Chevelle and The Used Concert Review
Aragon Ballroom, Chicago, Illinois
May 22, 2015

                                

Chevelle and The Used teamed up to bring Chicago fans a show that they would not forget. The show was memorable not just for the music but a tragic death that occurred during Chevelle’s set.

Fan, Kyle Kirchoff, died that evening in horrific way when he and two friends went into an area where they should not have been. They went to an area accessible by a catwalk. Kyle fell approximately six to eight feet and was impaled on metal rods. Kyle was pronounced dead later at Weiss Memorial Hospital. About two-thirds into Chevelle’s set, we could see rescue personnel clearing the balcony to the left side of the Aragon Ballroom. Chevelle performed their full set and the band said the fire department asked them to hold off for a while and then the show would continue. The fire personnel were shimmying across the narrow catwalk to reach the area above the alcove nearest to the stage. The rescue personnel placed a mobile stretcher in the area to remove Kyle Kirchoff. They took care to move him across the catwalk and to an awaiting ambulance. Dean Bernardini and Sam Loeffler came back on stage to advise the fans waiting that the fire department was shutting the show down so no encore would be forthcoming. Details about the victim emerged over the long weekend.

 

 

Chevelle’s response on their Facebook:

“To our fans, as you may or may not have heard, an extremely unfortunate event occurred at our show in Chicago Friday night.

We were asked by police to stop our set so that the authorities could tend to an injured fan. Once the severity of the accident was determined the authorities cleared out the venue to give them time to investigate. We want to thank our Chicago fans for their respect of the authorities and for understanding that these decisions made by the authorities were out of our control. We love our fans in Chicago and while there was no question that the show would be cut short in light of this tragic event, we will be sure to play for you all again as soon as possible.

We are deeply saddened by the passing of Chevelle fan Kyle Kirchhoff and at this time we ask that you all keep Kyle and his family in your thoughts and prayers.”

You can read more about Kyle Kirchoff here: Chicago Tribune Article

The Used performed their set with their usual vigor.  The stage was set with old television sets boxes with white and red lights inside. They suggested we overthrow the bad governments, especially the U.S. government.  We should buy things only from people you trust.  Bert McCracken, the vocalist and frontman for The Used, has had a public struggle with drugs and alcohol. The track list included their amazing song, “The Taste of Ink” and also “The Bird and The Worm” and “I Caught Fire”.  During their set, they wanted to send several messages.  Bert talked about loving who you want, the color of your skin does not matter and girls should watch out for one another. The Used gave an energetic and heartfelt performance.

The hometown crowd was ready for Chevelle to take the stage. The inside of the Aragon Ballroom resembles a Spanish village with faux tile roofs above the balcony and turrets on the corners of the large balcony areas. Chevelle’s set contained numerous songs off of their latest album, La Gárgola. The album has been their most successful. It is diverse album that experiments with different sounds while remaining at heart, distinctively Chevelle. The lights were elaborate with a large light boxes beneath Sam Loeffler’s drum kit and behind both Pete Loeffler and Dean Bernardini. There were also yellow, red, and blue lighting throughout the entire show. They started off the evening with “Ouija Board”, “Face To The Floor” and “An Island”. “An Island” is a hard hitting song that speaks about needing an island right away to put someone on.  We can all relate to that feeling.  Chevelle also performed “Hats Off To The Bull” and  “Vitamin R (Leading Us Along)” and their fans sang along to every word.  As we said earlier, the full set ended and then encore was stopped by the authorities.

 

The night ended badly but the fans were not aware of how tragic the night actually was until the next day.  The music of the evening was still great.  The fans were given a good show despite the awful accident that took the life of one of us.