On Oct 16, singer, musician, and songwriter Rachael Yamagata, graced Park West in Lincoln Park. Walking into the main room and surveying the crowd, it was immediately realized that the people for Yamagata were of all ages, shapes, and sizes.
One of the audience members, Alma, said, "We love Rachael Yamagata. Every time she is in Chicago, we buy tickets to see her. She [Yamagata] once opened for Sara Bareilles. We paid forty dollars for the tickets and left after Rachael was done on stage.”
Before Rachael Yamagata came on stage, the lights dimmed. Yamagata entered the stage to one of her newest songs that she did not mention the name of, but had a rock n’ roll feel. She proceeded to play her older songs, and then made an announcement, “Don’t hate me guys, but I want to share some of my newer music with you.” No moans or groans from the crowd were heard. Her newer music was about some of her past relationships. Yamagata’s one song in particular, Landslide, seemed to be a crowd favorite; a lot of cheering and singing along commenced.
Alma, the audience member, leaned over and said, “I met Rachael before. She’s very down to earth and didn’t treat me like a fan.”
Throughout the show, Yamagata told brief stories or backgrounds before each song, which really helped bring life to her songs.
Yamagata told the audience how she got her start in music. She stated she was a “groupie” of Bumpus, a “soul music” band and that she would hang around while they were rehearsing. It worked because, not long after being around them so often, they made her the singer their band. Her career took off from there. As she became more experienced, she began working solo and released four EP’s and three more albums. Yamagata announced she will be releasing a new album in February 2016 and to keep an eye out for it.
The opening act is a band named, “My Name is You” from Scotland. This indie duo filled the room with angelic tones and pitches with acoustic guitar and piano. The duet didn’t announce their name until thirty minutes into their performance. My Name is You played songs that were soft and soulful. In between songs, the two told some jokes and then told the crowd that one of their songs, “We’re Alive”, appears in one of CW’s 90210 episodes. They played many different songs, but one of their more memorable ones was, “Stay Darling”. My Name is You put on a great show and had a lot of energy. Towards the end, they joked about how their one song, “Fortunate Ones” is about how people do not need material things, but to remember to buy their merchandise.
Yamagata is originally from Arlington, Virginia, but came to Chicago for education at Northwestern University. Many of her songs appear in TV-shows such as One Tree Hill, E.R., The L Word and many, many more. Her songs are also in movies such as Elizabethtown, The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, and The Last Kiss.