The Wood Brothers Perform Two Exceptional Shows in Chicago in Support of Hunger Relief

It’s November in Chicago. The air is crisp. The trees are mostly barren as a bed of colorful leaves lay softly on the ground. It’s a time that signals the holidays are near, when friends and family gather to rejoice and share in the splendor of the season. For many, a time of merriment. For others, a continuation of the daily struggle to find their next meal.

More than 44 million people in the US, including approximately 1 in 5 children, experience food insecurity or a lack of access to an affordable, nutritious diet. Unfortunately, it is a crisis that is more rampant than many realize because hunger is too often conflated with homelessness. Although closely related, hunger and homelessness are mutually exclusive crises, with the former taking root far deeper in our communities, neighborhoods and schools than is often realized. In fact, according to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s 2022 Annual Homeless Assessment Report, the hunger crisis affects far more Americans than homelessness alone, with 582,462 people experiencing homelessness on a single night in January 2022 compared to the more than 44 million people who are food insecure.

The hunger crisis in America is real, but one that is often difficult to see. As The Wood Brothers sing in “Worst Pain of All” from their latest album, Heart is the Hero, it is this type of pain – “the pain no one can see” – that is “the worst pain of all.” Perhaps it was only fitting then that The Wood Brothers recently took time out of their current US tour to return to Chicago for two benefit concerts to support Beyond Hunger, a non-profit organization that for over 40 years has provided hunger relief and essential programming to residents of 13 zip codes in and around Chicago. Last year alone, Beyond Hunger supported over 52,000 people in the area with approximately a half million meals.

As in past years, the first benefit concert was held at Thalia Hall, an approximately 1,000-person capacity venue in the Pilsen neighborhood of Chicago. The second concert was held the following evening on the outskirts of town at Fitzgerald’s, a 400-person nightclub in Berwyn, Illinois. In a city known for its live music, no one could have asked for two better venues to host The Wood Brothers as each one provides a beautifully intimate and warm space for getting close to your favorite bands.

As has come to be expected with this band, The Wood Brothers did not disappoint, playing two exceptional shows that showcased their ability to not only cross genres and moods with ease, but also add color and texture to their studio work that always leaves even the most ardent of fans astonished. Indeed, each night I spoke with several fans who had never previously seen The Wood Brothers perform live. I promised each of them that whatever their expectations were for the evening, they were still too low. The rock is a little harder. The roots a little deeper. The blues more colorful. The lyrics more tender. The funk a little funkier. And the soul more soulful. Each and every one of those fans was in complete agreement at night’s end. The Wood Brothers excel live and the two benefit shows in Chicago were no different.

Each night was a different set with, by my count, only three songs repeated across both nights. Quite a treat for those fans able to make both shows. As to be expected, the band drew heavily from their great new album, Heart is the Hero, playing all ten songs across both nights. Another staple of their show is the brief mid-show interlude when the band quiets the crowd to harmonize on a few songs before a single radio mic. It is always a beautiful and tender moment that draws the crowd into the remarkable warmth and honesty of the band’s music. The remainder of the songs each night drew from the band’s other eight studio albums, including rollicking numbers such as “Alabaster,” “Atlas,” “Snake Eyes,” “Little Blue,” “When I Was Young,” “Shoofly Pie,” “Get Out My Life Woman,” “Happiness Jones>Express Yourself,” “Don’t Think About My Death,” and “One More Day.” Full setlists from each night are below.

The Wood Brothers are a must-see live band and one that Chicagoans who caught them at Thalia Hall and Fitzgerald’s will not soon forget. For more information on the band’s current tour, which includes new dates recently announced through the Spring of 2024, click here. For more information on Beyond Hunger, including ways to support, please click here.

All images: © Derek Smith / High Voltage Concert Photography for American Blues Scene