Girls Rock! concert: Expect the unexpected
While Lollapalooza rolled on Saturday afternoon in Grant Park, a group of 68 young rockers gathered at Metro for a music festival of a different kind.
The performers were the young women, ages 8-16, who had spent last week at the Girls Rock! Chicago summer camp where they mastered instruments, wrote songs and came together as a band 17 in all. Now they were performing in one of the city's premiere rock clubs, and they loved every minute of it.
(Chris Sweda/Sun-Times)
Before the show, the rowdy gang of musicians gathered in Metro's balcony, where band coaches gave one last pep talk. Older girls looked relaxed and ready to get on with the show; younger girls ran circles around them.
Everyone was decked out in their best rocker looks. Little 8-year-old rock stars are still pretty darn cute even with bright red streaks in their hair, black lipstick and a rock 'n' roll attitude.
Before a large crowd of family members and friends, emcee Jan King got things going. As the bands entered the spotlight one after the other, rocker dads in the audience whooped and hollered.
Only the grandparents seemed to not know what they were in for. After one in-your-face rocker scream by a 10-year-old, King warned the stunned audience: "Always expect the unexpected."
The bands were called Royal Pain, Toe Jam Football, Day Beard Knife, Black Sunrise, Screaming Candy, Sweet n' Sour, Sweetartz, Toxic Love, Time's Up Tuna, Allergik Reaction, The Tweenagers, In Case of Emergency, Coronation Street, Outlet and Mace.
The energy level was about as high as its ever been at Metro where the mosh pit was taken over by band members' younger siblings, all looking up at the stage with wide-eyed awe. The songs were all basic rock 'n' roll; many had unexpected flourishes. Lyrical subjects ranged from a bad day at school to bad break-ups, road trips and the healing power of aspirin.
In Case of Emergency, the final band to perform, wowed the crowd with the addition of an electric violin. Other bands left room for solos by each band member, setting of rounds of applause from proud families.
"The energy here is pretty great," said Michelle O'Sullivan, whose daughter, Olivia, played guitar in the band Outlet. "It's really impressive. And their stage presence is pretty unbelievable."
Throughout the show, proud smiles lit up the faces of the 60 volunteers who had spent a hot, sweaty week turning these young girls into confident musicians.
"This is such a tough thing to do," King said from the stage. "The musicians all stepped up to the plate and did a great job."
And the girls seemed to agree. As one camper said on the way out: "I can't wait until next summer. I'm ready to rock 'n' roll again."