The Boxer Rebellion North American Headline Tour – REVIEW

The Boxer Rebellion hit the Lincoln Hall in Chicago recently on their North American headline tour with Canon Blue. You can check out our review of the tour after the break.

Another Friday night, another sold out show at Lincoln Hall, this time featuring London based The Boxer Rebellion.  The Boxer Rebellion have overcome some adversity to become a very successful band.  From a burst appendix costing them an opening slot for The Killers to having their record label implode just after the release of their debut album, they have soldiered on independently to make a name for themselves both in the U.K. and in the US, primarily through being prominently featured in the 2010 movie Going the Distance.

Coming on to the stage to Sinatra’s “My Kind of Town,” the band was visibly relaxed and obviously comfortable here, having preformed in Chicago a few times before. From the raucous opener “Step Out of the Car,” the band was locked in and ready to deliver the kind of killer live show that they have become known for.

The setlist was mostly comprised of songs from most recent album, The Cold Still, and their self-released breakthrough, Union.  Sprinkled in were a new song, a song from their debut album Exits, a song written for Going the Distance, and an incredible, understated cover of Depeche Mode’s “Enjoy the Silence.”

Some of the many highlights from their set included “Flashing Red Light Means Go,” which was met with loud cheers.  “Caught By The Light” was described as, “About going away to another life, but it’s actually a happy song.”  It was then dedicated to MCA of the Beastie Boys who lost his battle with cancer earlier in the day.  With quiet keys and an acoustic guitar to start, the song built to a loud conclusion, and drew loud applause.   “Flight,” from the debut album was very different from their newer material.  The thundering bass, crazy guitar effects and howling feedback was the most rocking song of the night and had the crowd really in to it.  Set closer “The Runner,” was a very upbeat way to end the set.

The first encore song, “No Harm,” also had no guitars.  However, the 2 keyboards, bass and drums sound was pretty epic and built up to great ending.  The crowd was encouraged to sing along to “Enjoy the Silence,” and the crowd did oblige.  “The Gospel of Goro Adachi” ended the show.  The swirling guitar parts and crashing cymbals brought an incredible end to an epic show.

Canon Blue opened the show.  The three piece from Nashville did not sound anything like one would anticipate a band from Nashville sounding.  Blending Tennessee twang with indie rock and electronic elements, the band wowed the small but receptive early arriving crowd.

With big choruses, great lyrics and composition, Canon Blue is definitely a band to watch for in the future.

The most well received song was “Chicago,” written in Chicago on a previous tour. The sampled violin, great bass line and catchy beat mixed together perfectly to create a song that can get stuck in your head for a long time.

Being able to catch two great up and coming bands in as intimate of a venue as Lincoln Hall hopefully is a sign of great concerts to come through Chicago as we enter the summer.

Information about the review…
Tour: The Boxer Rebellion North American Headline Tour
Bands: The Boxer Rebellion and Canon Blue
Date:  May 4, 2012
Venue:  Lincoln Hall in Chicago, IL