CAAMP & Blind Pilot Set Serene Early Summer Time Mood at Chicago’s Salt Shed (SHOW REVIEW)

It had been a minute since Ohio folk-rock sensations CAAMP last graced the city of Chicago with a performance (2022, to be exact). Still, that lengthy wait finally came to an end on June 5th as the band returned to the Windy City to kick off the first of two sold-out shows at The Salt Shed.  And really, the band could not have picked a better setting for their sublimely wistful and earnest brand of music, especially considering they were playing in the picturesque outdoor section of the venue, dubbed The Fairgrounds. Indeed, nestled next to the Chicago River, with the majestic city skyline as the backdrop, the setting was fittingly serene, the perfect complement for all the delightfully chill and gorgeous sounds that awaited the crowd Thursday evening.       

Hailing from Portland, Oregon, Blind Pilot proved to be a delightful surprise for this writer, as they delivered a decidedly soulful and organic set that seemed to check all those indie-folk boxes, so to speak. Granted, they have been around for a while (their debut came out way back in 2008), but in a live setting, their music felt palpably more communal and dynamic. That probably has a lot to do with the fact that they have six members in total, who play a nice variety of instruments on stage, which include a standing bass, a vibraphone, a keyboard, and, of course, all the usual folkie suspects, such as banjos, ukuleles, and the like. Some members even managed to play a couple of instruments at once, like Dave Jorgensen, who not only proved himself to be an outstanding trumpet player throughout their set, but also capable of holding down the keyboards at the same time, occasionally. Truly a man of many talents, his trumpet playing in particular stood out and accentuated the bright and organic sounds that characterized Blind Pilot’s invitingly warm set.

After about a 30-minute wait between sets, it was time for the main event, as CAAMP took to the stage promptly at 8:00 and were rightfully greeted with a rousing, Chicago-sized welcome from the crowd.  The band kicked off their 90-minute set on the old-school tip with “Vagabond” before showing off some new material via a beautiful performance of their recent single “Let Things Go”. Like all great CAAMP songs, “Let Things Go” sounds both comforting and soulful, like a wise old friend offering heartfelt, sage advice accompanied by a beautiful melody. In a live setting, though, the solemn intimacy you experience as an individual listener is multiplied and felt alongside thousands of other people, creating a collective, joyful energy that is more than palpable. You can see it in the smiles radiating all around you, as all that positive energy becomes communal, which is a beautiful thing to experience. “Let Things Go” was only the second song in the set. Still, CAAMP had already established that magnificent mood, and they effectively sustained it throughout the remainder of their often-endearing set. 

And the main conduit for all that positive energy was, of course, lead singer/guitarist (and occasional drummer) Taylor Meier, who effectively harnessed and channeled all those good vibes back to the crowd at large. His distinctive, husky vocals (which somewhat recall the Freewheelin’ era Dylan) lend his already heartfelt lyrics added weight, and that certainly rang true in a live setting. It particularly resonated during performances of songs like “26” and “Snowshoes”, but the main highlight of the night, at least for this writer, was a downright spellbinding performance of “Strawberries”, which he performed solo on stage. At the same time, the rest of the band took a break. Already a gorgeously delicate song on record, in a live setting, the stillness of it resonated, along with Meier’s vulnerability, as he expressed to the crowd that he was having second thoughts about performing the song solo because he was “feeling a little shy lately”. Needless to say, everyone was glad he put himself out there, as his performance of “Strawberries” proved to be one of the most compelling of the entire night.

But of course, not everything with CAAMP hits you directly in the feels; they can also occasionally rev it up and jam with the best of them, as evidenced by a markedly up-tempo performance of “No Sleep” and the always upbeat and joyful “Peach Fuzz”. But the band arguably saved the best for last when they invited Israel Nebeker (the lead singer of Blind Pilot) on stage for a duet of “By and By,” which had pretty much the entire audience singing along, effectively building on the already joyous communal spirit in the crowd that night. The band then bid a premature/faux farewell, before returning with Blind Pilot for a two-song encore that included a rousing cover of CCR’s “Have You Ever Seen the Rain”, before officially closing things out with “All the Debts I Owe”, capping off a fantastic evening of beautiful music at Chicago’s Salt Shed, courtesy of Gardener, Blind Pilot, and of course, CAAMP.