At around 10:30, Smith hit the stage with his drummer, Cory Eberhard. As the crowd roared with excitement, the giant LED screen behind them lit up with the PL logo. Their stage setup was nothing more than Derek’s equipment on a folding table next to Cory’s drum set. Smith towers over his table and is unmistakable even from the very back of the room. The room was absolutely packed from the stage to the balcony and everyone was eager for a dance party. PL would not disappoint.
Throughout the evening, Pretty Lights treated fans to old and new songs as well as some very original remixes. The first several songs were off his newly released album, Passing By Behind Your Eyes, including Sunday School, World of Illusion and If I Could Feel Again. As he ripped through song after song, he never gave the fans a chance to stop dancing. The crowd was hot and sweaty and loving every single second of it. The highlight of the night for the crowd was when Derek busted out Finally Moving, off his first album, Taking Up Your Precious Time. The soulful female vocals make this his number one sing-along-tune. The LED screen added to the already spectacular light show with images of blue skies, butterflies, fire, and other trippy visuals that were perfectly in-sync with the monstrous beats.
Pretty Lights surprised the audience with an original remix of Jay-Z’s D.O.A. and even a unique mashup of Wreckx-N-Effect’s Rump Shaker and M.I.A.’s Paper Planes. The crowd-pleasers were undoubtedly the tunes from the double disc, Filling Up The City Skies. Fans went nuts as Derek and Cory treated them to PL classics like Hot Like Sauce, Aimin’ At Your Head and Up & Down I Go. Derek even gave a nod to the city with More Important Than Michael Jordan.
The duo’s entire set, plus the three-song encore, was an absolute marathon that ran over two hours long. The crowd energy was through the roof from start to finish and both men were clearly feeding off of it. There was not a single doubt that Pretty Lights had left their mark on Chicago.
Pretty Lights currently has 19 more shows on their tour that ends in Boston, MA at the Paradise Rock Club. Check out www.prettylightsmusic.com for the list of dates as well as all of the albums – which can be downloaded for free. Nearly every show on this tour has sold out, so buy your tickets in advance.
3 Responses
Sweet article. Very descriptive. Makes me feel just like I was there. Oh yeah, I was. Good work.
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