ilentertainer's Latest Posts
Photo Gallery: Phoenix at Aragon Ballroom
French popsters Phoenix are just one of many bands to grace the pages of the June 2017 issue of Illinois Entertainer. They recently hit the road in support of their latest release Ti Amo. Curt Baran rolled into Chicago’s Uptown neighborhood to snapped off some shots at the band’s sold out show at the […]
Photo Gallery: Rise Against and Deftones with Thrice at Huntington Bank Pavilion
On a picture perfect evening adjacent to Lake Michigan, Rise Against chose to kick off the “Wolves” tour in their hometown of Chicago. The tour’s first date also coincided with the release of Wolves, the quartet’s ninth album. The current trek will keep the band on the road deep into the summer and fall. To […]
Photo Gallery: Tool at Allstate Arena
Headlining one of 2017’s most anticipated tours, L.A.’s prog/art/metal legends Tool arrived at the former Rosemont Horizon insisting on a highly regimented “1 song” photo limit for members of the press. With 42 years under our belts – and thousands of bands photographed in our library, IE management would usually tell the said “one song […]
IE Rewind: Kansas at Taste of Joliet
Kansas returns for a homecoming show June 23rd at Taste of Joliet. IE Rewind flashes back to November, 2016 and our Q&A with Chicago native Ronnie Platt. For as long as he can remember, powerhouse vocalist Ronnie Platt was a passionate appreciator of the legendary progressive/classic/melodic rock band Kansas. In fact, the group’s original singer […]
Live Review and Gallery: U2 at Soldier Field
The Joshua Tree Tour 2017 Soldier Field, Chicago, IL Saturday, June 3, 2017 Reviewed by Jeff Elbel Veteran Irish rockers U2 took a detour from the road to their upcoming Songs of Experience project in order to revisit the “desert songs” that put them firmly on the map. The band’s first night at Soldier Field […]
Spins: Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band Deluxe Edition Reviewed
The Beatles Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band Deluxe Edition (Capitol) The 50th anniversary celebration for the Beatles’ Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band has sparked ample debate. The outpouring of opinion was inevitable, given the album’s status as the most universally-praised release of the rock era. Beatle diehards may argue whether Abbey Road […]
Photo Gallery: Gov’t Mule at the Pabst Theater
IE’s Ed Spinelli captured the Allman’s Warren Hayes storied side project at the amazing Pabst Theater on a beautiful May evening.
Photo Gallery: Dreamcar at The Vic Theater
Take three parts No Doubt (bassist Tony Kanal, guitarist Tom Dumont and drummer Adrian Young), one part A.F.I (vocalist Davey Havok) and you’ve got yourself a new supergroup called Dreamcar. The band, which graced the cover of IE’s April issue, recently hit the road in support of their eponymous debut album. Curt Baran commenced his […]
Cover Story: Rise Against
More than any other time in the band’s 18-year career, the cultural and political climate of 2017 is the perfect environment for Rise Against. Buoyed by singer-songwriter Tim McIlrath, bassist Joe Principe, drummer Brandon Barnes, and guitarist Zach Blair, it’s bittersweet for McIlrath, frontman and guitarist for the socio-political melodic punk act. The band’s leader […]
Media: June 2017
When WXRT night jock Ryan Arnold says he grew up on WXRT, he doesn’t just mean that he listened to the station. His mom Marge Arnold worked there when he was growing up, and he spent a lot of time in the hallways. “I literally grew up in the bowels of WXRT back when it […]
Live Review and Gallery: Neil Diamond at United Center
Neil Diamond United Center, Chicago Sunday, May 28, 2017 It didn’t take a virtual “Carpool Karaoke” ride with James Corden, Jennifer Lopez, Tim McGraw, Faith Hill, John Legend and many others clamoring to get next to Neil Diamond at this year’s Grammy Awards to prove that he was cool again (at least somewhat). For […]
Photo Gallery: Eric Johnson at the Acorn Theater
If Eric Johnson isn’t your favorite guitar player, than odds are he is your “favorite guitar player’s guitar player.” He was especially impressive in the intimate confines of Three Oak’s (MI), Acorn Theater Thursday Night. Johnson’s two-hour set included an extended electric guitar performance, a short acoustic set, and a few tunes his from baby […]
Live Review and Gallery: Midnight Oil at the Vic Theatre
Midnight Oil The Vic Theatre May 18, 2017 The glorious roar and jangle of Midnight Oil’s twin guitars and the band’s righteous fury have been sorely missed by many fans in Chicago since their last date here in 2002, when the group headlined Taste of Chicago in support of the Capricornia album. The politically-charged […]
IE Rewind: Chris Cornell 1964-2017
He was one of the seminal voices in rock history, not just the Seattle grunge movement of the early ’90s. His music was as complicated as he was, Soundgarden rarely dabbled in normal time signatures or regular love songs. His death in Detroit last night is shocking, and of course – it’s not. Our […]
Review and Photo Gallery: Hall & Oates/Tears For Fears at Allstate Arena
If you graduated high school in the 80s, loved your radio, and wanted your MTV, Allstate Arena was the place to be on Monday night. Judging by the packed hall, word had gotten around. Two disparate but defining bands from the era joined forces for a satisfying night of music and memories. Tears for Fears […]
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