Dreamcatcher in Chicago 2024: One More Time, No Less Lucky

Music is a healing thing to me, mostly because as someone who at one point in their life was musically inclined I understand the value it can bring to create, listen to, and watch music performance as a whole. It's also probably why I'm drawn to K-Pop in general - I get, at least on some level, the amount of work and effort placed into getting everything right for performances, especially those that happen for concerts and tours. Layer that on top of Dreamcatcher's underdog story and you see why I really like the group as a whole.

I've seen Dreamcatcher four times now, and every time has something unique to offer me. But more importantly, it's a reminder that I get opportunities to be able to see the group as often as annually, a privilege that I know not everyone has. It just makes me more thankful overall.

The story of this Dreamcatcher tour, in part, will be about lines - for Meet & Greet and 1:1 Snapshots, for merchandise, and of course, for Dreamcatcher. Unofficial reports of ticket sales from an intrepid Redditor on the Dreamcatcher subreddit displayed Chicago as one of the lower if not lowest selling stops, an outlier that I think had some roots in events in the US. Yet looking at the long lines in Chicago, you wouldn't think that happened at all. Whether it was afternoon check-in, the above line to get in, the merchandise line (snaking up at least 8 floors of the venue) or the post-show Meet & Greet and 1:1 Snapshot, there were many excited fans looking to see the group. Chicago's rather mild mid-50 degrees Farenheit weather helped ease the wait, and line work was mostly efficient from venue staff.

The Chicago Theatre is an iconic venue in the city, but in 1921 and with aesthetic that is both classic-looking yet modern enough not to be too inconvenient. The size of the theatre is such as it accommodates a bunch of seats yet feels cozy, and over the years as I've gone to events here that hasn't changed. Most if not all the seats above filled in as showtime neared. My seat on the right side was further back than I've been in prior Dreamcatcher shows, but I had no issues for the most part with seeing or taking the pictures you're going to see below.

I'd known what the setlist would be from reporting on it earlier in the week, but there's obviously a difference between that and being in the audience live to hear and see it that fancams or prior knowledge can't replicate. Modifications to blend existing songs together, as was done with a custom intro followed by 2023's "OOTD" into 2020's "Black or White", made the first part of the show high-energy and highlighted how much endurance the group always has.

Ments from Dreamcatcher are always audience participation affairs, and the Chicago show was no different. The group talked about making memories in Chicago and returning again, but asked fans quite a few times about favorite songs or things they wanted heard. This expectedly created a lot of chaos and shouted answers nobody could hear, but was humorous nonetheless.

As has become the custom during these recent tours, the repeat "Silent Night" drops have become a thing, and Chicago didn't disappoint. It's been fun to see Dreamcatcher members get creative about what they do to entertain fans during the drop.

That said, Chicago had a twist. SuA noticed a lot of one more time Silent Night requests throughout the rest of the show, acted like she didn't want to hear any more of them, and then...

While not unique to K-Pop concerts as a whole, this kind of off-the-cuff thinking by Dreamcatcher is something that I've always found a lot of fun and shows how experienced they are as performers. When you can respond to the audience's trends during a show and make it entertaining at the same time, that's when you're golden.

And of course, it was good to hear the newest hits, like 2024's "JUSTICE", live and in more than just stereo. The last high notes Siyeon delivered for this song were notes that reverberated throughout the Chicago Theatre's unique architecture, and that's just not something you can get through watching fancams - it just has to be experienced for yourself. I hope everyone someday gets a chance at it.

And speaking of those benefits that can only be experienced at a concert, MyMusicTaste's new 1:1 Snapshot benefit along with their usual Meet & Greet Hi-Touch and Group Photo was, in my estimation, very much worth it. My finances dictated only one purchase, and a technical error ended up with me purchasing one snapshot with Dreamcatcher's leader, JiU. The photo turned out great, and JiU was, for the few seconds we chatted, as nice and as energetic as she was on stage. It isn't easy being a leader, much less one of a K-Pop group with as varying personality as Dreamcatcher, so it was a privilege to get a picture memory with the iconic rock and roll horns.

For those of you on the fence for future shows, I'd highly recommend taking the plunge if you have money to spare for one (or more) members. It'll go fast, but the photo, of course, will last forever. Just know that logistically, MyMusicTaste staff is working on improving the process throughout the US tour as it is new to them, and to be patient even if the post-show work takes a couple hours. They appear to be doing their best and learning with each show.

Post-concert depression is a thing that K-Pop fans like to throw around after they experience a show, but I've never really felt it. Aside from having been on both sides of the concert divide, I've always taken a "don't be sad it's over, be happy it happened" attitude. For Chicago's 4th Dreamcatcher show, this was never more true for me than it was then - not just for Dreamcatcher, but for meeting and talking to many Dreamcatcher fans both local and not-local about the group, their work, and their talent. At the risk of it being highly contrived given the tour name, I feel pretty lucky to be able to experience that on a regular basis.

I always take fun memories and feelings and wonderful euphoria from a show like Dreamcatcher's and store them away to take out for when I need it, something that's easy because Dreamcatcher is so good at being live performers, from intense performance energy to great vocals to all the interactions and spontaneous moments I mentioned, and more. Hopefully, we'll be seeing them many more unforgettable shows for the foreseeable future.

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