Augustana Metro Chicago Review
Wednesday, May 14, 2008
By Aaron Keker
METRO, Chicago – Augustana welcome to the real Chicago audience!
I watched Augustana perform last year at Charter One Pavilion and House of Blues and in no way was the audience as energized as they were last evening at Metro in Chicago.
The real energy occurred around 8:52 p.m. when Augustana entered the darkened stage to an extremely packed Metro.
As vocalist Dan Layus blasted into that first verse of “Hey Now,” the concert commenced.
When the song concluded Augustana received a large ovation. From the opening song “Hey Now” to the conclusion of the evening on “Baby Please Don’t Go” by Bob Dylan the audience was energized. The audience provided decibel level ovations, sing-alongs and even clapped alongside with Dan Layus as Augustana worked through song after song on their twelve song set list.
One of the largest ovations occurred after “Reasons” concluded. In fact, if I looked at a decibel meter and compared “Reasons” to “Boston,” I would have to say that “Reasons” surpassed “Boston” on the meter. Not bad for a song that was only available if you pre-ordered the deluxe edition of Can’t Love, Can’t Hurt on iTunes before it’s release date on April 29th.
The strangest thing was, if I had the opportunity to interview Dan Layus earlier that day, I was going to ask him if Augustana was going to play that song that evening. Considering that question was already answered, I guess I’ll have to rework it for any future interview with Dan.
Not only was the audience energized with their ovations but also they sang along with Augustana on “Hey Now,” “Wasteland,” “I Still Ain’t Over You,” “Sweet and Low,” “Boston” and “Dust.”
Near the conclusion of Augustana’s set list, the audience clapped with Dan Layus on “Dust” and “Baby Please Don’t Go.”
Besides Augustana performing and rocking out at Metro in Chicago, the evening was really stolen on “Reasons.” Like I remarked earlier, the ovation on “Reasons” surpassed “Boston” on the decibel meter. However, the real excitement occurred when Dan Layus played “Reasons” on acoustic guitar as he sang with all of his band mates at the microphone.
In fact, about a quarter or so into the song, Dan left the microphone and bassist Jared Palomar and keyboardist John Vincent took turns singing a verse or two on “Reasons.” As Jared and John finished their verses, Dan returned and sang the rest of the song with his band mates at the microphone. When the song concluded, every member in the audience cheered with authority.
For those of you who have not purchased Can’t Love, Can’t Hurt, make sure you purchase the album at iTunes or any store that sells their music. Can’t Love, Can’t Hurt is a very good, well-rounded album that contains a wide range of tempos for every listener and definitely is an album that you should consider investing in.
If you have the album minus the song “Reasons,” do not panic because I am sure it will be available soon. I really believe it will be one of their biggest hits on Can’t Love, Can’t Hurt. Besides being a really good melodramatic acoustic song on the album, the audience really enjoyed that song this evening. Hopefully, Augustana will make a music video for “Reasons?”
Augustana, which was formed in Illinois by Dan Layus and Jared Palomar, finally received their heroes welcome in Chicago. I definitely agree with VH1 when they say that Augustana is an artist that “You Oughta Know.” Below is the set list for Augustana at Metro in Chicago, Illinois.
Metro Set List:
- “Hey Now”
- “Wasteland”
- “Meet You There”
- “I Still Ain’t Over You”
- “Twenty Years”
- “Fire”
- “Sunday Best”
- “Down Home Girl”
- “Reasons”
- “Sweet and Low”
- “Boston”
- “Dust”
Encore:
- “Baby Please Don’t Go”
