Cigarettes After Sex
United Center
September 23, 2024
by Shrithik Karthik
Cigarettes After Sex comprises lead singer Greg Gonzalez, bass Jacob Tomsky, and Randall Miller on drums, and the three of them took the stage together at United Center. This was one of the more mellow concerts I have attended recently; the vibes, the stage setup, and the lighting all gave off calmer vibes. Their music has been described to be ethereal, limerent, and often dreamlike musical style. You could tell that their fans knew this; for one, almost everyone was wearing black, and two, the lighting and visuals were very dark and moody.
This was also more of a sit-down concert than anything, and the pit was one of the calmest ones I have seen in a very long time. This was the type of show where, anywhere in the venue, it was a nice place. In the pit, so many couples danced with one another, holding each other, swaying, vibing, and just having a great time, which made for many sweet moments. Greg Gonzalez did an incredible job performing live, with every song being performed with no backtrack. He would tell us what he was about to play every few songs, which made the crowd explode with excitement.
Literally, everything from this show fits the vibe and theme of their band. The visuals generally have very moody things: rain, waterfalls, thundering clouds. Greg and the rest of the band were wearing all black; almost everyone around me was wearing black, and even the pictures from that night were all in black and white. The songs were all languid, dreamlike, and calm. The crowd etiquette was of utmost perfection; while the band was playing, you could hear the crowd singing along more like a behind-the-scenes chant rather than screaming out. Though this was a much more casual performance, everyone in the audience understood the assignment and did so good by the band.
The stage setup was straightforward, but it worked out well. Having a slight T platform that Greg would walk down into was a nice touch, especially for some parts of the songs that had no vocals being played. He would stroll on over and interact with fans. He even gave some of his guitar picks to some of the audience members in the pit. That was a nice touch and so memorable for the fans. During the entire show, I was at peace; Greg’s voice was so magical, and he had such a gift. I’m so glad I was finally able to hear him live. The crowd absolutely showed up that night, and this was such a lovely, mellow concert.
This was such a beautiful night in so many ways, and I absolutely recommend you go see them if you get the chance. They have quite a few more dates on tour, and if they’re coming to a city near you, go see them!
Website | Facebook | YouTube | Twitter | TikTok | Instagram |
