Chicago’s favorite sons came out of hiding last night to play an early show at Schubas. Tickets went on sale April Fool’s Day, and the five dollar ticket price surely made everyone think it was a joke. Those of us lucky enough to score tickets before they sold out were treated to a set made up mostly of songs from their first two records. However, we did get to hear two songs off the new album, Soft Will (June 11th).

“Varsity” kicked off the show. This one came out as a single last month, but I hadn’t heard it because I try to wait until the full album is available. It’s different enough from Dye It Blonde to be interesting and not so far away that it’s a sonic shock. There’s more soul to it, but the production is fairly similar. Sounded great live.

The other new song was “3am Spiritual.” This is a bit more ambitious. At the beginning Cullen said that its a slow one, but it picks up. And boy does it ever! I love that break where the keyboards take off. Don’t take my word for it, though. Check out this video from the front row:

Smith Westerns only played about forty-five minutes; but for five dollars who could complain? All the touring they’ve done has paid off because they were even tighter last night than the last time I saw them at Schubas in 2011.

If you bought tickets to Lollapalooza, you’ll be seeing the band in August. If not, they’re sure to be touring behind the new record this summer.