Concert Fri Jul 16 2010

Review: Hole & Foxy Shazam @ The Vic 7/15/10

By Stephanie Griffin

Courtney enjoys a smoke on stage (photo by Andy Keil)

Back when I was 15, I caught Hole live for what ended up being the second concert I had ever attended. Back then, there were more chicks in the band, Courtney Love played the entire set topless, and a rude attendee in a Nirvana t-shirt spent the entire time heckling the band. Eleven years later Hole stopped by the Vic in support of their new album Nobody's Daughter, and Courtney was just as rambunctious, worn out Nirvana tees still proved to be a popular wardrobe choice, and the band was slightly more clothed. Having heard some not so great reviews of Hole's recent shows in other cities, I wasn't expecting much, but Courtney remained surprisingly lucid and on-point throughout the night.

Eric Sean Nally of Foxy Shazam (photo by Andy Keil)

To start off the night, Cincinatti-based glam rock band Foxy Shazam took the stage donning fur and sequins. Wearing what he deemed his "Jim Henson coat", singer Eric Sean Nally began the show by screaming into the mic, "I'm a stupid white guy and I ain't got no soul, but that is why I rock, and that is why I roll." Between their ridiculous stage banter, gyrating on the mic stands and jumping on their instruments, this band teeters the line between tongue-in-cheek and just plain idiotic, however it all just adds to the spectacle that is Foxy Shazam. While they may be more than slightly contrived, they put on one of the most entertaining stage shows I've seen in a long time.

Piano player Sky White of Foxy Shazam (photo by Andy Keil)

Courtney Love (photo by Andy Keil)

Hole came on stage fashionably late to a crowd who had started to get restless and angry, but the second Courtney picked up her guitar, any ill-will was immediately forgotten. With her signature leg on amp stance, the band opened with a cover of The Rolling Stones' "Sympathy for the Devil" before segueing into the ferocious "Skinny Little Bitch". Of course, Courtney couldn't come to Chicago without taking a few jabs at Billy Corgan. This time around, she only referred to him as "a native of your city", first explaining that the song "Violet" was written about Billy, then frequently alluding to the controversy behind his amount of input on Celebrity Skin and eventually calling him "a very talented boy". Toward the middle of the set, Courtney announced she didn't have a set list planned and was open for requests. After some consultation with the front of the crowd, the band settled on Celebrity Skin classic "Awful" before charging through several new songs, many of which Courtney admitted she had written in rehab.

Bras (and more) fly onstage for Courtney (photo by Andy Keil)

Throughout the show, zealous fans had been throwing their bras (and one pair of boxers) on stage to Courtney so that by the time the band came out for an encore, she had amassed at least 25 bras of various patterns, which she hung from her mic stand. She sauntered out on stage, now wearing only lingerie and a robe, and made her way through "Malibu" and "Boys on the Radio" then slowed it down for an acoustic rendition of "Northern Star" and a cover of Big Star's "Thirteen". Because Hole is nearing the end of their tour, Courtney decided to play an extended encore, which ended up being almost as long as the original set. Before each song, she announced it would be the last, but kept playing song after song regardless until she finally exited the stage, leaving behind a heap of audience members' undergarments.

Hole's drummer as seen through Courtney's ever-bent leg. (photo by Andy Keil)