It's rare to catch a show at the Metro in Chicago and have room to breathe and take it all in. Which made it all the more surprising when openers The Right Now took the stage to no more then 40 people. The Chicago band, led by the boisterous Stefanie Berecz, took a few songs to get warmed up, but it was fun to watch them win the crowd over. By the end of the set, the crowd swelled as hundreds found the groove and showered the local band with love.
Fashioning themselves as a “disco orchestra,” Escort has been on my shortlist for must-see shows since the release of their single “Cocaine Blues” in 2010. Anytime a band boasts 17 members you know it will be, at the very least, a spectacle. And Escort proved to be much more than that.
Lead vocalist Adeline Michele absolutely owned the stage despite fronting a band featuring three violinists, brass section, drummer, percussionist, keyboardist, bass and guitar players and multiple back-up singers. Her command of the stage was clear from the moment she strutted onto the stage. As Escort breezed through the majority of their self-titled debut album, the eccentric crowd took it all in style.
There were at least a dozen retro-wig-wearing fans among one of the more diverse crowds I’ve ever seen. Aside from a bizarre moment where two fans up near the front of the stage got into a fight that had to be broken up, the vibe of the night was by and large festive and fun. Highlights included their first single “Starlight,” “Love in Indigo” and the aforementioned “Cocaine Blues.”
Escort lived up to the hype as one of the most exciting and energetic live acts to come out of Brooklyn in the last decade.
Photos:
Escort Live at The Metro in Chicago, IL – [11.9.2012]
Artist:
Visit Escort's website
Visit The Right Now's website
Downloads:
Escort – Starlight (RAC Remix) – [mp3]
Escort – "Cocaine Blues" – [mp3]
