Prince Daddy & the Hyena Make the Crowd the Star in Chicago
On May 29, Prince Daddy & the Hyena transformed Chicago’s Lincoln Hall into your buddy Derek’s basement. Alongside openers Leisure Hour, Rat Tally, and Remo Drive, the punk rock group brought all the chaos and crowdsurfing you could want on a Friday night.
LEISURE HOUR
Emo rock trio Leisure Hour opened up the show with an energetic set. The Muncie, IN based rockers looked like they were having a blast playing music with their friends, laughing and joking on stage between songs. Though Isaiah Neal was center stage on guitar and vocals, his bandmates gave him a break throughout the set as Grace Dudas on bass and Raegan Gordon on drums both took turns performing the main vocals.
They closed out their set with standout track “jenny.” For this last song, Neal put down the guitar so he could put his all into screaming the chorus, “it’s just the people that you love are the people that’ll fuck you up.” The raw performance was accented by Dudas who traded the bass for a trumpet for part of the track.
RAT TALLY
Rat Tally, the solo project of singer Addy Harris, was next to the stage for a hometown show. Harris revealed she was nervous as this was her first time playing Lincoln Hall, but there was no need to be. She, with the help of her band, filled the venue with emotional buildups and musical payoffs.
Each track showcased Harris’ confessional indie rock where the lyrics were telling the story that the guitar already knew. Soft vocals were complemented by melodic guitars and reliable drums. But don’t let the soft vulnerability fool you, Harris and the band showed they belonged on the punk lineup with their drawn out moments of rocking out during the aforementioned musical payoffs.
REMO DRIVE
Minnesota-based duo Remo Drive, consisting of Erik Paulson on vocals and guitar and Stephen Paulson on bass, were next to the stage. The emo rockers, joined by touring band members, played some old but mostly new songs, including their latest single “Is She Hiding a Broken Heart?” released April 26.
Paulson continually checked in with the crowd throughout the set, asking between songs if they have any questions, comments, or concerns about the set so far. The loudest contributor was one fan who had the burning question of “is anyone horny tonight?.” There didn’t seem to be any takers, but Remo Drive did dedicate some of their songs to all the “horndogs” out there.
As if they had been waiting for the right chance to strike, the crowd popped off for the band’s closing song “Yer Killin’ Me” off their 2017 debut album Greatest Hits. Placing the song earlier in the set could’ve gotten the crowd more involved throughout. Nevertheless, they closed out strong leaving the audience hyped and ready for the evening’s headliner.
Prince Daddy & the Hyena
As Prince Daddy & the Hyena were tuning their guitars and prepping the stage, a small CRT TV that had been blue-screened for the show finally revealed its purpose. Now playing was the 1990’s live action movie Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.
The opening credits rolled as the quartet from Albany, NY opened with “24-03-04_Birthday_B4,” the first track from their latest album Hotwire Trip Switch released April 17. The song burst with energy that immediately transferred to the crowd who were moshing and showing off that they’d already learned every word.
Prince Daddy & the Hyena was on stage, but the crowd was the star of the show.
“This stage is yours,” frontman Kory Gregory said between songs.
The invitation was taken up by many who crowdsurfed onto the stage only to dive right back off onto fellow fans once again. This cycle continued as Prince Daddy & the Hyena played the soundtrack, making their way through fast-paced fan favorites new and old, with “***HIDDEN TRACK***” off their 2015 EP Adult Summers being a particular height of the show.
The audience was mesmerizing to watch as they screamed out every word with fervor and dedication. As this was my first time seeing Prince Daddy & the Hyena, I felt like I had been missing out all this time. Despite my sideline spot pushed up against the side of the stage with Gregory and his bandmates Cameron Handford on guitar, Daniel Gorham on drums, and Jordan Chmielowski on bass mere feet away from me, I couldn’t stop watching all the fans to the left of me. All I could think throughout the show was “I’m so glad to be a part of this.”
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