Intimate would be the best word to describe Field Medic and Olivia Barton’s performance at Lincoln Hall in Chicago. Despite it being a Monday night, a dedicated group of fans rocked out with both artists.
The opening act, Olivia Barton, has recently gained a greater following from her song “if i were a fish” — which she sings with her partner, corook — going viral on TikTok. Barton held the audience in the palm of her hand; which can be considered as quite the feat for an opening artist. The only sound that was heard during her songs were laughs in response to her tongue-in-cheek lyrics. Barton’s songs were laced with vulnerable, cutting lyrics; the type that speak to your soul in a way that you don’t quite expect.
Her unabashed openness with the crowd allowed her to connect with her specific lyricism, “I just think it’s really vulnerable to be spontaneous, and not use my wisdom as an armor,” Barton said, before playing an unreleased song.
She closed her set with the track “I Love You Just For Trying”, a reflective piece on pursuing her musical passions.
“I love to be liked, I love to be heard
It’s my drug of choice, the gateway was the Fender.”
Field Medic — as always — was a sight to be seen on stage, with lead singer Kevin Sullivan embracing the intersection of alternative and country with his fashion; dressed in a trucker hat, a denim vest with embroidered cats across the chest (á la grandma) and pointy red fingernails.
This line-up of Field Medic also included Nate Lich on drums (and as Kevin would put it: lead backup vocals and guitar) and Dakota Floeter on bass. In the past, Sullivan would perform solo as Field Medic, such as his last performance at Lincoln Hall in 2021, where he performed with his acoustic guitar, harmonica, and trusty boombox. Field Medic as a solo act was a more vulnerable experience, whereas the backing band allowed Sullivan to loosen up a bit, which was reflected in the audience’s dancing and engagement.
Many of Field Medic’s songs utilize drum tracks, which is one of the most notable qualities setting them apart from other folk acts. However, Lich’s translations of the drum tracks to live drums were spot on. The humble three-piece commanded the energy of the room easily, aided by the impeccable mixing by Lincoln Hall’s sound engineer, with Sullivan mentioning that Lincoln Hall is his favorite venue in the city, which is an opinion I can’t argue with.
Field Medic excels in writing songs that tell you just how he feels about his partner, with an enthusiasm that was matched by the many couples enjoying the show. “There has to be at least one song on each album that isn’t a funeral dirge,” Sullivan said, proceeding to play “i think about you all the time”. Being the happiest track on their 2022 release, grow your hair long if you’re wanting to see something that you can change, it had the entire crowd swaying and smiling.
Kevin requested that everyone wear a pair of shades for “iwanthis2last!”, adding some funky orange frames to his own outfit. “It feels better when we play it with them on, so it’ll probably feel better to listen to it with them too,” said Sullivan. Many audience members followed suit, despite the small and dimly lit room. A benefit of playing to such a small room, the artist was able to see the majority of the crowd, and even have conversations with audience members throughout the set.
“POWERFUL LOVE” off of 2017’s Songs from the Sunroom had the crowd moving the most, far from the funeral dirges that Sullivan mentioned several times throughout the set. In fact, very little of the songs in Field Medic’s set were truly slow or sad. The full band’s chemistry and feel shined through the most on this track, and it was clear that Sullivan was happy to be joined by Lich and Floeter during the sets. Sullivan noted that the addition of live drums allowed them to perform “mood ring baby” again, as the song was taken off Field Medic’s set indefinitely after an awkward performance at Metro.
Field Medic’s performance engaged a solid-sized audience for a Monday night – a group of young, like-minded individuals who were excited to support one of the brightest rising stars in alternative folk music. This crowd was far from the deplorable post-COVID crowds making headlines, in fact, they were remarkably present. Field Medic announced that they will release the long-awaited “dope girl chronicles” in December of this year, and Chicago will surely welcome them back with open arms next year.