Featured Live Music Artist of the Week - Halfmoon Mad

I happened to see Halfmoon Mad at, of all places, a 5k.  They were the headline band at RAM Racing's Rock The Night 5k held at McCormick Place/Soldier Field every summer.

The event features live music before/during/after the 5k.  Halfmoon Mad was the headlining band in 2015.

But, before Halfmoon Mad took the stage, a solo female acoustic act appeared center stage.  This young lady, by herself with no accompaniment aside from her acoustic guitar put on an electrifying show.  She was singing original hits, from the heart, and playing the guitar with feeling and passion.  She had the entire crowd listening to her every note.  She had this powerful, yet wonderful, voice that just cut through the night just like a good melody should.  And her guitar playing was just as spot on.  It was a very hot evening, even after sundown, but you could tell that she did not let it bother her.  She played probably a 5 or 6 song set.  I do admit, I just completed a 5k in the heat, and was starting on beers, so I don't remember exactly how many song she played.  Most of the crowd was already standing - but they would have given her a standing ovation, had they been sitting.  Her music was the perfect beginning to the post-race evening.  Rock N Roll and passionate - but also just perfect to let people settle into a nice rocking groove.

After a very short break, Halfmoon Mad was announced, and they took the stage.  And guess what?  That solo female singer?  She's also the lead vocalist of Halfmoon Mad!  The band immediately jumped directly into the power rock songs of the 90s, spanning the gamut from Audioslave, to Foo Fighters, to Nirvana, and plenty of bands in between.  The 90s were an era musically known for the male voices of the bands, but this female-fronted rock band had NO PROBLEMS recreating the songs from the 90s!!!  The singer, of course, sounded female, it's not like she suddenly sounded like a male frontman - but the power and range of her voice totally met the vocal needs of the songs - and then some!!!  I found myself enjoying Halfmoon Mad's covers better than some of the originals, to be quite honest.  I recall after the second or third song in, the band proudly announced to the crowd that they were about to "melt some faces!" (and not just because it was still 100+ heat index).  And you know what - they did!!  They rocked that crowd (or, Rocked The Night).

Of course, definitely not to overlook the rest of the 4-piece band (vocals/guitar, lead guitar, bass guitar, and drums - with the occasional keyboards) - these guys (literally, the band was guys except for the vocalist) - absolutely rocked.  Stage presence extreme.  It was over 100 degrees heat index (no lie) when they took the stage and these guys rocked out and ran around and jumped around as if it were a perfect 70 degrees with a breeze.  The heat did not impact this band.  The drummer kicked those drums like a drummer should - full on non-stop energy.  The band was covering 90s rock - and they were playing it just like a 90s band - all-out, non-stop, full-on, in-your-face - or as they said "melting your face".

Exhausted runners were head banging and dancing in place and singing along (and shouting along).  This band took an exhausted heat-impacted crowd on a energy-sucking-hot-night and made everybody forget about the heat - forget about the exhaustion - and just rock out!!!  It's hard to energize a heat-stifled crowd - but this band did it - and it took them all of about 1 song to do it!!  By the end of the 3rd song, people were getting closer and closer to the stage.  By the end of the 5th song, this was no longer a band playing as a "perk" to the 5k - this was a Halfmoon Mad concert.

The applause was amazing - Halfmoon Mad DELIVERED!!!

And, as I saw them leaving the stage - more soaking wet than any of the runners - I fully appreciated what an effort they put into the night (as if it wasn't already obvious by their performance).  One thing I love about a band is a band that loves what they are doing.  And this band - CLEARLY loves what they do!!!   The band left almost every spectator in that perfect state - hyped up from the energy of the performance - while exhausted from the energy of the performance.

Halfmoon Mad - they only played 90s "face-melting" covers that night - but they also have originals.  Check them out on Facebook!

https://www.facebook.com/halfmoonmad/?fref=ts