Bleachers: From The Studio To The Salt Shed
Article and photos by Finley Harrison
Bleachers are currently on their “From Their Studio To The Stage Tour,” spanning the United States from May 18 to June 15. This tour follows the release of their fourth studio album Bleachers.
On the evening of Saturday, May 25, friends, couples, families, and parties of one filled the lot of The Fairgrounds at The Salt Shed. One of Chicago’s newest venues, The Salt Shed sits on the grounds and in the skeleton of the old Morton Salt Factory on Elston Avenue. This particular night, Chicagoans sold out the venue in anticipation of New Jersey-rooted band Bleachers, led by frontman Jack Antonoff. With support from singer-songwriter Samia, The Salt Shed was electric from dusk to dark.
Around 7 P.M., Samia entered the stage as the sun was setting — opening her set with “Pool,” the opening track to her 2020 album The Baby. “Pool” was immediately followed by the second track on The Baby, titled “Fit N Full,” a satirical commentary on diet culture and societal body standards. After two more songs from The Baby, the opening synth notes of “Kill Her Freak Out,” the opening track of her 2023 album Honey rang through The Fairgrounds. “Kill Her Freak Out” serves as a cathartic overreaction in response to months of downplaying one’s feelings. Following “Kill Her Freak Out” was “Bovine Excision,” a catchy unreleased song. Samia closed her set with “Is There Something In The Movies?” a song about her disillusionment with the entertainment industry — specifically touching on the death of actress Brittany Murphy. Samia and her band exited the stage to the sound of enthusiastic cheers from the crowd.
At 8:15, a large curtain fell from the back of the stage to reveal a massive tapestry reading “From The Studio To The Stage” with “BLEACHERS” in large letters centered below it. The dropping of the curtain was immediately followed by Bleachers’ entrance to the stage. Bleachers opened their set with “I Am Right On Time,” the opening track to their 2024 self-titled album. The show’s attendees danced and swayed as Bleachers played on. Following the set opener was “Modern Girl,” a saxophone-heavy upbeat song describing a Friday evening out. As the evening progressed, Antonoff expressed his gratitude for Chicago and its music venues, saying that he would perform in a parking lot if it meant he was performing in Chicago. He went on to discuss the ways in which certain artists and bands are synonymous with particular cities. This conversation acted as a throughline for Antonoff to welcome Jeff Tweedy to the stage. A true Chicago musical icon, Tweedy is famously known for his work with Wilco. Tweedy and Antonoff went on to perform Lana Del Rey’s song “Margaret” (featuring Bleachers) together, with Tweedy performing the verses that were originally sung by Del Rey. After Tweedy exited the stage, Bleachers progressed into “Wake Me,” from their debut 2014 album Strange Desire. After performing more songs, both old and new, Antonoff urged audience members to get on each other's shoulders for the upcoming song. Fans rose into the air and the opening notes of “Rollercoaster,” a long-time fan favorite, buzzed through the crowd. “Rollercoaster” was closely followed by “Tiny Moves,” an upbeat profession of love with an accompanying music video that features Antonoff’s wife, Margaret Qualley, dancing on the top of a parking garage. During the song, a fan in the audience proposed to his wife. The song’s lines were cut with Antonoff asking “Did you just get engaged?” and followed with an exclamation of “She said yes!” which prompted an eruption of cheers from the audience. As the song carried on, Antonoff gave the newlyweds well wishes from the stage. Bleachers ended their set with “Stop Making This Hurt,” an appropriate closing song as both Bleachers and fans sang the chorus which contains the line “Just say goodbye like you mean it!”
As the band took a bow, Antonoff’s final words to the crowd were “Bleachers in Chicago forever,” to which the crowd reacted to with cheers and waves. Bleachers’ tour will continue throughout the United States for the rest of May, ending in the band’s home state of New Jersey on June 15.
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