Photos: PELICAN, RUSSIAN CIRCLES @ Bohemian National Cemetery (Chicago, IL) – 2026/09/26

After touring the West Coast together in late winter of 2025 and then Europe, the Chicago-based bands would come together once more for an East Coast run.

PELICAN and RUSSIAN CIRCLES have been playing together for nearly 20 years. The second day of the tour would find the neigh-bands performing at a rather interesting venue on home turf, the Bohemian National Cemetery. Beyond the Gates is a concert series presented by Empty Bottle, where a show happens outside under a full moon, for this event, the Harvest Moon.

Being a hometown date for both bands, many friends and family members came out to join 2,500 other souls (not including the interred) to watch the performance. It would become the biggest home show for PELICAN and the biggest headlining show for RUSSIAN CIRCLES. A truly special night for both bands.

Photographs by @bananamasher.

PELICAN released an EP earlier this year, Ascending, stemming from last year’s full-length record, Flickering Resonance – both available thorough Run For Cover Records. The band performed during sunset, opening with “Gulch,” “Cascading Crescent,” “Ascending,” and “Wandering Mind,” with select cuts from early albums mixed in, including “The Creeper” from 2009’s What We All Come to Need and “Drought” from the band’s debut album, Australasia, released in 2003 via Hydra Head Records.

PELICAN:
Website | Bandcamp (Band) | Bandcamp (SL) | Facebook | Instagram

RUSSIAN CIRCLES are supporting their ninth album, Nine, – out now via Sargent House. The album sees the band continuing the expand on their already expansive sound. The trio would perform “Empath,” “Eluvial,” “Seventh Seal,” and “E2” from the new record, also included in the set would be “Harper Lewis” and “Youngblood” from 2008’s Station, along with “Conduit” and closing with“Gnosis”, both from 2022’s Gnosis.

RUSSIAN CIRCLES:
Website | Bandcamp | Facebook | Instagram