It’s four hours before doors, and fans have already started to line up outside the venue.

Two friends stand at the front, both in matching tank tops that have “tickets at daundrylay.com” stitched onto the front. As the show approaches, the line continues to grow with fans in outfits that get progressively cooler and chatter that gets progressively louder.

While the show won’t start for several hours, more fans of the band Laundry Day arrive outside the venue to partake in drawing with sidewalk chalk. After the sun has gone down and the doors have opened to the show, half of the 2000 block of North Avenue is covered in doodles that feature inside jokes, album art, or the members of Laundry Day themselves.

Before they’ve set foot on the stage, Laundry Day’s impact on their community is genuine, passionate, and timeless.

People yearn for a “third space” now more than ever. In the post-pandemic world, there’s been an increasing demand for places that cultivate community through shared activities – otherwise known as a “third space.”

During the COVID-19 pandemic, many of these third spaces were forced to close their doors given their community was cultivated through in-person events. Members of Gen Z, a majority of whom were teenagers during the pandemic, are advocating to create more third spaces after spending so much of their formative years online.

While many know Laundry Day for their music, New York City natives Jude Ciulla-Lipkin, Sawyer Nunes, Henry Pearl, and Henry Weingartner have created a reputation and career outside of their songs. The four met as freshman at Beacon High School and instantly bonded over their shared love of music.

In the years since, Laundry Day has collaborated with Romil Hemnani of Brockhampton and Touchdown Teezo, opened for The 1975 and Clairo, signed with a major record label and started their own record label, and headlined international tours.

In addition to their impressive discography, Laundry Day began to make waves on social media in 2023 with videos of them singing to popular songs. Ciulla-Lipkin, Nunes, Pearl, and Weingartner already sang different songs to each other during quotidian activities – making dinner, running errands, commuting – and made each other laugh, so they decided to film it and start posting the videos on social media.

Seemingly overnight, everyone knew about Laundry Day. These videos of them singing on the street led them to collaborations with the likes of Veronika Slowikowskia, Justin Bieber, and the New York Knicks. While they always began as a band, some of the comments on these videos still say things along the lines of, “Wait, these guys actually make music too?” And it’s actually good.

Following the success of their 2025 album EARWORM, the band embarked on the Larger Than Life Tour during Fall 2026 across North America. On September 18, Laundry Day played to a sold-out crowd in Chicago, Illinois at Chop Shop.

New York City/Los Angeles-based band 10xTANTRUM opened for Laundry Day in Chicago with a series of playful hyper-pop hits that encouraged the crowd to dance, sing, and jump.

In between sets, Laundry Day’s pre-show playlist continued to keep the energy and excitement going. With a blend of modern rap, classic indie, and recession pop, the crowd knew the words to every song. It’s a testament to Laundry Day’s ability to entertain and their knowledge as musicians in the modern era: there’s something for everyone at their shows.

“Versace on the Floor” by Bruno Mars got the crowd dancing, with one of the security guards using his flashlight to illuminate the disco ball overhead, moments before the band took the stage. In an age where concert etiquette is being questioned now more than ever, Laundry Day’s fans are supportive, collaborative, and excited. They create a true sense of community at their shows, even before they take the stage.

The venue went dark, and a large screen behind the stage lit up with the words, “START A BAND.” Ciulla-Lipkin, Nunes, Pearl, and Weingartner took the stage one by one, each welcomed with applause and cheering.

Laundry Day opened their Chicago show with “I WANNA LOVE YOU BABE,” which was released just a week before the performance. Ciulla-Lipkin approached the barricade to sing with fans from the first verse; the crowd knew every word.

Where many artists turn to parasocial methods of connection with their fans, Laundry Day has made a conscious effort to take their digital connections to live shows. The crowd featured a mix of longtime fans of their music, new listeners, and TikTok followers who discovered them through their comedic content. From the first song, Laundry Day’s excitement extended from the barricade through the balcony.

They continued with fan-favorite tracks from EARWORM, including “HOMEGIRL” feat. Touchdown Teezo and “ALIEN.” With live shows, some artists like to give a different listening experience than one might get on streaming. Laundry Day certainly gave fans a unique experience, providing instrumental solos and vocal flares. Ciulla-Lipkin and Nunes showcased their vocal talents, particularly during “ALIEN.”

After playing newer tracks, the band transitioned into playing a track from each of their previous projects. They began with “Did You Sleep Last Night?” from their 2022 album We Switched Bodies, explaining what it was like to create and release music during the COVID-19 pandemic.

