Phoneboy Show Chicago the Joy of Heartbreak
After finishing a long shift of doing work that keeps the lights on, it was time to clock out and pursue my true passion: sitting on a crowded bus at rush hour when there’s a Cubs game in an hour. Sitting amongst a crowd of baseball fans en route to see the Cubs take on the Cincinnati Reds, I knew this was where I belonged.
OK, so maybe the bus was just a means to an end and the Cubs game was just a stop along the way.
I stood across the street from Wrigley Field, my all-black outfit not pledging allegiance to either team, as I waited for a second bus to take me to my real destination: Chicago’s Park West to see indie rockers Phoneboy perform with Heart Attack Man, Slow Joy, and PONY.
PONY
With a 6 p.m. start time, I was lucky to make it in time to catch the end of the Toronto-based group, PONY’s, set and I was glad I did. Sam Bielanski commanded center stage as they sang out their catchy grunge pop tunes. They danced, swayed, and screamed, making for a captivating experience both as a viewer and a photographer. As they acted out songs, with the help of guitarist Matty Morand and Christian Beale and Joey Ginald rounding it out on drums and bass, I felt like I was truly able to capture the emotions of the songs.
I hope to see PONY next time they come through Chicago, this time making it for the full set.
Slow Joy
Esteban Flores, performing under the name Slow Joy, was welcomed to the stage with cheers and a high five from a front-row fan. Flores continued some of the grunge vibes set by PONY but veered into a rougher, rock lane. The distorted guitars flooding the room couldn’t drown out the vulnerability of Slow Joy’s songs.
Flores wore his heart on the sleeve of his oversized zip-up hoodie. The Dallas native delivered a raw vocal performance, backed by the equally dedicated performance of his touring band. The 2024 single “Pulling Teeth” being a standout of the set. It felt like Slow Joy lived up to their name — proving that sharing tough thoughts and feelings will be better in the long run, leading to more joy.
Heart Attack Man
PONY and Slow Joy had set the precedent of leaving all their emotions out on the stage, and Heart Attack Man wasn’t about to let the crowd down. The Cleveland-based trio translated their emotions into spinning, jumping, and, of course, screaming. If they were giving it their all, they demanded the same from the audience, spurring mosh pits throughout their set, which the eager fans happily obliged.
Vocalist and guitarist, Eric Egan, kept the energy up throughout the set along with Ty Sickels on guitar and Adam Paduch on drums. The classic pop-punk energy came with appealing to classic pop-punk hardships — work sucks, this place sucks, society sucks, I suck. The trio’s latest release “Limb from Limb” embodies the struggle of losing no matter what as Egan sang, “Curse me if I drown and / Condemn me if I swim.”
But none of these topics exist without the pop punk redemption. We have this music and this show, let’s make the most of it so we can keep making it through. Which is exactly what Heart Attack Man was there to do for the crowd, and it felt like for themselves, too. I only wish I didn’t have my camera to be able to jump into the mosh myself.
Phoneboy
Warm yellow-orange lights and dramatic synths welcomed New Jersey rockers Phoneboy to the stage, marking the start of their set with album opener “Wayside” off their 2025 release Heartbreak Designer. The track carries the emotional buildup typically only earned deep into the show, but with the work from PONY, Slow Joy, and Heart Attack Man, it felt earned.
With this, Phoneboy was ready to show Chicago the joy of heartbreak.
The quartet includes three vocalists in Ricky Dana and Wyn Barnum, also on guitar, and Jordan Torres, also on keys. The variety of voices allowed for incredible storytelling, highlighting alternating perspectives within a relationship. “Better Than You” from Heartbreak Designer took advantage of this as Barnum and Torres argued back and forth that “I’ll get through this better than you.”
James Fusco held down the fort on bass, especially notable with a particularly clean bass riff in fan-favorite track “Nevermind” from the groups debut self-titled album released in 2021. They went on to perform other songs from the album, including “Roses,” a standout, and personal favorite, within the set and within their discography for its concise storytelling and vulnerability.
“Open Up,” from their 2023 album Moving Out, had the audience reach new heights for the height of the bridge. Dana and Barnum asked everyone to squat down and jump up as the peak of the song hit. The crowd kept the energy up throughout the show and took advantage of the admittedly awkwardly wide venue space, creating a huge circle pit to run around in for “Sweater Song.”
For their encore, Phoneboy played a track from each of their three albums, “Runaway” from Moving Out; “I Look Alive,” the lead single from Heartbreak Designer; and “Hey Kid!” from Phoneboy. With the show drawing to a close, the crowd took the opportunity to use the rest of their energy to crowdsurf.
As a fan who’s been following Phoneboy since their debut album, it was a joy to watch their growth showcased on stage. I can’t wait to continue to see where their catchy riffs, emotionally packed lyrics, and undoubted passion take them from here.