White Reaper Live In Chicago March 14th

(Photo taken by me)

On March 14th, I attended White Reaper's dual concert with Drug Church at the Concord Music Hall. This is my 5th time seeing the band live, and they are starting to be an all-time favorite Alt Rock band of mine.

The small band from Louisville has faced many changes in recent years, including a period of disbanding after their 2023 album, Asking For A Ride. In 2025, the band released their most recent album, Only Slightly Empty, which stepped away from their traditional pop-rock sound and leaned into a more alternative approach. Returning members Tony Esposisto, the band's vocalist and lead guitar, and Ryan Hater, keyboardist, kept the band what it used to be, being the most distinct parts of the album. The album, overall, was received very well by the band's fans, with personal favorites like Freakshow and Blue 42. Prior to their tour with Drug Church, they released the expanded version of the album, Only Slightly Expanded. This included three new songs: Need, Mold, and No Counter. The addition of songs fit right into their repertoire, with defining vocals and keyboard. White Reaper has been around for 11+ years. Their first studio album, White Reaper Does It Again, was released in 2015. 4 years later, in 2019, the band released You Deserve Love. This is the album that finally gave the band some, much needed, attention.

The opening acts for the two bands were LA's Death Lens and the American Emo band Hot Rod Circuit. Concord Music Hall features an unusual horizontal layout of the room, which allows all patrons to seem closer to the stage. The venue also features a balcony where merch booths are set up, and attendees can stand and watch the show from above. Both Death Lens and Hot Rod Circuit played 30-minute increments, warming up the crowd for White Reaper.

White Reaper played an hour-long set, focusing on their new album. Songs like Freakshow and Blue 42 were defining points in the shows, featuring plenty of moshing and stage dives. Freakshow is my favorite song from Only Slightly Empty. The track features a spacey guitar intro that leads into a hard, fast drum. Plenty of distortion carries on the rest of the song, and Tony Esposito's distinct voice plays a major role in the track. Blue 42 is one of the heaviest songs on the album but has jumped to the top of the band's most listened-to songs. In a way, this song reminds me of some Deftones songs: heavy guitar, background tracks, and hard, loud drums. The band made sure to include their classics, like Daises and Might Be Right. Daises, the defining track from 2017's The World's Best American Band, opens with a carnival-like keyboard. This song's distinct high-energy chorus is what White Reaper is all about. For me, The World's Best American Band is a no-skip album. Might Be Right comes from the 2019 album, You Deserve Love. This is the fan-favorite album, and when Might Be Right started, the crowd immediately erupted; the lyrics were known throughout the venue. White Reaper closed out a loud show and led on Drug Church, which was highly anticipated.

This was the first show of the White Reaper X Drug Church tour, which is planned to last about 2 months and end in Louisville, Kentucky, White Reaper's hometown. For me, this was a must-see, and all the bands played terrific sets.