The Wallflowers make a stop at a packed out Thalia Hall in Chicago as they are midway through their 2024 tour.
The Wallflowers have been together in some form for 35 years. While there have been changes in personnel throughout the years, Jakob Dylan has been the one true constant, having always been the lead singer and songwriter for the band. The current touring lineup has mostly been together since the last release, Exit Wounds, in 2021. On the road with Jakob is Chris Masterson (guitar), Whynot Jansveld (bass), Ben Peeler (guitar), Mark Stepro (drums), and Aaron Embry (keyboards).
The Wallflowers are not the kind of band who come around on tour every day so when you hear they’re coming to a venue near you, you have to jump on it. By the time they took to the stage, Thalia Hall had filled with people excited to catch them while they were in town.
The majority of the night’s setlist was made up of songs from Exit Wounds and Bringing Down the Horse. “The Dive Bar In My Heart” was particularly well received early on in the night. Partway through the evening, Dylan announced they were going to perform a song they don’t do very often, so asked the audience to wish them luck before launching into “Laughing Out Loud.”
The Wallflowers were joined on stage by a very special guest in the form of Gary Louris of the Jayhawks. Gary accompanied the band on backing vocals and guitar for the hit “One Headlight.” The euphoria amongst the crowd upon hearing this song was palpable. People sang along to the number, while others swayed and danced together. If ever there was a release from work stresses on a workday night, this was it.
The set included some classic cover songs, the first of which was a beautiful cover of Van Morrison’s “Into the Mystic.” The encore was later packed with Cat Stevens’ “Wild World,” and Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers’ “Refugee” and “The Waiting” before closing out with “The Distance.”
The 20-song setlist had something for everything and did a fantastic job at showcasing the lengthy history of The Wallflowers. Whether you were a fan from the very beginning, or have come across them more recently, this was a show you would truly appreciate.
The tour is continuing on throughout the summer and will ultimately wrap on October 2nd at the Palace Theatre in Los Angeles. This show in particular will be a special one to round out the tour as they will be performing the entirety of Bringing Down the Horse and well as also performing the whole of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers’ Long After Dark.
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