On the heels of an over-the-top performance Saturday night at a Chicago street festival, Lucero returned to treat a crowd of true believers with a secret, unannounced show at the Empty Bottle last night (June 1). The band’s beer-soaked rock’n’roll was right at home at the intimate venue, and lead singer Ben Nichols took full advantage by keeping a running dialogue with the tipsy denizens all night. And when he sang, “Some nights don’t pan out at all, some nights are gold,” from the rarely played “Hearts on Fire,” it was obvious which side of that equation the audience was on.

It clearly wasn’t the tightest set, but to fret would be to miss the point entirely. This was an evening to have a drink together, to share laughs and sing along with the band, evident in the raised, clinking pint glasses and off-kilter group shouts. And before finishing things off with a rousing version of “Tears Don’t Matter Much,” off 2003’s That Much Further West, Nichols thanked the Empty Bottle “for putting up with our shit, since we’ve been drinking since 1:30 P.M.” The glowing crowd, who had put in some hours themselves, didn’t mind a bit.

The full article can be found here:http://spin.com/articles/lucero-shake-loose-chicago