On Sunday, October 28, self-proclaimed boyband, Brockhampton, performed in Chicago for the third time this year for their “I’ll Be There Tour.”
In February, they performed at the House of Blues for their “Love Your Parents Tour,” and played Grant Park in August for this year’s Lollapalooza.
Since their last two appearances in Chicago, a lot has changed for “America’s Favorite Boyband.”
Significant changes have been made to the group’s dynamic. Ciaran “bearface” McDonald, a member of the group who was rarely heard on previous projects besides closing tracks, now has a more prominent and active role within the group.
Other members of the group, such as Kevin Abstract and Matt Champion, have been experimenting with their songwriting and the role they play in the band.
Plus, the group recently released their fourth studio album, iridescence, which meant they now had new material to perform, that I needed to see live.
Needless to say, when I heard they were coming back to Chicago, I immediately purchased my ticket the day they went on sale.
The last time I saw Brockhampton was at Lollapalooza in August, and while it was fun to hear their music live, I have to admit I did not have the best experience.
I was hoping that this show would wash away any bad taste left in my mouth from Lollapalooza.
Was this show any better? Let’s find out. My main concern was whether or not I was going to be able to see the band no matter where I was on the main floor.
One of the reasons I disliked seeing Brockhampton at Lollapalooza was because I had difficulties seeing the stage amidst a crowd of drunk, high, and crazy teenagers.
My concerns were quickly dispelled once I saw how high the stage was at Aragon.
Once I arrived at the venue, it was a matter of finding a spot I was happy with and waiting for the show to start.
The band was a little late, but they kicked off the show with their new song, “WEIGHT.” Kevin Abstract walked up on stage alone and sang the first verse of the song. Once his verse was over, the rest of the group came out dancing and taking turns singing and rapping.
Needless to say, it was a great and energetic start to the night. Brockhampton played nine songs from their latest album, iridescence.
The rest of the material they played were hits from their past projects, such as “BOOGIE,” “BLEACH,” “STAR,” “GOLD,” and “SWEET.”
Twice during the night, the band would stop performing, go backstage and play a series of interviews of various band members on the main screen.
These interviews were a nice break in between their setlist.
They also provided a look into the mind of some of the band members and managed to get a couple of laughs from the crowd.
The biggest surprise of the night was how easily the group was able to balance out their high energy songs with slower and sadder music.
I prefer Brockhampton’s energetic material, especially for live shows, but I found myself enjoying their chill and melodic songs.
Once the main show was done, the crowd began chanting for an encore. The wait seemed to last forever, but after several minutes, the band came back out with a wardrobe change and performed three more songs.
I had a wonderful experience seeing my favorite boy band again.
It was definitely better than my time at Lollapalooza. Brockhampton always knows how to put on a good show.
I left Aragon with a Brockhampton hoodie so I could let others know that “I was there.”
Caesar Torres
Editor in Chief