We Went There: Pulp at the Aragon Ballroom, Chicago
Can you write an objective review of a show you’ve anticipated for decades? It’s challenging. After a decade-plus ago quick New York/LA run, Pulp announced their “This Is What We Do For An Encore” tour of North America, covering a few extra cities this time. I’ve waited decades for Pulp to come anywhere near Minnesota, and there wasn’t any chance I’d miss this last opportunity at a bucket list band.
I’ve never seen Ian Svenonius live before, despite being a huge Nation of Ulysses fan and a casual fan of more of his bands over the years. Escape-ism is the pairing of Svenonius with Sandi Denton on bass and keyboard (and a handheld cassette recorder at one point). As a frontman, he also played guitar throughout the set to varying degrees, even if he always had a mic in his hand, looking to break free. Escape-ism played a quick set, focused heavily on drum machine beats, and came off with a strong Suicide vibe.
After a quick changeover, the lights dimmed, and a series of projections informed us this is the 552nd Pulp show. As the band made some noise to open in the darkness, Jarvis Cocker worked his way to the dark platform in the back as they started into “I Spy” from Pulp’s biggest album, Different Class. At 60, Cocker still commands an audience and has all the moves he’s known for. He danced, pointed, and leaped through the 19-song set between the platform towards the back and the two spaced risers up front. Things leaned heavily on Different Class but covered many from their run from His N Hers through their final album, We Love Life, with a few others sprinkled in. Following a great “Disco 2000” right away, Cocker stepped back and played some acoustic guitar in the early set. “Something Changed” was dedicated to the late bassist Steve Mackey and hometown Chicago hero Steve Albini, with whom Cocker had worked in his solo albums.
As mentioned, the set leaned heavy on Different Class, which had Pulp’s biggest hits over here in the US. It included a triumphant “F.E.E.L.I.N.G.C.A.L.L.E.D.L.O.V.E.” and a grooving “Monday Morning.” After a great pair of His ‘n’ Hers classics, the band quietly left after playing We Love Life’s “Sunrise.” If you weren’t paying attention for a minute like I was, you wouldn’t have noticed that they left and returned for the first encore. The three-song encore closed with Pulp’s biggest hit, “Common People,” which they extended for Cocker to go around and introduce the band. After the death of Mackey, it consists of longtime members Candida Doyle on keyboards, Nick Banks on drums, and Mark Webber on guitar. Current touring members Andrew McKinney, Emma Smith, and Adam Betts all joined last year and did a great job of filling in the songs and doing justice to them.
After another break, Pulp returned. A chunk of the audience thought the show was over. In a surprise move, they made the live debut of a brand new song called “Spike Island.” This means we’ll see more new material in the future; it was great to hear something new that fits right into the catalog. After an energetic “Razzmatazz,” they closed with a great version and fitting closer of This Is Hardcore‘s “Glory Days” before leaving the stage.
It’s safe to assume this could be the last time Pulp tours the US. If that’s true, they went out on an incredibly high note, showing they can put on a commanding performance after being a band for over 40 years at this point. Wherever you’re coming from, it’s worth the journey.
