1.28.2009

Tegan & Sara / City & Colour / Visit to the Chicago Diner

Wow... I know I am far behind on posts, but I didnt realize this far. I have to inform everyone about the Tegan & Sara / City & Colour concert I attended on October 9th, 2008. I had planned on going to the show, staying at my sister's condo, and heading back to school. Well my luck I got a massive fever. When I mean massive, I had a fever of 104-5 earlier in the week. I kept nursing it at home and hoping that it would die down without a doctor's visit. I was so close to not making it, but I would never miss a chance to see one of my favorite band's perform (City and Colour). It was Dallas Green's (get it, city...colour, BAM!) first time in Chicago for his solo project. I have seen him before with Alexisonfire, where he plays guitar and sings. I am completely infatuated by his voice in all aspects. It just gives me chills. So you can imagine no fever was gonna put me down. I decided to leave school Thursday after my morning classes and stay home that weekend to get to the doctor and just be in my own bed.

Well, I didn't just go in to see the show, I also got to see some of my friends that I have made through another favorite singer of mine...SIA! Sia who is a brilliant singer herself has a very active online community through her website. Well, we all get together for shows and it's really great being with a group of people that enjoy her music so much. Especially since we always are waiting in line for hours so we can be at the front of shows ;) Anyways, the 'Chicago Posse' as we have dubbed ourselves tries to get together when there are no Sia tours in the area. This was a great opportunity to get together. As two of the members are vegan and one is semi-vegetarian, we all decided to go to the Chicago Diner.

I will always jump a chance to dine there, it is just such a good experience every time and the staff and environment are all so welcoming. So what did I have? Like I said in my last post about the Chicago Diner, I was looovin the Reuben. I have never really been a fan of saukraut, but for some reason I absolutely adore theirs, but who wouldn't love home-made saurkraut. You could just tell it wasn't from some store bought jar concotion. It still had a bit of a crunch and a flavor that was not overwhelmed by the pickling. The seitan meat was again perfection. Sliced so thinly and looking just like a true corned beef. Their thousand island dressing should be bottled, it is sweet and sour and creamy and pretty much a perfect dressing for anyone. Even our omni friends loved the dressing. Now, you all know my dilemma with mac and cheese. I have tried three or four recipes now and still have had no luck finding one that will satisfy that processed cheese deliciousness that I had grown accostum to in my vegetarian days. Well, after having such good experiences the last time I was at the Diner...I decided to trust them. I ordered their vegan mac and cheese. And HOLEY (get it, holes...cheese, it's okay to groan!) MOLEY I was so glad I did. I couldn't believe how good it was, it was creamy with a very soft texture and that delicious cheese taste that I have been waiting to taste. I got so excited, I wish I could figure out what their recipe is. This is what I was waiting for. Oh my, I can still taste it...yes, 4 months later. Anyone who is planning to go to the Diner, try their mac and cheese! You will not be disappointed.

Now our bellies were all quite filled with vegetarian and vegan goodness. Two of us got the reuben with mac and cheese, another of us got grilled cheese, and another got potato skins, if I can remember correctly. But, who could resist their desert menu. We were too full to get a cake or a pie, but we opted on a shake. Our waiter said that he could split the shake into four servings, so we went ahead and got a Peanut Butter Chocolate Shake. This picture does not do this shake justice. Even the presentation is gorgeous, drizzled chocolate and peanut butter all over the glass and on top with crushed peanuts and cocoa powder. This was to die for! It was so rich and full of creamy peanut butter. I couldn't even imagine having gotten a full serving, the fourth of the serving was enough for me. We all savored the moment and enjoyed our company. And when the shake was all gone, we knew it was time to hit the venue and get ready for a fun night.


When we got the venue, there was already a lot of people there. But, we were fine with our back half of the main floor views. Plus, we all were fed with delicious, compassionate food. The first act was an all girl band named A Girl In Coma. Now, if anyone is a fan of them, Im sorry for saying this, but I really wanted to rip my ears off. They were pretty much just screaming bloody murder the entire time, and Im actually a fan of screamo and hardcore, but not their brand. I did enjoy their facial expressions, they ranged from eyes bulging out of their face to almost eating the mic. We all got a laugh from that. But, still power to them. A lot of kids were dancing and having a good time. I might have just been so anxiously awaiting City and Colour that I could not enjoy them. While and like promised, City and Colour came out on stage. I pretty much just lost it. I coooould not believe he was on stage and in Chicago. The only sad bit is that the crowd was AWFUL. They talked the entire time, they pushed and squished, and were just so rude to him. He did an entire acostic set, so the fact that there was chatter echoing in the hall probably was not welcoming. But, I still found the set absolutely brilliant, he tried to not let it get to him, and he played some pretty amazing songs. I did get a few small recordings of the show. Which are located here and here. His set was extremely short, but I was still glad I didnt wimp out and go home. No illness would stop me from seeing Dallas.

Finally the headliners, Tegan and Sara, made their way to the stage. They played an entirely energetic set with a HUGE mix of old and new songs. They always seem to have the funniest stories to tell you and as sister's their chemistry on stage is hiliarous. Apparently Tegan was moody that day and Sara made sure to tell the world. It was a very, very clausterphobic show. I felt like if I moved an inch 20 bodies would be plastered up to mine. Even the girls asked the crowd to step back a bit as the front row was looking like they were having a hard time even breathing. So, the crowd was extremely hostile. It's sad, especially since we are representing our great city. I have had a few bad experiences at that venue, so it could just be the location, but man was the crowd crazy. I did have a wonderful time and am so glad I got to see my Sia posse. We even took pictures with all of us and the hats that were made to represent our 'crew.'

Sia Represent!

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

I went to that concert. It is funny because I love Girl in a Coma, but was really bored during City and Colour. I guess it is just difference of opinion, but I wouldn't called Girl in a Coma 'scremo' or 'hardcore.' Not even close.
Anyway, I ended up eating at Chicago Diner the next day and it was great!
Also I'm from Detroit and the crowd was a little dissappointing. It is good to know that there are better Chicago crowds out there.

Alicia said...

I have never had a reuben :-( but I have two jars of homemade sauerkraut in the fridge (my BF's parents make it for us) and it's a huge difference with store-bought, and not that difficult to make. So I totally understand you because store-bought sucks hard and homemade is great.

Sarah said...

Jason: Yeah, I don't really remember what they sound like, just that it hurt my ears. :-P The entire show was a bit of a fail. I truly felt the crowd was responsible for all the bad vibes. I felt bad for all the performers. And give City and Colour another chance, they are quite different from the other two, but he is mad brilliant when listened to in a good environment.

Ruby Red said...

Weird, I got almost the same thing as you when I went to the Chicago Diner. You have good taste! ;) I guess I'll have to try their macaroni next time.