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Concert Mon May 24 2010
Review: The Dead Weather @ Marquardt Trucking Company
As we reported early last week, Kin, a new Microsoft-based cell phone, brought rock supergroup The Dead Weather to Chicago Saturday night for an exclusive free show. The venue, announced only four hours before the concert started, ended up being a nondescript warehouse in the West Loop, with a capacity of a mere 500 people. The unconventional space only added to the intimate feel of the show. I'm told the line reached capacity two hours before the concert started, but that didn't stop hundreds people from waiting around just in case. I even caught a handful of people who were denied entrance waiting just beyond the outside barrier in the hope of catching a few guitar licks in hearing range. If Kin wanted to create hype around this event, they sure succeeded.
The band took the stage to a sea of fists in the air and deafening roar. Frontwoman Alison Mosshart sauntered about the stage with her hair in her face and signature snarl. Drummer Jack White may receive the loudest cheers and largest crowd reaction, but that doesn't stop Ms. Mosshart from completely dominating the stage. The barnyard-esque atmosphere of the Marquardt Trucking Company only served to complement the band's haunting sound, which peaked during the moody and intimate "Will There Be Enough Water?" Possibly due to the free alcohol served throughout the event, at points during the set the front of the crowd erupted in crowd surfing and stage diving, which was a bit beside the point considering the atmosphere and nature of the night.
I've been to a handful of these corporate-sponsored free shows in my day, and I have to hand it to the band for playing a full hour and twenty minute set, which is uncommon for these types of things. The band charged through the majority of Sea of Cowards and a good portion of Horehound, before capping off the night with the strobe light-filled "Treat Me Like Your Mother".
For more photos and videos from the event, keep an eye on Kin's official site.
