Pepper is a great live band to see live. They last appeared in Chicago opening for Iration in July 2019. See the review here. Tonight, the lead singer, Kaleo Wassman is performing an acoustic set. He has a friend accompanying him on guitar and sometimes bass. 

Kaleo mentions that he really connected with Eric one night when they both sang along to “Don’t Push” by Sublime. So, they cover the song with Eric singing. The vocals are very fast in this song and he nails it.

Later on he talks about growing up in Kona on the west coast of the Big Island in Hawaii. He wrote “Rent” about this time. “My mama working so hard just to get me by. How could I ever thank you?”

They play “Back Home”. With the full band it’s a rocking song, but on acoustic it doesn’t work quite as well.

They also play a Sabotage Soundsystem song. It’s another band that Kaleo fronts.

While it was great to see Kaleo perform, it is definitely a much fuller experience when he plays with the full band.

Cost of a ticket: $53.50 (after fees)

PlaylistHQ Economic Rating: Half Price

Rating Scale: Exceptional Value > Worth It > Half Price > Go for Free > Don’t Bother

Quinn Delaney