The Last Dinner Party Brings Theatrical Magic to Chicago’s Salt Shed

Photojournalist: Kiera

Seeing The Last Dinner Party live is a privilege unlike any other you can imagine. The From The Pyre Tour brought Chicago’s Salt Shed to its feet with a theatrical rowdiness you could only expect from the most passionate performers. 

The night’s festivities opened with a rousing performance from Florence Road, an indie rock/pop ensemble hailing from Ireland. (If you are new to their magic, start with “Goodnight” and “Rabbits Can Swim!”) As shared by The Last Dinner Party, Florence Road is proof that rock is alive and well. The group, formed by singer and guitarist Lily Aron, guitarist Emma Brandon, bassist Ailbhe Barry, and drummer Hannah Kelly, generated an electric buzz in the crowd. Barricade fans sang along loudly while crowd-avoiders danced passionately to the side of the masses.

Thoroughly buzzing in the wake of Florence Road’s performance, the crowd restlessly awaited the stage darkening that signaled entrance of The Last Dinner Party. While words will fail to capture what came next, I will certainly do my best.

Abigail Morris, Lizzie Mayland, Emily Roberts, and Aurora Nishevci entered stage right (sadly without bassist Georgia Davies, who was recovering in the hospital from a back injury) alongside their wonderful stand-in bassist and tour drummer. Chicago concertgoers organized a fan-project that spread across the barricade, flooding the front row with signs of well-wishes and love for Davies.

The scalloped theatrical backdrop was then drenched in a vivid red that set the stage for their spirited first act. 

Despite the explosion of singing from the audience, not one word of Morris’ powerful singing was lost to the noise as she sang through From The Pyre. While this is pure speculation and entirely biased on my favorite tracks from the album, the crowd appeared especially thrilled by the performance of tracks like “Count The Ways” and “This is the Killer Speaking.” The deep theatricality employed in Morris’ performance style is exactly why I stated that the experience was a privilege unlike any other. Morris floated and spun across the stage around her bandmates as light as a feather while delivering her trademark powerhouse vocals.

Another performance highlight I cannot overlook was the quasi-spiritual experience of an ominous quintet of harmonizing for the intro to “Woman is a Tree,” standing together in a bright spotlight against a darkened stage. 

The night was a beautiful blend of jumping and singing alongside mesmerized swaying in the crowd that truly cannot be missed. The Last Dinner Party will be touring throughout the U.S. and Europe through the end of July, and I cannot overstate the importance of attending the show to experience From The Pyre in what almost seemed to be its perfect format! Like a great meal, exceptional music is truly magical when experienced together.