Chelsea Wolfe arrived at Vic Theatre in Chicago on Tuesday night as part of her current tour supporting her seventh studio album “She Reaches Out To She Reaches Out To She.” It was her first performance in Chicago since 2019. Opening for Wolfe was Divide and Dissolve.

Based in Melbourne, Australia, Divide and Dissolve formed with Takiaya Reed on guitar and previously Sylvie Nehill on drums; Scarlett Shred has taken over on drums since Nehill’s departure in 2022. The duo incorporates elements of doom metal and drone to instrumentally convey ideas of decolonization, honoring their ancestors, resisting oppression and dismantling white supremacy. Their thundering style is a formidable, reverberating approach to uphold such urgent and relevant subject matter. Their fourth album “Systemic” was released last summer. Adhering to Divide and Dissolve’s creative philosophy, Reed kindly did a land acknowledgement during the band’s set and showed appreciation for resounding “Free Palestine!” chants that echoed her words.

Originally from the Sacramento area, Chelsea Wolfe is a singer-songwriter whose unique fusion of gothic rock, dark folk and doom metal has garnered her immense acclaim over the years. Albums like 2013’s “Pain is Beauty”, 2015’s “Abyss” and 2017’s “Hiss Spun” demonstrate the powerful sonic crossroads at which Wolfe dwells, and her latest record “She Reaches Out To She Reaches Out To She” (released February 9th) finds her embracing a more electronic-industrial palette. Wolfe’s hauntingly beautiful lyrics often touch on personal topics like love, family, anxiety and health issues. Her live band consists of Ben Chisholm on keys, synth and bass (since 2009), Bryan Tulao on guitar and Jess Gowrie on drums (both since 2017).

Chelsea Wolfe put on a spectacular show driven by towering, shadowy visuals and booming grandeur. Her set comprised all ten songs off “She Reaches” in addition to three tunes from “Pain is Beauty” (“They’ll Clap When You’re Gone, “Feral Love” and “Love is Metal”), two from “Hiss Spun” (“16 Psyche” and “The Culling”), one from “Abyss” (“Survive”) and one from compilation “Unknown Rooms: A Collection of Acoustic Songs” (“Flatlands”).

With an aura radiating sincerity, Wolfe showed warmth and gratitude towards everyone who came out to see her. There unfortunately were two medical emergencies during the show but Wolfe immediately paused playing as folks worked together and made space on the floor so that medics could come help the individuals in need. Thankfully everyone was able to be safely transported out of the crowd with Wolfe patiently waiting to make sure that everyone was okay before resuming playing. That, combined with Divide and Dissolve’s sentiments about liberation resonating with many, showed that there was a real sense of community care in the room on Tuesday which is a most heartwarming feeling. We need as much of that as we can get right now.