Frank Black performs at Metro in Chicago on Jan. 25, 2025.
Whether it’s 1994, 2025, or even 1959 – more on that later – it’s always a good time to celebrate Frank Black’s sophomore solo album, Teenager of the Year. In honor of the beloved release’s 30th anniversary, Black stopped by Metro in Chicago on Jan. 25 – for the first of two shows – to perform the tracklist cover-to-cover in its original order with the original TOTY band (Lyle Workman, Eric Drew Feldman, Nick Vincent, and Rob Laufer).
“Thank you for coming to the show tonight,” Black said at the top of the performance, quickly sharing his wry humor as he and his band proceeded with what he referred to as their “schtick.” “It’s hard to believe, Eric, in 1959 we gathered in Los Angeles to record Teenager of the Year, 70 years ago today.”
Before getting to the musical main course, the setlist began with a pair of songs from Black’s eponymous debut, “Czar” and “Ten Percenter,” which the audience responded to with enthusiastic cheers.
Frank Black performs at Metro in Chicago on Jan. 25, 2025.
As the TOTY party got started, Black mused about Jack’s Lounge in Massachusetts, the inspiration for the album’s opening track, “Whatever Happened to Pong?.”
“They [Jack’s Lounge] have pizza. They used to have bumper pool, back in the mid-70s my brother and I used to hang out there because our father worked there and we usually played the bumper pool. One day they wheeled in this new thing and it became a small revenue stream for us. We were in the local gambling scene there, and this song is ‘Whatever Happened to Pong?,’” said the Pixies vocalist.
The keys shined on “Calistan,” while Workman dropped pretty riffs throughout the melodic “Speedy Marie.” The ever-relevant “Headache” – which allowed Black’s emotive vocals to oscillate between existential despair and peaceful acceptance – gave fans a chance to revel in shared pain, an experience that, in turn, created a joyful levity. “Freedom Rock,” “Bad, Wicked World,” and “Two Reelers” – an ode to The Three Stooges – were further highlights of the night.
Verboten performs at Metro in Chicago on Jan. 25, 2025.
Earlier, Evanston’s own Verboten – Jason Narducy, Tracey Bradford, Chris Kean, and John Carroll, along with Aaron Shapiro (original drummer Zack Kantor’s nephew) – shared a slew of in-your-face punk songs from their 2024 self-titled album. Despite having formed as kids back in 1982, the release is the band’s debut.
“It only took us 43 years to do it,” Narducy joked during the opening set.
Time is a construct. Though it has been three decades since fans first heard Teenager of the Year, last night the music sounded as essential, exciting, and timeless as ever.
Check out photos from Frank Black’s Jan. 25 performance at Metro – with Verboten – below and click here to pick-up tickets to future tour dates. More information can be found at Blackfranc.is.
(Photos by Laurie Fanelli)
