Sammy Rae and The Friends at Metro in Chicago 2022 Front Row Music News

18 Mar, 2022 John Kosiewicz Alternative, Concert Reviews, Funk, Indie, Jazz, R&B, Rock, Soul

Sammy Rae - Photo credit: John Kosiewicz

Sammy Rae & The Friends Bring the Party to Chicago’s Metro

)n March 18, 2022, Sammy Rae & The Friends brought their Follow Me Like the Moon Tour to Chicago’s Metro. Opening the night was Con Brio. This was my first time photographing Sammy Rae & The Friends, and they were such a fun band to photograph, watch and hear. With a large group on stage, there was always something happening. Sammy Rae moved around the stage throughout the show, while the horns and rhythm section gave me plenty of different moments to look for through the performance.

The Show

Con Brio Opens the Night

Opening the night was Con Brio, a seven-piece band from the San Francisco Bay Area mixing funk, soul, R&B and psychedelic rock. Led by vocalist Sarah Clarke, who had recently joined the band, Con Brio brought plenty of energy to the Metro stage. With guitar, bass, keyboards, drums, saxophone and trumpet filling out the lineup, the band had a big sound that got the night off to a strong start. Their latest release at the time was the 2021 single “Nonsense.” Check them out at Con Brio Official Website.

Sammy Rae & The Friends Take the Stage

Sammy Rae & The Friends opened their set with “The Feeling” before going into “Follow Me Like the Moon.” From there, the band worked through songs including “Talk It Up,” “Whatever We Feel,” “Denim Jacket” and “Living Room Floor.” Sammy Rae spent much of the show moving around the stage and interacting with the other members of the band. The Metro is a great venue for this type of show. It is small enough that the audience is close to the stage, while still giving a larger band enough room to spread out. From a photographer’s perspective, there were plenty of places to find different angles. “Jackie Onassis” and “Saw It Coming” were followed by a song that was especially appropriate for a Chicago show.

25 or 6 to 4

Sammy Rae & The Friends included Chicago’s own “25 or 6 to 4” in the set. The band put their own spin on the classic Chicago song, and the crowd responded immediately. It was one of those moments that worked well in the room and was also fun to capture. The set continued with “Good Life” and “Let’s Throw a Party!” before the band left the stage.

Of course, the crowd wasn’t finished yet.

Encore

Sammy Rae & The Friends returned for one more song, closing the night with “Kick It To Me.” The show was a good reminder of what makes smaller venues like the Metro so much fun to photograph. The stage is close, the crowd is right there, and the performers have plenty of room to interact with each other and the audience.

Sammy Rae & The Friends put on a fun show, and there were plenty of good moments to capture throughout the night.