In a likely first for Chicago, both opener Julianna Riolino and band the Rural Alberta Advantage noted the crowd’s silence. The audience at the Lincoln Hall show, though, took these quips as a challenge to raise their voices—a difficult feat for an audience in which I was the youngest by about 20 years and where the only throngs of concertgoers formed by the bar.
Julianna Riolino, the concert’s opener, took relatively rudimentary chord sequences and elevated them through her gritty vocals and talented bassist, Roddy Rossetti. Though the songs themselves were not technically complex, she wove variety into each melody with her unique voice. A crooned verse quickly transitioned into a yelled chorus; a sweet line became a dance break. Between each song, she delivered one message over and over: her name and to not forget it. With a relatively short history—Julianna only began releasing music in 2019—it’s clear she knows she’ll be a star. She’s only waiting for the rest of us to get with the program.
The Rural Alberta Advantage, in contrast, are seasoned performers, having collaborated for over 15 years. The Canadian indie rock band is made up of vocalist Nils Edenloff on guitar, Paul Banwatt on drums, and Amy Cole on accompanying vocals, keyboard, and bass. As their set began, the audience heard only a tambourine. The band slowly entered Lincoln Hall through its back door, with a guitar slowly joining in. The crowd’s silence offered a blank slate for the arrangement to shine. As the Rural Alberta Advantage hit the main stage, guitar and tambourines met vocals and drums. And the magic began.
Though I initially didn’t find Edenloff’s voice to be remarkable, his performance worked in complement to Cole and Banwatt’s percussion-driven instrumentation. Tambourines and maracas by Cole and incredibly complex drum beats by Banwatt defined the music in Lincoln Hall. Banwatt’s skills on the drums were both technically impressive and the engine behind the venue’s rising energy. In the breaks of her performance, Cole danced around the stage and encouraged the audience to clap. Though attendees may not have raised their voice, they were happy to raise their hands. The venue’s lights synchronized with Paul’s drumbeats, another reflection of the value the band placed on percussive elements.
As the show came to a close, the Rural Alberta Advantage ended their performance the same way it began—by walking through the crowd and taking in their essence. They wished good night to “the northern winters” and the “equally depressed.” Lincoln Hall’s only spotlight shone dead on the band, the audience encircling them in darkness and silence. As we were bid good night by the band, a stillness fell again upon the venue. Then, as the main lights rose, the noise of the concert’s height was renewed. The band exited to raucous applause, with the crowd hanging back for another round of drinks with newly formed friendships. The Rural Alberta Advantage performance was a testament to the power of music in breaking the silence.
