Recent Articles
Photo Gallery: Riot Fest 2019 – Day One
Industry reports indicate summer festival attendance is down across the country, but Riot Fest’s healthy crowds show that the 15-year-old homegrown punk and indie rock festival is not suffering from a lack of dedicated fans. Friday’s RF 2019 kick-off delivered a virtually sold-out crowd (it was packed) in Douglas Park in near-perfect September weather. Day One […]
Photo Gallery: Riot Fest 2019 Day Two
Day 2 of the 2019 edition of Riot Fest arrived and the prevailing vibe of the day was Metal! Earth scorchers Slayer eviscerated Douglas Park during what is sure to be their final Chicago performance before calling it a career. In fact, the Riot stage could have been re-christened All Metal – All The Time […]
Photo Gallery: Riot Fest 2019 Day Three
Day Three in Douglas Park proved as worthy as the first two, and the incredibly healthy and dedicated crowds dodged the morning storms by minutes as the gates opened at Ogden and Sacramento. Our day started with Oakland’s Ultra Q, and it was all good from there, capturing sets by “house band” Ganser (as seen […]
Photo Gallery: The Who at Alpine Valley
We had a feeling Alpine Valley was gonna be a good show. Photographer Ed Spinelli confirmed Pete and Roger were in good spirits on their Wisconsin tour stop. Here’s a recap of the setlist to go along with the visuals. Setlist via Setlist FM SHARESETLIST With Orchestra Overture 1921 Amazing Journey Sparks Pinball […]
Stage Buzz: Riot Fest Undercard Preview
Riot Fest returns this fall for its historic 15th anniversary, once again in Douglas Park (Ogden & Ashland). From its humble beginnings in small clubs to its current incarnation as a classic punk, indie rock, and hip-hop celebration, Riot Fest has a connection to Chicago like no other festival. Now in its 15th year, the […]
Photo Gallery: ZZ Top with Cheap Trick at Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre
That “lil old band from Texas” found its way into the southwest suburbs of Chicago Saturday. ZZ Top has hit the road in celebration of 50 years as a band. The trio, know for excessive facial hair and boogie-infused blues, plowed through five decades of hits and crowd favorites, delivered with a charming dollop of […]
Stage Buzz: King Crimson at The Auditorium Theatre
As the godfathers of progressive rock, you won’t find a band with a more dedicated cult following and more influence as King Crimson. Their 1969 debut In the Court of the Crimson King is the benchmark for the prog-rock movement. Led by inventive “quality control” guitarist Robert Fripp, the band’s line-up has been noted for […]
Media: September 2019
Tim Virgin first hit the airwaves in Chicago over twenty years ago. “(Loop program director) Greg Solk hired me in 1996. At that time, they were thinking of turning the Loop into an XRT-ish type format, the best music on the planet, and he needed an alternative guy, and that was me. When they went […]
Live Review and Photo Gallery: Iron Maiden at Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre
Iron Maiden Thursday August 22, 2019 Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre, Tinley Park Full disclosure… August 5, 1982 I was forever ruined by Iron Maiden. That was the day of the band’s legendary appearance on the shores of Lake Michigan at ChicagoFest. I had already seen the band several times at that point, but that night was […]
Photo Gallery: Korn and Alice in Chains at Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre
The cool in the evening air hinted that summer might be eyeing its inevitable exit. But the upside to that is that it results in a perfect evening for outdoor music and the Chicagoland area continues to show no signs of surrender when facing down the waning, open-air concert season. Two mavericks of the ’90s […]
Photo Gallery: Converge and Cloud Nothings at House of Vans
This past weekend saw the final installment of the Vans House Parties. The Chicago location of House of Vans has curated a half a dozen or so events through the 2019 spring and summer seasons and chose, like their swan song, to not go gentle into that good night. The West Loop multi-use venue most […]
Advertiser Message: MJ Live at The Rosemont Theatre February 1, 2020
The #1 Michael Jackson Tribute Concert in the World, and it’s coming to the Rosemont Theatre on February 1st, 2020. Presented by 94.7 WLS-FM. Featuring all his biggest hits (solo and with the Jacksons and Jackson 5) including “Bad,” “Billie Jean, “Beat It,” “Dangerous,” “Smooth Criminal,” “Black & White,” “I Want You Back” and many […]
Photo Gallery: Smashing Pumpkins with Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds and AFI at Hollywood Casino Amphitheater
Tinley Park set the musical way back machine for a sojourn deep into the ’90s. Like it or not, many Pumpkin’s and Oasis fans came to hear the music of their youth. In the end, the night was a celebration of the modern era and the salad-days. Hollywood Casino Amphitheater played host to two of […]
Photo Gallery: Queen plus Adam Lambert at United Center
Eddie Spinelli captured Queen with Adam Lambert in a 2 hour sold-out show at United Center. As expected Lambert channels the ghosts of Freddie Mercury with aplomb, featuring original members Brian May and Roger Taylor running through a set of hits and deep cuts.
Photo Gallery: Knotfest at Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre
Metal from around the world converged last weekend in Tinley Park. The occasion was the 2019 Knotfest Roadshow, a sort of mini-festival curated by Iowa shock rockers Slipknot. The band has also invited Poland’s Behemoth, Gojira from France and Denmark’s Volbeat to join their current sojourn. Well, the masked metal collective from the Hawkeye State […]
Recent Comments