The Byline Bank Aragon Ballroom was inundated with plaid this weekend as PinkPantheress came to Chicago for two sold-out nights as part of her “An Evening With… PinkPantheress” tour.
In the Uptown venue, fans rocked plaid clothing, the singer changed outfits from plaid to more plaid and plaid visuals graced the background screen — all emblematic of the British superstar’s bold, unique style.
After doors to the historic venue opened, DJ Nick Cheo, who performed in an NU student’s off-campus basement last Spring Quarter, opened the show with a seamless and electrifying set, a “warm-up for PinkPantheress,” as he put it.
The audience erupted into cheers around 9:15 p.m. as PinkPantheress’ silhouette appeared and she sang the apt opening line from her hit, “Illegal:” “My name is Pink, and I’m really glad to meet you.”
“Illegal” was later performed in full during the show’s encore, and there wasn’t a single dull moment from the opening line until then.
“Stateside,” which tells the story of an intercontinental love interest, was a fitting way to start a show that took place in the middle of the tour’s North American leg. The song is one of the most popular ones off her mixtape, “Fancy That,” which was released in May and catapulted her to a new level of fame.
While “Fancy That” was heavily featured, PinkPantheress also delved into plenty of her other work.
“I Must Apologise,” from her 2021 mixtape “to hell with it,” was one of the first few songs she performed. It’s an upbeat tune, but the lyrics are from the perspective of a narrator whose relationship is strained by frequent lying.
This juxtaposition between the production and lyrics is common in PinkPantheress’ music, and some of the other songs she performed delved into serious topics while remaining consistent with her signature lighthearted sound.
“I Must Apologise” is a good example of PinkPantheress’ EDM inspiration, as it samples Crystal Waters’ “Gypsy Woman (She’s Homeless) (La Da Dee La Da Da).”
Many of her songs similarly incorporate other music, but the sampling always sounds and feels like an earnest creative choice rather than a form of musical “stealing.”
PinkPantheress showcased one of her most clever production moments in a transition from an uncharacteristically mellow segment of Erik Satie’s 1888 piano solo “Gymnopédie No. 1” into her hit “Pain,” which samples it.
She also paid homage to other music throughout the show, like when she mixed Britney Spears’ “Toxic” into her performance of “Romeo.”
The performance had an intimate feel despite being in a mid-sized venue, mostly thanks to PinkPantheress’ ability to connect with the audience.
PinkPantheress didn’t speak much throughout the show, but she didn’t need to. Her positive energy matched the audience perfectly.
For such a popular artist, the crowd seemed surprisingly undistracted by their phones — a majority of fans were dancing, jumping around and laughing with each other.
The audience’s engagement is a testament to what PinkPantheress accomplishes in her music: She uses her talents as a singer and producer to delve into the often-unspoken challenges of life while staying true to a sonically cheerful genre. Concertgoers danced joyfully to some truly devastating lyrics, demonstrating the comforting value of her music.
Overall, “An Evening With… PinkPantheress” felt like an evening in an early 2000s London club, and PinkPantheress made the right choice in bringing her talent “Stateside” for this tour.
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