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Photo Gallery: Lollapalooza 2022 • Day Three • Chicago
Lollapalooza Day Three Grant Park Chicago, IL July 30, 2022 Recap and photos by Curt Baran It seemed like Saturday at Lollapalooza was custom-made for lovers of loud guitars. It was also arguably one of the rare moments when the bands on the undercard seemed to outplay the headliner, J. Cole. The impossibly great back-to-back […]
Photo Gallery: Lollapalooza 2022 • Day Four • Chicago
Lollapalooza Day Four Grant Park Chicago, IL July 31st, 2022 Recap and photos by Curt Baran Lollapalooza 2022 wrapped up by making history. J-Hope, part of the BTS collective, became the first South Korean performer to ever headline a major U.S. festival. On the opposite end of Grant Park, Green Day was repeating another appearance […]
Stage Buzz: The Wailers, Rob Zombie, Coheed and Cambria
Goo Goo Dolls started life as a way for John Rzeznik and Robby Takac to hang out and make noisy punk rock together. 36 years later, they’re a Grammy award-nominated alternative band with several number hits under their belt. They’re still going strong, with their next album, “Chaos in Bloom,” on the horizon. In […]
Media: August 2022 • Bob Stroud • “40 Years of The Stroud Crowd”
DJ Bob Stroud always loved radio, but before he launched his legendary radio career that lasted five decades and ended with his semi-retirement a few weeks ago, he was honing his delivery elsewhere. “I did three years of dinner theater in Florida,” he explains. “I started out just working tech because you had […]
Cover Story: Goo Goo Dolls • “O Lucky Men!”
It seemed like an intriguing request, thought Goo Goo Dolls founder John Rzeznik at the time. And one that was impossible for any kind-hearted rocker to resist. Looking out into the crowd as the band’s set built to its signature smash “Iris” — the 1998 single that spent 18 consecutive weeks at #1 on the […]
Photo Gallery: Roger Waters at United Center • Chicago
Roger Waters United Center Chicago, IL July 26, 2022 Recap and photos by Curt Baran “…if you’re one of those ‘I love Pink Floyd, but I can’t stand Roger’s politics,’ you might do well to fuck off right to the bar!” This was the message that greeted concert goers on an arena-length video screen […]
Stage Buzz: Anvil • Reggies • Chicago
Canada’s heavy metal trio, Anvil, returns to Reggies on their Impact Is Imminent tour with White Wizzard and Midnite Hellion on Sunday, July 31. Featuring guitarist/vocalist Steve “Lips” Kudlow, drummer Robb Reiner and bassist Chris Robertson, Anvil has been pumping out the same trademark tunes for over 40 years now. Formed in 1978, the band released a […]
Stage Buzz: Chicago Domination Fest • Brauerhouse • Lombard
After six successful years of Chicago Domination Fest (CDF), the 7th edition is back after a two-year hiatus (due to the global pandemic) from July 28 to 30 at Brauerhouse in Lombard. With three days of intense, non-stop brutal death metal with 32 bands confirmed, CDF7 promises to be even more crushing than previous fests. […]
Live Review: Adrian Belew at City Winery • Chicago
Adrian Belew Tuesday, July 19, 2022 City Winery, Chicago, IL by Steven Kikoen Gallery photos (at Arcada Theatre) by Jeff Berger Adrian Belew is the sonic equivalent of an M.C. Escher lithograph. Escher created impossible visuals, Belew creates impossible sounds. He is the ‘flux’ capacitor that makes guitar wizardry possible, and his importance in the music world cannot be overstated. John Lennon […]
Stage Buzz – Lollapalooza 2022 Preview: Undercard Picks
The Wombats: Thursday, July 28 (3:15 PM Coinbase Stage) It’s a cliché by now. A huge, critically acclaimed U.K. band comes to the US with only marginal success; add the Wombats to the list. They appear on Day One (Thursday) at Lolla, bringing smart indie rock and five albums of great music to the […]
Lollapalooza Preview: Hello My Name is “Murph” from The Wombats
The overnight popularity of Liverpool power trio The Wombats back in 2007, via its post-ironic breakthrough hit “Let’s Dance to Joy Division,” was a welcome post-Britpop surprise. Bandleader Matthew ‘Murph’ Murphy and crew proved to be clever, shrewd-hooked songwriters who pinballed through multiple music genres, from pop to punk, folk, R&B, and even vintage disco, […]
Photo Gallery: Pitchfork Fest 2022 – Day One • Union Park • Chicago
Pitchfork Music Festival Day One Union Park Chicago, IL July 15, 2022 Recap and photos by Curt Baran If the return of the Pitchfork Music Festival has proven anything, it’s that Pitchfork, the music website, has consistently been excellent at curating and recognizing emerging talent. Bands that have previously played more miniature stages early in […]
Photo Gallery: Pitchfork Festival – Day Two • Union Park • Chicago
Pitchfork Music Festival Day Two Union Park Chicago, IL July 16th, 2022 Recap and photos by Curt Baran Day Two of the Pitchfork Music Festival saw the rain finally push on, which definitely brought heavier crowds to Chicago’s Union Park. Mitski, Lucy Dacus, and Japanese Breakfast all graduated to larger stages this year. Arguably, the […]
Photo Gallery: Pitchfork Fest 2022 – Day Three • Union Park • Chicago
Pitchfork Music Festival Day Three Union Park Chicago, IL July 17th, 2022 Recap and Photos by Curt Baran Day Three at Pitchfork Music Festival was the most chill day of the weekend, which is the polite way of saying the day with the fewest guitars. Sure, The Roots brought their giant, brassy, boss sounds to […]
IE Rewind: Prognosis
Almost a year in the making, Deacon Productions founder Steve Kikoen has branched out from his musical tributes to ‘70s/‘80s stalwarts Steely Dan (and Santana) to even deeper AOR territory: Prog Rock. Kikoen’s newest project – Prognosis – is dedicated to progressive rock – which arguably exploded as a “genre” in 1968, powered by […]
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