It may have only been three months ago that Kathleen Hanna was in town at the Salt Shed completely blowing everyone away with Bikini Kill, but those three months felt agonizingly long. Especially after Le Tigre emerged on stage last weekend at the same exceptional venue. Hanna, JD Samson, and Johanna Fateman took the stage by storm, completely captivating the sold-out crowd with another much needed dose of iconic feminist punk jams.
Before Le Tigre's set, Man on Man got the crowd warmed up with a stellar set of their own. The duo of partners Roddy Bottum and Joey Holman were absolute marvels, donning matching outfits as they delivered some incredibly absorbing songs about the queer community. Bottum described the songs as being about "who we are, how we fuck, and what we live like." And from the rousing performance of songs like "Daddy" and "1983" you can tell they're excited to share themselves wholeheartedly.
Holman mentioned that one of the first times he ever performed in Chicago he was in a Christian rock band, something that garnered a hearty chuckle from the crowd. You could tell as he recounted his experience that playing with his partner now was a far more comfortable, if not exhilarating, experience. The aforementioned "Daddy" is probably one of their most catchy and emphatic songs, explicitly detailing the trajectory of a hook up turned relationship. While the chorus of "Daddy can we keep it?" holds an undeniably fun cadence, it's the line "I am yours you are mine" that digs into the band's genuine side.
Much like the last time a Kathleen Hanna project graced that Salt Shed stage, the crowd was packed to the brim and ready to let loose. While Bikini Kill's sound and message bear obvious similarities to Le Tigre, there's a very stark difference when it comes to the atmosphere of the crowd. Le Tigre prides itself on making music that's “for the party after the protest.” Quite honestly, if Bikini Kill was the protest, this was destined to be one hell of a party.
"The Empty" jump-started the festivities with Hanna's voice perfectly wrapping around the song's scathing lyrics: "All that glitters is not gold". In the background, videos played with a dizzying array of colors and shapes while the song lyrics scrolled by. It was a hypnotizing start to the night that would continue to get better and better.
"My Art" had its tour debut with a slight misstep at the start. Hanna explained that this was the first time they've played the track in 15 years and after a little back and forth with Fateman on the song's key, they tackled the rowdy song with ease. It flowed nicely in "T.K.O." which saw the whole crowd jumping in to the song's dance party aesthetic.
The whole night was an expertly crafted mix of the much needed joy in just dancing to Le Tigre's rapid fire songs and reminders of why everyone has desperately need that kind of night off. Hanna noted real life struggles like it being completely ok to start over at any age, any time. The moment came before "On the Verge", where she stopped the song to get everyone on the same track for the upcoming crowd participation. Later on she spoke candidly about the harassment people are subjected to, whether it be over their gender, skin color, or whatever. "It makes people not want to go outside because they're afraid they're gonna get killed." Hanna tied it to the upcoming election year, urging people to not let that fear scare them away from the polls.
But with every note of seriousness came a rush of fun. "Mediocrity Rules" and it's comfortably in just laying low was played right before "Shred A", whose lyrics of "You wasted my time" cut through the former's. Toward the latter half of the night, Le Tigre ran off stage and let "Get off the Internet" play as a staticy black and white video that filled the screen on stage before they reemerged clad in equally stark new outfits. They proceeded to do some synchronized dance moves for "Yr Critique", planting a smile on everyone's face as they gave into the silliness of the whole affair.
Just as the night was set to come to a close, there was time for one last cathartic burst. While I truly don't think there was ever a doubt in the mind of the crowd that Le Tigre would forgo their most well known track, you certainly couldn't tell by their excited shrieks at the end of the night. An almost unrecognizable churning build up led by the band swirling around each other welcomed familiar drumbeats right into a question "Who took the bomp?". What followed was over three minutes of every worry, every stressful thought leaving the body of everyone in attendance and dancing their asses off to "Deception". It was the the most heightened experience of the night as the crowd sang the lyrics right back at Le Tigre, living up to the call-and-response atmosphere the band evokes. It was fitting end to the party of the summer.
All photos by Julian Ramirez