Formed 10 years ago, The Greeting Committee quickly became popular as a self-identifying indie-rock band. Their popularity is notable for releasing sounds that fuel listeners’ inner (or obvious) queer euphoria. Current members Addie, Pierce, Noah, and Micah and other contributing artists owe their success to personalities on the KRBZ Alternative radio station in Kansas City, Missouri. Since being featured on the radio station, their EP ‘Hands Down’ now has 33 million listens on Spotify alone. Entering The Bottom Lounge venue on July 24th, 2024 was quick as staff led attendees to the opener, Toledo, an indie-rock duo. Daniel and Jordan produced energizing sounds and personality, this made the perfect appetizer for TGC. They often spoke to the crowd and established good vibes and gratitude for their Chicago fanbase.
The Greeting Committee’s entrance was mesmerizing. It wasn’t until the second or third song when the front rows could no longer see the end of the crowd as the space became packed. The diverse audience energy and band’s ecstatic start to songs was appealing to people of any age. Their hype stage presence can be comparable to bands The Ramones and Foster the People. TGC’s polished transitions and musical versatility added a variety of raw sound as members changed instruments often, allowing each musician to shine individually. TGC’s new album, ‘Everyone’s Gone and I know I’m the Cause’ released June 2024, making this their third studio album and comprised most of the set-list, with special mentions to their single ‘Can I Leave Me Too?’ and a cover of ‘Birds of a Feather’ by Billie Eilish. Each song flawlessly flowed into one another as many ended with the lyrics sung back at the musicians. While crowd and artist conversation was limited due to the amount of back to back jams on their set-list, crowd interaction was not neglected. Founding members, Addie and Pierce, both entered the crowd during different songs which heightened crowd intimacy. The memorable experience of this show was bound to leave attendees feeling glassy-eyed with a smile, as did I.
Thank you to Radio DePaul for this opportunity and the wonderful artists and staff that allowed this to happen.
All photos by Emma Higgins