by Caitlin Dennis | February 3rd, 2025

All images are from Almost Monday’s - The Dive Tour in Chicago, IL & Milwaukee, WI on 1/29/25 & 2/1/25.

ALMOST MONDAY

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CHICAGO

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OPENER:

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ADRIAN LYLES

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ALMOST MONDAY - CHICAGO - OPENER: - ADRIAN LYLES -

Almost Monday is an indie-pop band from San Diego that recently just released their first full album. I first discovered them a few years ago when they opened for The Driver Era, and have been a fan ever since. Their feel good, fun, perfect for a beach day, music is infectious and just makes you want to dance.

The band released their first album ‘Dive’ last year, and early this year released the deluxe version of the album before heading out on ‘The Dive Tour’. They kicked off the tour in Salt Lake City, Utah, before eventually making stops in Milwaukee and Chicago, of which I was lucky enough to catch both of those shows!

Last Wednesday they made their stop in Milwaukee, and it being a weeknight did not stop the fans from turning up for the show. People packed into Vivarium eager for the show to begin. Soon enough, Adrian Lyles made his way to the stage with his band. Adrian is from Dallas, Texas but based in LA, and you may have seen him star as Jet in High School Musical: The Musical: The Series. He recently released his first single at the end of 2024, and joined Almost Monday for his first tour ever. Despite telling the audience he was nervous throughout his set, it certainly did not feel like it. The energy Adrian had was never ending. From the beginning to the end of his set he looked like he was having the best time and doing a great job of interacting with fans. I should also mention, Adrian has an absolutely fantastic voice. I can see him going really far in his career and I know I’ll be keeping tabs on him. If you are a fan of Almost Monday and indie-pop in general, I have a feeling you will be a fan of his sound.

With fans adequately warmed up and eager, Almost Monday found their way to the stage. As always Dawson’s quirky dance moves prompted cheers from the whole room. To keep in theme with their album, part of their stage set included a ‘diving board’ that came off the stage a few feet to let the band get even closer with the audience. They played some of their classics, including ‘cough drops’, ‘parking lot view’, and ‘broken people’, all of which have been stuck in my head the past few years, so it was exciting to see them played live again! Of course fans were also excited to hear features from the new album as well, of which I think ‘Sequoia’, ‘never enough’, and ‘tidal wave’ may be my favorites.

While the diving board didn’t make it to the Chicago show (unfortunately the space was too small to accommodate it), the fans certainly did. Chicago was a sold out show, and you could definitely tell. Excited fans packed Beat Kitchen all the way to the back door of the show room! Both Adrian and Almost Monday didn’t skip a beat and brought what felt like even more energy into the room in Chicago. Both shows were filled with energy, happy beats, and a full night of dancing. I'm excited to follow Almost Monday on their journey, and I’m glad this tour allowed me to find Adrian! Go give both of these guys a listen if you haven’t already, and try to catch them while they are still on tour!

ALMOST MONDAY

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MILWAUKEE

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OPENER:

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ADRIAN LYLES

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ALMOST MONDAY - MILWAUKEE - OPENER: - ADRIAN LYLES -