I’ll admit that I almost didn’t make it to see Viagra Boys and Die Spitz in Chicago. I’d bought the tickets when they went on sale several months ago, figuring the show would sell out after their tremendous show at The Salt Shed the last time they were there. Sure enough, it did sell out, but I was tired and had already dealt with a long week (and it was only Wednesday) by the time September 17th arrived. I debated selling my tickets, but no one offered a decent price for them.
Luckily, I convinced my girlfriend’s daughter to go with me, figuring she’d get a kick out of their show and seeing the all-female Die Spitz rip up a stage. It was the right call, because we had a fun time and she came back with a Die Spitz shirt and a couple new favorite bands.
Austin, Texas’ Die Spitz put on a good, loud, sludgy set of garage punk. It reminded me a lot of Bleach-era Nirvana. They were raw, rough, and having a great time. You couldn’t ignore them, nor should you.
Viagra Boys played a lot of tracks from their new self-titled album, opening the show with “Man Made of Meat” – which most of the crowd was singing / yelling with them. “Slow Learner” was a pleasant surprise, and “Punk Rock Loser” had everyone cheering.
“Ain’t No Thief” was a big hit, with the crowd tossing so many lighters to lead singer Sebastian Murphy that he forgot the lyrics to the second verse. “Pyramid of Health” has some fun audience participation, as did “You N33d Me.”
“Store Policy” was another fun surprise, and “Medicine for Horses” was a mellow turn before they launched into “Sports” and an extended version of “Research Chemicals” that had a wild, almost psychedelic outro.
After a short break, the encore included “The Bog Body” from the new album, “ADD” (another nice one to hear), and “Worms” — a fitting end as it’s a song about embracing mortality and impermanence.
The crowd was fired up with anger toward the current political climate and the desire to have fun and forget about it for a while (i.e., at least two people in full shrimp costumes — one of whom, according to people we overheard as we left, was having a green-out).
As we left, we drove by this place that is not even a ten-minute drive from the Salt Shed.
It would’ve been appropriate to eat here after the show, and support Shrimptech Industries, but, alas, they were closed. We went for late night tacos instead and, as I left with our to-go order, I was passed by a woman and her…
If that’s not a perfect ending to a Viagra Boys show, I don’t know what is.
Keep your mind open.
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