Live Reviews
Live Review and Photo Gallery: LANY at Byline Bank Aragon Ballroom • Chicago
LANY Saturday, October 16 Byline Bank Aragon Ballroom Chicago, IL Review and photos by Andy Argyrakis A major slice of the three years since LANY brought Malibu Nights to both Lollapalooza and the Riviera may have been spent with the entire world stopped, but that doesn’t mean the ascending indie-pop players wasted a single second. The […]
Stage Buzz Live Review: Thievery Corporation at Park West
Thievery Corporation Thursday, September 30, Park West, Chicago On Thursday night, a fully packed Park West had the vibe of a trance-dance party, with the love and unity of an Afrobeat ensemble. If strictly immersed on the dance floor, one would think it was DJ night. But it was so much more with five boundless […]
Stage Buzz: Live Review and Photo Gallery • Colin Hay at Park West
Colin Hay Park West, Chicago, IL Sunday, August 29, 2021 Review by Jeff Elbel, photos by Philamonjaro Colin Hay has spent decades building his brand as one of popular music’s premier solo acoustic entertainers and all-around raconteurs. His performance benefits from a miraculously ageless voice, fluid and dexterous guitar playing, and stories that overflow […]
Stage Buzz: Review and Photo Gallery • Wilco, Sleater-Kinney at Pritzker Pavillion
Wilco, Sleater-Kinney, Nnamdï Jay Pritzker Pavilion, Millennium Park, Chicago, IL Saturday, August 28, 2021 Review by Jeff Elbel Photo Gallery by Curt Baran Saturday’s performance at Pritzker Pavilion was Wilco’s first hometown show since December 2019, when the band supported 2019’s Ode to Joy album at the Chicago Theatre. After 20 months of waiting, Jeff […]
Stage Buzz: Live Review and Photo Gallery – James Taylor and His All-Star Band and Jackson Browne • United Center
James Taylor and His All-Star Band, Jackson Browne Thursday, July 29, 2021 United Center, Chicago, IL The third time’s the charm. Originally scheduled for the summer of 2020, the long-anticipated tour by James Taylor and His All-Star Band featuring Jackson Browne’s opening set was bumped to June of this year by the pandemic. Opening […]
Stage Buzz Review and Photo Gallery: Todd Rundgren Clearly Human Livestream from Chicago
Todd Rundgren Clearly Human Virtual Tour Private Venue, Chicago, IL Friday, February 26, 2021 Review by Jeff Elbel Photos by Jim Snyder Celebrated innovator and musical polymath Todd Rundgren is conducting his 25-date “Clearly Human” tour entirely from an unnamed theater in Chicago. Each show has featured all of the songs from 1989’s Nearly […]
Photo Gallery: deadmau5 with Bentley Dean and Kiesza at SeatGeek Stadium
deadmau5 / Bentley Dean / KieszaSeatGeek Stadium – At The Drive-InBridgeview, IL October 30, 2020 Ed Spinelli captured EDM pioneer and producer deadmau5 with Bentley Dean and Kiesza on a chilly evening in Bridgeview’s SeatGeek Stadium. All three came together for “Bridge By A Lightwave,” making it the highlight for the night. Drive-In concerts have […]
Stage Buzz: Live Review – The Claudettes at City Winery
City Winery, Chicago, IL Saturday, October 10, 2020 Chicago’s own The Claudettes are an uncategorizable but captivating blend of cheeky cabaret, gut-level blues, raucous rockabilly, cartoonish whimsy, and pop songcraft. 2020 was initially primed to be the band’s year, with the release of its most highly-praised set of songs. High Times in the Dark arrived in April […]
IE Rewind: Photo Gallery – Van Halen @ Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre July 24, 2015
IE’s Curt Baran was in Tinley Park at Van Halen’s last ever Chicago area appearance 5 years ago. In memory of the groundbreaking guitarist Edward Van Halen we take a look back to July, 2015…
Photo Gallery: Local H at “Live From The Lot” at Schaumburg Boomers Stadium
Like almost every other industry, the COVID pandemic has forced the music profession to find its way around how to put the music out there, specifically live music. The recent trend has used the old model of Drive-In theaters as a stand-in for concert venues. Zion’s Local H recently used this approach to great success […]
Recap and Gallery: Local H Live at Harvest Moon Drive-In
“Is this weird for you guys? It’s weird for us, too.” This was Scott Lucas of Local H at the Harvest Moon Drive-In in Gibson City, Illinois, just a few songs into an epic 30-song set Thursday in east central Illinois. IE attended the first of two sold out shows that Local H played on […]
Live Review and Photo Gallery – Dirty Honey at Bottom Lounge
Dirty Honey Tuesday, February 11 Bottom Lounge, Chicago For the past year, some music industry folks have been working themselves into a piranha-like frenzy over L.A. blues-rock quartet Dirty Honey. Formed in 2017, the band features singer Marc Labelle, guitarist John Notto, bassist Justin Smolian, and drummer Corey Coverstone. The buzz surrounding the band is heightened in […]
Live Review: DeadMau5 at Navy Pier
Deadmau5 “Cube V3” Saturday, February 1 Navy Pier, Chicago From 2008 to 2015, Joel Zimmerman, aka Deadmau5, was the inescapable force in the world of electronic dance music, one of the most prominent and most easily recognizable names in the genre, putting out albums like Album Title Goes Here and While(1<2). To many people, he […]
Live Review: Squirrel Nut Zippers at Arcada Theatre
Squirrel Nut Zippers Arcada Theatre January 26, 2020 Review by Jeff Elbel Photos by Luciano J. Bilotti In the Squirrel Nut Zippers’ heyday, the band’s music offered a singular throwback to the freewheeling fun of gypsy swing and pre-war hot jazz. In 2020, the retooled and rejuvenated band does the same […]
Live Review and Photo Gallery: EOB at Lincoln Center
Ed O’Brien (EOB) Lincoln Hall Saturday, February 8, 2020 Following in the footsteps of bandmates Thom Yorke, Colin Greenwood, and Phil Selway, guitarist and vocalist Ed O’Brien is stepping outside his role as a founding member of Radiohead and occasional high-profile sideman for other artists including Neil Finn. Performing under the name EOB, O’Brien […]
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