After 20 previous shows across the continental US, Charli XCX concluded the American leg of her “CRASH” live tour in Chicago at the Aragon Ballroom this past weekend. Charli was accompanied by Baby Tate, and Magdalena Bay who was picked to perform for Charli’s Chicago and New York dates. We were fortunate to be there, and more so to be able to visually capture the sets from the openers.
The night immediately started off with sweat being broken, as pop duo Magdalena Bay took the stage and turned everything from 0 to 100 real quick. It’s not often I see a first-on opener evoke so much energy and emotion from the crowd as if they were playing a headlining set. Fantastic booking by Charli and her team. Between all the movement and word-for-word singalongs, the two played their hearts out using keyboard midis and an electric guitar played by Matthew Lewin paired with mesmerizing vocals from Mica Tenenbaum. Although on the shorter end, Magdalena Bay’s set featured songs like crowd-favorite “Killshot”, “You Lose!” and “Secrets (Your Fire)”. They were a great addition to the lineup and set the mood for the rest of the night flawlessly.
Things got spicy when Baby Tate and her live DJ Sky Jetta took over the mic. Kicking it all off with the track “Pedi”, Tate’s set was a spectacle in front of a packed Aragon Ballroom screaming to the sight of Tate’s twerking as well as genuinely some of the most beautiful live singing I’ve heard. Her live performance of “What’s Love” was incredible to hear, and she ended the track with stunning high notes that bled into the crowd’s amazement. Like the aforementioned spectacle, only Baby Tate can transition from goosebump-inducing singing, to immediately bringing out a ballet barre for assisted twerking while performing her recent single “Dancing Queen”. Her live rapping on said track, as well as during “Eenie Meenie”, in particular, came with punctual delivery and stank-face-inducing flow just like what her studio tracks provide. With the ability to sing, rap, and entertain a crowd, as well as performer + DJ chemistry like no other, a Baby Tate set is something I cannot recommend missing as it’s truly a treat to see an artist successfully display all three acts consecutively and effortlessly.
As the time finally came and the red curtains were drawn, a stage with a base of a six-level staircase interrupted by a circular shaped ramp in the middle of it all was revealed. The stairs, doubling as a prop as well as a projection screen, soon came home to Charli XCX and her two background dancers; the three of which maneuvered a well-rehearsed, precise, and fluid choreography. Charli’s set, which was essentially divided up into three acts, came with tracks spanning across her discography, incredible visuals, and choreography, as well as multiple outfit changes. Charli opened with “Lightning”, surging high energy that carried over throughout the entire show. With my love and bias for electronic music, it was super cool to see Charli perform “Beg For You”, my favorite song of hers. With the live setting and her own unique rendition of the legendary cut “Cry For You”, Aragon probably faced something like a 3.0 magnitude earthquake with the amount of people jumping up and down. The movement wasn’t exclusive to just that one song though, as the crowd bounced to songs like “Yuck”, the iconic track “Boom Clap”, to the closing “Good Ones”, leaving the night, and the start of the weekend, on a high, energetic note.
Photos and Words courtesy of Arthur Siwek for Pursuit of Dopeness
