After seeing Pegboard Nerds live at SAMF 2015, I was really looking forward to their Nerds by Nation tour stop in Chicago. The duo is truly dynamic and know how to intertwine multiple genres seamlessly all in one set.
The venue it was being held at is Concord Hall. Concord is a very common venue for artists to hold their show at – most likely the venue that holds the most EDM related shows in Chicago year round. Getting there is easy, it’s on the Northwest side of Chicago where it’s busy all the time, so taxis and public transportation is always easy to use if you don’t want to park at the venue.
The whole process of getting into the show was customary; the pat-downs, opening bags, scanning tickets, etc. The venue itself is roomy, not massive, but has enough room to hold a comfortably large amount of people. Bars are on the left side, in the middle-back, on the right near the bathroom, and another one upstairs. Since the venue is made up of multiple levels, there is also an upstairs viewing area aside from the general admission standing area.
Now onto the show, Grabbitz was the act prior to Pegboard Nerds. He was tagging alongside the Nerds for a couple shows and I’m glad that Chicago ended up being one of those tour stops. Grabbitz left me, most astonishingly, speechless with his track “All Alone” made my himself and Pegboard Nerds. It became a favorite of mine instantly with the drum n’ bass vibe it brings coupled with the awesome vocals. It was a sight to see him close out his set with this song and then having the Nerds hop up on stage and everyone perform altogether.
NERDS TIME! Onto the main event. After Grabbitz, Pegboard Nerds took the stage. The set was far more diverse than I had originally planned. The two threw in many of their own songs, ranging from personal favorites such as “Fire In The Hole” to “Just Like That.” I always get so excited when artists announce on stage that they are dropping new music, luckily Pegboard Nerds did just that. They dropped their new track that just dropped recently called “Superstar” featuring Krewella and produced alongside NGHTMRE. The song was a huge hit with the crowd as they took it with an open mind and reacted with loud yet positive cheer. I was thoroughly enjoying myself when they threw in some bass heavy tracks along with their more melodic tracks. The Nerds had so much energy up on stage and it resonated through the crowd with ease.
For those wary of seeing them in the future… do it! You won’t be disappointed. A diverse set featuring tracks from multiple genres that will keep you moving all night long.