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Q&A and Live Review: Rick Wakeman at Arcada Theatre
Rick Wakeman Arcada Theatre (St. Charles, IL) October 4, 2019 Celebrated prog-rock keyboardist and raconteur Rick Wakeman visited the Arcada Theatre on Friday night, performing a set of classically oriented solo piano pieces. The songs performed as part of Wakeman’s Grumpy Old Rock Star tour are connected by stories that were equally poignant and ludicrous. […]
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: Bush and Live at Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre
The ’90s were celebrated in full force on Friday night. This year marks the 25th anniversaries of two records: Live’s Throwing Copper and Sixteen Stone from Bush-that emerged from that decade’s “alternative” scene. The previous quotation marks are certainly tongue in cheek, seeing as how there was nothing out of the ordinary about distorted guitars […]
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 […]
Live Review and Gallery: Squeeze at The Chicago Theatre
Squeeze Chicago Theatre August 31, 2019 When alt-pop superheroes Squeeze last visited Chicago, the group performed at the Vic Theatre in support of 2017’s LP The Knowledge. On Saturday night at the venerable Chicago Theatre, the band led by singer Chris Difford and guitarist Glenn Tilbrook hosted a considerably larger crowd for its “The Squeeze […]
Studiophile: September 2019
Chicago indie rockers Signal The Launch were at ELECTRICAL AUDIO in Chicago with acclaimed producer/engineer Steve Albini recording two tracks for their EP Dance Like a Vampire. The “Vampire” track has been a fan favorite since 2018, and the band has also shot an engaging F. W. Murnau inspired 1920’s horror-inspired music video conceived […]
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 […]
Cover Story: The B-52s
Kate Pierson may not have coined the suddenly-popular new portmanteau “glamping,” a mashup of glamorous and camping. Nor did she come up with its posh concept —experiencing the great outdoors, but through the comfortable buffer of the most modern of conveniences. No, the bouffant-haired B-52’s founder had nothing to do with any part of this […]
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: 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 […]
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.
Hello Our Names are Cherie and Brie
Sure, it was a wild ride. The career of vocalist Cherie Currie had started back in the mid-‘70s with the Kim Fowley-assembled all-girl outfit with Joan Jett, The Runaways, then rocketed into film roles (“Foxes”), an album with her sister Marie, a trashy autobiography (“Neon Angel”), even a Hollywood film about the group, 2010’s The […]
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