Everyone played Chicago on Thursday night. Bryan Adams, Butch Walker, Cory Branan, Against Me, Gaslight Anthem, Alkaline Trio, Jason Swearingen. Everyone. Just as the evening should have been winding down, Frank Turner, in town for business, threw the people of the Windy City a curve ball and announced at the last minute that he would be playing show number 1625 at the Gingerman Tavern. I was with friends across town when I got the call. We spent some time deciding how much we valued sleep over sing alongs. As it turned out, not much at all.
We arrived to a line out the door because apparently sleep is truly overrated in this city. I’m perfectly ok with that because those that chose a sing along that night were the best company. The excitement in the air was palpable as all around everyone was either discussing the show they just came from, the pajamas they changed out of, or the pure dumb luck that they just happened to end up at the Gman that night.
As the room reached capacity, some were left with the only option of standing out back and watching through the windows. That’s how much people love Frank in Chicago. That love echoed in the small room as Frank came in with his guitar and began with staple I Knew Prufrock. The crowd went nuts. From there, it was more of the same as something from every album was touched upon; never once was there a silent voice in the house. Recovery, Peggy Sang the Blues, The Ballad of Me and My Friends, Victory Bell, I Still Believe, Long Live the Queen all made appearances to continually escalating enthusiasm from the crowd. In true Frank Turner fashion, around the 4th or 5th time he claimed to have only two songs left, he finally closed out with a rousing rendition of Tom Petty’s American Girl, complete with all the necessary backing vocals.
It was truly a special evening for anyone lucky enough to get there. While he’s not selling out stadiums in the States yet, his influence on this side of the Atlantic grows with every tour. Thank you so much to Katie Jeg and the Gingerman for putting this on. This isn’t the first time an intimate, last minute show like this has been put on to a high-spirited success. That’s the beauty of living in this city, you never what’s coming up and sometimes it’s a free Frank Turner show at one of your favorite bars.
