Summer School Tour 2025 Makes A Stop In Chicago
I was originally supposed to attend last year, but life got in the way, so I was incredibly excited to make it to the Summer School Tour this year. It had an amazing lineup featuring two of my favorite female power vocalists: Charlotte Sands and Taylor Acorn. I have seen them both just own the stage, and I was excited to finally photograph Taylor Acorn. But, I also cannot forget their accompanying guitarists on stage, Ricky Jab (Taylor Acorn) and Dillon Jordan (Charlotte), who just bring more amazing energy to that stage. I love seeing vocalists interact with their other band members because it always brings out such raw, authentic energy for photos.
All Photos By: Carrie BerganThe entire lineup was perfect after having witnessed all of them, but for the most part, I wasn’t as familiar with the other acts. I had seen Arrows in Action, If Not For Me, and Rain City Drive before; I enjoyed their sets, but it had been a while since those shows. I knew of Beauty School Dropout but had never really listened to their music. I had never heard of Huddy until that night. But, I left the entire show telling myself I’d listen to them all more now. Each of them brought such crazy energy on stage with interactions with the crowd (and my camera) that just made it even better.
I could never have heard of you or particularly like your genre of music, but let me tell you, bringing your all to the stage changes things for me. Artists who just take that stage as their own with dynamics and bone-chilling vocals will probably make me fall in love with your music from the start. Especially when I see fans that get little moments that make their year with them. Fan interaction photos are my favorite to get when they turn out.
Never miss the openers, they deserve a crowd and as much love as the headlines get. Remember, your favorite artist started somewhere just like they did. Support the music scene, all of it, from the merch sellers to the production team; they’re a part of it, too! They work hard to make sure the sound is good, that the merch is available, and that the artist gets top-tier content to share on social media for you to watch. Respect them and tip the bartenders, and say thank you to security for keeping you safe. Respect the crowd. (Sincerely, a production stagehand worker for a venue)
Anyways, the Summer School Tour only just started as Chicago was night two, so get a ticket and go! Make sure you follow their social media pages for updates, as some of the venues have changed and might still change.
P.S. You can even meet most of the artists after the show as they’re around to hang out and take pictures with people. I got to meet Rain City Drive!
