When the doors opened, the venue was filled almost immediately. On the ceiling, two large propellers worked overtime inside the wooded structure to keep the humid room tolerable. People gathered in rows for beers, t-shirts, and the outside taco truck. Fans posted up in front of the stage knowing they wouldn’t be moving from their spots. Directly across from the stage was a set of stairs that led up to the VIP room. The warm room was cramped as people wrestled over beanbag chairs. Sacrificing exclusivity for comfort many marched downstairs to the main floor once singer Kadhja Bonet graced the stage.

Wearing a light purple dress and a black fanny pack she blissfully sang her hit song “Delphine.” Her lovely voice was peaceful to hear. Unfortunately, her relaxed style wasn’t enough to overcome the talkative crowd as they loudly conversed amongst themselves chugging lagers. This made it hard to get immersed in her soothing lyrics past the first few rows. To combat this the house raised the volume on Bonet’s microphone. It made her voice clearer but unpleasant to listen to, as the speakers were simply too loud to enjoy. Bonet’s mic kept screeching interrupting her calmer songs throughout the set, not helping the already struggling singer. It was disappointing to see people pay little attention to this talented singer as she performed “Honeycomb.” But given all the obstacles she had to face Kadhja Bonet did a fantastic job of staying focused and singing beautifully.

The audience erupted in excitement when Paak got on stage to introduce his favorite band, The Free Nationals. Rocking a blue fuzzy Kangol, Anderson stated, “I’m biased but I really like this next band. I’ve never seen them perform without me so I’m nervous.” As expected, The Free Nationals got to work providing groovy tunes. The sensual sound of “Beauty & Essex” made the crowd embrace summer love. Synthesized vocals and squealing keyboard solo made everyone’s troubles melt away. Couple of beers helped too. The Free Nationals did a set full of jazzy instrumentals giving those who came solo a chance to dance. The band stuck around after their set, their night had only just begun.

From the top floor balcony, a trumpet player began blasting his instrument. Stomping down the stairs he lead his way through the crowd to the stage. Anderson .Paak had arrived and the intoxicated crowd couldn’t contain their enthusiasm. Now wearing an orange Kangol, shades, and white tee Anderson took control of the room with “Heart Don’t Stand A Chance.” From “Bam Bam” to “Come Down”, the best teef in the game artist bounced back and forth from the standing microphone to his drum set. Red and white lights flashed almost causing seizures as he aggressively spit his verse of “6 Summers.”

Of course, keeping the theme of summer love alive, Paak toned things down with “Make It Better,” giving those lovebirds something to hold each other tightly for. Proving he’s a man of the people, Anderson .Paak hopped off the stage and danced through the sea of fans. Not skipping a beat he even grooved his way to the upper balcony as he sang “Reachin’ 2 Much.” He performed other classics such as “Suede” and “Am I Wrong” before ending with a drum solo and standing ovation appreciatively saying, “Thank you Chi-Town. I love you, YES LAWD!” 

If you are ever fortunate enough to get a chance, witnessing Anderson .Paak live is an unforgettable experience. He made a stop in Chicago earlier this summer for his Best Teef in the Game tour making this free show a real treat. While his other performance had more elaborate designs in a large outdoor arena, the House of Vans is a more intimate setting. The fact that Paak jumped in the crowd to dance with the fans made him even more likeable. He played well over an hour and yet people didn’t want the night to end. Some even made their way up North for a private 2AM show. 

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Ain’t no party like a Vans House Party. In its ninth season, the second in a series of shows were curated by the headlining band, The Breeders. Handpicked for the night, the concert featured heavy hitters like Divino Niño. With their retro, surfy sounds, the group strummed through their dreamy, and sometimes bilingual set. Guillermo Rodriguez was all smiles before strumming the opening for “Maria.” “It feels like a dream to play with The Breeders and Pale Hound,” he said.

The crowd ebbed and flowed as people made their way to the front of the stage or went to grab a beer or merch. With a healthy amount of Vans wearers, the crowd came dressed in casual cool, ranging in ages reflective of the lasting legacy of The Breeders, and the freshness of Divino Niño.

