FLETCHER puts on the show of the year
Photo by Kennedy Cottrell
Just gotta start off by saying this is going to be the easiest concert review I’ve ever written because FLETCHER’s show at House of Blues Chicago has taken its rightful place at the top of my list of most fun concerts I’ve ever been to (a spot previously held by MUNA and Broods before that).
I will be thinking about this show for years, and could spend hours telling someone about how it made me feel, but I am going to try to leave my PerSoNaL feelings about Cari out of this ;). Obviously, she looked incredible. This look— black flared jeans with buckles all the way down each leg, a long-sleeved crop top, and oversized leather vest—was by far my favorite of the tour to this point. And as always, she was effortlessly cool and had every person in the audience wishing to get just a little bit closer to her.
*At this point I would like to point out that our photographer Kennedy took the best photos I’ve ever seen, and I will be blowing them up into posters on my wall.
Before FLETCHER made her grand entrance, the three member band (adding a bass player since the last time I saw her live) took their places in the concrete set resembling a New York City alley. After about a minute of rock instrumentals, FLETCHER appeared on top of the set and opened with the TikTok hit “girls girls girls,” a fun and sexy take on Katy' Perry’s “I Kissed a Girl".”
FLETCHER’s recorded songs are very catchy and very pop. Songs like “girls girls girls,” “Cherry,” and “Undrunk” all rely heavily on keys and synth in their recorded versions, but the pop star took musical liberties on this tour and became a rock star. Heavy guitar, bass and drums drove the music behind her killer vocals—some of the best live vocals I’ve ever heard at that level.
FLETCHER performed the first 3 songs with insanely high energy before taking her first speaking break. I love to hear artists speak during their sets, but they can sometimes go overboard. This was definitely not the case on Friday night. Cari spoke just enough to have us all hanging on her every word and still wanting more. She used slight humor and personal stories to keep the crowd interested while she took her much needed water breaks.
Photos by Kennedy Cottrell
The rest of the show held excitement at every turn. From a Facebook live throughout “If You’re Gonna Lie” to spraying a full water bottle on the first few rows during the climax of “All Love,” there were so many memorable moments in each and every song.
FLETCHER ended with “Bitter,” the hit song that blew up after it was featured in the credits of an episode of The L Word: Generation Q. Arguably her sexiest song, Cari knew that she was ending on a high note and finishing the show out exactly like it started.
There was also an encore that consisted of two songs, an unreleased acoustic song “For Cari” and slower personal ballad “Healing.” I will be honest, I looked up the setlist before the show and was a bit disappointed at the final song in the encore, but as it was happening, I loved it. It made a ton of sense. At the end of “Healing” FLETCHER received about a 3-minute screaming ovation as she posed for photos in front of the crowd and took her bows. You can tell how much performing in front of these crowds means to her, and I can’t wait until next time.
