by Caitlin Dennis | May 4th , 2025

All images are from The Wrecks - Inside:Outside Tour in Chicago, IL on 5/4/25.

Sunday night The Wrecks brought their biggest headline tour yet to the Concord Music Hall in Chicago. The Wrecks are a LA based Indie-Pop-Rock band, who you might have heard of from one of their most popular songs, ‘Favorite Liar’ they released back in 2016. They just released their latest EP in early April “Inside:” which is a compilation of six tracks detailing the growing pains of mental health while navigating making music and falling in love. The EP has the classic sound from The Wrecks that makes you want to jump around even if the lyrics hit a bit heavier.

Sunday was a rainy day in Chicago, but that didn’t stop fans from lining up before the doors opened, some had even been out in the cold and rain for hours. With wet hair but high energy fans were eager for the doors to open so they could warm up, have a drink, and of course, see some live music. This was my first time at the Concord Music hall, and it was definitely the perfect venue for this show. It seemed absolutely massive compared to the last time I saw The Wrecks down at Cobra Lounge, which holds only around two hundred, whereas Concord Music Hall holds upwards of almost 1,500 people. From being a mere handful of tickets away from selling the venue out, this was the second largest show on the tour so far.

Benjamin Carter was first up on the stage. This is his first tour, which could have completely fooled me. The stage presence was massive, and I have to take a second here to give a round of applause to the double denim outfit with the absolutely gorgeous fringed denim jacket. The immediate energy when he stepped on stage was palpable, not to mention the insane vocals echoing through the venue. If I wasn’t a fan before, I definitely am now. Benjamin’s music has an eclectic pop-y feel that makes you want to jump around the room and float off into space at the same time. Definitely an artist to check out.

Quarters of Change was up next, and they definitely kept the energy going. They put on quite the visual show. The lights created so many intriguing silhouettes across the stage as red and blue lights danced across the band while they played. They have what I would describe as a more ‘laid back’ indie rock sound, you can feel it deep in your bones, but are still able to jump around and dance to their sound. Overall great set and I’m definitely going to keep my eye on them in the future.

The main event finally arrived, and The Wrecks took to the stage. Immediately the music hall erupted in cheers as the band entered to one of my personal favorite songs from them ‘Sonder’. They had a charming set on stage as well; a red tufted sofa, a clothes line with loose clothes, and foliage embellished the stage. A clever play on the idea of the name of their tour ‘Inside: Outside’ melding nature and the outdoors with the inside of a home. Throughout the whole set, you could feel that the band was just as excited to be there as the fans were. They performed with so much vitality that the ground was shaking almost the whole night (I tried leaning on a block in the photo pit for stability and was quickly humbled when my camera started to shake from the rumbling of the ground from fans jumping up and down). The setlist has also been frequently changing from show to show, and one of Chicago’s special surprises was a cover of ‘Over My Head (Cable Car)’ by the Fray during the acoustic portion of the set. This was definitely a pleasant blast from the past, it feels like it has been years since I’ve heard that song. Later in the set, the band enlisted the audience to help them record a special message to Lollapalooza to help convince the festival to invite the band to play at the festival next year, so I’d keep an eye out on next year's lineup. The show went out with a bang and fans kept cheering for what seemed like minutes after the lights came up at the end of the show. I almost thought that maybe the band would come out for a second encore. But alas, fans filed out of the venue with their indie rock fix fulfilled.

You can find all three bands on Spotify and Apple Music and I can confidently say that you should give them all a listen!