Following Divino Niño, Ellen Kempner of Pale Hound jumped into her set with electric energy. The crowd made its way from the various bean bag chairs or half-pipes in the venue as Pale Hound lit up the stage. Even after snapping a guitar string, Ellen and crew had the crowd transfixed as they powered through their hits from their new album, Black Friday. Ellen didn’t miss a beat. Even after snapping her guitar string on her first song, she showed off her incredible vocals and guitar skills. For an overcast day outside, the crowd still grew in size as Pale Hound went through some of their set. With the energy of the crowd increasing, the love for The Breeders was noticeable among the attendees. “They are one of my biggest inspirations and we would definitely not be here without them,” Ellen said.

During the concert, there were opportunities to look at the art curated by The Breeders. Titled “All Nerve,” the art featured double exposures of collages with masonry bricks in various states of decay and splashes of color. Created by Chris Bigg, the works included, “a number of album cover visuals that were sent to the band in the early stage of art direction.” The same art provided the backdrop for The Breeders who took the stage to a sea of cheering. Preceded by a band member with a small bubble machine, Kim Beal gave a quick hello before beginning. The crowd sang along and cheered when Kim announced they were going to, “sing a few songs from a little album I like to call Pod.” A person near the front of the crowd jumped high into the air as a small mosh pit began. They played classics like, “I Just Wanna Get Along,” and finished their set with “Gigantic” by which the venue was alive with everyone dancing. The lights came up and like any good show, everyone leaving was slightly sweaty and had huge smiles.

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On a cold and dark Friday night, the good people in the development and outreach division of the Vans skateboarder apparel company opened the doors of their House of Vans building to provide a few hours of shelter, music, and booze to the winter-weary souls (and soles! Shoe pun because Vans makes shoes!) of Chicago. The artist Jen Stark, whose art combines the color palate of a Lisa Frank-branded grade school notebook with the visuals of an intense narcotic episode, provided the occasion, as her collaboration with Vans fruited some shoe designs – a just cause for celebration if ever there was one.

And while a jaded music journalist might be tempted to label this event as a crude capitalist ploy by cynical corporate marketers to reach for relevance with their under-thirty primary demographic, those same marketers did provide several hours of free entertainment and beer. What kind of ingrate could criticize that?

What kind indeed…

The visual art aspect of the event consisted of two high-intensity projections and some balloons, “for guests to interact with…” says the promotional flyer, adding that, “[Jen Stark’s] desert scenes… helped inspire the exclusive collection of prints that are available now on Vans Customs and Vans Family.” And while the projections were no doubt inspiring from a product development standpoint, interacting with them turned out to be difficult. How does one interact with a screen? Most “guests” took snaps with their phones, thereby owning a piece of the experience forever in digital format, which they could presumably interact with by running it through social media filters or something. Other people touched the screen and left finger smudges, a kind of contribution, or collaboration, sort of. But again, it was free, so whatever.

Free, but also blissfully lacking in overt advertisements. Promotional flyer notwithstanding, at no point in the evening were the “guests” asked to buy something, or prodded to post their snaps online, or even required to sign on to a mailing list. The word “Vans” only appeared a few times inside the venue, mainly over the stage and on the walls (though in accordance with the company’s slogan, they should have been “off the wall”). The occasion for the event, Jen Stark’s trippy shoe designs, weren’t even on display, or on sale. The only cash register belonged to the food truck selling tacos in one of the side rooms. It was a nice event, and one that they could have charged for, and people would have gladly paid.

In addition to the free drinks and a warm room with pretty pictures and balloons, alt hip-hop group Injury Reserve opened for the electronic music master Empress Of. Injury Reserve has a sort of emo/screamo/metal aesthetic that vibed well with the headbanger types in the audience, though the frontman missed a few lines, made some mistakes, ended a song early, and chided the crowd for not paying attention. But, hey, it was free.

Empress Of played an excellent set, alternating beats with her multi-instrument music contraption – a device that required an assistant to operate, involving microphones and keyboards and cymbals, and looking way futuristic. Her voice has a dreamy quality, and she combines Spanish and English while playing off the music styles of both American continents.

Call it a marketing strategy, or just a pleasant evening, but House of Vans and the venue’s big-business overlords put together a night of entertainment and asked nothing in return. If only all shows had that level of corporate benevolence!

The post “Yo, can I skate this?” An experience involving the art of Jen Stark, and others appeared first on Quip Magazine.