The band is joined by Three Days Grace and Loathe
On September 13th, the Aragon Ballroom hosted Chicago natives Chevelle, Canada’s Three Days Grace, and English metal group Loathe for an early night of pure nostalgia for ‘90s and early 2000’s kids raised on the radio. The midweek show proved to be an exciting one, and a sense of community was in the air between the concertgoers. The co-headliners are ones that our generation has followed for nearly 20 years, shuffling them on our iPods in 2003 and now witnessing them live as a trip down memory lane, whether it’s for the first time and fulfilling an adolescent dream or for the second, third, fourth time to heal our inner child.
Chevelle has been quite busy the last few years, releasing their latest album NIRATIAS in 2021 and touring extensively throughout the U.S. Formed in 1995, the band, most consistently driven by brothers Pete and Sam Loeffler, gained recognition with their second album Wonder What’s Next in 2002, led by what would become their most popular hits “The Red” and “Send the Pain Below.” They would continue their trajectory with 2004’s This Type of Thinking (Could Do Us In) and its lead single “Vitamin R (Leading Us Along).” Chevelle has since earned a loyal and large following, and Wednesday’s performance has shown that loyalty has not wavered.
Up first during the show was England’s Loathe, who is still finding new fans with their 2020 sophomore record I Let It In and It Took Everything. Chicago’s Aragon Ballroom had a surprisingly early set time of 5:30 for the opening band, with doors opening at 4:30, culminating in an unfortunately smaller audience for the heavy metal band. Despite this schedule, the band gave it their all onstage, setting the bar (and the energy) high for the rest of the night.
Three Days Grace would be next, performing a combination of songs from their days with original singer Adam Gontier and ones with current frontman Matt Walst, with a fierce sound and emotional performances of their greatest hits such as “Never Too Late” and “World So Cold.” They would invite two fans onstage for an energetic, collaborative rendition of “Just Like You” and close with “Riot” from 2006’s One-X. Walst, having been Three Days Grace’s singer since 2013 following Gontier’s sudden departure, may not be the most dynamic singer on stage, but his performances of both old and new songs remain quite strong–as someone who has remained stubbornly loyal to the Gontier days, I was incredibly impressed with Walst’s renditions of Three Days Grace’s earliest work and his own work with the veteran members of the band.
Finally, after a brief introduction by Chicago DJ Lauren O’Neil of popular local rock station Q101 to ramp up the crowd, Chevelle took the stage, kicking things off with their instrumental piece from their latest album NIRATIAS and launching into an eclectic setlist of songs from seven of their nine albums, dominated by ones from both NIRATIAS and Wonder What’s Next. The pit quite literally vibrates with heavy bass tones from touring member Kemble Walters, Pete Loeffler’s sonorous guitar riffs, and Sam Loeffler’s hard-hitting drum beats, echoing powerfully and beautifully throughout the venue.
“You’ve made us feel young again, Chicago,” Pete Loeffler says during a momentary pause between songs. Indeed, the same could be said for some of the audience, as this type of performance felt as if the crowd was pulled back into the early 2000’s when the radio was dominated by this post-grunge, alternative sound. As Chevelle launches into “Send the Pain Below” and “The Red” back to back, after a stunning performance of an arguably underrated deep cut “Forfeit,” also from Wonder What’s Next, and their sound almost mirroring the original 2002 recordings, a tension begins to build up throughout the venue. With phones high in the air and as the final chorus draws near, Loeffler signals to the crowd as they begin to chant, “Seeing red again..” The intensity is undeniable–nearly everyone in the venue is singing along and dominates the space for the remainder of the song. Loeffler sighs and nods in absolute satisfaction as he closes out the song with the final verse–the band is home with a warmest welcome.
