On May 14, 2013, Lady Lamb (Aly Spaltro) played a headlining show at Schubas in Chicago. She was very sick with a cold and by all accounts barely made it through her set. “If I recall correctly,” she said on Wednesday while reminiscing about that night, “I couldn’t even sing most of the songs, so I asked the crowd to sing along with me.” Quite a few people cheered when she said that, to acknowledge they were there and that she was telling the truth. Shows like those are the sorts that both the audience and artists remember clearly, because they’re far from what could be considered normal. Then again, I’d like to think that just about every Lady Lamb show is special and unique in its own way, which is why when Spaltro returned to Chicago to play the Empty Bottle with Torres about a month and a half later, she was 100% healthy and arguably even more memorable for her powerful and intense solo set.
Nearly two years to the day since her sick performance at Schubas, Spaltro returned on Wednesday night to headline the venue once again. Not only was she in tip top shape, but was also armed with a brand new record called After as well as a backing band to help bring her songs to life in a much fuller way. Things immediately got off to an elaborate start with the multifaceted “You Are the Apple” from Lady Lamb’s 2013 debut album Ripely Pine. In the grand tradition of starting strong and then going stronger, After single “Billions of Eyes” surged to life next, which got the crowd moving a bit with some serious head bobbing and a bit of a sing-along. At one point a couple people began to clap along with the beat, but unfortunately nobody else joined in so that stopped pretty quickly. Still, it was clear early on that people were connecting with the songs, they just showed it in a variety of ways.
For her part, Spaltro did a great job of mixing things up, really putting her three piece setup to good use with some of the louder and more aggressive numbers like “Bird Balloons” and “Spat Out Spit,” then giving them a mid-set break to play some quieter stuff like “Sunday Shoes” and “The Nothing Pt. II” solo. Those moments when it was just her voice and guitar really brought back the intimacy of her shows from a couple years ago while also infusing the set with greater doses of pathos and heart. The between song banter was a similar shade of earnest, with Spaltro expressing real gratitude for Chicago and everyone who came out to support Lady Lamb, which included her own Aunt Fran. I had the privilege of standing right behind Aunt Fran next to the stage for the duration of the show, and she was positively beaming with pride the entire time.
At the very end of her 90 minute set, Spaltro once again sent off her bandmates and closed by playing “Ten” solo. “This is my favorite song,” Aunt Fran whispered to her friend as the first notes rang out. It comes across like a diary entry brought to life, complete with the little moments and vivid imagery that we remember from our childhood. In one of the final verses, Spaltro sings the lines, “We were singing along / To every word of the songs / That helped make us who we are.” If the tear-streaked faces in the crowd were any indication, Lady Lamb’s songs have done their part to help shape lives in a similar fashion.
