On June 24, Bartees Strange, Dijon, Clairo, and boygenius took the stage at Chicago’s Riis Park, marking the second to last show of their summer Re:SET concert series. 

Presented by Anschutz Entertainment Group for the first time this year, the Los Angeles-based company provided a traveling outdoor alternative to the bigger festivals of the summer, instead providing a three day line-up of four to five sets a day on one stage. 

The English-born artist Bartees Strange kicked off Chicago’s Saturday show at around four with a blend of folky, alternative and indie R&B sounds. Strange’s contribution to the Brooklyn indie scene can be heard through his wide variety of listening experiences throughout the show.

With a seamless transition, Dijon Duenas better known as “Dijon” took the stage next, adopting a notable stage presence for his audience. At first, it was hard to detect Dijon standing alongside his band. Seemingly comfortable and nonchalant on stage, Dijon’s alternative performance with the stage camera fixed at a high angle and flipped 180 degrees similarly mimicked his last album Absolutely, released in 2021. Gathered around a long table with his band members but perceived more as close friends, Dijon performs and approaches his audience with a comfortable, leisure presence, emphasizing the unfiltered passion for making music and recording a collection of audio experiences. 

Bringing all bedroom indie pop fans and many members of the queer community closer to the stage, Massachusetts-raised artist Clairo provided a soft and sweet performance dominated by live instruments like the guitar, bass, and keys, while also incorporating unique sounds of the flute, saxophone, and backup vocals into her pieces. While her sounds may differ from the scratching, spinning, and raw sounds of preceding performer Dijon, Clairo created an intimate gathering for her large fan base with acoustic performances of songs from her most recent album Sling and groovy dance moves accompanying her 2019 debut album Immunity. With a bittersweet closing to her show, Clairo thanked those behind the scenes that made her performance possible with tears, also expressing the unknown future for her next live performances following Re:SET. 

Recently viral indie trio boygenius, including Phoebe Bridgers, Lucy Dacus, and Julien Baker headlined Re:SET’s Saturday night, delivering an all around experience of lights, visuals, and a variety of song paces. Kicking off their set with “Without You Without Them” off their March album The Record, the group brought their audience into their world with visuals of the three gathering together behind stage and quickly transitioned into the upbeat “$20” from the same album. High energy made its way through the crowd with screams matching the flashing lights on stage and notable sounds of the electric guitars. boygenius’s live performance revealed the close-knit community of the three and their fan base both on and off stage, with many listeners listening since their first album together in 2018 and many more listeners joining since the release of The Record.

With its impressive organization and extensive social media coverage throughout the month of June, Re:SET bodes well for future outdoor festivals that continue to emphasize the intimacy of singer-songwriters’ communities and the resurgence of live music in the past few years.