Bahamas sold out in a flash last time they were in town and were likely to do so again. I grabbed two tickets on my cell phone when I was alerted to this show three months ago. Once again, a sold out venue, so this time I thought it might be nice to secure a table upstairs and have a bite to eat before the show and a place to be during. Advance reservations were not really needed since I was able to get a table reserved for two the night before the show. You have to guarantee $25 per person, which if you drink one or two, should be easy. I had the chicken tacos, 3 for $7. A good deal but rendering it necessary to have at least two cocktails to meet my financial obligations. This was easily arranged.
Bahamas, a Canadian singer/band, featuring lead singer Afie Jurvanen and outstanding background vocalist, Felicity William were, as expected, flawless. Afie is also a virtuoso on guitar and he took several much appreciated opportunities to demonstrate his skills. Bahamas is self-described by Afie as "soft rock genre" and proud of it. Hard and punk rockers, beware. Barchords, their 2012 release, was relatively unknown to me but landed the Adult Alternative Album of the Year at the 2013 Juno awards. The band has gathered considerable momentum and has secured a sizable fan base performing at music festivals such as Bonnaroo. Songs from the recent release, Bahamas is Afie, were highlighted in tonight's show. I find that Afie is a bit of a narcissist in that none of his other band members, including his songbird/muse, Felicity Williams, uttered a word during the show. He is clearly the driving force and wears the bands pants. The show IS Afie with significant enhancements courtesy of the vocal prowess of his side-kick songbird. Ironic (or not really) that the new release is named what it is named. Just food for thought. He did introduce the band so we have to give credit where credit is due, at least he was not rude. The last time I saw Bahamas they were a bit more dressed up. He had two female vocalists, including Williams, that wore, if my recollection serves me, cute red dresses. He might have even had on a jacket. For this show they were clearly fresh off the bus and likely un-showered and un-brushed. They sounded fabulous nonetheless, don't get me wrong. Just close your eyes and you would be swept away by the soothing rhythms and harmonies. It did dawn on me that Afie is very much a Jack Johnson sound-alike, and in doing further research, it turns out he has toured with him (glad that association did not escape my ears). I do tire of Jack J but find the vocal harmonies of Bahamas mesmerizing. Just listen and close your eyes. No need to dress up.
Take a listen to one of my favorite cuts from Barchords (love the retro look of the back-up singers too). Dresses and Jacket noted also:
This blog was created to provide my opinion and reviews about the Chicago music scene. The commentary here is based upon what shows that I (as a lover of all things music) have SEEN. I also comment on the venues so that you can know what to expect during your night out, whether reserve tables are in order, what acoustical nightmares or pleasures you might experience, where you might go to eat before the show, and other random, noteworthy, or fun observations. I hope you enjoy the reviews!
This place doesn’t have any 'i'm too cool and busy for you' wait staff. As per me, everyone here is nice, friendly, and helpful and they really seem to like their jobs there and that is important to me. We had awesome experience at our NYC events here.
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