Raven Clemons

Nancy Danh Huynh

The cold winter snow did not stop fans from piling into the Concord Music Hall on the northwest side of Chicago, IL, for British electronic dance musician Elderbrook’s fourteenth stop on his North American “Little Love Tour.” Supporting Elderbrook at the Chicago show were up-and-coming musicians Erez and NASAYA for a magical 3-hour-long experience for electronic dance music fans. The Chicago show is the fourth sold-out show on the tour, creating a room full of anticipation and excitement. 

Kicking off an electrifying night, NYC-born, Israeli-raised singer-songwriter and producer Erez intrigues the crowd with her synths, beats and angelic voice. Erez rocked out on the beat step pad and switched to guitar throughout her set. Performing in dim purple lights for nearly forty minutes, Erez delivered an ethereal experience. Wowing the growing crowd with her big stage presence, Erez completed her set with her most listened-to song on Spotify, Modern Dream, which left the crowd wanting more. 

Spreading the love, born and raised in Reunion Island, Theo Hoarau, known as NASAYA, stunned the crowd with some nasty guitar riffs and sounds hot enough for him to take off his sweater halfway through his set. His forty-minute set had crowd-goers enchanted, bopping, dancing, and even falling to the ground. 

What have fans been waiting for all night? Jam-packed from every which way, these EDM lovers have been eager to see the Grammy Award-nominated electronic producer and singer-songwriter Elderbrook since his last performance in Chicago in 2021 at Lollapalooza. In 2021, Elderbook nearly sold out Wicker Park’s Chop Shop, which now doubles the room capacity at Concord Music Hall. 

As the music hall filled to the brim with the sold-out show, the crowd cheered in anticipation as the lights went dark and the stage lit up white. The energy climaxed when Elderbrook jumped from stage right to the beat pad with the mic in his hand. 

Elderbrook, born Alex Kotz, classically trained in piano and guitar and, with his multi-instrumental versatility, spreads his love through his positive and uplifting dance beats. Throughout the night, his infectious dance moves and lyrics left the crowd engaged and exhilarated. Elderbrook’s set was nothing short of giving all his love to his 1,500 fans before him, who sang and danced along all night. 

Elderbrook’s sophomore album, “Little Love,” is scheduled to be released on March 31st, 2023. The album dives into the life-changing impact and transformation of fatherhood; recently becoming a father of two, Kotz reflects that love into his music. Kotz shared with Gross Magazine in 2021, after the birth of his first child, “Having a baby girl really made me want to talk about that [everything’s going to be okay] and just gave me a lot of new perspectives and different kinds of things to write about because I’m not just writing about myself anymore. I want to write about my daughter.”