The Rentals Metro Chicago Review
Wednesday, August 15, 2007
By Aaron Keker
METRO, Chicago – Last night The Rentals played for a packed house at the Metro in Chicago, Illinois.
After Goldenboy and Copeland rocked the Metro it was finally The Rentals turn to shine.
They shined right out of the gate with Lauren Chipman playing the viola introduction and then Matt Sharp singing the first verse to “The Love I’m Searching For” from the album Return of the Rentals.
After “Naive” from the album Return of the Rentals concluded, Matt remarked, “that he would like to thank Goldenboy and Copeland, otherwise this tour might not have been possible.” Also, he remarked, “this is the first day we are putting out new music in eight years.”
So, this was not only a monumental day for The Rentals but also for those fans that have waited eight years for a new album release.
Some of the biggest highlights of the evening occurred, when Matt Sharp swung his fists in the air earlier in their performance and when he stood on the speaker and amplifier with his arms spread out with the microphone. Another highlight was the ovations that they received after each song concluded. However, these were not the only highlights of the evening.
That evening The Rentals stripped several of their songs down semi-acoustically. The songs they stripped down semi-acoustically were “Keep Sleeping” and “The Man With Two Brains” and “She Says It’s Alright” and “It’s Alright” (Reprise) from the album Seven More Minutes, “These Days” from the album Return of the Rentals and “Last Romantic Day,” “Little Bit of You in Everything” and “Sweetness and Tenderness” from the album The Last Little Life – EP. “Sweetness and Tenderness” was also on the album Return of the Rentals.
The last big highlight of the evening was when Aaron Marsh from Copeland performed with The Rentals and sang “Getting By” from the album Seven More Minutes.
This is the first time that I saw The Rentals and I really enjoyed their performance. Matt Sharp tried to involve the crowd early in their performance by swinging his fists in the air and that energized the crowd. The crowd was so energized that Matt Sharp and The Rentals received a very large ovation after each song concluded on their set list.
If you are looking to listen to a very entertaining and enthusiastic performance by a band then The Rentals are a band you should consider listening to if you do not already do so. If you are unfamiliar with The Rentals I am sure you might be familiar with them without even knowing it. One of their most popular songs is “Friends of P” from the album Return of the Rentals. Are you familiar with that song?
If not, visit www.therentals.com and familiarize yourself with their website. If after viewing their web page and you want to see more of The Rentals visit their MySpace page at www.myspace.com/therentals and listen to their music. If after all of that you really enjoy their music then either purchase their albums on either iTunes or any store that sells their music. You will not be disappointed. Finally, I hope that we do not have to wait another eight years for another album from The Rentals. Below is the set list from their performance in Chicago.
Chicago Set List:
- “The Love I’m Searching For”
- “Naive”
- “Life Without A Brain”
- “Please Let That Be You”
- “Keep Sleeping”
- “Little Bit of You in Everything”
- “My Summer Intro”
- “The Man With Two Brains”
- “The Cruise”
- “These Days”
- “Sweetness and Tenderness”
- “She Says It’s Alright and It’s Alright” (Reprise)
- “Last Romantic Day”
- “Friends of P”
- “Barcelona”
Encore:
- “Getting By” (With Aaron Marsh of Copeland)
- “Love of My Dreams”
- “Waiting”
