This was my only journey into the city of Chicago in 2019. The shows I'm seeing this fall are all in venues that I've never visited before. I had never been to Thalia Hall. This newly renovated venue in the Pilsen neighborhood is located a bit south of the UIC Pavilion. The southside of Chicago is the baddest part of town according to Jim Croce so I was a bit nervous but it turned out to be fine. I found street parking about a block away. I saw some familiar faces before the show.
Spafford took the stage to Tom Sawyer by Rush on the PA system. In the heart of America... That was a song I was hoping for. About 7 or 8 minutes into the jam they took it to a different turbo level. This went on for about another 10 minutes. The new instrumental Funkenseven followed that up. Those Shoes was a cover that I wanted to hear. They do a great job with that Eagles cover. They added improvisation to this as well. Eventually there was a segue into Electric Taco Stand. It had been over an hour but they tacked on Be Strange to wrap up the set with its reggae/Jerry wah. America and Those Shoes were huge.
They allowed the crowd to go in/out during the setbreak. The weather was still fairly warm for that time of the year. Slip and Squander is probably their most accessible song. They brought out a guest Jason Singer on saxophone for a cover they've played frequently this fall Gold Glittered Hat. Next was an unexpected highlight. They debuted this fall a new pairing Doghouse > Pt. II. I was a tad disappointed with the choice of Whipping Post given they played that in Milwaukee back in May. Dirtbath is a pretty badass tune. That was my first time seeing it live. Settled In and the Phishy The Reprise sent us off into the night. They're still playing "You Can Call Me Al" on the PA after every show.
After the show I hit horrible traffic on I-55. There was an accident plus reduced lanes because of night time construction. It took much longer than usual to get home. I stopped at White Castle in Bowlingbrook. This was my 6th time seeing Spafford. This was a fun experience. I'm glad I went.
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