By: Sam Taffet
CHICAGO– As the weight of finals started to kick in, I found myself kicking off the final stretch of classes by seeing MIKE at Thalia Hall, one of my longtime favorite rappers. Upon entering the venue, it became packed fast, with a stacked lineup including openers Navy Blue and SemiraTruth.
SemiraTruth opened the night, immediately catching the crowd’s attention and upping the energy, not just with her music, but with her donning a full ghillie suit on stage. A Chicago native, she proudly announced that this was her first show here in over a year, making this a hometown performance for her. The crowd immediately went wild, starting the night off with great energy.
Having seen her perform opening for McKinley Dixon at Schubas in late 2023, I had the great enjoyment of being able to witness her stage presence again, as well as to see how much she has grown since then. You could tell how happy she was to be performing, dancing to her music and diving through her discography. SemiraTruth has since moved to New York, so I will be sure to catch her next when she’s in Chicago.
Next up was Navy Blue, a set that brought a whole new vibe to the night. Before this show, I mostly knew him from featuring on songs, “Nobles” by The Alchemist and “The Mint” by Earl Sweatshirt. With great performances on these songs in mind, I was looking forward to his performance all night, and he completely delivered, with his smooth vocals and beautiful beats playing throughout the room.
Dressed in blue, he mostly let the music speak for himself, with his great voice flowing effortlessly over dark, piano driven, sample-based beats. His calm and introspective sound offered a contrast from the other sets of the night, captivating the crowd with his smooth and calculated flow. Being able to see him live gave me a great appreciation of his solo work, and I found myself saving several songs to my Spotify mid-show. As Navy Blue’s set came to a close, the energy in the room began to shift, building anticipation for MIKE.
Once MIKE finally took the stage, the room erupted in excitement. Being his first show in Chicago in over a year, the energy was electric from the very start. Right as he started talking, he had the crowd non stop laughing and hyped for the show. Even asking the crowd to form a pit to show off their dance moves. His high energy and crowd interaction was nonstop. Every time he raised his hand, he asked the crowd to scream as loud as they could, saying “make the most noise ever” for each performer, as well as his late mother, known to be one of MIKE’s biggest inspirations and the heart behind much of his music.
MIKE delivered a lengthy set, playing around 30 songs spanning multiple albums. He jumped from album to album, going from crowd favorites such as “What Do I Do” and “Burning Desire.” Even playing a track off his newest album, “Prezzy,” titled “Pinball II,” released in May 2025. To close out the night, he performed a crowd request “Evil Eye,” citing that he wanted to do so as the show was sold out.
As always, Thalia Hall was a great venue to be able to experience this performance in. Entry was smooth, the sound was great, and the staff made sure to keep the crowd hydrated by handing out countless water bottles. The night was an incredible way to kick off the final stretch of the school year, and I completely recommend catching MIKE on any of his future tours!
###