By: Nina Bertuca
CHICAGO– When I got in my Uber to the Salt Shed on April 30, my driver asked what kind of music Japanese Breakfast is- indie rock was my response.
“Like, synth-y, or guitars and drums?” he asked. My reply was, “Well, kind of both!”
Japanese Breakfast, indie rock project of Michelle Zauner, returned to Salt Shed on April 30 to begin a three-night run of shows at the 3500 capacity venue as part of the Melancholy Tour. Her last shows in Chicago, a sold-out two-night run at Salt Shed, were in July 2023 as part of the Jubilee tour. These shows in 2023 also followed the release of Zauner’s best-selling memoir, Crying in H-Mart, which details her life as a Korean-American and the loss of her mother.
Salt Shed was well prepared for Japanese Breakfast’s return, even creating an exclusive concession item: the Japanese Breakfast Sandwich, featuring a “fluffy egg patty, bacon jam, crisp hashbrown, and American cheese.” Kerrygold was a featured sponsor for the night, with a complimentary charcuterie spread on the second floor.
The show started with self-proclaimed “elevator soul” artist Ginger Root, who played his own headlining show at the Salt Shed in October promoting the release of his 2024 album, SHINBANGUMI. He played a high-energy set that didn’t take itself too seriously, with a videographer taking center stage, comedically panning between the musicians during the set. Ginger Root’s music takes influence from J-Pop and video game music with fun, punchy melodies. I remarked that one track made me feel like I was playing the Coconut Mall track on MarioKart.
Cameron, lead singer of Ginger Root also explained during the set why this tour felt so monumental to him. In 2019, the band was in its early stages as Cameron was still in college. While playing an unofficial South by Southwest (SXSW) showcase, he worked on an essay with the prompt,
“What is a piece of music that changed your life?” Cameron wrote about Japanese Breakfast’s debut album, Psychopomp, making this tour a full circle moment for the young artist.
Japanese Breakfast took the stage with her trademark theatrical elements, most notably, a large clam shell that she sat or stood in throughout the show. The clam shell was a striking set piece, as well as a reference to lyrics from “Orlando in Love,” “She came to him from the water like Venus in a shell.” Other set pieces included an LED lantern that Zauner carried throughout the set and a neon sign reading “Melancholy Inn.”
While the tour was for the album For Melancholy Brunettes (and Sad Women), the set felt anything but melancholy. Zauner, a master entertainer, always exudes palpable energy on stage. The most recent album takes on a more country tone than past projects, with tracks such as “Mega Circuit” reminiscent of Wilco’s Yankee Hotel Foxtrot as well as shuffling drums and twangy, Telecaster slide guitar throughout.
The set also included a cover of Donna Lewis’s “I Love You Always Forever,” with Zauner noting that any millennials in the crowd would surely recognize the song. During their last stop at Salt Shed, Japanese Breakfast covered “Jesus Etc.” by Wilco and “Chicago” by Sufjan Stevens.
For the show’s encore, the band brought out their iconic, lit-up gong to perform “Paprika,” which gives me full body chills every single time. While Japanese Breakfast’s newest album may be For Melancholy Brunettes (and Sad Women), the Melancholy tour will be making many Chicagoans very happy for their three-night run at the Salt Shed.
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Photos by Kate Scott // katescottphotography.net