It’s been a long time since PJ Harvey last visited the Windy City, but judging by the audience’s reaction, it was well worth the wait.
There was an eerie feeling as you walked into The Salt Shed. The lights were already dimmed and there wasn’t any music playing as you would usually expect when first walking into a show. It certainly helped to set the scene for the performance piece ahead.
As PJ Harvey stepped out onto the stage followed by her band, a deafening silence fell across the packed Salt Shed. The first half of the show saw Harvey perform her latest album, I Inside The Old Year Dying, in its entirety. This was more than just a concert, it was a full theatrical performance with different scenes set up across the stage that she would move between for each song. To begin with, she was standing statuesque, and next, she was swirling and dancing around the stage. To say it was an atmospheric setup and performance is an understatement.
Harvey’s voice sounded impeccable. And trust it, despite the ample-sized crowd packed into The Salt Shed, there was silence throughout the entire venue so even the people at the back could hear every little nuance of the performance. The iconic performer commanded the respect of her audience and they were all too willing to oblige (except for the select few screaming “We love you Polly Jean” after every song).
After performing the whole of I Inside The Old Year Dying, Harvey took a trip down memory lane with some of her older material, including “Down By The Water,” “The Garden,” and “Dress.” She commented that this was her first time back in Chicago since Steve Albini passed and so she dedicated her touching performance of “The Desperate Kingdom of Love” to him. Albini worked with Harvey on her 1993 release, Rid of Me.
This was a show truly unlike any other. It was a work of art, without being all just for show. For two straight hours, the Chicago crowd was entertained and wowed by an artist in every sense of the word. She wasn’t hiding behind any gimmicks, but used the miniature sets on the stage and dancing to enhance the performance, using them very purposefully. To keep such a big crowd’s unwavering attention is not an easy task, but you could see the members of the audience looked mesmerized and enchanted by what they were experiencing.
Throughout the evening, Harvey was backed by her four-piece band, but her voice took front and center when she sang a solo rendition of “The Colour of the Earth.” She more than held the audience’s attention during this one.
If you’ve never seen PJ Harvey perform live before, you have to get yourself along to one of the few remaining shows on this tour. This is not the type of show that comes around very often, and when it does, they sell out, so you have to be quick.
