Orville Peck is no stranger to the limelight having been thrust into it immediately after his debut album Pony, deservedly so. And with his star ever rising, this is his biggest tour yet. Peck put on an unforgettably heartfelt show last Thursday evening at Byline Bank Aragon Ballroom. His forthcoming collaborative album Stampede sees a departure from his hazy shoegaze western charm to a more refined country-pop sound. His devoted fan base flooded the ballroom with massive anticipation for the evening and to my amusement, many were wearing the most creative outfits to the show! Of course every other attendee was strapped into a pair of cowboy boots, but there was also a large handful of people that put together their own renditions of classic Orville Peck outfits complete with fringed masks that gave the star his signature look from the very beginning. This tour however, Peck parted ways with his iconic fringed mask and has simplified his look to just the black mask. A huge appeal to Peck’s music is the mysterious aura of his inner lone ranger that radiates from both his lyrics and live shows, so it made sense to at least keep the mask.
Orville is quite the cowboy chic fashion icon and I just knew he was going to come out on stage wearing something divine. The lights went down and his band paraded on stage, as the vibrant crowd welcomed Orville Peck on stage. He wore a classic baby blue western button-up shirt that was embellished in intricate embroidery paired with matching pants and white boots. To top it all off, his white cowboy hat shimmered under the lights. Orville was dressed and ready to put on a glorious performance!
Orville spared no time with his tearjerkers. Immediately into his set, they opened with the haunting and dreamy track “Big Sky,” which made for quite the stately entrance for the lone ranger. “Roses Are Falling” promptly followed and this had the entire room moved and so attentive that you could almost hear sniffles throughout the room. Peck then handed the first rose out to the front row of the crowd from a bouquet that he continued to pass out throughout the night. He concluded his three-song-run Pony intro with “Turn To Hate,” which I think is emotionally driven but still a banger that I love to play in the summertime with my windows rolled down. Peck’s voice in concert is truly striking. Not only does he meet the insane standards of how he sounds on his records, but you can just hear the passion and sincerity when he sings.
The crowd was having a grand old time. Orville Peck shows are emotional roller coasters that bring you to tears one song and then have you dancing and singing your heart out. (All of which were highly encouraged by Orville Peck himself!) He also performed a handful of new songs from his anticipated new album, Stampede. He performed his gut wrenching song “How Far Will We Take It?” and then “Conquer The Heart.” He also performed his predictably latest fan favorite song, “Cowboys Are Frequently Secretly Fond Of Each Other,” which gives a comical social commentary on masculinity and sexuality amongst cowboys. (Just in time for pride month!)
Orville closed out the evening with a hefty run of some of his best songs within his discography and broke out the fringe for the remainder of the set. “Dead Of Night” was probably one of the first songs I ever heard by him and I still distinctly remember hearing it for the first time and absolutely breaking down in tears in the bathroom. His performance of this last week was absolutely enchanting and his voice echoed beautifully under the galactic ceiling. “Daytona Sand” concluded the evening before his encore of “Bronco” which sent off the evening in high spirits.
I am not sure if this speaks any truth to anyone else out there, but ever since I began listening to Orville Peck back in 2020, he became my gateway artist into appreciating country music more. His soul is very much present in his work and that is difficult to genuinely come across with artists these days. On stage he is authentic and a very engaging performer and I strongly believe that his charm has brought him to where he is today.
All photos by Andrew Lagunas.
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