Friday, November 14, 2008
By Aaron Keker

PARK WEST, Chicago - Last evening there could have been an angry mob on hand to watch the Kaiser Chiefs’ performance at Park West in Chicago, but it turned out to be a peaceful riot instead.

Kaiser Chiefs were on a three-city U.S. tour starting with Los Angeles, then Chicago and finally New York to promote their latest release Off With Their Heads.

As soon as Oxford Collapse’s performance ended, the KC mob quickly shuffled and gathered near the front of the stage.

Shortly thereafter, the lights blackened, a large ovation occurred and Kaiser Chiefs proceeded to enter the stage. They started their evening with “Spanish Metal.”
 
The evening did not take very long for Ricky Wilson’s signature move. In fact, two songs into Kaiser Chiefs’ performance, Ricky stood on a KC’s mob table approximately thirty feet from the stage. The KC mob quickly erupted and sang along with Ricky on “Everything is Average Nowadays.”

Once again, like the entire evening, the KC mob erupted with a joyful ovation as each song concluded on their set list.

Kaiser Chiefs performed their latest songs like “Spanish Metal,” “Never Miss a Beat,” “Half the Truth,” “You Want History,” “Good Days Bad Days” and “Can’t Say What I Mean.” The KC mob enjoyed their latest material but you could tell that they wanted some crowd-pleasing classics.
 
Ricky and Kaiser Chiefs provided the KC mob with their crowd-pleasing classics like “Modern Way,” “I Predict a Riot,” “The Angry Mob” and “Oh My God.”

But just when one thought that the evening could not escalate any further, Ricky performed another signature move.

On “Take My Temperature,” Ricky had the KC mob clapping and then all of a sudden it was like he was shot out of a cannon. He raced to the furthest bar from the stage, and jumped on the countertop. He asked the bartender, “I have no I.D., can I get a drink?” Ricky was rejected at first and proceeded to drop himself down to the bar level. After finally receiving his drink, he jumped back on the counter and quickly slammed it. Ricky then jumped back down and ran like a cheetah back to the stage, whereby he was greeted with a loud ovation.

The concert concluded with the KC mob singing alongside Ricky on “Oh My God.” When the song concluded, Kaiser Chiefs left the stage and the angry mob had turned into a peaceful riot. As the KC mob left with a grin on their face, you could tell they enjoyed Kaiser Chiefs’ performance.

This is the second time that I have seen Kaiser Chiefs in a live performance and they always seem to amaze me. Whether it is Ricky singing in the audience, standing on countertops, tossing tambourines and body surfing like last year’s performance at the Vic Theatre, Kaiser Chiefs always seem to energize their audience. It has me wondering what other signature moves will Ricky do next time Kaiser Chiefs perform in Chicago? Maybe climb on speaker stacks like Matt Bowman from The Pigeon Detectives? Below is the set list from Park West in Chicago. 

Kaiser Chiefs’ Set List (Park West):

1. “Spanish Metal”
2. “Everything is Average Nowadays”
3. “Everyday I Love You Less and Less”
4. “Heat Dies Down”
5. “Never Miss a Beat”
6. “Ruby”
7. “Modern Way”
8. “Half the Truth”
9. “You Want History”
10. “Good Days Bad Days”
11. “Na Na Na Na Naa”
12. “I Predict a Riot”
13. “Take My Temperature”
14. “The Angry Mob”

Encore:

15. “Can’t Say What I Mean”
16. “Oh My God”

akecker@alwaysacoustic.com