Ghost Light Makes Chicago Debut: Review & Setlist

Words by: Kevin Kaufmann

Ghost Light :: 05.16.18 :: City Winery :: Chicago, IL

A sold-out audience greeted Ghost Light at City Winery Chicago on Wednesday night. Guitarists Tom Hamilton and Raina Mullen, drummer Scotty Zwang, bassist Steve Lyons and keyboardist Holly Bowling make up the quintet who were approaching the end of their inaugural tour. The table service venue may be better suited to a jazz trio, but Ghost Light made the winery jam to the point where many fans made impromptu dance spots all around the hall.

Ghost Light started out with a nice, spacey jam that rolled its way into music with a western, desperado feel. The instrumental opening kept building up with great energy. When Bowling utilizing an organ sound on her rig, it gave off tones reminiscent of Deep Purple. A peak was reached, one of many throughout the evening, as the band broke into the original “Isosceles.” Mullen got her first chance of the night to show off her great vocals. “Isosceles” didn’t so much end as fade into more strong improvisation. To finish out the first set, they closed with a Brothers Past song, “Boy.” The first set ended the way it came in, on a mellow trajectory. Having played a number of Grateful Dead covers at past shows, it sounded like the band was going to close with a rendition of “Stella Blue.” However, it was a bit of wishful hearing.

The second set opened with “Nickels and Dimes,” a song featuring elements of reggae and funk that sent the band into another strong composition. Showing off a playful side, Hamilton dropped in a few teases of the Steve Miller Band’s “Swingtown.” Things went from the familiar to the truly experimental as “Lead Weight” in all of its fusion-style glory began. Delicate guitar work gave way to the meat of “Lead Weight,” dominated by Mullen’s stunning vocal. Whether she was harmonizing or taking the lead, her voice added so much to the overall sound when it was present. Simply put, Raina Mullen needs to sing more.

Ghost Light slipped back into “Lead Weight’s” experimental groove and began hinting at what was to come next. It was something familiar, but just out of reach until Scotty Zwang started singing the opening lines of the Tears For Fears classic “Head Over Heels.” A staple of 80s radio, the Ghost Light version went places that Roland Orzabal and Curt Smith never dreamed of when they composed the song. The crowd was into the concert the entire night, but nothing beats a good sing-along.

[Head Over Heels – April 12, 2018 | Captured by LiquidSilverStream]

The band returned to “Lead Weight” out of the “Head Over Heels” jam and found their way into “Winter War Games” from Tom’s American Babies project – a nice bluesy, roots song to run with until the end of the set. As the five-piece built towards the climax, Hamilton pushed a great “War Pigs” tease into the jam and the rest of the band eagerly followed. It was evident throughout the show, but especially during the “Lead Weight” > “Head Over Heels” > “Lead Weight” portion, that Hamilton is the quarterback of the band, sometimes to the point of distraction. At various points the entire band was focused solely on Hamilton, and at times it looked like his mates were asking for permission to explore other parts of the music. That isn’t to say that there was tension, but there was a noticeable, happy deference.

Happy is a good way to sum up how Ghost Light came across the entire night. The band was smiling and laughing during the entire show all the way through the “Come Apart” encore, which featured more “Head Over Heels” and “War Pigs” teases. As the quintet coalesces and gets a chance to explore and mature in the studio and on the road, it appears a bright future is in store for Ghost Light and their fans.

Setlist

Set One: untitled (Instrumental #1), untitled (D Riff), Isosceles > Boy

Set Two: Nickels & Dimes > Lead Weight > Head Over Heels > Lead Weight > Winter War Games*

Encore: Come Apart**

• * – w/ War Pigs (Black Sabbath) mashup
• ** – w/ Head Over Heels, War Pigs & Boy teases