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Media: June 2025 ⢠Swany Leaves 101.9FM The Mix
WTMX (The Mix) recently announced that midday personality Lisa Allen was leaving the station. The announcement added âalong with three other staffers.â When I read that, I had a bad feeling, so I called my old friend John âSwanyâ Swanson, my co-author of The Radio Producerâs Handbook, and asked him if he was one of […]

Stage Buzz: Push Puppets, Do Division Fest, The Weekend
The Weeknd may have built his career off hit songs like âI Canât Feel My Face,â âStarboy,â âThe Hills,â and âSave Your Tears,â but over the years, heâs proven himself to be a visual artist as well. With innovative technology, stunning light shows, high concepts, and striking costumes, The Weekndâs performances are indeed a spectacle […]

Live Review and Photo Gallery: AC/DC with The Pretty Reckless at Soldier Field ⢠Chicago
AC/DC with The Pretty Reckless Soldier Field Chicago, IL May 24, 2025 Live Review by Justice Petersen, Photo Gallery by Edward Spinelli Rock legends AC/DC made their return to Chicagoâs Soldier Field Saturday, proving that they can still deliver their signature concoction of gritty yet anthemic rock ânâ roll with high energy after nearly 50 […]

Live Review: Paul Simon at Symphony Center ⢠Chicago
Paul Simon Symphony Center Chicago Wednesday, May 22, 2025 Review by Jeff Elbel Paul Simonâs appearance in Chicago seven years ago at United Center wasnât quite the farewell it was purported to be at the time. Those who arrived on Wednesday for the first of Simonâs three-night stand at the comparatively intimate Symphony Center, however, […]

Stage Buzz: AC/DC, Post Malone, Youth Code
Is Post Malone a rapper? Country superstar? A sensitive rocker? Heâs all of the above. From hip hop to hard rock, Post Malone has spanned multiple genres and shows no sign of stopping. Refusing to be pigeonholed, he breaks the rules of genre to create music thatâs soul-bearing, heartfelt, and provocative. Post Malone will perform […]

Photo Gallery: Larkin Poe at The Vic Theatre ⢠Chicago
Larkin Poe The Vic Theatre May 17th, 2025 Chicago, IL Recap and photos by Curt Baran If youâre a musician with hereditary links to the dark poet Edgar Allen Poe, it would be safe to assume your music would have gothic leanings. Well, the music the Lovell sisters create certainly has DNA lineage, but itâs […]

Live Review: Benmont Tench at Garciaâs ⢠Chicago
Benmont Tench Garciaâs Chicago Thursday, May 15, 2025 Review by Jeff Elbel. Photos by Jim Snyder. To say Benmont Tench made a rare visit to Chicago on Thursday would be inaccurate. The keyboardist and songwriter has been here practically countless times in his pivotal role with American rock and roll band Tom Petty and […]

Live Review: Ministry at the Riviera Theatre ⢠Chicago
Ministry Riviera Theatre Chicago, IL May 9, 2025 Live Review by Ashley Perez Hollingsworth âAre you guys ready to take a trip down memory lane? Get in a hot tub time machine and forget thereâs all this turmoil?â asked Ministryâs Al Jourgensen decked out in an oversized fuzzy hat, heart-shaped glasses, and glittery blazer. […]

Stage Buzz: Mayday Parade, Ice Nine Kills, BeyoncĂŠ,
BeyoncĂŠ has dominated pop, soul, and R&B. Now, sheâs taking over country music. Showing that she canât be boxed in, BeyoncĂŠ is charting new territory with her latest album COWBOY CARTER. Now, the singer is bringing the chart topping record to Chicago for a three-night stint at Soldier Field. Catch the âTexas Hold âEmâ singer […]

Photo Gallery: Amyl and the Sniffers in Chicago
Amyl and the Sniffers The Salt Shed Chicago, IL May 8, 2025 Recap and photos by Curt Baran âIf someone gets knocked down, you pick them back up! We look out for each other!â Amy Taylor usually exclaims these words before every Amyl & The Sniffers show. It has come to represent a sort of […]

Stage Buzz: Ministry, Cradle of Filth, Brigette Calls Me Baby,
Ministry frontman Al Jourgensen has spent the past three decades rallying against the bandâs debut album, With Sympathy. He hated it so much that he even refused to sign copies of it unless someone coughed up $1000. Now, the unthinkable has happened. Jourgensen and crew are celebrating the album and Ministryâs early works on […]

CinemaScopes: UHF 35th Anniversary Edition
UHF 35th Anniversary Edition (Shout! Factory) Review by Jeff Elbel Itâs been 35 years since we were introduced to the Twinkie-wiener sandwich, and fans everywhere were encouraged to grab life by the lips and yank. Shout! Factory invites us once again to âturn up the volume, and yank of the knob.â All of that yanking […]

Photo Gallery: Japanese Breakfast
Japanese Breakfast The Salt Shed Chicago, IL April 30, 2025 Recap and photos by Curt Baran While not exactly the equivalent of securing an EGOT, at the very least, Michelle Zauner has established herself as a multi-hyphenate. Singer-songwriter-best-selling author is now her title to claim. Her book Crying In H Mart, a devastatingly emotional account […]

Live Review: Trivium with Bullet For My Valentine ⢠Aragon Ballroom ⢠Chicago
Trivium/Bullet For My Valentine Aragon Ballroom Chicago, IL April 26, 2025 Live Review by Ashley Perez Hollingsworth Metal titans Trivium and Bullet For My Valentine delivered a night of chaos, nostalgia, and good fucking music to a sold-out Aragon Ballroom on Saturday night (April 26). Their co-headlining âThe Poisoned Ascendancy Tourâ celebrates two landmark albums, […]
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