File: September 2013
Harem Scarem at Melodic Rock Fest 3
What makes an Australian promoter fly 19 hours to Chicago to host a three-day classic rock festival? The fans, baby. MelodicRock Fest 3 organizer Andrew McNeice last hosted his gathering of legacy bands in 2010 in Elgin, and he felt the time was right to put together another – this time with a twist. “We wanted to change the script up a little this year. We wanted to give some up-and-coming artists a chance to finally be seen and heard as well. So over the weekend, talent will not only come from some of the pioneers of the scene, but also from some great, young talent that [needs] to be heard,” McNeice explains. Anchoring the fest will be classic rockers Steve Augeri (former vocalist of Journey), Canadian hair metal kings Harem Scarem, Ted Poley (of Danger Danger), House Of Lords, Eric Martin (of Mr. Big), and Glenn Burtnik of Styx, plus 25 other bands, including Chicago’s 7th Heaven (with Keith Semple guesting on vocals) and Loveblast. Arlington Heights‘ H.O.M.E. will serve as home base for all the tasty hooks and classic tracks you can stuff into one weekend (Sept. 27 to 29). Tickets start at $55 through ticket-web.com or melodicrockfest.com. Discount tickets available at Hot Tub Tony’s in South Elgin
– John Vernon
We haven’t even purchased a 2014 desk calendar yet, but we’ve already got a plan for next September’s birthday scribbled on a Post-it note ready for transfer once a trip to Best Buy finally commences. What could possibly stir up this much excitement a full year in advance? Try the “David Bowie is” exhibit, scheduled to hit the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago next fall and depart in January 2015. The MCA boasts the honored distinction of being the only U.S. venue to host the wildly illuminating look into Bowie’s complete transformations (from Ziggy Stardust to the Thin White Duke to his recent status as a near recluse) over a career spanning a half-century. Curated by London’s Victoria and Albert Museum, where the exhaustive exhibit recently closed before embarking on a world tour, “David Bowie is” includes over 300 pieces of Bowie, not memorabilia exactly, but the man’s essence, in the form of photos, handwritten lyrics, set designs and storyboards of music videos, and the sometimes gaudy, always identifiable costumes that are as integral to his music as the major scale. Between a new album and this invigorating retrospective, everything is coming up Bowie. The chances of the legend making an appearance at the Chicago opening are about as slim as his turn in Labyrinth getting its own wing at the museum, but a girl can dream, right? You remind me of the babe
-Janine Schaults
