It’s rare that I feel the need to get to a show right as it starts. It’s also rare that a lineup features three acts as good as these ones, which is why I found myself skipping the second presidential debate in order to catch opener Scout Niblett as her set began at 9 PM sharp. I love watching Scout play because I’m almost positive she is on crack. Alone on stage, switching between her guitar and her beloved drum kit, she plays like she’s not quite sure where she is or who she’s playing for; with her eyes closed and smiles randomly crossing her delicate face, she’s completely lost in her own world until each song ends. When the audience applauds, the look of surprise on her face seems to indicate she forgot anyone else was even in the room with her. This combination of sweetness and oddity is what makes Scout so endearing. She loves her drums even though she’s not particularly good at them, bringing to mind an 8-year old banging on her parents’ drum set with pure glee. But when she suddenly starts banging away and screaming lines like “We’re all gonna die,” you have to wonder what’s going on beneath that childlike exterior.

During the break between Scout and Enon, I looked around to survey the crowd and spotted someone who looked uncannily like a member of TV on the Radio. I quickly wrote it off, thinking there’s no reason TV on the Radio would be hanging out in Chicago on a Friday night when they’re on tour. Until I remembered they’d just played the past two nights at the Metro with the Faint. And they’re on the same record label as Black Heart Procession and Enon. And that record label is based in Chicago. And then the rest of the band sauntered over and it was official- TV on the Radio was just hanging out in the crowd. Slowly everyone around me figured it out as well, and a few went over to talk to them while the majority (like myself) just kind of pointed and stared. Really though, what would I have said? “Hey, you’re TV on the Radio.” “Yup.” (awkward pause). “Well, uh, keep rockin’.” Nah, it was probably better to just stare from afar.

Enon was up next with their bizarre brand of quirky rock and their adorable Japanese bassist/keyboardist/singer Toko Yasuda. When she announced things like “Black Heart Procession is up next” and “this song is called ‘Disposable Parts’” in her oh-so-cute Japanese accent, I think the entire crowd breathed a collective “awwwww.” Before that point, however, the band sounded a little shaky; I felt like their vocals were a bit off throughout the first few songs, and other than the drummer who was rocking out like a maniac, the band didn’t seem very comfortable onstage. Luckily, the band eventually loosened up and found its stride, playing a set heavy on their second (and best) album, High Society. Enon’s strengths were most evident on stage when the band pumped up the electronic beats for some of their most danceable tracks, such as the aforementioned “Disposable Parts,” when singer John Schmersal ditched the guitar to dance around like a freak on stage and bug his eyes out creepily at the audience as he sang. This song alone more than made up for the poor start.

Aside from a few songs, my knowledge of the Black Heart Procession’s music is fairly limited. About halfway through their set, however, I realized that they must be one of the most appropriately named bands in music. The minor chords and the regular use of the piano makes for an incredibly dark sound that trudged along at a very deliberate pace, building and swelling as the themes of pain and heartbreak were conveyed by singer Pall Jenkin’s deep and gravelly voice. Add in the creepy loops of wind blowing and howling in the background and the fact that the band was dressed mostly in black (some even in suits), and the atmosphere was positively funereal- and extremely fitting. Even with my limited background, I was able to really appreciate the show they were putting on. Eventually, the constant dreariness combined with the fact that I’d been up since 6 AM began to get to me, and I knew I was going to have to leave before the encore. I headed out, more than satisfied having seen three good performances and one TV on the Radio.