The floor of the lobby in the nearly 100-year-old Vic Theatre is still crafted of fine Italian marble; ornate wall decorations surround the seating areas and stage. The building, situated on the north side of Chicago, is a monument to days past.
Times have changed: Rather than pushing for change, we fear it. Current musical acts at the Vic speak in response to the rapidly deteriorating political structure of America and express their fear of potential loss of civil liberties during the breaks on their set lists. The (International) Noise Conspiracy, openers for The Bravery, found the time to promote anarchy and idolize their favorite protest bands while putting on a high-energy show in oh-so-rebellious matching outfits.
Once home to acts as varied and great as Soundgarden, Tesla, Iron Maiden and David Bowie, the ancient structure is one of the few “rocking” places left in the city that radiates a sense of vitality and youthfulness: The Bravery came prepared to keep the century-long party going.
The quintet took the stage for an hour-long set with certain members sporting painted fingernails, eye-makeup, dyed hair, and the ever-popular sports coat/t-shirt combo: A group of New York scenesters (read: tools) dropped on a stage in a rather eclectic part of town. Dismissing the physical appearances that all residents of the area have grown accustomed to, the crowd was overcome with joy from the first smack of the bass drum.
Led by vocalist Sam Endicott, the group tore through a few tracks from their self-titled album before settling upon crowd favorite “An Honest Mistake.” Hands shot into the air and many stretched to touch and grab body parts as Endicott reached into the audience of ambiguous north-siders to find those willing to sing along.
The set list for the night was surprisingly strong considering The Bravery began their quest for world recognition only six months ago and even the most hopeful of fans don’t expect another album for at least another year. They are content, however, listening to the old songs when they are presented with bass guitarist Mike H. either in the balcony seats or standing atop a stack of stage amps: Only a small part of what, even with a bland stage set-up and typical light show, proved to be a very spirited performance.
Sometimes I’m ashamed to say that I find The Bravery to be a decent musical act due to the immaturity of their lyrics (“Stop, drop, and roll” is something I was singing back in kindergarten). Endicott introduced the song “The Rights Of Spring” as being “…about getting something good out of something bad.” That’s great because, before tonight, I had never witnessed anything so profound. If the group can bring up their writing abilities a notch then, by the time their sophomore album hits stores, we may have a force even Brandon Flowers can’t stop.