Cap’n Jazz, Ted Leo & Roky Erickson close out Pygmalion

Ted Leo & The Pharmacists: 7:30 PM, Krannert Art Center

Walking into the theater for Ted Leo I wasn’t sure what to expect with all of the seating and not a lot of pit area in front of the stage. Soon to realize that people rush up to the stage and disregard the seating entirely. The band chugged through their set with little or no breaks in between tracks, playing new and older material from their catalog. “The Mighty Sparrow” and “Even Heroes Have To Die” were highlights of the newer material from their 2010 record The Brutalist Bricks. It seemed like they fit so much into their set, making their short set list as Leo said to the crowd a few times, feel much longer. — Patrick Singer

Ted Leo took to the Krannert Center stage at 7:30 and immediately had the audience out of their seats and filling the empty space in front of the stage. The Pharmacists’ live show was likely one of the most energetic rock shows to have graced the Krannert Center for the Performing arts. It was honestly one of the most fun shows of the week for me. With so many of the bands putting on grandiose over-the-top performances, it was great to see a group of musicians playing straightforward rock songs. They managed to be entertaining and convincing of how much fun they were having on stage without any theatrics. In today’s music scene, sometimes that is something that gets lost. Leo finished each song off by thanking the crowd for their applause with a “cheers” into the microphone, and he was quite apt in doing so. If you missed this performance you truly did miss out on a great part of this year’s festival. — Evan Metz

Roky Erickson with Okkervil River: 8:45 PM, Krannert Art Center

Roky Erickson & Okkervil River’s performance was great in the connection between performers and audience. You could tell, while sitting in Krannert Center, that everyone present was having a wonderful experience. The expression on each and every performers face was constantly filled with joy, and the banter between Roky and various member of his backing band between songs was always filled with laughter. Erickson is a man who knows how to write a song that really gets to people. Sometimes the lyrics would be little more than one line about Zombies or Vampires, yet the audience was always attentive and interested. They even played one song twice during the set, once with Rocky playing electric guitar and once more in a slower version with Roky on acoustic. But no one minded in the least, I even caught myself singing along both time. The constant yelling of “We love you Rocky!” between songs sums up the night pretty well. Everyone was there to support a pioneer of modern music and show his or her appreciation. This was definitely accomplished, and Roky & Co. returned in kind by playing a greatly entertaining set. — Evan Metz

Cap’n Jazz: 10:30 PM, Krannert Art Center

A rambunctious crowd gathered for the newly reunited Cap’n Jazz as they piled into the lobby following Roky Erickson. It didn’t take but one song for lead singer Tim Kinsella was diving into the crowd and being lifted up nearly to the low ceiling. The band sounded tight and right on mark despite all of the years of being apart. Mike Kinsella, also known as Owen as his side project, gave us his best behind the drum kit and was solid as ever. For the fans, it was a long awaited show and it delivered everything that could’ve been expected. — Patrick Singer

The Dirty Feathers, 11:40 PM, Canopy Club

Local bands usually get put in earlier time slots and sometimes get overlooked in the festival. This year we’ve had local bands step up and deliever in late night spots as headliners or playing just before a headliner. We saw this with Elsinore and Santah earlier in the week, but The Dirty Feathers stormed through the void room at Canopy. The band played a relatively short set, but there was no time wasted with Andrew Kling ferociously ripping up on lead guitar. Highlights of the show included new songs as well as standout single “Pistol Hills”. This would’ve satisfied you for the whole weekend. — Patrick Singer

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