Cafunè

On the 6th stop of the Alive Online tour, American alt-indie pop band Cafuné dazzled Lincoln Hall in Chicago, IL, bringing waves of energy to a highly anticipated show. Celebrating the release of their latest album, Bite Reality, Cafune fans were buzzing long before doors opened as a line quickly formed and wrapped around the building. Excitement was obvious, as chatter could be heard from the crowd about where they’d traveled from, or what they were most excited to hear.

Walking into the main stage area of Lincoln Hall, fans were greeted with a large backdrop curtain loudly displaying Cafuné, and cool blue lights illuminating the stage. With no barrier between the audience and the stage, people immediately walked right up to claim their space, take photos, and chat with crew members.

With opening support from Los Angeles, CA based alt-indie band, Crushed, the venue filled from wall to wall as Bre Morell and Shaun Durkan performed multiple hits spanning their whole discography. For long-time Crushed fans, this set felt new & refreshing as they played tracks from their newest album, No Scope, which released the same day as this show.

Before Cafune could strike the first chord, fans erupted into an uproar of cheers, giving a warm welcome to Sedona Schat (vocalist, writer), Noah Yoo (guitarist, producer), Julian Cubillos (bassist), and Connor Parks (drummer). Opening with “The Moment” and “e-asphyxiation” from their new album, fans were immediately hooked and singing along to all of their favorites. The energy in the room was fun & fiery, as Schat and Yoo continuously joked with the crowd in between songs. As the energy built throughout the set, the band was able to consistently keep the crowd engaged by having interactive segments, like having the crowd clap to create rhythms to songs, or coordinating a wave of simultaneous dance moves.

About 40 minutes into the set is when Yoo declared, “...the chill part is over, now it’s time to party” and immediately riffed into “Demise”, which sent an electric shock through the crowd sending them into a frenzy of jumping and dancing. Cafuné showed no signs of slowing down, feeding off the crowd’s energy until the very last note. The band ended the night with their viral hit, “Tek It,” which turned Lincoln Hall into one massive chorus of voices. This was definitely the most magical moment of the night, as smiles spread through the room and everyone came together to shout the lyrics to their favorite song.

As the last notes rang out, fans slowly trickled out and around the venue. Energy was still humming, and you could hear murmurs of “favorite moments” and “when they’d get to see Cafuné again”. Mixed in with that was a bunch of “it was so great to meet you!” which truly showed how the atmosphere of a Cafuné show can bring so many people together in a really beautiful way.