COIN Isn’t Afraid to Put On a Show
Written by: AJ Bloom
It’s hard to care about everything, but it wasn’t hard to care about COIN’s performance in Chicago, IL, on 10/5/2024, at Aragon Ballroom. They took the stage on a date that was iconic for them and gave a performance to remember, regardless of setbacks caused by production malfunctions.
Photo by AJ Bloom
When listening to COIN’s recorded tracks, the vibes you get are pretty chill. The music is generally groovy and low-key, which had me expecting a show with the same energy. However, the second the band hit the stage, I was blown away. Vocalist Chase Lawrence sat illuminated by a single spotlight as the intro to “It’s Hard to Care About Everything” started to build, and I knew that I was in for a great show. I was immediately drawn in, put into a trance-like state as I watched the production unfold in front of me.
Playing some of their most highly regarded songs, such as “Talk Too Much,” alongside many tracks from their newest album, “I’m Not Afraid Of Music Anymore,” COIN breathed every ounce of life they had into their performance. The band put their laid-back songs in a new, energetic light, which allowed the crowd to fall in love with them all over again. The claim that COIN isn’t afraid of music anymore was apparent in every move that the band made as they made their presence known on stage. Not only are they not afraid of music, but they’re also not afraid to put on a show.
A few songs in, some of the overhead lights broke and fell farther than they were supposed to. I suspected something was up, but had I not had a background in performance and production, I never would have known something went wrong. COIN kept their energy up and performed as if nothing happened. Carrying themselves with a high level of professionalism and charisma, the band kept the crowd engaged and didn’t let the malfunction get them down. After a short break to reset the lights, they came back even bigger and more energetic than before, with a newly ignited fire to put on the show of a lifetime for their audience.
Ending the night with the timeless “Crash My Car,” the show was brought to a perfect closure. If there was ever a song meant to be the finale of a show, it would be “Crash My Car.” The choice to end with this piece was a smart and well-thought-out decision that certainly paid off. The crowd was hesitant to leave once the night was over, hoping that just maybe, if they were lucky, they would catch even a little bit more from the band. It was the perfect way to end a phenomenal evening, and it was a night incredibly well spent.
