Harvey Danger Take Questions and Requests at Farewell Tour Stop

Harvey Danger recently announced after 15 years and three albums, they'd be breaking up and embarking on a handful of farewell tour dates. Saturday night at Schubas Tavern in Chicago, devout fans packed the room for two intimate shows, one early and one late, to say goodbye to the Seattle band.

During the early slot, lead singer Sean Nelson towered over the rest of his bandmates and busted into 'Meetings with Remarkable Men (Show Me the Hero),' a song that referenced both Kip Winger and Jesus. During the song 'Woolly Muffler,' Nelson allowed the entire crowd to sing most of the song on their own before he interjected and sang along.

The most amazing part of the evening was how loyal Danger's fans were. After all these years, the crowd knew every single word to every song, and even remained absolutely hushed and attentive during the show -- a pleasant rarity. Nelson humored the crowd with non-sequiturs about a Steely Dan/street drummer mash up and elephantiasis before he segued into the beautiful ballad driven 'Little Round Mirrors.' Halfway through the song, Nelson broke into lyrics from 'Paradise City' by Guns N' Roses all the while maintaining the 'Round Mirror' melody

In an unexpected move, the band introduced a new song entitled 'The Show Must Not Go On,' which seemed like it was solely written for the farewell tour. Nelson joked, "We're almost certain it'll be on our next album." After playing 'Sitta,' the crowd became restless and started shouting out requests. Nelson intervened, saying the request lines would be open later. There were time restraints to end the show before the late show, so at times the set seemed rushed. The band played one more song and acknowledged an encore but eschewed walking offstage and coming back because of time issues and the smallness of the stage. The band "came back" and performed the sullen 'Pike Street/Park Slope' that ended with someone's ringtone accidentally going off. Nelson quipped, "It's a modern way to end a song."

Finally the request lines opened and everyone barraged Nelson with song requests. Nelson wanted the crowd to raise their hand and ask a question, and if he liked the question, then they got to choose the song. One person asked, "Do you regret your fame from 'Flagpole Sitta'?" "Yes and no," Nelson answered, "but mostly no," and the requested 'Happiness Writes White' was approved. There was time for one more, so Nelson played the eloquent 'Radio Silence' from their first record. And with that, the stage darkened and the band walked offstage.

This might be farewell for now, but Harvey Danger has disbanded before. If they should ever decide to reunite, it seems they'll have the fan support to welcome them back.