Recent Articles
Photo: Gallery: Puddles Pity Party at The Vic Theatre
Since he broke out on America’s Got Talent, Puddles has amused and entertained audiences with his sad clown persona, a killer voice, and an vaudevillian shtick. He’s an odd yolking of vintage Andy Kaufman-style performance art and kinescope-era variety acts, like the pioneers of television including Milton Berle and Sid Ceasar. Ed Spinneli was knocked […]
Photo Gallery & Live Review: The Zombies at City Winery
The Zombies City Winery Monday, March 19, 2018 Review by Jeff Elbel Photos by Philamonjaro On Monday, March 19, British Invasion icons the Zombies returned to City Winery for the first of two nights. The band displayed its impressive range from the jump, beginning with the full-tilt blues rock of Bo Diddleyâs âRoad Runnerâ followed […]
![Cover Story: Ministry [Updated]](http://illinoisentertainer.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/MINISTRY43-150x150.jpg "Cover Story: Ministry [Updated]")
Cover Story: Ministry [Updated]
Chicago’s beloved industrial metal machine Ministry is back. After the sudden death of longtime guitarist and friend Mike Scaccia in 2012, leader/vocalist Al Jourgensen decided to put Ministry on indefinite hiatus. During the bandâs downtime, “Uncle Al” spawned a side project, Surgical Meth Machine, and released a self-titled debut record in 2015. It was pretty […]
Photo Gallery: Michael Schenker Fest at Riverside Theatre
After a sturdy sold-out show at Concord Music Hall, former UFO and Scorpions guitarist Michael Schenker took his cast of thousands to Milwaukee. Ed Spinelli captured the German guitar pioneer in the Cream City. Read our interview with Schenker in our print and mobile editions
Live Review: The Eagles at United Center
Eagles/ JD & The Straight Shot United Center, Chicago Wednesday, March 14, 2018 Rather than making some grand entrance or busting out the big lights (those would come a bit later), core Eagles members Don Henley, Joe Walsh and Timothy B. Schmit, alongside Deacon Frey and Vince Gill, quietly got into position at the United […]
Photo Gallery: Lucius at Thalia Hall
On their most recent album, the appropriately titled Nudes, the women of Lucius strip it all down. The record is an all acoustic affair that bring the voices of Jess Wolf and Holly Laessig to the front of the mix, where they most deservedly belong. Their most recent tour brought them to the acoustically delicious […]
Gallery: Phil and Bob at Chicago Theatre
It may take a trip to the dry cleaners to get the “collie man” redolance removed from the curtains at the historic Chicago Theater and the patron’s jackets. On the second of two sold-out shows, former Grateful Dead members Bob Weir and Phil Lesh invited some of their friends over for an evening of stripped […]
Live Review and Gallery: P!nk at United Center
In todayâs world of instant gratification, Pink gave her fans precisely what they wanted. A light show worthy of a U.F.O. landing, music played at deafening decibels, a gaggle of backup dancers and a headlining artist who flies through the air. Oh, and all of this occurred during the eveningâs first song, âGet The Party […]
File: Hello, My Name is Kaki
Kaki Kingâs multimedia show The Neck is a Bridge to the Body made its Chicago debut at Lincoln Hall in 2015. The senses-saturating fusion of sight and sound has evolved since then, while the guitarist and her music have done the same. King promises new material in 2018 including the album Live at Berklee, so […]
Stage Buzz: Rhye at Thalia Hall
Rhye Thalia Hall Thursday, March 8 Mike Milosh, who records under the moniker Rhye (along with a revolving door of collaborators), seems to be hopelessly in love with his sadness. The music on his debut Woman was so delicate and hushed, it sounded as if it would get crushed under the weight of emotional nakedness and […]
Photo Gallery: MGMT at The Riviera Theatre
Even by todayâs rock n’ roll standards, MGMTâs recorded output has been surprisingly glacial. A valued four records since their inception in 2002, which includes their recently unveiled Little Dark Age. There will be no new music “before its time.” The tour of the same name brought them to the Riviera Theater in Chicagoâs historic […]
Cover Story: The Vaccines
Fans will have to forgive the cheesy film reference, chortles Justin Young. But for a while there recently, the anchor for brainy British folk-punkers The Vaccines actually came to believe that heâd somehow lost his magical inner mojo, just like Austin Powers in Mike Myersâ hilarious espionage spoof The Spy Who Shagged Me. And no […]
Media: March 2018
In 1968, John Records Landecker was in his final semester at Michigan State University (after beginning his college career at Grand Valley State), when he suddenly got an offer he felt he couldnât refuse. A big AM rock station in Philadelphia (WIBG) wanted him to be their new nighttime jock. The only problem was […]
Photo Gallery: John 5 at Reggies
Ed Spinelli was invited to spend the day with John 5 and the Creatures at Reggies, Sunday. Mingling with show VIPs, Eddie caught the band work through about 15 minutes of music, tuning-up for that nights performance, with a pre-show autograph VIP session. 5 and The Creatures are touring in support of their new live […]
Review and Photo Gallery: Marillion at Arcada Theater
Marillion Arcada Theatre, St. Charles, IL Monday, February 19, 2018 Review by Jeff Elbel Chicago-area fans of Marillionâs timely concept album FEAR saw the English band perform a rare victory lap on Monday at the Arcada Theatre in St. Charles. The album had been introduced to local fans at the Vic in October 2016. The […]
Recent Comments