Lily Rose Brings Energy and Emotion To Chicago During Runnin’ Outta Time Tour
“From the bottom of my heart, thank you…You guys show up for us every single time,” the rising star told her Illinois audience.
Lily Rose; Photo by Justice Lowe
On Friday, October 4, fans lined up under the glowing marquee of Joe’s Live in Rosemont, IL, where Lily Rose’s name shined bright as she prepared to take the stage just a few hours later.
Once the clock struck 9 PM, the lights went dim, smoke began to flow out from the sides of the stage and Rose’s bandmates slowly made their way to their spots. The nearly 90-minute show caused a wave of good energy to surge through the packed-out crowd, starting the very second Rose stepped foot on the stage. “Can we please party our a**es off for the rest of the night? This is crazy,” the rising star declared as she looked into the sea of screaming fans.
Showcasing Her Unique Sound From Beginning To End
She kicked off the evening with an unreleased tune titled “Even After Everything,” which has been taking over social media and evoking sing-alongs during her live sets. While sitting down with us prior to the show, Rose explained that this is one of “favorite” songs out of the whole batch of new songs that she’s been working on behind the scenes.
“I’m a big Band Camino fan and pop punk and there are a lot of things that we haven’t gotten to tap into like that. So this tour is dope because we’re starting with ‘Even After Everything’ and we end with ‘Better Than That’ and it really shows my pop rock side, it’s kind of the bookends. It’s been fun too to see people sing that song back. We haven’t released it yet. They’re just singing what they know from the TikTok videos, which is dope,” she shared.
@lilyrosemusicofficial I still want you more than anything🤷♀️ #newmusic #newsong #evenaftereverything #breakup #breakups #lilyrose #backpew #villain ♬ Even After Everything DEMO – Lily Rose
Rose continued taking turns delivering tracks from her early catalog, such as “Truth Is” and “I Don’t Smoke” as well as songs from her latest EP like “True North,” “Parking Lot,” and “Back Pew.” The Runnin’ Outta Time collection dropped earlier this year and marked Rose’s most autobiographical project to date. During the show she made sure to reflect on her musical journey and the moments that led up to these songs that pay homage to her home state of Georgia, the places where she made some of her most lasting memories, all while perfectly encapsulating what this current stage of life looks like in her early 30s.
Much like she does on this project, Rose took several moments to also share personal stories of meeting her now wife, Daira, and the love between them that has inspired several songs out of her catalog including “Every Last One” and “Here For It.”
Sprinkled in between the abundance of fan-favorites within the 19-song setlist was a few epic covers of songs like “I Had Some Help” by Post Malone and Morgan Wallen and “Flowers” by Miley Cyrus. Plus, Rose teased that there is some new music on the way that she is eager to share with her listeners and even shared a preview of the upcoming releases.
Stripped-Down Acoustic Set
Those who have attended a Lily Rose concert, know that she will bring the party wherever she goes. She certifies herself a true entertainer while jumping around the entirety of the stage, singing her heart out and getting fans to follow suit. However, there’s another side to the show, one that finds Rose slowing things down with an acoustic set that gives listeners a glimpse into what a song looks like before she takes it into the studio and adds layers of production.
“I have a lot of energy on stage. We party, we dance, I jump around like an absolute nutcase up there. I’m just a basket case. But also, we do a really cool acoustic thing. I think that there are a lot of songs, especially in country, the lyric and melody are more important than the entertainment,” Rose told Country Now prior to taking the stage.
She went on to say that her ultimate mission for a headline show is to make people feel something. Whether it’s joy, excitement, sadness, empowerment, wherever it may be, she hopes that her live sets will evoke a set of emotions that allows the audience to connect with one another over the power of music. There’s no doubt that Lily Rose achieved her mission that night.
This portion of the set featured the leading track off her latest project, “The Goal,” and another unreleased song titled, “Let You Know When I Get There.” Before each of these stripped-down performances Rose opened up about the sentimental meanings behind the songs. Fans tuned in and listened intently to the lyrics that carried out the personal stories.
“Thank you guys for listening,” she said with wholeheartedly after completing the second of two songs.
Closed Out The Show With Fan-Favorites
As promised, after finishing the acoustic portion of the show, Rose got back into party mode with “Know My Way Around” and the song that inspired the name of the tour, “Runnin’ Outta Time.”
“That song is just so much fun and it’s so much energy and we wrote it with the live show in mind, which we do for most songwriting sessions, but that one just has such a punch that I’ve not had yet,” Rose shared of “Runnin’ Outta Time.” “I’m also choking up every single night because people just get so excited when we start playing that song and it comes after a pretty slow one and all that and we just get it going and it’s everything I could have dreamt when we wrote it. So it’s been really cool to play it for headline shows.”
@countrynow.com @Lily Rose ♬ original sound – CountryNow.com
The final three performances of the night highlighted Rose’s early career with songs that continue to be the loudest sing-alongs of the night – “I’d Be You,” “Villain” and “Better Than That.”
So much passion and joy filled the air, but a bit of disappointment also lingered among both Rose and her audience knowing that the night was coming to an end.
“Thank you so much. Joe’s Live is always showing up for us,” she said while also acknowledging the crowd as her “Chicago choir” who sang along the entire duration of the show.
This stop marked the halfway point in Rose’s Runnin’ Outta Time Tour, and her long-awaited return to Rosemont, where she first delivered a headlining performance nearly two years ago. A return to the iconic venue located just outside the city of Chicago was inevitable for the female songstress, given her undeniable connection with the local fanbase. Whether it’s her own show or an opening slot at a nearby country music festival, it’s pretty much guaranteed that Rose will draw a crowd and that was proved once again over the weekend.
“From the bottom of my heart, thank you. Every Single time we come through to play, whether we’re opening up for somebody huge, Windy City Smokeout, or it’s our own show. You guys show up for us every single time. Thank you…I love y’all. You are keeping my career going,” Lily Rose said before confirming once again that new music is on the way.
The Runnin’ Outta Time tour continues this weekend with shows across Knoxville, Lexington, KY and Columbus, OH. Once the run comes to a close on November 9, Rose plans to enjoy her downtime while also honing in on her songwriting and preparing for a big year ahead.
Written by
Madeleine O’Connell
Madeleine O’Connell graduated from North Central College with a bachelors degree in Journalism and Broadcast Communications before deciding to pursue her studies further at DePaul University. There, she earned her masters degree in Digital Communication & Media Arts. O’Connell served as a freelance writer for over two years while also interning with the Academy of Country Music, SiriusXM and Circle Media and assisting with Amazon Music’s Country Heat Weekly podcast. In addition to Country Now, she has been published in American Songwriter, Music Mayhem, and Holler.Country. Madeleine O’Connell is a member of the Country Music Association and the Academy of Country Music.