Moshpits, Gas Masks and Fishnets at Car Seat Headrest’s Sold Out Weekend Show in Chicago

In a mist of smoke and neon green strobe lights, Will Toledo, the lead singer of Car Seat Headrest, walked on stage dressed in his space-age gas mask and orange construction jumpsuit to echo the apocalyptic aesthetic for the band’s 2020 album release “Making a Door Less Open.” As the band walked out in utility jumpsuits and WW1 fighter goggles, the fashion set the ominous tone of impending doom that the audience adored.

The Masquerade tour was a night full of “music, dancing and identity loss,” according to the band’s tour promo post.

90s aesthetics, media consumption and the feelings of being torn between life and death all play a role in the band’s live performances.

Toledo’s stage presence was one to remember as he teased the crowd with blood-pumping dances and erratic movements, reaching out towards the barricade during fuzzed-out tracks that examined dark, meaningful humor. Toledo’s gas mask lit up to match the stage lights as his mask showed red hearts during “Weightlifters” and switched to bright flashing lights during “Fill in the Blank.”

The signature gas mask is inspired by Bob Dylan’s quote, “if someone’s wearing a mask, he’s gonna tell you the truth … if he’s not wearing a mask, it’s highly unlikely.” Toledo started to wear the mask onstage as it represents his alter ego Trait, because he still gets nervous while everybody is staring at him.

Bartees Strange opened the show that got the crowd head-banging and moshing with their electrifying post-punk guitar solos that resembled Kings of Leon and The Killers’ indie rock vigor. The band played hits from their debut album “Live Forever,” and their latest single release that celebrates finding optimism, “Heavy Heart.” Most of the songs in Strange’s set were highly danceable, charmingly clever and deeply relatable. 

Car Seat Headrest played hits from their indie-staple album “Twin Fantasy,” that included “Beach Life-In-Death” and “Bodys.” Behind the catchy chorus, buzzing electronic synths and heavy guitars, “Bodys” had the audience “swinging their hips” as Toledo sang about themes driven by an indie coming-of-age movie filled with stealing alcohol, struggles of adolescence and living in the moment because our bodies can fall apart at any second.

In “Drunk Drivers/Killer Whales” Toledo sings about a numbing feeling mixed with anxiety over rousing acoustics. Receiving praise throughout the song, Toledo compares two gruesome events; animal captivity and reckless drivers under influence. Starting with a soft-rock feel, as the song progresses, Toledo throws his hands up in defeat and gets more and more aggressive, aligning with the song’s unpredictable soundscapes. 

Toledo has a deep, powerful rasp that overflows with passion. Every note sung during “1937 State Park” evoked strong emotion; the audience can hear his struggle in the cracks of Toledo’s voice when singing, “I didn’t want you to hear that shake in my voice, my pain is my own.”

Mid-set, the band invited the opener Bartees Strange to give audiences an unforgettable guitar solo. Toledo was head-banding and mimicking Strange’s dance movements, as Strange’s drummer got audiences excited by clapping and dancing across the stage.

The fan-favorite “Hollywood” had the crowd singing and moshing to the chorus “Hollywood makes me wanna puke” as Toledo uncovers the paradox of glamor in Hollywood. Toledo screams he’s sick of the violence, money, drinking, drugs and staring at ads on a bus.

Earlier in the year, the band released a statement on their website that they’re continuing to grow their music by taking from the past, and that exciting moments form at a crossroads. Car Seat Headrest finds new ways of creating music at an “unprecedented level of affordability and personal freedom,” interlacing everything from folk to futurism in their works to create meaningful listening moments for fans which can be experienced in their live performances.

Car Seat Headrest produced an explosive, high-energy performance that exuded throbbing industrial soundscapes and emotional basslines of sex, drugs and anxiety that are found in their “Twin Fantasy” album, to the volatile delivery of “Making a Door Less Open.”

For upcoming Masquerade concert dates, music releases and more, fans can visit Car Seat Headrest’s official website for more information. Fans can also listen to “Making a Door Less Open” on Spotify.