February 8, 2025
Local H
The Vixen – McHenry, IL
Prior to this show, there was only one band that I have seen at least 50 times. That has now changed. Yes, I know there are other people that have seen this band way more than that, but for me, to see any band this many times is a milestone.
Ladies and Gentlemen… Second entry into my self-created “50 Club” goes to… Local H!
What a ride it has been since my first show December 12, 1996, opening for Stone Temple Pilots at Rosemont Horizon.
On my Road to 50, show #49 was at Q Bar in Darien, February 7. While I have seen the band play with all three main drummers, I kept missing shows with Ronnie DiCola. While I couldn’t actually see him play at Q Bar, due to the low stage compared to where I was standing, he still sounded great. That night had such a fun set. I couldn’t wait to do it all over again!
The next day, by chance, I happened to see a day of show post by Local H on Facebook. I took this as my opportunity to suggest possible songs to play at The Vixen. Day of show song requests have been going on for a while now, so I thought, “Hey, why not?” I hoped for at least one of the five I suggested (Five to not be greedy, but to give option variety! haha). In order of request…
Bag of Hammers – It’s my fave song on Ham Fisted and the album just celebrated 30 years (Jan 24, 1995)
“Cha!” Said the Kitty – It’s my fave song on Pack Up The Cats and I can’t hear it enough live
Gig Bag Road – It’s my 2nd fave song on Hey, Killer. I almost put John the Baptist Blues (fave song) but I feel I have heard Gig Bag less overall
Hold That Thought – It’s my fave song on LIFERS and I will never get tired of hearing it live
High, Wide and Stupid – Another from LIFERS and it’s ridiculously fun to hear live
I got to the venue early to get a good spot because I did not want to deal with tall people in my line of sight, like I dealt with on Friday. Around 6:45pm, the venue showed a short video which was the trailer for LIFERS: A Local H Movie! Super cool! FYI – There are a lot of showings, in various states, posted on the band’s Facebook page here.
For the first band, I stood off to the side with some fellow Cold Manor folks. As soon as the first band ended I made my way to the front. Prior to the show, I was planning to stand on Ronnie’s side but it filled up quickly so I ended up in front of where I expected Scott’s setup to be. I hoped it wouldn’t be a night of getting pushed from behind.
Local H started at 9pm. I took a couple photos of the band logo (#GABE) as they walked out on stage but decided to refrain from taking any more and just enjoy the show. Enjoy it I did!
They opened with Everyone Alive. WHAT? I wasn’t expecting that since they played it Friday! Such a great sing-along song. Next up was… John The Baptist Blues?! WOO! I got it! Always nice when you hear a super fave song and this time sounded just as great as all the others. That tempo change within the song…man, gimme more.
What Would You Have Me Do? lead into Eddie Vedder. Which I have to say, for as old as this song is, it is still a lot of fun to sing along to. Now for my first shock of the night.
The opening notes of the next song started and OH MY GAWD! It was Bag of Hammers! YES! THE NUMBER ONE SONG I WANTED TO HEAR! I bounced and sang along and had the best time during the song. “And I never wanted to hurt you that bad, But I must admit that I’d like to see you fall.”
This went into Scott-Rock, also from Ham Fisted, which is another great song. “I believe in someone, I believe in ones I love” (Hearing 4 songs from this album over the two days was awesome.)
Surprise number two came when Scott announced the next song, Hold That Thought. YES! Another from my list! Much like Bag of Hammers, this is another upbeat song that makes me want to bounce up and down. “Hundred percent you are correct, Out of your depth, out of your mind alright.”
Video by KurtPolly505
Crowd wise, I couldn’t believe it when people started moshing around during Hands on the Bible, of all songs! Don’t get me wrong, I love the song as much as the next, but what an odd choice for the crowd to get that crazy. Before the next song, Scott was talking to the crowd when a friend yelled out that it was February. Which if you know the band’s catalog means she wanted to hear Another February. Scott thought about it for a second and spoke to Ronnie. To paraphrase, Scott told the crowd they had planned to play Turn the Bow, but for her, yeah they would play it. Sweet. Thanks Alieta!
The band launched into All-Right (Oh Yeah), and once again I was totally caught up in another great sing-a-long. They were almost to the end of it when my brain reminded me… holy shit! On Pack Up The Cats, this song goes straight into another song, and at times, they have played them back to back live. Would they? Wouldn’t they? As the song was ending, I saw Scott look at Ronnie and OMFG they did! I literally turned all the way around to Alieta behind me, to shake her, as I was overly excited and couldn’t contain myself. (I can only imagine I looked like a crazy person!) I could NOT believe it!! I WAS GETTING “Cha!” Said the Kitty!! Another high energy song that I gladly bounced and sang along to.
