POD Photos: Whitney’s Valentines Special at Thalia Hall

/ By / Music, POD Exclusive, POD Photography, Recaps

My 2018 plans for Valentine’s Day will definitely be remembered for a long time because I got to celebrate it with one of my favorite bands these days: Whitney.

This past 14th of February, the Chicago band was playing the second of their 3-night takeover of Thalia Hall for their Valentines Special. Fans were given commemorative candy hearts that read “Whitney” and “Thalia Hall,” making sure attendees could have a sweet experience the second they walked through the doors.

The night also included sets from Deeper and OHMME, both of which left a pleasant impression with the crowd. Deeper offered something that I’m looking to hear more, broken guitar string not holding them back whatsoever.

OHMME were special, as always. Sima and Macie’s set was tight, packed with head-turning harmonies and some serious guitar playing that can get anybody’s head banging.

The second Whitney hit the stage, it was clear that they are beloved by fans thanks to a stellar debut that brings to life beautiful heartache. The set relied heavily on Light Upon the Lake, sprinkling a couple new songs from the forthcoming album, plus a Neil Young cover. Lead singer Julien Ehrlich mixed in some jovial banter in between performances that helped bridge the space between the stage and the rest of the hall.

“We named it ‘Red Moon’ because we recorded a couple days after like an eclipse or something… And we were gonna lie and say it was during… for like a press release? (Lol) like anybody would care about that” said Ehrlich before kicking into the tune. It seems like this instrumental is their go-to for live collaborations, this time welcoming Lane Beckstrom onstage and the former Kids These Days and Marrow bassist went on to play a bass solo wound up breaking the amp. The bass amp didn’t go up to eleven…

“We’re gonna take a little break before we play ‘No Woman’ and ‘Golden Days’ and all that shit… we realize we only have one album…. All the other songs are good tho!” was another fun, little jest in between songs Ehrlich notified the crowd before playing “Magnet” that they would be taking a short break to close out their set with their popular tracks.

One of my favorite moments came when they played a new song, but before doing so Julien asked for people to keep their phones away because “we want to play this song just for the people in this room.” Looking around and seeing that everyone obliged felt great because it helped the performance truly become a unique experience dedicated solely to us in attendance.

Not only did they play those signature songs, but a special rendition of “My Girl” helped promote good vibes and love throughout Thalia Hall. The anthemic “Golden Days” for the finale was the icing on the cake, and it couldn’t have gone down in a more delightful way.

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