressing as As It Is frontman, Patty Walters, rounding the block even before doors, it was clear that this was going to be a great night.
Point North opened the night up and got the energy going from the very start with songs off their brand new EP, Retrograde, released last month. The energy carried on throughout the entire set, even during the short acoustic break they had in the middle. Up next was Hold Close, another band that just put out an album in January and really got to showcase what that album sounds like live. Frontman, Braxton Smiley, spent the majority of the set switching between playing the keyboard and just straight vocals, giving us a dynamic that you don’t often see in this genre.
Sharptooth was a huge change of pace for the night but still a set full of energy from start to finish. Vocalist, Lauren Kashan, was incredibly vocal about her views, the problems in the music industry, and what everyone can do to not only better themselves, but the world around them as well.
Finally, the moment everyone was waiting for, As It Is was up next. The set matches the aesthetic of the album right from the start with the dramatic intro, as well as the aesthetically pleasing attire of the band in all black and Patty Walters in red. The crowd was energetic the whole night jumping along and crowd surfing song after song.
Overall, it was an incredible night from start to finish, full of bands that I personally can't wait to see again.
