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Stage Buzz: State Champs, Mavis Staples, Bill Murray
Pop punk staples State Champs are celebrating ten years of their 2015 album, Around the World and Back, with a series of special headlining shows in select cities. And lucky for us, Chicago is one of the stops. Rock out to classics like “Losing Myself,” “Shape Up,” and “Back and Forth” when the band plays […]
Cover Story: Kenny Wayne Shepherd • 30 Years of Ledbetter Heights
Growing up, blues-rock guitarist Kenny Wayne Shepherd was privy to a wealth of musical knowledge, as his father, Ken, was a local radio personality, a part-time concert promoter, and an avid music collector. These behind-the-scenes experiences led the youngster on the path to a future in the music business. “I would say yes, although I […]
Media: January 2026 • In Remembrance
2025 was an especially cruel year for this media writer because I lost two personal friends, Harry Teinowitz and Tony Fitzpatrick. Harry passed away in July, and Tony died in October. If the crowd you draw at your memorial is any indication, both men had a significant impact on the people who knew them. Harry’s […]
Stage Buzz: Local H, LSDREAM, Umphree’s McGee, Dru Hill
Want to spend New Year’s Eve vibing to ‘90s R&B? Dru Hill’s got you covered. Join the group as they ring in 2026 performing their biggest hits, like “Tell Me”, “5 Steps”, “In My Bed”, “Never Make a Promise”, and “How Deep Is Your Love.” The celebration goes down with two shows at City Winery […]
Spins: Spinal Tap • The End Continues
Spinal Tap The End Continues (Interscope/Universal) Fictitious metal icons Spinal Tap transcend genre. Practically any band covered in Illinois Entertainer likely has a tale of a “Spinal Tap mishap,” and most readers of a specific age range can surely quote the 1984 mockumentary’s satirical script, whether they prefer Taylor Swift, Deltron 3030, or AC/DC. […]
Spins: Various Artists • Stax Revue: Live in ’65
Various Artists Stax Revue: Live in ’65 (Stax/Craft) Stax Revue: Live in ’65 expands the content of the 1991 CD Live at the 5/4 Ballroom, documenting the potent music and influential presence of Memphis soul & R&B label Stax Records in the mid-1960s. The eight artists on the original release were not only dynamite entertainers […]
Spins: Tom Petty • Wildflowers One-Step LP
Tom Petty Wildflowers One-Step LP (Because Sound Matters/Warner Bros.) This review focuses on the quality of a new prestige-format vinyl pressing of Wildflowers. For this writer’s retrospective assessment of the songs on the album, search illinoisentertainer.com for the feature-length November 1, 2020, review of Wildflowers & All the Rest. Wildflowers is a special album in […]
Spins: The Rolling Stones • Black and Blue Super Deluxe LP box
The Rolling Stones Black and Blue Super Deluxe LP box (Interscope/UMe) Featuring Billboard Hot 100 #10 ballad “Fool to Cry,” 1976 album Black and Blue found the World’s Greatest Rock and Roll Band continuing a transition away from its reliable foundation of blues and roots rock that it undertook with 1974’s It’s Only Rock ‘n’ […]
Photo Gallery: MGK with Julia Wolf at Allstate Arena • Rosemont
MGK (Machine Gun Kelly)/Julia Wolf December 4, 2025 Allstate Arena Rosemont, IL Photos by Edward Spinelli Rapper/songwriter/producer MGK (formerly Machine Gun Kelly) powered through a packed two-hour set featuring 35 songs and an array of pyrotechnics at Allstate Arena. Surprise guest Halsey joined MGK for two songs, and Julia Wolf joined him later to assist […]
Spins: Carl Perkins • Dance Album of Carl Perkins LP reissue
Carl Perkins Dance Album of Carl Perkins LP reissue (Intervention) All one has to do is utter the words “one for the money,” and practically any fan of pop music history can fill in the rest. This collection of genre-defining rockabilly and formative rock ‘n’ roll classics was first released in 1958 and is […]
Spins: Foghat • Fool for the City Expanded 50th anniversary – 2xLP
Foghat Fool for the City expanded 50th anniversary 2xLP (Bearsville/Rhino) With an evolving lineup around founding drummer Roger Earl, English rock band Foghat has endured for more than 50 years. The group still stretches its creative muscles, and the band’s audience helped Foghat earn a #1 album on the Blues chart with Sonic Mojo in 2023. The […]
Spins: Ronnie Wood • Fearless: Anthology 1965-2005
Ronnie Wood Fearless: Anthology 1965-2005 2xLP (BMG) There’s so much more to Ronnie Wood than his status as “the new guy” after his 50-year (and counting) tenure as a principal member of the Rolling Stones. This mostly-chronological 20-song anthology spans the years 1965 to the present. It helps tell Woods’ broader story as a solo […]
CinemaScopes: Peter Gabriel • Taking the Pulse
Peter Gabriel Taking the Pulse Blu-ray (Mercury Studios) This film documents a portion of one night from Peter Gabriel’s ambitious 2010 tour in support of his New Blood album. Although Gabriel isn’t touring new material here, he performs many of his most popular songs in new orchestral surroundings. Rather than the typical “rock band with […]
Spins • Yusuf/Cat Stevens On the Road to Findout: Greatest Hits
Yusuf/Cat Stevens On the Road to Findout: Greatest Hits (Island/Cat-O-Log) This 24-song 2xLP set introduces newcomers to the songcraft of Yusuf/Cat Stevens through an arc of recorded work spanning 56 years. The collection serves as musical accompaniment to the recent memoir Cat: On the Road to Findout, which serves as a firsthand account of the […]
CinemaScopes: David Gilmour Live at the Circus Maximus
David Gilmour Live at the Circus Maximus Blu-ray (Sony) In Fall 2024, David Gilmour undertook a tour of residencies in just four cities around the world to introduce new music from his solo album, Luck and Strange. For the majority of Pink Floyd and Gilmour fans who could not attend the well-reviewed concerts, this set will […]
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