Concert Review: The Kills at Riviera Theatre in Chicago

This past weekend The Kills began their 2012 North American headlining tour on a snow storm filled night at the Riviera Theatre in Chicago, IL. The storm did not keep fans away, and the duo's nearly sold out show consisted of vocalist Alison Mosshart and guitarist Jamie Hince cramming nineteen songs into an hour and a half time span. The high energy performance consisted of a few glitches, a lot of fan interaction, and a subtle yet powerful stage production.

The Kills 2012 Headlining Tour Dates

As the pair walked on the stage, drinks in hand, a pink haired Mosshart said a polite "Good evening" to the crowd before beginning with the nights first song, "No Wow". Six blue spotlights illuminated the stage, and The Kills signature leopard print backdrop. The stage not only housed Mosshart and Hince, but also two members of the Black Rooster Drum Corps.

The two men wore all black except for a red handkerchief covering the bottom half of their faces. The drummers always stood and performed in synch, on drums that lit up with every pound. The Kills also brought two back-up singers, who came out during a handful of songs.

During the entire concert the lights were spot on, and the changing colors illuminating the stage and backdrop perfectly fit the mood of each song. The lights were in synch with every guitar note Hince played. During the opening of "Satellite" the strobe lights even seemed to be powered by how fast and long Hince played the opening chord. It was a subtle, yet powerful visual.

The Kills 2012 Chicago setlist consisted of them performing one song from No Wow, three songs from Keep On Your Mean Side, six songs from Midnight Boom, eight songs from their most recent album Blood Pressures, and one Patsy Cline song. The pairs first seven songs were identical to the first seven they performed at Lollapalooza 2011. Despite an extremely similar setlist, they were completely different performances.

With the venue having a 2300 capacity the pair definitely got to interact with their fans, which is something they could not do during their Lolla performance. At The Riv Mosshart would bend down to touch, and hold the outstretched hands of fans. During "Satellite" Mosshart even noticed an extremely energetic fan and mid-song she gave a genuine smile, and wave to that particular audience member.

The duo also had a lot of interaction with each other, especially during "Kissy Kissy". During the song Hince picked up his mic stand and moved it closer to the center of the stage. Mosshart soon followed, and she dragged her mic stand closer to his, which led to an intense side by side performance. It did not last long though because midway through the song they walked to opposite ends of the stage and stood atop black, carefully positioned boxes. Once on top the pair played their guitars across the room from each other, which was yet again, a simple yet powerful visual.

One thing is for sure, you can tell Hince and Mosshart authentically enjoy playing on stage with each other. While watching the pair live you can tell they have a true friendship, and musical companionship. Mosshart genuinely feels and reacts to the music Hince plays. Watching her in a zone of musical movement is almost mesmerizing with the way she effortlessly sways, jerks, and flings her body around on stage. It was a genuine performance, and nothing ever seemed forced.

Despite putting on a stellar concert there were some technical issues which included, mic feedback during "Future Starts Slow," and their voices sometimes being drowned out while they were both playing guitar. Hince and Mosshart are also definitely not big talkers on stage. They always said a polite "Thank you" between songs, but not much more. Some fans prefer less talking, because that leads to more songs being played, but a little more dialog could make the show a tad more personable.

Overall, the duo put on an entertaining, and lively show. Their hour and a half set time seemed like only twenty minutes, and it definitely left me wanting to see them again. Thankfully, at the end of the concert Mosshart left the crowd by saying, "Thank you Chicago, we love you very much, and we'll see you soon."

For more information on The Kills visit: www.thekills.tv

For upcoming The Kills tour dates visit here, and to get in touch with me you can either leave a comment a below, email me kuchik.natalie@gmail.com or connect with me via Twitter: @NatalieChicago

The Kills Setlist - 2012 Headlining Show Chicago, IL at Riviera Theater

No Wow

Future Starts Slow

Heart Is a Beating Drum

Kissy Kissy

U.R.A.

DNA

Satellite

Last Day of Magic

Crazy - (Patsy Cline cover)

Baby Says

Nail in My Coffin