Twin Peaks have been one of my favorite bands for a good while and I can honestly say they’re the band that I’ve seen live the most… And even considering that, the Chicago band still brought something special to their headline show at the Riviera Theatre last Thanksgiving weekend.
The Friday night show on the north side of the city featured opening sets from Ohmme, whose set I’m still bummed about having missed because I quite like the enigmatic sounds of this Chicago duo, along with the boogying stylings of The Nude Party. The latter I only knew by name, but after having seen them play live, tracks like “Chevrolet Van” and “Feels Alright” plus a live cover of personal favorite Rolling Stones song “Sweet Virginia,” left a lasting impression on me and I have gone on to regularly stream their music in the time between that 11/29 evening and when this article’s been published.
The Twin Peaks set was simply spectacular. Spanning 21 songs played for nearly 2 hours, the band appeared to have graduated to a whole new level as live performers. The setlist was largely composed of the biggest songs on their catalogue, and despite my concerns that the change in vibe & sound of their 2019 album that shines them in a more mature light would create weird transitions, the boys’ new material actually fit in perfectly.
It was a perfect balance of softer/mid tempo tracks like “Walk To The One You Love” and “Dance Through It” (featuring the lovely Ohmme on backing vocals) contrasted by frenetic renditions of songs like “Butterfly Feeling” and “Strawberry Smoothie,” the latter being my personal favorite moment of the night with Clay hammering down furiously with his guitar, Tuna playing his behind his head, and the crowdsurfing all over the pit the went on throughout the whole song. I also loved how the kids in the pit lit their real lighters and waved them in the air above them for “Shake Your Lonely,” instead of just putting on the flash on their phones, which is cool to light up a venue like this, but you can’t beat the classic moves like this when they come organically.
I’ve seen TP play in small places like a neighborhood festival and Lincoln Hall, as well as festivals and now headlining a hometown show. No matter the venue or the amount of people that show up, these are the hardest working dudes around. If you want to raise the bar of what it feels like to be at a Rock show, you go see Twin Peaks.
Check out the gallery below.
Photo Credit: Oscar Oliva Jr / Pursuit Of Dopeness
Get tickets here for whenever Twin Peaks comes to your town.
