Deerhunter Play Secret Generator Show in Chicago

As part of Urban Outfitters and Levi's Secret Generator Series, Deerhunter played beneath Chicago's Kennedy Expressway overpass on Saturday afternoon. The free show was the first of two pop-up shows in the series. The next will occur on Oct. 3 in Boston when Neon Indian will play an undisclosed location powered by a generator.

Situated on a small stage at a nondescript area adjoined to the Chicago Tribune Freedom Center plant parking lot, the band railed through several new songs from their upcoming record 'Halcyon Digest.' The chilly fall day didn't bode well for the hundreds of fans bundled up. Lead singer Bradford Cox remarked how cold it was in Chicago compared to his hometown of Atlanta, which was experiencing a heatwave. "It feels like the dead of winter here," he joked. "I keep thinking about Christmas."

The band opened with brand new song 'Desire Lines,' which filled the space with the group's signature melodic ambiance. Despite ricocheting off the concrete walls at first, the sound increasingly got better as the set went on. Bassist Josh Fauver chain-smoked and kept smiling at the crowd, while guitarist Lockett Pundt switched off lead vocals with Cox. Older song 'Hazel St.' from the band's second record, 'Cryptograms,' immediately followed, but the new songs continued with the doo-wop-like 'Don't Cry,' the dreamy 'Helicopter,' 'Fountain Stairs' and 'He Would Have Laughed.' Cox mentioned this was the first time they'd played the new songs live, but he didn't forget about older material like 'Rainwater Cassette Exchange' from the titular EP and 'Never Stops.'

Deerhunter took a short break and came back for a three-song encore which included 'Famous Last Words,' also from last year's 'Rainwater.' Afterwards, Cox mentioned the instruments didn't like the cold weather and that the next song might not sound good. "I have to go to the bathroom," he confessed. The band finished out their 75-minute set with 'Saved By Old Times' and the full-throttle rock number 'Nothing Ever Happened,' which got heads bobbing. During the coda, Cox stood there and held down the pedals and allowed loud, swirling distortion to expel for a couple of minutes before finally waving goodbye to the crowd.