And your ears shall hear…

Due to the pandemic, the shows Howie Day had planned for the 20th anniversary of his Australia album were postponed. Now, nearly three years later, he is making up the dates, stopping at the City Winery in Chicago’s swanky West Loop to revisit that landmark album and play his handful of hits. Two things were certain after seeing him perform: both his voice and looks were intact. It seemed as though he hadn’t aged much, and his vocals were better than I remembered, effortlessly navigating between his chest and head voice. Howie broke through during his teens, which could explain why he still looks youthful and spry. Additionally, he has kept his voice in great shape by touring, writing, and recording. His performance skills were strong through two sets, which left us Chicagoans wondering why there was no encore in our city, though he had been doing one so far on this tour. Maybe the VIP meet and greet killed our chances?

City Winery is the perfect venue for a Day show, as you can see him nicely from any spot. But it’s especially fun to sit up close, where you can see the stage floor and all of the tools he uses to create his lush sound beds. Known for his use of samplers and effects pedals, he’s become a master at looping, or recording tracks that repeat in the background to accompany himself during his performance. For instance, he’ll step on the first foot pedal and tap a drum beat out on the hollow part of his acoustic, which he then starts playing back. Next, he records a bassline on the low “E,” by plucking out the notes, and looping it as well. Once he has the rhythm section playing in the background, he’s off to the races laying down the guitar chords, and now it sounds like he has a full band. He can drop guitar leads, record harmonies, sometimes he’ll even record a scream and reverse the sound for effect, which sounds super cool, adding to the musical texture of the song. No two shows are the same. They are unique because he builds these songs from the ground up, each night.

Howie’s first set was full of hits, or, I should say, his better-known songs. An example is “Collide,” which he said he had to play and jokingly hoped we “were ok with it.” It was the moment he explained “this” to us. The whole reason he was still able to tour and perform was because of “this” single, so he said, “I have to play it, I hope you don’t mind.” Of course, we didn’t, but he was bringing light to the fact that he might just be a one-hit wonder. His self-deprecating humor was charming and endeared every listener in the room to him. “Collide” sounded great, and as he was playing, I wondered how songwriters catch lightning in a bottle. It takes a special song to connect with millions of people, and after hearing it up close and personal, I can see why his fans still come out to support him. Writing hits is hard, and Howie wrote a lot of misses over time, but it’s his voice and lyrics that you come back for, his crooning and perspective, and tonight that was on tap for all to see. “Brace Yourself” was another crowd favorite, and I love the song “Madrigals,” which doesn’t get the response it deserves. “Numbness For Sound” explodes at the end, but you must be patient, as with most Day tunes. “Sound The Alarm” saw him take to the piano, performing a beautiful dedication to the memory of Howie’s brother, Andrew, who passed away 18 years ago. “Longest Night,” which also felt like an ode to his brother, took us out of the first set.

As Howie took the stage to perform Australia, which he played front to back, he explained how good it felt to be out touring again and how he navigated his way through COVID. “Ghost,” being the most recognizable song out of the bunch, was my favorite. You can see in the above clip how he fills the room with different textures and how well he projects his voice. “She Says” was another standout from his debut album. Though a breakup song at heart, I love the chorus, “And when she says she wants someone to love/I hope you know/That she doesn’t mean you.” He’s in the friend zone, and you can hear how painful it is for him not to be the one “she loves.”

The second set started slow, as the album does, but once we get to “Secret” and “Slow Down,” we see Howie rocking his hardest. In “Slow Down,” he gets emotional and cries out, “You’re broken to break down/So slow down, slow down.” It’s definitely a highlight of the night. “Sorry So Sorry” and “Morning After” also stayed with me after the show had passed, as did one of the stories Howie told. He said he was so fearless as a teenager that he got on a plane and flew to Los Angeles for a meeting with Clive Davis. He walked into Clive’s office, sat down, and Clive asked him where everyone else was? Howie wasn’t sure what he meant, so Clive asked if his team was coming, and Howie said something to the effect of “it’s just me.” He didn’t need no stinking team! It’s true, those teenage years had us scared to death of asking a girl out, but meeting a powerful record exec in California by yourself? Not a problem!

All in all it was a good show, but I bet seeing Day with a full band is even better when possible.