I Fight Dragons | Chicago, IL

As 2023 came to an end, Chicago natives I Fight Dragons played one last show before their hiatus (appropriately titled Smell Ya Later) at Bottom Lounge on December 30th.

This night was bittersweet and filled with emotions. They pointed out that the line up was accidentally “I mean on purpose” the same as a show back in 2017 at Lincoln Hall. Boy Meets Robot kicked off the night with a nostalgic act, accompanied by his partner Rob, a vintage Nintendo robot equipped with a Game Boy that played 8 bit backtracks. Together, they delivered a mesmerizing fusion of geeky Nintendo-inspired guitar rock, setting the stage for an unforgettable show. Jennifer Hall took the stage next to get the crowd in their feelings with her groovy shimmer pop and powerful vocals.

I Fight Dragons took the stage to a sold out hometown crowd and the intro to “Save the World Get the Girl" immediately started playing. After playing a few songs, they played “Oh the Places You’ll Go.” Afterwards, Brian told the story of how he wrote that song for his kids, and talking to the crowd asked if there were any kids there. He explained how the next song “Shit’s Gonna Be Okay” has a “good amount of swear words so you know, earmuffs.”

Midway through the set, they decided to take a break and play unplugged acoustic versions of “Welcome to the Breakdown,” “Fight For You,” and “Heads up, Hearts Down.” After this intimate break, the full band returned to play some more songs. Brian was steadily talking to the crowd - asking how many times people have seen them and how many people traveled. It was at this moment that they understood how much they were loved when they found out that people not only traveled from all over the states but also from Chile, Mexico and the UK!

Brian then played “Always” solo on a GameBoy as his instrument, as the band came back on stage to play “Fighting On” to close out the night. The band came back onstage to play an encore consisting of “ Chicago” and fan favorite “The Geeks Will Inherit the World.” The band walked off stage again and the fans wanted more and started chanting once again. They took the stage one last time with all of their friends and family to play “With You”.