Passion Pit takes over the Riviera Theater in Chicago

On July 20, 2026, Passion Pit brought the passion to Chicago's Riviera Theatre. Along with him, he brought opener Arden Jones for a night of great music of great vibes.

One of the most fascinating things about the show was Michael Angelakos' (Passion Pit's) face. Every single emotion that he felt, while singing, was clearly conveyed by his face.. sort of like when guitarists make their "stank" face as they make their guitars sing. It's one of the best parts about live music - seeing how they choose to portray a song at the time of singing. The same way that we grow as people, I can only imagine that artists' feeling about their own music changes - or at least you get to experience the song the way that the artist intended for us to listen and/or understand the song. As well as experiencing a song in the moment, you are able to personify what the song means to those in the room.

One thing is certain.. it sounds like everyone in that room had a blast that night. With Passion Pit's more upbeat, alternative sound, the crowd got more and more crazy as the night went on. It's almost as if the band knew exactly what to play and when to play it. With each song closer to the end, the crowd was filled more and more with a roaring cheer; often times, you would see people stepping out after a song, only to see them run back into the room - almost as if they weren't expecting their favorite song to play next. I don't blame them though. Each song started off a little different than their studio counterparts - almost as if Michael / Passion Pit was hoping to throw people off.

One thing is certain, not only is he a great artist and singer, but Michael is also a composer of a great time. His live set was full of energy and had this almost-rock-like tone, with some experimental instrumentals.

For Passion Pit, if his set was out of the way, just to see him again, I would surely "Take a Walk."