Deafness Be Damned – K.Flay Rocks Chicago’s House of Blues

K.Flay performing at House of Blues in Chicago, IL 6/11/2023. Photo © Ian Bardecki
K.Flay performing at House of Blues in Chicago, IL 6/11/2023. Photo © Ian Bardecki

Chicago, IL – In August of 2022, six months after releasing her album, Inside Voices / Outside Voices, K.Flay woke up without hearing in her right ear, nauseous, vomiting, and vertigo. After visiting doctors and specialists, she had been diagnosed with labyrinthitis, where your inner ear becomes infected with a virus that affects the hair follicles, and Sudden Sensorineural Hearing Loss (SSHL), a condition that without rhyme or reason, affects between one and six people per 5,000 every year, but the actual number of new SSHL cases each year could be much higher because SSHL often goes undiagnosed. After several treatments and therapies to try and restore her hearing, she declared that she was officially deaf in her right ear. Receiving news like that can be devastating, especially to a musician. But while the easy road to take might have been to pack up her music career and call it a day, K.Flay instead grabbed it by both hands around the neck, and refused to let go. And now she is back. Touring as the opening act for grandson for the “I Love You, I’m Trying” tour, K.Flay is showing the world that SSHL will not keep her from doing what she loves. But don’t think that Flay has lost her sense of humor about this. Her new album due out in September 15th, is aptly entitled MONO.

K.Flay may have been born in Illinois, but LA is her home now by her own admission with few friends or family still in the Chicago area, but that didn’t stop the crowd at Chicago’s House of Blues from welcoming her “home” with wide open arms. Long praised for her gifted songwriting and lyricism, there is no describing K.Flays style or genre in one format. She is, by all accounts, her own style and genre. And that’s how her fans want it. A mix of rap, pop, and rock, Flay’s energy at the House of Blues was off the charts. Bounding back and forth along the stage, from one stage platform riser to the next, switching between bass, guitars and just singing to the crowd, her performance was nothing short of electric. Flay opened her set with, “The President Has A Sex Tape” which was followed up “Four Letter Words” and “Giver”. Flay also performed an excellent rendition of “Blood in the Cut” that also meshed into “Bulls on Parade” by Rage Against the Machine. Her performance was not without some new music from her upcoming album, MONO, which included her newest singles “Shy” and “Raw Raw”. A truly special treat was her performance of another song from MONO entitled, “Punisher”. Flay also came out during grandson’s set, joining him on stage to perform “Zen” and “Peaches”. After what she’s been through this past year, it’s great to see her out there slaying it on the stage an slinging her lyrics to her fans.

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SETLIST
The President Has a Sex Tape
Four Letter Words
Giver
Black Wave
Weirdo
This Baby Don’t Cry
TGIF
Shy
Blood in the Cut / Bulls On Parade (Rage Against the Machine)
Maybe There’s a Way
Punisher
Make Me Fade
Raw Raw
High Enough

Show Date:  6/11/2023

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Ian Bardecki
Born in Scotland, raised in the United States, based in Chicago. Ian Bardecki is a professional photographer, avid motorcyclist, reader, IT geek, gaming and comic book nerd, who was bathed in music at a young age by his mother who constantly played classical piano in their home. While she also introduced him to the Beatles and Elvis, his father forced on him Hank Williams and Johnny Cash, the local paper boy had him listening to Alice Cooper, his uncle then turned him onto KISS and his first 8 track tape, while his friends turned him onto punk music. Today, his music library ranges from Amadeus Mozart to ZZ Ward and everything in between. Hesitantly agreeing to fill in one night to photograph a concert at a local venue in San Francisco for a friend, was where the accidental love and passion for concert photography was born and hasn’t stopped growing since. As a freelance photographer, Ian has had the honor of working with various artists like, John 5, Sick Puppies, Scott Stapp, Drowning Pool, Anti-Flag and Art of Dying, just to name a few. Ian can be found on Instagram and Facebook under Center Stage Pictures.