Having a teenage daughter, I can be sure of two things: sharing Spotify with her will alter my algorithm, and due to this, she will introduce me to new groups that I would have never heard of. Wave to Earth is one of the many groups that have filled the air of our house with their blend of lo-fi, jazzy beats.
Wave to Earth is a South Korean indie rock band that consists of Daniel Kim, lead vocalist and guitarist, Dong Q (Dongkyu Shin), Drummer, and John Cha (Soonjong Cha), Bassist. The band originated in 2019 and is currently on the North American leg of their “the pieces tour”. In Chicago, they performed at the Byline Bank Aragon Ballroom to a sold-out crowd eager to sing along to all of their songs.
The Aragon Ballroom in itself is a historic venue. Growing up in Uptown, I remember joking with people that my family owned the Aragon because of our last name. I remember my parents going there for dances, and I was lucky to attend a few concerts there myself. Going back to this venue with my daughter felt like a full-circle moment. She’s gone there for a few concerts with her friends, and this was the first time we would go there together to enjoy a show.
If you have never been to the Aragon, it is a standing-room-only venue. There are a few VIP booths, but if you want to be in the crowd, standing room is the place to be. One caveat about standing room only is that the earlier you get in line, the closer you will be to the stage. With school and work, my daughter and I did not get dropped off at the show until a little after 4:30 pm. By that time, the line snaked from Lawrence Ave all the way down Broadway Ave, and we still had an hour before doors opened.
Once we got inside the theater, we found a decent spot near the stage. As we stood there, we saw friends happily greet each other. We saw people taking selfies with the stage in the background and groups using digital cameras to take pictures of the environment.
Once the band came out the audience screamed with excitement and was eagerly anticipating their first song. When they started playing “talking about u” the crowd roared. The band slowly rocked the venue with songs from their latest album “Bad Pieces“. Every song blended perfectly into the next and filling the Aragon with a chill vibe that matched the stage.
The stage was decorated like an apartment. There was a couch, digital windows, and a door that allowed the band to enter and leave the stage. As Wave to Earth performed, the “windows” showed images of the city or follage that gave their songs an added layer. It was pretty cool to see the “Bean” in the windows and every day Chicagoans walking by it as the group sang “cherry flavoured love inside your heart”.
Just like the relaxed atmosphere of the stage, the group’s songs relieved the audience of the pressures of the outside world. Most of the songs had an extended intro that crescendoed into loud cheers when the familiar notes of the songs drifted into the audience’s ears. One of the loudest reactions of the night was when the group started playing “Homestick”. This song was not played at many shows and Chicago got lucky to hear it live.
The interaction with the audience is another aspect that took the show to another level. Each member had a moment to tell the crowd how much they appreciated them. Not only did the band play enrich the audiences ears, they even took time to teach everyone a Korean word, “joh-da”, which means cool. Wave to Earth not only gave the Chicago audience a cool night, but they also showed why so many people love their music.
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