Franz Ferdinand Brings The Hits To Chicago’s Vic Theatre

Franz Ferdinand continued their first proper tour since 2018 with a stop at Chicago’s Vic Theatre Friday night. The Scottish rock band is currently supporting the release of a 20-track greatest hits record, Hits To The Head.

DJ Matthew Dear kicked off the night marking his first tour date supporting Franz Ferdinand. After 30 mins of electropop grooves, the crowd was loosened up and ready. Once the lights dimmed, Franz Ferdinand wasted little time before launching right into “Love Illumination”, a single from their fourth studio album Right Thoughts, Right Words, Right Action.

Frontman Alex Kapranos commanded the stage throughout the night. Jumping from the drum riser and reaching for the fans in the front row, Kapranos never missed a beat and managed to keep his vocals under control.

The band is rounded out by Dino Bardot (guitar), Bob Hardy (bass), Julian Corrie (keys) and Audrey Tait (drums). They played hits from their expansive 21 year career, which includes five studio albums, 10 million albums sold, multiple Grammy nominations and over 1 billions streams to date.

Standouts included singles from their debut and self-titled studio album, Franz Ferdinand, including “Darts of Pleasure,” “The Dark of the Matinée,” and their signature song, “Take Me Out.” Fans also danced along to “No You Girls” and “Ulysses" from Tonight: Franz Ferdinand, as well as a new single released with Hits, “Billy Goodbye”.

For a list of remaining tour dates and tickets, click here. See our full photo gallery from Friday’s show below.

Photos by Josh Druding