It was Monday, May 4th and I was feeling ill. I wish I could say that I meant “ill” in the good way, but I meant in the gross way where people move away because they can just visualize your cough sneaking its way toward them. Drugged up and in a daze, I set off for Double Door where Chicago’s own Meat Wave and the L.A. riot-inducers, FIDLAR, were playing. With the line stretched past Big Star it was immediately evident how dedicated their fanbase had become.
Once inside, I snagged a spot near the front for Meat Wave who was received well by fans. They seemed to have tightened up since I last saw them play in 2013. The band played an unrelenting set before making way for FIDLAR. 
Now, I’m not sure if it was my med-induced murky mind or my innate desire to feel music, but I didn’t move aside as FIDLAR entered to R. Kelly’s Ignition (Remix). As someone well acquainted with their shows would guess, upon striking the first chord Stoked and Broke, I was tossed into a frenzied mosh pit and simultaneously kicked in the face*. I went with it for part of the song before remembering I was supposed to be taking pictures. Oops? So slipped out of the pit and ran to the stairs for a better view. Man, those FIDLAR mosh pits are a force to be reckoned with, and seeing it from slightly above was sheer beauty. Excited fans jumping on stage and immediately jumping off into the crowd, people getting bruised and battered, beer being flung everywhere…one guy even did a front flip into the crowd. The band and the crowd fed off of each other’s energy, forging the perfect punk-rock symbiotic relationship. Making the night even better, Mario Cuomo of The Orwells surprise attacked the crowd and gave them a night they would never forget.
On a side note, I stopped in on their Shaky Knees set this past weekend in Atlanta and they had amassed a very large crowd. There is no doubt in my mind that they have some new converts! Keep it up, FIDLAR!
*I am currently convinced that this event kicked off, quite literally, my road to recovery. Things just got better after that, ya know?
Review and photos by Abby Walter
Chicago Music News 