Cold War Kids – Live IN Concert
The Salt Shed, Chicago IL
February 23, 2024
Photos & Review by Roman Sobus
California indie rockers Cold War Kids returned to Chicago Friday night as part of their 20 Years Tour which began January 31 celebrating two decades since coming together in 2004. Thousands of fans packed The Salt Shed, one of the city’s newest venues located on the banks of the Chicago River. Despite the blustery and snowy weather, the hall was filled to capacity.
Opening the evening was Joe P, a rising New Jersey indie artist who is setting out on his own after the demise of his band during the pandemic. His eight song, forty minute set included two covers from his former band. It will be interesting how his current effort will evolve but judging from this performance, the future looks bright.
The Cold War Kids hit the stage a bit past 9 PM to the delight of the audience. They promptly jumped into “You Already Know” followed by “Who’s Gonna Love Me Now”. Frontman Nathan Willet’s vocals and bassist Matt Maust’s prancing across the stage were in perfect harmony, not surprising since they have been together since the band’s inception. Percussionist Joe Plummer, guitarist David Quan and Matthew Schwartz on keys round out the band.
During the band’s twenty year existence, they have issued ten albums, the most recent one, a self titled issued just late last year. Their sound is unique, drawing inspiration from various sources across many genre.
Other selections included “We Used To Vacation”, “First” and “Something Is Not Right With Me, This was one of the most enjoyable performances so far this year and believe most that attended will agree with that assessment.
