IDLES perform a Lollapalooza Aftershow at Metro in Chicago on July 28, 2022.
As soon as the 2022 Lollapalooza lineup was announced there was no doubt that IDLES would deliver a passionately intense performance in Grant Park. When the Bristol punks take the Bud Light Seltzer Stage on Saturday evening they will have a tough act to follow, themselves, as they already played an impossibly fierce set in Chicago during their Metro Aftershow on Thursday, July 28.
Fury swirled at the midnight hour as IDLES – Joe Talbot (vocals), Adam Devonshire (bass), Mark Bowen (lead guitar, keys), Jon Beavis (drums), Lee Kiernan (rhythm guitar) – thrashed through “Colossus” and “Car Crash” at the top of the performance. It wasn’t long before Kiernan threw himself into the crowd, for the first time, and Talbot called for a pit to open up – which was immediately filled with crashing bodies – in the center of the floor. Rage pulsed through the crowd, but love was also in the air uniting all in a shared desire to rise against tyranny, oppression and toxic masculinity.
IDLES perform a Lollapalooza Aftershow at Metro in Chicago on July 28, 2022.
Talbot’s call to “seize the day, all hold hands, chase the pricks away” during “Mr. Motivator” was met, naturally, by floor-wide moshing. It was the type of pit where if you get knocked down, everyone is there to pick you up with a smile before tossing you right back into the madness.
“What’s good Chicago,” said Talbot before leading an urgent rendition of “Mother,” absolutely riddled with crowd surfers. “These shows are good because the people are good. Thank you for coming and showing us love. I assure you the feeling is mutual.”
Talbot’s animalistic howls on “Divide and Conquer” made way for one of the most savage jams of the night while, later, cellphones floated overhead to capture video of the semi-sweet waltz, “The Beachland Ballroom.”
Metro – which is celebrating its 40th anniversary in 2022 – has a rich history of hosting some of the most memorable Lollapalooza Aftershows of all time. This weekend alone, Porno for Pyros, Coin, and Green Day (!) are still on the docket and past performers include everyone from The National to Arcade Fire to the Foo Fighters. The beloved venue also hosted Lollapalooza’s Thursday night headliner, Metallica, earlier this year which may be why Taipei Houston – comprised of Metallica drummer Lars Ulrich’s sons Myles and Layne – seemed so at home on the stage while opening for IDLES.
Taipei Houston performs a Lollapalooza Aftershow at Metro in Chicago on July 28, 2022.
As IDLES plowed through the second half of their set, the magnetic cadence of “Never Fight a Man with a Perm” became the most irresistible of the night as Bowen joined Beavis at the kit doubling-down on the rhythmic mayhem. “Crawl!” and “I’m Scum” were further highlights of the IDLES after-midnight experience.
IDLES are scheduled to perform at Lollapalooza on Saturday, July 30 at 6:45 p.m. Don’t miss it and be sure to check out their upcoming tour dates.
Tickets to upcoming Metro shows – including the 40th Anniversary Celebration featuring Local H on Oct. 21 – can be found at Metrochicago.com. Click here to learn more about Lollapalooza.
(Photos by Laurie Fanelli)
