LIVE REVIEW: La Dispute @ The Majestic Theatre
Words and Photos by: Soleil Rumpit
“I hope they play Pink Pony Club,” a young fan joked before the La Dispute show at Madison’s Majestic theater. Now, Chappell Roan might understand heartbreak and loss as well as almost any post-hardcore act, but few pop songs could summon the thundering, resonant emotional charge that this show was able to.
And thunder it did — La Dispute were scheduled to play amidst the series of major storms and tornado warnings that the city faced in April. Sirens rang through the streets shortly before the Majestic doors were scheduled to open, and one attendee even said they were ushered inside to take cover in the basement restrooms. Luckily, the weather cleared and the band went on — they had stolen the thunder right out of the sky.
“I Shaved My Head” opened their set, setting off a surge of energy that pulsed through the show, never fully allowing the crowd to settle. It was hard to believe that this was the opening night of their No One Was Driving the Car tour. Vocalist Jordan Dreyer bounced around the stage delivering searing lines while maintaining a magnetic force that has remained with him through years of touring.
Our headliner followed a decent set by California indie rock band From Indian Lakes, who built up with a surprisingly atmospheric vibe that worked well at this mid-sized venue. Smoke curled from a stick of incense lit on stage while they performed their dreamier hits including “Blank Tapes” and “Am I Alive.”
While the sound of From Indian Lakes is a lot different from La Dispute’s, featuring airier vocals and a West Coast indie texture, both bands lean into those charged, introspective emotional themes which helped weave one performance to the next.
Unsurprisingly, the most emotional build of the set exploded during La Dispute’s performance of “King Park,” with a controlled frenzy of drums by Brad Vander Lugt and a closing verse that the crowd echoed back in cathartic screams.
A momentary quiet fell over the room when Dreyer paused to speak candidly to the audience.
“It can be hard to hold fast to what I think is a necessary hope that things might improve when things feel that they will only get worse,” he said, “But traveling, and even just being here in Madison, and seeing so many different faces and so many people coming together to celebrate each other and art and a community that creates; I feel a real sense that there is a future where things are good for all of us.”
He advocated for mutual aid and solidarity in the face of oppression, and encouraged direct action for a free Palestine. After emphatic applause, the band continued their set that heavily showcased their latest album, No One Was Driving the Car, while keeping a few of their classics like “Woman (Reading),” “Andria” and “The Most Beautiful Bitter Fruit” on the list.
For their final encore, the room darkened then came alight with disco ball-like reflections floating around the room. They played an earnest rendition of “Environmental Catastrophe Film,” closing out the night with a turbulent but slow burn meditation on nature and humanity — a final purge of the tension that had built, collapsed and rebuilt through the show.
By the end of the night, La Dispute proved that nobody — not even the rain — could drown out the emotional charge they created on their first night of tour in Madison
