Chicago's Extravagant 'Last Dinner Party' Satisfies All

Walking into the Salt Shed last Saturday night, I wouldn't hold it against you to not know what decade it was.

No, it's not the fact that we're living through yet another conflict in the Middle East or that we may soon get to experience the gas station lines that most of us only heard our parents and grandparents talk about. It was the sheer amount of loose, flowy dresses and flowers woven into hair seen in the assembled crowd. This could have been a Stevie Nicks lookalike convention in the 1980's or an organized hippie protest in the 1960's. Hell, after a few drinks you might think you've stumbled into the raddest renaissance faire known to man.

Of course I'm exaggerating a bit (every flower child carrying around a White Claw and iPhone kind of ruined the illusion), but this audience was definitely skewing more toward the theatrical side of things. And for good reason. The Last Dinner Party isn't just a band that wears its emotions on its sleeve - those emotions have to be sung about at the top of your lungs while dancing back and forth (both arms and legs included...we'll get to more of that later) at a bare minimum. They're the coolest theater kids you knew growing up that actually got their shit together and puts out amazing music. Tori Amos crawled so Florence and the Machine could walk so The Last Dinner Party could run. And with the aptly named Florence Road in support on their current From The Pyre tour, they're absolutely running at 10/10 right now.

Any good headliner will give some kind of mention to their support acts while onstage. And true to fashion, Last Dinner Party singer Abigail Morris took time during their set to shout-out Florence Road and thank them for "saving rock and roll" every time they took the stage. And sure, she wanted to hype up the band currently sharing a stage with them. But she also might not have been exaggerating too much.

Hailing from Ireland with a single hit EP, tons of TikTok exposure, and a knack for making all of their songs sound absolutely epic, Florence Road ripped through a nine song set taking the sold-out crowd on a journey of heartbreak, finding inner strength and coming through the other side stronger than you started. What might sound like it could be wandering into generic territory for any other band is handled perfectly, from the absolutely epic ('Storm Warnings') to stripped down and intimate ('Rabbits Can Swim'). And in some cases, both in the same song ('Miss').

The band being called "The Last Dinner Party" turned out to be something of a happy accident. They originally went by "The Dinner Party" but didn't want to be confused with the existing jazz band Dinner Party as they established themselves, so the 'Last' was thrown into the mix. And far be it from me to tell other successful musicians how to name their bands, but I feel like that one word improved the name immensely. The Last Dinner Party has way more drama, and that's exactly what you get with this band. Drama. Theatrics. Style. Everything about them is lavish and over the top, from the names of their albums (Prelude to Ecstasy, From The Pyre) and songs ('This is the Killer Speaking', ''The Feminine Urge') to their outfits to their attitude.

Rarely has this kind of aesthetic and musical style matched more perfectly with its frontwoman than The Last Dinner Party does with Abigail Morris. Not only does she have the voice to be able to deliver the aforementioned drama, low notes to high, she combines it with a sort of whimsical attitude and flirtatious nature that you can't help but get sucked into. I've never seen one woman hit on 3,800 people before, but that's definitely what it felt like for most of the night. Morris' British accent certainly helps, as does her inability to simply walk from one place to the other. It's more like she floats. Glides. Arms almost always in the air as if she has invisible fairy wings as her only means of transportation.

Morris' Stevie Nicks-esque performance wouldn't be nearly as effective if it wasn't paired with some truly magnificent musicians. I'd been impressed by Emily Roberts' work on guitar from both of TLDP's albums, but that did nothing to prepare me for how much she can absolutely shred in person, rightfully taking her place in the raised center of the stage multiple times throughout the evening to blow everyone away, notably on the solo closing out The Scythe. Similarly, Lizzie Mayland and Aurora Nishevci provided not only multi-instrumental backup (specific shout-out to Nishevci for her absolutely badass keytar), but additional flirtation targets for Morris as she prowled from one side of the stage to the other.

Notably missing from the stage was TLDP bassist Georgia Davies, taking time off to heal from a back injury. The band's bass technician Max Lilley did an amazing job filling in, and the crowd up against the front rail held up multiple homemade "CHICAGO LOVES GEORGIA" signs in support of the missing band member.

In true high theater/vaudeville fashion, this show had a little bit of everything. Songs covered all kinds of thought-provoking themes and topics, from the macabre ('Portrait of a Dead Girl', 'Inferno') to the power of femininity ('Woman is a Tree', 'My Lady of Mercy'). We even had an impromptu dance lesson thrown in for an encore, as Morris took the time to show the capacity Salt Shed crowd how to properly swing their arms and kick their legs to perform the "official dance" of 'This Is the Killer Speaking'. Closing out the show with a reprise of the night's opener ('Agnus Dei') and letting everyone sing and dance along to one of their biggest hits one last time was the perfect cherry on top of an elegant, raucous, decadent, debauched evening.

With the state of the world right now, it's not just enough to go out and party. It's gotta be over the top. It's gotta be elegant and maybe a little sloppy at once. If you never know which dinner party is going to be your last dinner party, you need a band that can treat every night like its last. And this Last Dinner Party comes through in spades.

The From The Pyre tour continues across North America through mid June. Dates and tickets can be found here.

The Last Dinner Party Setlist - The Salt Shed, Chicago 4.4.26

Agnus Dei
Count the Ways
The Feminine Urge
Caesar on a TV Screen
On Your Side
Second Best
I Hold Your Anger
Woman Is a Tree
Gjuha
Rifle
Portrait of a Dead Girl
The Scythe
Sail Away
Sinner
My Lady of Mercy
Inferno
Nothing Matters
This Is the Killer Speaking
Agnus Dei