Goose Island (Wrigleyville) – November 13, 2009

December 8th, 2009 · 44 Comments

Although their Saturday night gig had been canceled at the now-defunct Ewing in South Bend, Valentiger was still stoked to play a Friday at the Goose Island Brewery in Chicago.  The area was a bit ritzier than they were used to, but fitting in didn’t seem to be hard.  All it took was a couple of pitchers and then things were up and rolling with One Night Band, who managed to squeeze in both Toto AND Prince covers.  And when it seemed there was no way to top that, Dan Tedesco opened his set with a truly electrified “Heart of Gold,” complete with flopping hair and Springsteen moves.  Then, shortly after Rider grooved to his “working man” song, it was time for Valentiger to give Goose Island their brand of rock and roll.  The boys eased things in with the likes of “Bosses in Their Offices” and “Courses,” just to create a breather from distortion and solos.  But by the end of their set, they were the only ones who had a crowd out of their seats and dancing to “Leaving Town,” “In Your Head” and “The Girl That Everyone Forgot.”  Newer covers such as the Kinks and David Bowie’s “Suffragette City” really struck a chord with long-time listeners who attended this evening.  Overall, it’s hard to say if Valentiger or Goose Island won the battle – considering the bar tab that grew as Gypsy Revival blues-rocked the night to a close.  At any rate, the boys topped it all off with gluten-free beers back at Charlotte’s at which point Rider states, “I’ve got so many nightmares ready.”

A big thanks goes out to all our friends in Chicago who are staunch supporters of the traveling Valentigers.  The boys couldn’t and wouldn’t do it without you!

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