2024/06/25

This past Wednesday (06/19) I took a trip to Chicago for a They Might Be Giants concert with some buddies. Had it not been my birthday (it was my birthday!), we probably wouldn't have made the trip during the week nor made it a 24-hour round excursion. Everything went well though and we made it home just in time for the Thursday sunrise.

Driving in from Ohio, our ETA was a pretty 6 hours and change. After arriving in Chicago, we were briskly reminded that Juneteenth is a national holiday; we gave up our aspirations of touring the aquarium after seeing the parking situation. Thankfully, we did have the foresight to make a reservation at a genuine Chicago pizzeria as per a friend's recommendation.

Boarding the red line around 3, we arrived at the pizzeria after a short walk. We were soon informed that the legendary genuine Chicago method meant our order would take upwards of 45 minutes; we spent the time signing the walls, so it all turned out okay. Being pizza-agnostic myself, it was pretty good! More cake-like (lasagna-like?) than I expected, so I stuck with the plain cheese we got over the supreme.

Given our long service time and traffic, we made it back to the venue right before doors opened at 6:30. As soon as we got in, we camped our spots in the center of the auditorium and waited for the show to start.

The show itself was fantastic! The (as of writing) current midwest tour consists of the Johns, the Dans, and Marty as usual suspects, alongside the Tricerachops Horns (Mark Pender, Dan Levine, and Stan Harrison) as a three-piece ensemble.

As for the setlist, the first highlighted John Henry with a few surprises: Meet James Ensor smoothly transitioned into The Famous Polka and there was a brief reprieve to play Sapphire Bullets of Pure Love entirely backwards, dubbed "stelluB". The second started with a recording of stelluB backwards to prove they weren't lying, followed by greatest hits and a new song from the upcoming album.

They went nuts with the lighting and atmosphere for the show. Alongside the typical concert fog machines, the technicians had a field day with the lights. Red, white, and blue for James K. Polk, strobes during the chorus of Man, It's So Loud In Here, a single spotlight on Flansburgh and The Stick during Lie Still, Little Bottle, every song had something unique.

It's hard to pick a favorite of the whole show, but it'd probably be No One Knows My Plan or Dirt Bike for their spotlight on the horns or The Mesopotamians, Man, It's So Loud In Here, or Drink! for the audience interaction. I think I've changed my answer everytime someone asked!

For memorablilia, I got a wonderfully plush tour hoodie and Marty's autograph on my BOOK artbook, although I don't have a nice picture for either. Maybe one day I'll get the other four signatures...

One thing I'd change for a future Chicago/TMBG trip is either having a more concise itinerary or simply having more time to walk around. A six-hour drive, a lunch reservation, and taking the rail line didn't leave much time for anything else before the show; it's not like we'd be doing much in Chicago at midnight either. Checking out the Shedd Aquarium is definitely on the bucket list now.

Overall, I was ecstatic to see one of my favorite bands with two of my best friends. I couldn't have asked for a better birthday. A recent annoucement stated that they're continuing the tour in December on the East Coast, so who knows how that'll play out.

If you'd like to check the setlist or other people's reactions to the night, check the show's listing on tmbw.net.

Not to be a downer, but a final tangent: it's despicable how many businesses in big cities like Chicago refuse to have public bathrooms. I can recognize their motivation, but it really is just kicking the poor. We ended up getting a drink at a Chick-Fil-A on the way to the pizzeria to use their padlocked bathroom doors. Chick-Fil-A as a company is another issue, but that's another tangent.

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