Show Review: Le Tigre Colors The Salt Shed Chicago 07/15/2023

Earlier this year Le Tigre announced their first North American Tour since 2005. It has been nearly 20 years since the band consisting of Bikini Kill’s Kathleen Hanna, long-standing member Johanna Fateman and JD Samson (Who killed it on the tambourine by the way), toured in support of their major label album, This Island. I was lucky enough to have the opportunity to attend and photograph this historic return to stage for Le Tigre and let me tell you, they did not disappoint. Le Tigre quickly sold out Chicago’s newest venue, The Salt Shed. The historic building which once acted as storage for the Morton Salt company is now a killer music hall that holds 3,500 people. As the venue started filling up I noticed the huge age range of the concert attendees, which made sense with Le Tigre’s recent virality of “Deceptacon” on TikTok helping the bands music spread to new listeners of all age ranges. The indie rock, synth-pop, politically targeted tunes have never lost their power over the years. Le Tigre’s stage set up was simplistic, unlike the 80’s inspired color-blocked outfits they were rocking. Behind the band a giant LED screen displayed a visual show to accommodate the music with vibrant colors, home videos, art films, colorful patterns, and even lyrics. How could one not scream the lyrics to upbeat, electric pop songs about the chaos of the world with a sold out crowd?! Le Tigre’s return to Chicago was definitely a communal experience. After all this time, Le Tigre’s approach and songs did not feel dated and the lyrics are very much relevant, even more so now. The show had a comedic element, Kathleen Hanna told a story about their first time playing in Chicago. Only 10 people had shown up to the gig and most of the attendees left before their set even started. Kathleen continued the story by claiming their van had broken down just outside of Chicago, they all had to hitch a ride to the nearest motel with a man who nicknamed himself “Cunnilingus John”, and then went on to introduce the next song on the setlist “Seconds”. The crowd was lively and enthusiastic, dancing and bopping around to songs like “My My Metrocard” and “Keep On Livin’”. Hanna started a song wrong and pointed out that she’s 54 years old and how it’s still punk to make mistakes and went on to send a message about how it’s okay to start over anytime, any day… Which I thought was pretty wholesome. The show came to an end but not before Le Tigre could close out the night with the popular hit as I mentioned before, “Deceptacon” and of course, the crowd went absolutely bananas. So much dancing and cheerful woos filled the room. With all the crowd movement I swear I could feel the bleachers shaking. With that being said: If you ever get the chance to see Le Tigre’s live, DO IT. The live shows had so many layers and you never really knew where it was going. It was truly an amazing performance and an unmissable reunion. I hope the band returns soon to give those who missed this tour another opportunity to see the joyous-rageful moments of fun they bring to the stage.