It’s no easy task being the first act of concert season
2014. Luckily, 19 year old Jake Bugg was up for the challenge Saturday night at
The Riviera Theater in Chicago. Bugg performed for a sold out crowd of close to
2,500 and left few unsatisfied.
I arrived at the Riviera about an hour before the young
rookie from England was slated to take the stage, and I could not believe the
crowd that was already there. I must have been one of the last 500 fans into
the venue, as the stands and floor was already packed! I was able to work my
way into a respectable position on the floor about 15 people deep. The crowd
demographic was very mixed (a good thing for Jake) There were older people,
those in their 20’s, about an equal ratio of guys to girls, and even high
schoolers. It seems like this young stud attracts a wide audience.
Bugg is still an unknown name in most households, but he’s
gaining popularity fast. He already has the impressive credentials. Bugg’s
self-titled debut album, which was released in October 2012, was named the #12
album of the year by Rolling Stone Magazine. His follow up album, Shangri Li,
is being praised just as highly. Possibly Jake’s most impressive feat was
performing at Glastonbury Festival in 2012 and 2013, and becoming the first person
ever to go from the BBC Introducing Stage to the Main Pyramid Stage in
successive years.
Jake looked very comfortable taking center stage as a Jake
Bugg backdrop was lowered from the ceiling and his drummer and bass player took
their respective positions in the back corners of the stage. Jake made quick
work throughout his entire performance and barely addressed the crowd outside
of stating which album the song was featured on.
The 19 year old came out firing with fast beat tunes
“There’s a Beast and We all Feed it,” “Trouble Town,” and “Seen It All” to
open. It only took about 20 minutes until he broke into “Two Fingers,” his
arguably number one crowd pleaser. I’ll admit it was probably my favorite to
hear live.
Even though Bugg was clearly in the spotlight all night, he
dismissed his drummer and bassist in the middle of the set to perform “Pine
Trees” and “Broken” acoustically. The emotional version of “Broken” was
definitely the best sing-a-long of the night. The rest of his set was high
energy, highlighted by “Taste It” and a rowdy “Slumville Sunrise.”
One of my favorite moments was when Jake returned to the
stage to encore his new single, “A Song About Love.” This is one of his most
impressive tunes in my opinion. When Bugg talks, his voice is very low and
unemotional. This new ballad though completely contradicts that, showing off
his range and displaying that Bugg is not an artist limited to up tempo
numbers.
After a Neil Young cover, Bugg closed the night with his
best known tune, “Lightning Bolt.” (Most would recognize this from the 2012
Olympics promo for Usain Bolt) This sent everyone home happy as Jake spent a
solid minute strolling the stage clapping along with the audience.
In total, the 19 song set by Bugg included 8 selections of
his debut album, 9 off of Shangri Li, 1 cover and 1 off an earlier EP. With
Jake’s songs averaging only 3 minutes in length, his performance was complete
in just about 75 minutes.
After seeing Bugg perform live, I can see how critics
already compare him to Bob Dylan, Neil Young and Oasis. In fact, he even looks
like a Gallagher brother, confidently working the stage but also comfortable
just standing there and letting the crowd soak him in. Bugg opened for Noel
Gallagher last spring for his England tour and Noel is a big fan of him.
It’s been a huge year
for this solo artist, but the vibe I received is that he’s only going to get
bigger. Bugg will continue his world tour throughout the spring. His summer is
open as of right now, but has plans to return to the US in June for Firefly.
CONCERT RATING – 3.5 stars
Setlist:
1.
There’s a Beast and We All Feed It
2.
Trouble Town
3.
Seen It All
4.
Simple as This
5.
Storm Passes Away
6.
Two Fingers
7.
Messed Up Kids
8.
Ballad of Mr. Jones
9.
Pine Trees (Solo Acoustic)
10.
Broken (Solo Acoustic)
11.
Simple Pleasures
12.
Green Man
13.
Kingpin
14.
Taste It
15.
Slumville Sunrise
16.
What Doesn’t Kill You
ENCORE:
17.
A Song About Love
18.
My My, Hey Hey (Neil Young Cover)
19. Lightning Bolt
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