Photo Gallery: Wednesday at the Riviera Theatre • Chicago
Wednesday
Riviera Theatre
November 17, 2025
Chicago, IL
Recap and photos by Curt Baran
Not unlike its predecessor (2023’s Rat Saw God), don’t be surprised to see Wednesday’s Bleeds on numerous 2025 year-end, best-of lists. It’s a massive step forward in both songwriting and musicianship.
The tour supporting it touched down at The Riviera Theatre in Uptown on Tuesday night and immediately made the case for their catalog to grow in stature.
The setlist was heavily curated from the two aforementioned, most recent albums. But in the live setting, singer/guitarist Karly Hartzman breathed new life into what already felt like very lived-in songs. Opener “Reality TV Argument Bleeds” let the tension build slowly before delivering musical rabbit punches that connected like cheap shots. In fact, all of the material hit considerably harder than the recorded versions. Constant touring has added a newfound toughness to the Asheville, North Carolina quintet. They effortlessly pivoted from grizzled Country to Shoegaze and noisy interludes, sometimes all within the span of a single song. It’s a blueprint that continues to find them a wider audience with each subsequent tour.
But don’t dismiss Hartzman’s magnetism and stage presence. Her ability to shift from croon to caterwaul in land speed record time has earned her an allegiance of acolytes all her own.
Even the absence of MJ Lenderman, whose recent solo success has kept him out of this tour, has been almost completely overshadowed by the emergence of her showmanship and a natural gift for drawing her audience into her orbit. A room filled with voluminous Stan’s on a chilly Chicago evening would probably be quick to agree.
Category: IE Photo Gallery
