Neko Case may not be a Chicago native, but she was welcomed back to the Salt Shed on Thursday as a hometown hero.
The alt-country-plus singer-songwriter earned her audience here through persistent early touring through venues, including Lounge Ax, Metro, Schubas Tavern and FitzGerald’s, as well as time spent living in Chicago in the late ’90s and early ’00s while crafting her enduring 2002 album “Blacklisted.”
Case’s musical relationships include local mainstays like Nora O’Connor Kean, who stood to Case’s left playing guitar and singing harmony throughout the performance.
With ample goodwill shared to and from the stage, the concert felt like a gathering of the tribe. “You beautiful people,” Case said as she welcomed the crowd. “You’re gonna get it!”
Favorites from Case’s catalog examined the often-unforgiving natural world, described by poet Alfred Tennyson as “red in tooth and claw.” The crowd joined the chorus of “People Got a Lotta Nerve,” expressing the musings of a killer whale. “I’m a man-eater, but you’re surprised when I eat ya,” sang Case and the audience together as Paul Rigby played chiming fills on 12-string guitar.
“This Tornado Loves You” was sung from the perspective of an amorous whirlwind leaving a trail of death and destruction in its effort to be noticed.
“Deep Red Bells” was gorgeous and haunting, despite its grim subject matter. The country-noir song was rooted in the true story of the Green River Killer who sowed terror in Washington state during the ’80s and ’90s when Case was younger.
The downcast “Oh, Shadowless” was paired with the starlit and shimmering euphoria of “That Teenage Feeling,” which hinged upon close harmony between Case and Kean. Signature song “Lady Pilot” earned cheers of recognition.
The concert supported the recent release of “Neon Grey Midnight Green” with a set list that introduced nine of the album’s dozen songs.
“This song is about a little spider and how much smarter the spider is than all of us here put together,” said Case when introducing “Little Gears.” The song returned to Case’s longstanding fascination with the intuitive forces of nature, observing a spider’s innate ability to spin an intricate web.
Other offerings from “Neon Grey Midnight Green” took contrasting views on matters of the heart. “Rusty Mountain” condemned the marginalization of women as muses in a similar way to older song “Halls of Sarah,” which described poets “loving womankind as lions love Christians.”
“Wreck,” however, unfolded as a slight return to the territory of “This Tornado Loves You.” Case’s lyrical portrait characterized all-consuming new love as a tangle of euphoria and trepidation. “Please don’t be afraid of me or my love,” sang Case, claiming a passion that burned like a sun.
The lush orchestration of album tracks was recast onstage by the six-piece band, who supported Case’s nimble and vaulting melodies with spacious clouds of reverb-drenched chords.
The mood of “Louise” was heightened by Adam Schatz’s saxophone. The presence of Presidents of the United States of America alumnus Andrew McKeag was particularly felt through the ascending bass melody and sublime coda of “Destination.”
Case introduced “Baby I’m Not (A Werewolf)” as “a seasonal werewolf song” for the Halloween holiday, but the 55-year-old veteran artist also cited the song as a public service announcement for the unrecognized “awesomeness” of menopause.
Case, who has long expressed her righteous anger at the objectification of women in the music industry, affirmed the superpowers now possessed by her mature body and attitude. “Men, you go through andropause, and that’s another great thing to look forward to,” she added.
The main set concluded with a song rooted in Chicago. The tumbling waltz of “Star Witness” was greeted with cheers, despite its sad reflections on a tragic shooting death of an unidentified Black youth in Humboldt Park that was witnessed by Case.
An emotional encore began with the yearning “I Wish I Was the Moon.” Urgent roots-rocker “Hold On, Hold On” followed, striking a sonic mood similar to Patti Smith’s “Dancing Barefoot” while expressing an opposing sentiment of disillusionment with love.
The latter song’s chorus has been misinterpreted as offering a message of persistence. Case tapped this alternate meaning in her comments to her Chicago-based audience. She expressed intense pride at seeing residents on the news actively protesting the Trump administration’s campaign against immigration in the city.
As she introduced the closing song “At Last,” Case said, “this song is about finding your people.” Afterward, Case paused for a parting note. “Thank you for letting me live in your city and treating me like family for so many years,” she said.
The audience’s warm ovation suggested that Case would be welcomed back anytime.
Neko Case set list for Oct. 16 show at Salt Shed
Bracing for Sunday
People Got a Lotta Nerve
Louise
Deep Red Bells
This Tornado Loves You
Little Gears
Baby, I’m Not (A Werewolf)
Ragtime
Magpie to the Morning
I’m an Animal
Destination
Lady Pilot
Oh, Shadowless
That Teenage Feeling
Rusty Mountain
Match-Lit
Neon Grey Midnight Green
Tomboy Gold
Wreck
Star Witness
Encore:
I Wish I Was the Moon
Hold On, Hold On
At Last