Photo Gallery • The Jesus Lizard in Chicago
The Jesus Lizard
The Salt Shed
Chicago, IL
September 28, 2024
Recap and photos by Curt Baran
The mic cord sat coiled at the edge of the stage, resting like a coal-colored pasta nest. Fifty-something feet of foreshadowing. The Jesus Lizard, arguably one of this city’s most significant exports (sorry, Hog Butchers), returned home, and the aforementioned stacked, circular strand of nylon and electricity will soon be repeatedly stretched to its limit.
Formed back in the early ‘90s, the Chicago quartet earned its reputation as a combustible live act by stringing together countless performances that seemingly tested the indestructibility of lead singer David Yow. The stories are countless, but many involved fire, duct tape, broken bones, concussions, genitalia, and general mayhem, just to name a few. Have the years tamed him? Well, on Saturday night, before he barked out a single lyric, he was already aloft atop his audience, being passed around like a tray of holiday stuffing.
The band recently released their first new recording (Rack) in 26 years, but their setlist didn’t shy away from giving the people what they wanted. The rhythm section of David Wm. Sims (bass) and Mac McNeilly (drums) has always maintained an almost merciless foundation, allowing guitarist Duane Denison to splash his minimalist aesthetic across their concrete canvass.
It’s a dichotomy that makes the band’s contradictory approach timeless. The music is executed with jarring discipline, and for decades now, Yow has used it as a springboard for chaos and uncertainty. All these years later, it’s this effortless execution that keeps its audience guessing.
We incorrectly stated that their album Rack is the first Jesus Lizard album in 16 years. It’s the first album in 26 years. We regret the error.
Category: Featured, Stage Buzz