“I don’t want to live with that
And you don’t want to take it back
And I don’t want to be a rat
And you don’t want a kitty cat”
And yes, I did yell, “MEOW!” at the end of the song!
Next up was Hey, Rita (with Can’t Hardly Wait by The Replacements snippet) but I was still on a high. I couldn’t get the smile off my face. I tried to focus on Hey, Rita but I had already decided if the night ended right then and there, I was content. The band had played three songs I SO hoped to hear. What more could I ask for? Nothing.
I don’t remember every song where there was moshing but it was happening. Luckily it wasn’t as bad as I originally expected given where I was standing. I did notice however, had I been standing closer to Ronnie’s kit, I would have been much worse off. Sometimes things just work out and you don’t even know it will until it does. Off and on during the night, Scott would move to the front part of the stage, in front of Ronnie, while playing to get close to the edge of the stage (dragging his long cord with him), or way off to his left, to interact with the crowd. At one point he even grabbed three different hats from fans to wear all at the same time on his head while continuing to play a song. Oh and speaking of Ronnie, I could actually see him during this show! Even if he did have a cymbal even with the middle of his face. haha Oh well. Bottom line, dude can play.
The band continued with All The Kids Are Right… “You heard that we were great, But now you think we’re lame, Since you saw the show last night TONIGHT!” Then went into Fritz’s Corner, another fave and the crowd’s too, and then we got Heavy Metal Bakesale! WHAT? I def did not expect to hear that one! I laughed at myself as I sang along, “How ya gonna live at 40?” Try 5-. Then I laughed again when Scott altered the lyrics, “How ya gonna live at 60?” When the song was over, the band left the stage and we waited for the encore.
After a couple minutes, the band came back out and Scott started playing a very familiar bass line. At the time I recognized the band they were covering but I couldn’t think of the name of the song. Folks, it was Led Zeppelin’s How Many More Times. It sounded so good. I also wondered if Scott recently saw the new documentary, Becoming Led Zeppelin. (Side note, I need to see it soon myself.) Luckily someone shot video of the song!
Video by KurtPolly505
It was also during the encore that I decided to take a few photos. They went into Bound for the Floor (with T.V. Eye by The Stooges snippet), you know, the song everyone knows. I was pleasantly surprised to get That’s What They All Say again (they played it Friday) but I will never complain as it is my fave from their P.J. Soles album! Plus it’s fun to sing along to, “Oh, no, no, everything must go…” Another song where I just love the tempo change within the song.
While you never know how many songs the band will actually play during an encore, you pretty much know the night is about to end when they get to High-Fiving MF. The band has a history of throwing in short snippets of other band’s songs in this one, but again, it is always a guess until Scott actually plays it. Well, we got Peter Gabriel’s Shock The Monkey, which was nice because it’s been a minute since I have heard them play it that way.
Well, that was it. Show was over. Scott pointed to various people in the crowd, “Thank YOU, Thank YOU, Thank YOU.” Ronnie handed out sticks on his side of the stage. Scott eventually shook a few hands at the edge of the stage, messed with his pedals to make noise ring out and then was gone.
Local H played an approximate hour and 40-minute set and regardless that it was my 50th Local H show, it was THE BEST night!! A FANTASTIC night!!
While I don’t want to assume any of the three songs I got weren’t already going to be on the set for the night, I want to give MASSIVE THANKS to Scott and Ronnie for playing “that” set. It was a perfect night! Also, BIG THANKS to Mike for giving me his set list.
I jumped into the Cold Manor photo, talked to Ronnie quickly from the stage and then Alieta and I eventually made our way to the long merch line. We passed the time talking, eventually taking a photo with Ronnie and spoke some more, all while a DJ played dance music.
Once it was my turn, I thanked Scott. I told him he had no idea how special he made my night, as it was my 50th Local H show since 1996. I also asked him to edit the set list; Another February in place of Turn the Bow. He also wrote “50!!!” and signed it. I then asked for a photo. Until I got to my car and looked at the photos, I had no idea how he managed to take 21 photos in so few seconds! LOL Due to his no flash preference, they didn’t really turn out but I couldn’t help showing the collage below. Once I was home, I realized how hoarse my voice was. Maybe a little too much fun over the two nights? Nah, it just goes with the territory. However, I still had that silly smile on my face. What. A. Night.
