From a sold-out night at Schubas Tavern—a cozy 250-cap room—back in early 2024 to packing out House of Blues, Knox’s return to Chicago felt like a full-circle moment. Watching his rise has been nothing short of incredible: starting on TikTok, dropping breakout singles like “Sneakers” and “Not The 1975,” hitting the Lollapalooza stage in 2024, and now, headlining a sold-out tour for his no-skip debut album Going, Going, Gone.

The night kicked off with a hometown set from The Wldlfe, who had the crowd dialed in from the start. Their energy was the perfect setup for Knox, and by the time he hit the stage, the room was buzzing. Knox made it clear early on that Chicago held a special place in his heart, calling it one of his favorite cities to play.

Knox came out representing Chicago with a Bulls jersey and kicked things off with the title track from Going, Going, Gone, and right from the jump, the energy was electric. He then threw in some older favorites—“Love Letter,” “I Don’t Wanna Know,” and “Dumpster Fire”—to keep the hype going. Knox seamlessly mashed up “Dumpster Fire” with Shaboozey’s “A Bar Song (Tipsy),” adding a fun twist before diving into more tracks from his debut album. Despite it dropping earlier this month, fans didn’t hesitate to scream every word back—it was clear they came ready.

Knox took a moment to tell the story behind “Not The 1975,” joking that he must’ve sold his soul to the devil for that one. He poked fun about how his label keeps asking for another song like it, then mentioned they didn’t think “Pick Your Poison” was his next hit. That was all the crowd needed to hear.

With his tour crew filming, Knox asked the crowd to prove them wrong—and they absolutely did. Even with earplugs in, the crowd was so loud it was unreal—so I took them out just to feel it fully (ear safety first, everyone).

Knox spotted a fan holding up a poster with surprise song options labeled A through C and decided to take the challenge. He called it out, let the crowd vote, and immediately regretted it once they revealed the collective choice of option C. But instead of backing down, he leaned into the chaos and delivered an impromptu acoustic version of “All American Tragedy,” laughing off the fact that he forgot the lyrics part of the way through. The whole moment felt spontaneous and personal—one of those unexpected surprises that made this show stand out from the rest of the tour.

After the impromptu acoustic performance of “All American Tragedy,” Knox continued the acoustic vibe by playing “Voicemail,” admitting he never thought the song would be as popular as it is, but it’s actually the most streamed track on the new album. Despite the acoustic set usually slowing things down, the energy in the room didn’t miss a beat. The crowd was more alive than ever before, and Knox fed off that energy.

As I sang along with the crowd, I couldn’t help but reflect on how far Knox has come. From playing small venues like Schubas to performing at Lollapalooza, and now, a sold-out tour for his debut album—it’s been incredible watching his journey unfold. This show, in particular, reminded me why I love live music so much. There’s something surreal about seeing an entire room packed wall to wall, everyone with their hands up, clapping and singing along to the music. It’s moments like these that make the concert experience so special and remind me why I continue to chase that feeling.

Before jumping into the next track, the crowd was hit with a challenge to sing “You Happened” louder than any city on the tour, confident Chicago wouldn’t disappoint. And sure enough, they didn’t. “That’s what I’m talking about, Chicago!” he shouted, clearly impressed, then joked about how Chicago hates Tennessee accents.

As the night started to wind down, Knox joked that it would be lame if he did the whole pretend-to-leave-then-come-back-for-an-encore bit—but of course, he did it anyway after the crowd started to chant for an encore.

The band kicked off an instrumental of “Not the 1975,” and the crowd was so eager, they started singing the lyrics before Knox even opened his mouth. Before launching into the song that started it all, he took a moment to introduce his band, giving them the spotlight one last time. Then, with a grin, he leaned into the mic and said, “I’m Knox, and this isn’t the 1975,” bringing the night full circle and ending the show exactly how it should’ve: loud and unmistakably Knox.

Setlist:

Going, Going, Gone
Love Letter
I Don’t Wanna Know
Dumpster Fire / A Bar Song (Tipsy)
Man Down
Now & Then
She’s Not Okay
D.N.A.
Pick Your Poison
50/50
All American Tragedy (Crowd Request)
Voicemail
Oxygen Thief
The DJ
You Happened
Sneakers
Here’s to Us
Not the 1975