On October 8th, indie rock trio Valley brought their Water The Flowers, Pray For A Garden Tour to The Vic, a historic theater in Chicago’s Lakeview neighborhood. Fresh off the release of their latest album of the same name, this is Valley’s first tour as a trio, following the departure of a band member last year. Consisting of Rob Laska (vocals, guitar), Karah James (drums), and Alex Dimauro (bass), they brought a rejuvenated, comforting energy to the stage, embracing the new era with open arms.
Before Valley hit the stage, there were two support acts to kick off the evening. First was Charli Adams, a singer/songwriter with an extensive discography of songs penned both for other artists and herself. Her setlist included her latest single “Airlifter,” tracks from her 2021 album Bullseye, and a cover of Jimmy Eat World’s “The Middle.” With just her and a guitar onstage, it created the perfect introductory vibe for the night.
Mickey Darling was up next, a high energy duo (Skyler Molina and Austin Medrano) fresh off the release of their debut album Let’s Dance Until We Get Scared. Their setlist featured a lot of their new music, dancing through the more upbeat album tracks such as “pipe down” and “ripping my tshirt”. They also played some fan favorites, such as “Reverse Cowgirl” and “Big Sad”, wrapping up the set with “VROOM VROOM”. Skyler’s stage presence and energy was infectious, and by the end of the set, the majority of the crowd was dancing or singing along. The audience was buzzing, and the anticipation for Valley was palpable.
Between sets, I was handed a Valley friendship bracelet by a fan standing nearby. “STOCK SO,” the beads read, a reference to Valley’s song “Stock S.O.” off their 2019 album MAYBE. This interaction was such a stand out moment of the concert, and gave me insight into the crowd that Valley draws in: kind, welcoming people, all bonded by a passion for the same music. The energy curated in that theater was truly something special.
Suddenly, it was time for Valley to take the stage. As the original backdrop from the opening acts dropped, it revealed a vibrant blue background—a symbolic moment of transition and new beginnings.The stage itself was covered in a green rug/turf, reminiscent of grass. It looked like they were performing outside, in a field under a blue sky. Valley opened with Water the Flowers, Pray for a Garden. The room was immediately filled with fans singing every word, dancing along.
Between tracks, their crowd interaction ranged from silly anecdotes (Rob told a slightly concerning story about Alex getting electrocuted earlier that day) to more profound reflections of gratitude. It’s evident that despite the significant change, the three are more committed to Valley than ever, and have found their footing as a trio. They shifted around a bit depending on the song, Rob occasionally sitting at the piano. Karah flawlessly played harmonica on When You Know Someone, all while never missing a beat on the drumset.
Though a good amount of the setlist was tracks from Water the Flowers, Pray for a Garden, Valley also revisited some of their older work. sucks to see you doing better was my personal introduction to the band several years ago, so it was great to experience it live. Valley’s latest album is who they are as a band currently, but they don’t shy away from the band they were. They embrace it with open arms, and as do the fans: singing along passionately to the tracks that they’ve loved for years.
The most significant moment of the show, however, was the closing track Bop Ba, a more acoustic, reflective song off their most recent album. For this track, Karah left the drumset, picking up an acoustic guitar and joining Rob and Alex at the front of the stage. There, they stood in a line: the three of them, together, singing a call and response with the audience. It was truly beautiful, watching this connection between the crowd and the band in real time.
Valley and their ValPal family have been through a lot together as the band has progressed and changed, and this moment of unity was the perfect note for the concert to end on. There were moments of dancing to the more upbeat tracks in their discography, quieter moments of reflection during the slower songs, but the connection between Valley and the audience was the throughline throughout the entire set. It was incredible to watch, and even more incredible to be a part of.
Listen to Water the Flowers, Pray for a Garden here!
