Hot off the release of their long awaited second album, 1 Hopeful Rd, Vintage Trouble brought their headlining tour to Chicago.

New York adopted Scotsman, Greg Holden kicked the night off at Lincoln Hall, and it didn’t take long before he had full audience participation, with them singing his song “Give It Away” back to him. The singer/songwriter received an extremely warm welcome, and rightly so. Listening to the beautifully written lyrics of “Hold On Tight” and the emotionally charged “Boys In The Street,” which received huge cheers from the crowd, it was clear to see why his songs have been picked up for shows such as Sons Of Anarchy and also by Phillip Phillips, who released his version of Greg’s “Home.”

Greg’s opening slots for Vintage Trouble have obviously endeared him to the Troublemakers as he had already almost sold out of all his merchandise from previous shows. Be sure to check him out at upcoming shows and listen to his Chase The Sun album which came out in April.

With the Troublemakers warmed up and more than ready, Vintage Trouble burst onto the stage for a high-octane show from beginning to end. This felt like one of those shows people will be talking about for a long time, the kind where you get to look back and say “I was there!”

After the huge success of The Bomb Shelter Sessions, which was an album recorded live over three days, the band recently teamed up with legendary producer Don Was to record new album 1 Hopeful Rd. It’s clear that the band and Don spent a lot of time trying to retain that raw, live feel that was present on The Bomb Shelter Sessions and they have succeeded in doing it.

Covering a mixture of songs from 1 Hopeful Rd and The Bomb Shelter Sessions, the energetic performance included old faithful’s “Total Strangers” and “Hand Me Down Blues” along with the new fan favorites “Angel City, California” and “Doin’ What You Were Doin.” Despite the new album only being released a month ago, all the new songs had the Troublemakers singing along to every word.

The atmosphere was electric and, as usual, the stage was unable to keep Ty Taylor on it as he jumped off to get down and dirty with the fans, along with his jaunt all the way up to the balcony. He certainly knows how to entertain and work an audience, whether it is a room of a few hundred or a stadium containing several thousand.

This is a band made up of four equally strong components.  Nalle Colt’s blues rock licks and riffs effortlessly fill the space between Ty Taylor’s powerful, soulful vocals whilst Rick Barrio Dill’s driving bass lines line up perfectly with Richard Danielson’s pounding drumbeat to keep things moving along at a pace. The guys are also, clearly, a group of great friends who are just enjoying every moment of what they are doing and that really shines through in their live performances.

If you want the full Vintage Trouble experience, you have to see them play live. Trade some sweat with them, sing along at the top of your voice and maybe pass Ty Taylor over your head as he surfs over the crowd. And at the end, make sure to wait around to shake their hands and thank them for pouring their hearts and souls into the performance.

Vintage Trouble is currently opening for AC/DC as well as continuing their own North American headlining tour. Be sure to check them out when they roll into your town. This is certainly one you won’t regret seeing – just be prepared to become hooked.