The Darkness formed in Lowestoft, England and tonight they are playing Park West in Chicago. For the second song of the night, they play “One Way Ticket” and the rock and roll evening officially begins with some sizzling guitar riffs.

At bit later on, Justin Hawkins, the lead singer, notices a cameraman in the front row. He proceeds to take the camera and take a picture down the front of his pants along with a few shots of the crowd, all while continuing to sing. After the song, he explains that large cameras are only allowed for the first three songs and that is why the camera now has a picture of his penis.

The lyrics of so many songs are just freaking great to sing along. One of the best is on “Solid Gold”. “We’re never going to stop shitting out solid gold!” Everyone is gleefully singing along.

Hawkins is a master of falsetto. “Get Your Hands off My Woman” is an excellent showcase of this skill.

He is also a great showman. A great example of this is on “Barbarian”. He grabs the mic with both hands and howls. Also, Justin wears three different outfits throughout the night including two that have tassels that fly about as he dances across the stage.

After starting “I Believe in a Thing Called Love”, he stops the song abrubtly to request that audience members put away their phones and just live in the moment. It is very effective and leads to a mostly phone free excellent grand finale.

See the full setlist here.

The Dead Deads are the opener on this tour. They hail from Tennessee, Alabama. They present some solid rock songs and they are all talented musicians. Their 30 minute set is enough to show they are off to a promising start to their career.

Cost of a ticket: $48

PlaylistHQ Economic Rating: Worth It+

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

Quinn Delaney