After a long, depressing winter, the season has finally changed in the Windy City, and with the 95 degree heat comes a craving for all things summer: fried food, cold beer, and jam bands. Meanwhile, indie jam band Dispatch’s winter lasted even longer; they’ve been on hiatus for almost 10 years, back before many of their current fans were old enough to attend a show. So although the weather was pretty darn hot, the crowd was all fired up to hear Dispatch, and the band did not disappoint.

After a lengthy delay (and plenty of high-fiving from the baseball-capped bros in the audience), Dispatch took the stage without an opener and launched right into “Bats in the Belfry”. The band started off slow, members grooving in place, with a long night ahead and nothing to prove in a room of fans who were cross-eyed with enthusiasm. “Open Up” provided another classic groove before “Melon Bend” and “Con Man” tested fans’ knowledge of the new Dispatch EP (and while most people probably would’ve watched Dispatch do literally anything, it was surprising how quiet folks got during the newer songs. Do your homework, people!). Fans used the quiet moments to light up a massive amount of skunky marijuana, so that by the time charismatic usual-lead-singer Chad Urmston announced vaguely, “We’ve had homes in Boston, New York, and Denver, but Chicago’s always been another home!” he received a ragged “Yeeeeah!”

Photo by Megan Ritt

Crowd favorite “Bang Bang” had audience members improvising hand motions, and “Passerby” saw such an epic group guitar solo that Urmston, Pete Francis Heimbold, and Brad Corrigan, all at that moment on guitar, ended up on their knees together in the center of the stage, grinding away at their guitars, eyes closed and miles away. The three men pulled their chairs together for an intimate, instrument-swapping set that showed off Dispatch’s musicality. Heimbold took over vocals on the floaty “Valentine”, and Urmston declared “Two Coins” an official sing-along. All three men swapped instruments with no discernable change in quality. Each man’s voice makes up a distinctive part of the Dispatch sound; all of them handle guitar duties with equal skill. By my count, there was at one point or another guitar, bass, drum set, bongo-set, harmonica, ukulele, banjo, and djembe involved in the night’s production, sometimes played by the same musician at once. That kind of group one-man-band aesthetic is nearly unheard of nowadays, and to watch it in person is a thing of beauty.

“The General” jazzed things up with bouncier, faster guitar that had the audience in spasms of joy, and new song “Broken American” was dedicated to those fighting overseas (Dispatch also variously asked everyone applaud for teachers, collected books for New Orleans, and encouraged all armchair musicians not to give up). They closed their set with an epic, endless version of “Flying Horses” that had everyone singing along, thanked the crowd, and left the stage, but the night was far from over.

Rarely has an encore been demanded with such fervor. There actually might’ve been problems had Dispatch not returned. Heimbold took the stage alone and began to play “Cut It Ya Match It”, but the singing was coming from elsewhere; a survey of the room revealed Urmston and Corrigan making their way forward from the corners of the arena, surrounded by waves of joyous humanity. They then covered Buffalo Springfield’s “For What It’s Worth”, which found Urmston hanging from the speaker towers, and a reggae version of “Out Loud” morphed magically into a reggae rendition of Simon & Garfunkel’s “Mrs. Robinson”.

Dispatch played a few more and tried to leave again, thanking their entire road crew and the crowd before wishing us all goodnight, but the crowd was not satisfied. “El-i-as! El-i-as!” they began to chant. Canned music came on, and the crowd redoubled their efforts, banging on the metal folding chairs with their palms. “El-i-as! El-i-as!” The stage lights flicked back down, and the crowd climbed on their chairs, the better to scream; a returning Dispatch seemed floored by the affection but obviously pleased. “Elias”, their final number, was an epic, rollicking version of the fan favorite, featuring complicated solos and several sing-along sections. Corrigan played both the iconic harmonica and hand-drum parts simultaneously. People cried. Finally, oh finally, things had to come to an end. Urmston threw his pick into a sea of waving hands, and fans pocketed their lighters for the long train ride home.

Photography by Megan Ritt.

Setlist
Bats in the Belfry
Open Up
Melon Bend
Con Man
Bullet Holes
Bang Bang
Past the Falls
Passerby
Beto
Valentine
Prince of Spades
Two Coins
Time Served
Even
The General
Broken American
Flying Horses
Encore:
Cut It Ya Match It
For What It’s Worth (Buffalo Springfield cover)
Out Loud/ Mrs. Robinson (Simon & Garfunkel cover)
Turn This Ship Around
Mission
2nd Encore:
Elias
——

Gallery by Megan Ritt

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