During “Red Roses,” from the 2019 album HOMESICK, fans passed Ciulla-Lipkin red roses at the front, which he passed to other members of the band.

Although each member of Laundry Day has their own “role” in the band, they showcase their musical range in their live shows. While Weingarter is the band’s guitarist, he played keys and drums at various points during the show. Additionally, Nunes stepped out from behind the drum kit multiple times to provide lead vocals. For “Jane,” a track from their 2018 album Keep It Bright, Ciulla-Lipkin hopped on guitar. He then moved to keys for “Lighter / Time.”

After playing a series of tracks from previous projects, they played an acoustic version of “MEDICINE” with Nunes on guitar and Weingarter on keys. They went on to play “Damn Shame” and “NO GO,” with all 500 members of the sold-out crowd singing back to them. It’s a true testament to the quality of Laundry Day’s music: timelessly innovative.

“We met 10 years ago,” Ciulla-Lipkin said ahead of “Lavender,” from their 2018 EP “Light Up Shoes.” The crowd erupted into applause, to which he added, “When we were 14, so not that old.” As members of Gen Z, Laundry Day is part of the generation yearning for more “third spaces.” They went viral on many occasions during the COVID-19 Pandemic, which gave them (and several other musicians) unmeasured amounts of exposure, but they’ve made a conscious effort to take that connection offline.

Nunes moved from behind his drum kit and joined Pearl, Ciulla-Lipkin, and Weingarter at the front of the stage for “Lavender” on guitar and vocals. “Everyone give it up for Sawyer’s [Nunes’] new guitar,” Weingarter said. The crowd erupted into applause again, causing the band to erupt into laughter.

Ciulla-Lipkin and Weingarter encouraged the crowd to clap and dance along with their friends, romantic partners, and strangers in the crowd to tracks like “We Switched Bodies” and “LITTLE MISS JADED.” Their setlist took audiences through their entire careers and perfectly matched when to kick things up and when to slow them down. If there’s one thing Laundry Day does at their concerts, it’s create a perfect atmosphere to bond with others.

The lights went dark, and Ciulla-Lipkin’s vocals were the only sound in the venue. Laundry Day began “Why Is Everyone A DJ?” with vocals only, an electric scream in anticipation cutting through the audience. At the chorus, the other band members joined in on their respective instruments to create a thrilling beat drop. On the line “I could use like $20 right now,” a fan held up a $20 towards Ciulla-Lipkin and Pearl on the left side of the stage.

They moved into other energetic, danceable tracks “APEROL SPRITZ” and “I DON’T KNOW THIS SONG” from their latest album, with Nunes joining on vocals and keys for the latter. They left the stage one by one after, in a similar fashion to how they entered at the top of the set.

Before the last member was off stage, the crowd began to chant for an encore.

The blackout continued for a few moments before the chorus of “I KINDA LIKE THAT” began, one of the most-streamed songs from EARWORM. Fans immediately jumped and began to sing along.

There were many moments throughout the set that truly solidified Laundry Day’s talents as performers and musicians, but it’s truly special to witness an artist see the impact of their work in real time. Before beginning the track from the top, Ciulla-Lipkin, Pearl, Weingarter, and Nunes shared a look that seemed to say, “Wow.”

While Laundry Day played their hit song “SUPERMODEL” at the top of the show, they brought it back during the encore. On previous stops of the Larger Than Life Tour, Ciulla-Lipkin went into the audience and took one fan into a dance circle as the show’s “supermodel.” A fan at the barricade, who knew the words to every track and engaged with the show in real time rather than through their phone, was chosen to be Chicago’s “supermodel.” The crowd formed a circle and cheered for the fan as they danced with Ciulla-Lipkin, living up to the song’s lyrics.

Laundry Day closed their Chicago show with their most popular song, “FRIENDS.”

“If you’re doing anything tonight, start a band with your friends,” Ciulla-Lipkin said. Laundry Day left the stage to a room of applause, cheers, and excitement. As the venue lights came on, they played “No Problem” by Chicago’s own Chance The Rapper, which many fans hung out after to sing and dance together to, despite the band no longer being on stage.

The sense of community through artistic collaboration is truly what makes Laundry Day a novelty in the modern music scene. While some bands tie their members to their primary roles, every member seems to hold equal weight in Laundry Day.

Laundry Day truly cultivates a sense of community and belonging at their live shows – it’d be a damn shame to miss them on tour.

Stay updated with Laundry Day on Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube. Get tickets to their tour here.

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