Review by Addie Whelan, Photos by Gina Scarpino
Walk into a LANY show and you’ll experience something unlike anything else. A dozen roses in someone’s hand, fan-made matching t-shirts on a group of friends who camped out for the perfect spot, and people being just genuine people.
Step back a few months or even years and you’ll see how LANY has grown. From opening for Troye Sivan to playing Coachella, Lollapalooza, BottleRock Napa Valley and more, the band has made significant headway in music, ultimately landing them a coveted arena show in Manila in the Philippines. Now, on a quick festival tour of North America, LANY continues to impress fans with their live show.
At Bottom Lounge in Chicago on Wednesday, August 1st, 2018, LANY took the stage to a sold-out, incredibly enthusiastic audience. As the lights dimmed and the opening track of their self-titled release came on, members Les Priest and Jack Goss took the stage to cheers, tears and a roar of noise from fans eager to hear their favorite songs live for maybe the first time. As singer Paul Klein took the stage for the first time that night, the room was consumed by cheering and noise, almost drowning out the track ending.
As the show progressed, there was nothing short of intense energy inside Bottom Lounge. Explaining to the audience that his day had turned into a travel nightmare with delayed and cancelled plans, Klein emphasized to fans how much it meant to him that they were there that night. With tears in their eyes, cheerful grins and hands in the air, LANY fans were more than happy to hear that their favorite band had made that much of an effort to play a small, intimate set ahead of one of their biggest shows to date
Performing their new single, “thru these tears,” live for the first time, LANY’s sound was fully rehearsed and raw at the same time, allowing for that moment of adrenaline that makes live performances so much more special. The track was carefully curated to really showcase Klein’s talent on the piano as well as carefully placed in the set list to create that perfect emotional moment. With a perfect mix between new and old, LANY’s setlist included something for both new and old fans, whether they’ve been around for years or just a few days. While the show was at one of the smallest venues they’ve performed at in a while, LANY’s stage presence and fan interaction created a feeling of inclusion throughout the space.
With a special guest appearance from Khalid, LANY’s Lollapalooza Aftershow left fans feeling unstoppable. As soon as their final track, ILYSB,, closed, the lights came up and there was an immediate feeling of, “is this really over?” as if fans were waiting for the band to come back on stage. With the end of their self-titled album cycle and the beginning of the next, Wednesday’s Lollapalooza Aftershow set the bar high for LANY’s shows to come.
- PHOTOS: Lewis Capaldi – Berkeley, CA – 4/30/23 - May 2, 2023
- PHOTOS: Fletcher – Oakland, CA – 11/16/22 - November 17, 2022
- PHOTOS: Muna – San Francisco, CA – 10/23/22 - October 24, 2022
