LIVE REVIEW: 2024 DEMOCRATIC NATIONAL CONVENTION IN CHICAGO

While Democrats aren’t always great at winning elections, there is one area in which they consistently excel: They sure as hell know how to throw a party. Such a fact was immediately evidenced by the unqualified success of the 2024 Democratic National Convention in Chicago, which Chicago Innerview was on hand to witness.

While the made-for-TV spectacle was pulled off with remarkable precision and professionalism, it was not without its hiccups. The Democratic Party’s new “DemPalooza” event at McCormick Place – complete with carboard cutouts of Kamala Harris and a snooze-worthy DJ – was largely a flop, although we give the party points for trying something different.

But perhaps the oddest aspect of the week was the sudden rock star-iaztion of Harris who, up until just a few months ago, was a largely unknown and disliked member of an unpopular incumbent administration. Again, points to the party for pulling off an unprecedented image makeover of their preferred candidate in record time, but something about this newfound Harris worship felt forced and contrived – a feeling that the candidate, despite being awash in money and positive vibes, did little to rectify with a passable yet largely unremarkable acceptance speech.

Maybe it’s not fair to compare Harris to the Obamas, both of whom (and Michelle in particular) brought down the house with the type of high-octane oratory we have come to expect from the former Chicagoans the night before. Their Wednesday night speech was preceded by a fun roll call vote the day before, in which a live DJ spun tunes and Lil John made a surprise appearance to introduce the delegates from Georgia (an act that Illinois governor J.B. Pritzker had a hard time following in front of his hometown crowd.)

Yet in the end, it was a week for celebration — for joy, for the party to finally let loose some steam and have a little fun after weeks of Biden-led post-debate doom-and-gloom. Yes, to paraphrase Dylan, something is happening and we don’t know what it is. Yes, the vibes of Obama-era hope wafting throughout all corners of the United Center were impossible to ignore. Yes, the energy on the convention floor was truly something to behold.

But are good vibes and a Hollywood makeover enough for the party to win the most important election of our lives? Only time will tell.
—STORY & PHOTOS BY JAY GENTILE