Click on all photos to view larger size
Note: Encore not part of the set list above
My Local H Shows (as of 2/8/2025) with some links to various videos I’ve taken
Local H 12/12/96 Rosemont Horizon – Rosemont, IL (opened for Stone Temple Pilots)
Local H 9/6/97 103.5 Rockstock ’97 at New World Music Theatre – Tinley Park, IL
Local H 9/12/98 103.5 Rockstock ’98 at New World Music Theatre – Tinley Park, IL
Local H 3/20/99 The Rave – Milwaukee, WI
Local H 10/21/99 The Rave – Milwaukee, WI
Local H 4/22/00 The Rave – Milwaukee, WI
Local H 11/25/00 Penny Road Pub – Barrington, IL
Local H 2/23/02 Martyrs – Chicago, IL
Local H 5/18/02 Q101’s Jamboree at Tweeter Center – Tinley Park, IL
Local H 12/12/02 The Rave – Milwaukee, WI
Local H 11/4/06 Austin’s – Libertyville, IL
Local H 9/14/08 Q101 Block Party at Western and Roscoe (DeVry Institute) – Chicago, IL
Local H 10/11/13 H.O.M.E. Bar – Arlington Heights, IL (Brian’s St. Clair’s last show)
Local H 4/19/15 Metro – Chicago, IL (Local H Celebrate 25 Years)
Local H 4/15/16 Metro – Chicago, IL (As Good As Dead 20th annv. show Night 1)
Local H 4/16/16 Metro – Chicago, IL (Acoustic set at Top Note Theater, 4th floor of Metro, part of As Good As Dead 20th annv. show day 2)
Local H 4/16/16 Metro – Chicago, IL (As Good As Dead 20th annv. show Night 2)
Local H 4/26/16 Liar’s Club – Chicago, IL
Local H 5/8/16 The Accord – Champaign, IL (As Good As Dead 20th annv. tour)
Local H 5/12/17 Durty Nellies – Palatine, IL
Local H 5/13/17 Q Bar – Darien, IL
Local H 6/4/17 Busch Stadium – St. Louis, MO (opened for Metallica)
Local H 6/18/17 Soldier Field – Chicago, IL (opened for Metallica)
Local H 11/22/17 Q Bar – Glendale Heights, IL
Local H 11/25/17 Tailgaters – Bolingbrook, IL
Local H 12/15/17 H.O.M.E. Bar – Arlington Heights, IL
Local H 12/16/17 115 Bourbon Street – Merrionette Park, IL
Local H 12/29/17 Shank Hall – Milwaukee, WI
Local H 12/30/17 Subterranean – Chicago, IL (NYE Night 1 “Heaven”)
Local H 12/31/17 Subterranean – Chicago, IL (NYE Night 2 “Hell”)
Local H 9/16/18 Empty Bottle – Chicago, IL (Pack Up The Cats 20th annv. tour)
Local H 11/2/18 Shank Hall – Milwaukee, WI (Pack Up The Cats 20th annv. tour)
Local H 11/18/18 Lincoln Hall – Chicago, IL (Pack Up The Cats 20th annv. tour)
Local H 4/12/19 Studio East performance at 95.1 WIIL Rock – Pleasant Prairie, WI
Local H 4/12/19 1175 Sports Park & Eatery – Kansasville, WI
Local H 4/13/19 Quarry Pub and Grill – Lemont, IL + video #2
Local H 6/13/19 Shank Hall – Milwaukee, WI
Local H 6/14/19 Durty Nellies – Palatine, IL
Local H 11/23/19 Liar’s Club – Chicago, IL (LIFERS Record Wrap Party)
Local H 6/26/2020 Harvest Moon Drive-In – Gibson City, IL
Local H 11/2/2021 Shank Hall – Milwaukee, WI
Local H 10/21/2022 Metro – Chicago (Here Comes The Zoo 20th annv. tour)
Local H 12/29/2022 Shank Hall – Milwaukee, WI (Here Comes The Zoo encore show)
Local H 12/30/2022 Shank Hall – Milwaukee, WI (NYE preview show)
Local H 2/23/2024 Empty Bottle – Chicago, IL
Local H 7/25/2024 Shank Hall – Milwaukee, WI
Local H 7/26/2024 Shank Hall – Milwaukee, WI
Local H 10/16/2024 Metro – Chicago (Whatever Happened to P.J. Soles? 20th annv. show)
Local H 2/7/2025 Q Bar – Darien, IL
Local H 2/8/2025 The Vixen – McHenry, IL
My Setlist.fm song stats for 46/50 shows