Vacations Finds a Home in Chicago on Their First US Tour: Review and Photos

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Mar 22

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Concert Review and Photo Gallery by Rebecca Ackerman

Australian band, Vacations, are currently on their first US tour that takes them to 30 cities. Their highly anticipated tour sold out multiple nights prompting them to add more shows to the show. Vacations kicked off their tour on March 2nd in sunny Los Angeles, California and will end April 13th in Phoenix. Arizona.

They made their way to Chicago, Illinois on March 19th and 20th and played in two different venues, the Subterranean and Bottom Lounge respectively.

March 20th in Bottom Lounge was my first show back in the photo pit, and it did not disappoint. The stage had a giant tapestry hanging that said “Vacations” in red with blue and red stars around it. It was perfectly simple.

The show started with Discus, a local Chicago band and last-minute addition to the show. Discus was certainly a welcomed surprise for the crowd. They were equally happy and surprised to see so many people watching their set. The band consists of brothers Jake and Paul Stolz, who are in three other bands: Varsity, Pool Holograph, and Central Heat Exchange. Bass guitarist Ryan Deffet also joined them for the night. Their set was dreamy, nostalgic, and filled with guitar arrangements they’ve spent years perfecting.

Next up was dream-pop music group Dreamgirl. Before they walked out, a blue walker was brought onstage. Voices heard questioning what the walker was doing there. It turned out to be a stand for their piano. Hailing from Kansas City, Missouri and donning a vintage Kansas City Scouts jersey, their lead singer Lacey Hopkins took control of the stage. Her powerful vocals left the crowd invigorated as they cheered each time she finished holding an impressively long note. If the audience wasn’t fans of Dreamgirl before, they are now. They performed some of their well-known hits, “Teenage Blue” and “All U Wanna Do is Dance.”

It was time for Vacations to take the stage next. The smoke machine turned on and the lights turned off. Vacations emerged from the darkness onto the smoky stage. After their dramatic entrance, lead singer Campbell Burns forgot to grab his guitar and went back to get it, then took his place at the front of the stage. That set the stage for what seemed like a night of hanging out with friends. The band played their first song, “Moving Out” and continued to have a jam session the entire show. Their set flowed together seamlessly, playing songs from albums Changes and Forever in Bloom and EP Vibes. “Lavender,” “Friends,” and “Home” were next, and there was dancing from the barricade to the back of the venue.

In between each song, the band built rapport with the crowd by making jokes and talking to everyone, essentially breaking the invisible barrier between the stage and the crowd below them. As Australians, the common topic was the cultural differences between Australia and the US. Namely, the lack of kettles in American homes. Vacations continued their set with “Steady,” “Seasons,” “Glow,” and “Be There.”

One of the highlights of their show took place during “Telephone” when they had all the lights in the venue turned off, only lit by phone flashlights from the crowd. It’s times like these where we were all reminded of the intimacy between the crowd and the band.

After a few more songs, Vacations closed out their set with “Days” and “Relax.” Right before their last song, Campbell asked to take a picture of the crowd for their tour diary and had someone email him a video he took while on stage. He had everyone bunch together, and they all stayed that way throughout the last song. It was a great way to end the night. When all was said and done, the band came out to sign setlists and talk with the fans who stayed after the lights came back on in the venue.

Vacations provided a warm and inviting show that gave everyone in the crowd a sense of belonging. I’m still shocked this is their first US tour, but this certainly won’t be their last. Until then, to quote Vacations, we’ve “got nowhere to be but home.”

You can catch Vacations at one of their remaining shows!