Snail Mail Brings Valentine Tour To Chicago’s Riviera Theatre

A lot has happened since singer-songwriter Lindsey Jordan last hit the road with her solo indie-rock project, Snail Mail. A pandemic, 45 days in rehab, major vocal surgery, a painful breakup, and the release of her critically acclaimed sophomore album Valentine. Now, Jordan and company are embarking on a lengthy 43 city tour across North America. Chicago’s Riviera Theatre was just their 8th stop and it was obvious Jordan is ready to introduce fans to this new chapter in her young career.

Still, Jordan has made it no secret that she’s been battling nerves ever since kicking off the tour in early April. “Re-learning [how to sing] has really been a bitch,” said Jordan in a recent interview. “I have to do a lot of upkeep, like steaming my vocal cords, and stretching my tongue, and like doing all this weird shit to like my upper palate.” Nerves or not, the young artist took the Chicago stage with confidence and an enthusiasm that energized the near sold out crowd.

Snail Mail kicked the night off with three tracks off the new album, opening with the title track “Valentine” followed by “Ben Franklin” and “Glory.” Jordan played 9 of 10 tracks from Valentine while fans sang along knowing the 6-month-old record by heart. They also played favorites from Snail Mail’s debut album, Lush, including “Heat Wave”, “Golden Dream” and an encore performance of “Pristine.” Jordan also played a cover of The Smashing Pumkins “Tonight, Tonight,” a song she’s included on the setlist for every show so far on the tour.

Click below to listen to our curated playlist of Snail Mail’s setlist (minus the “Tonight, Tonight” cover) from The Riviera Theatre.