Weekly
Live Review & Photo Gallery: Paul McCartney at United Center • Chicago
Paul McCartney United Center Chicago, IL November 25, 2025 Review by Jeff Elbel. Photos by Ed Spinelli. Can it really have been eight years since the last time Sir Paul McCartney performed in Chicago? The still-fab former Beatle was a relatively regular presence during the 2010s in the town he first visited with his old […]
Stage Buzz: Smoking Popes, Billy Corgan, Better Lovers, Atreyu, Mickey Dolenz
This is the last week to experience the Smashing Pumpkins’ iconic album Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness in a new way. Billy Corgan closes out his “A Night of Mellon Collie and Infinite Sadness” anniversary shows with the Lyric Opera Orchestra and Chorus (James Iha and Jimmy Chamberlin are also contributing . Hear the […]
Live Review: Pixel Grip at Metro • Chicago
Pixel Grip Metro Chicago, IL November 14, 2025 Review by Ashley Perez-Hollingsworth It’s been a big year for Chicago industrial-pop trio Pixel Grip. Releasing a successful new album. Fighting with Travis Scott over uncredited samples. Hanging out with Trent Reznor. Opening for Peaches on her highly anticipated 2026 tour. To cap off the year, their […]
Spins: Foreigner • 4 – Deluxe
Foreigner 4 Deluxe (Atlantic/Rhino) 1981’s 4 saw the peak refinement of the Foreigner formula by guitarist and principal composer Mick Jones, singer Lou Gramm, drummer Dennis Elliott, and bassist Rick Wills. The album charted at #1 for 10 weeks with three singles that became major pop hits. “Urgent” reached an appropriate #4 position on […]
Spins: Supertramp – Crime of the Century • Crisis? What Crisis? – Half-speed LP Remaster
Supertramp Crime of the Century half-speed LP remaster Crisis? What Crisis? half-speed LP remaster (A&M/UMe) These two Supertramp albums arrive as the first pair of entries in a campaign of vinyl LP reissues restored via half-speed mastering at Abbey Road Studios. 1974’s Crime of the Century was the English group’s third album and the […]
Stage Buzz: Mario, Smashing Pumpkins, Luke Spiller, Paul McCartney
R&B singer Mario is bringing his electrifying stage show to intimate theaters for a rare, up-close-and-personal experience. The singer will serenade fans with hits like “Let Me Love You,” “Just a Friend,” and “Crying Out for Me” during his show at Concord Music Hall this Friday, November 21st. Find tickets here. Smashing Pumpkins’ Mellon Collie […]
Live Review: The Saints ‘73 -‘78 at Metro • Chicago
The Saints ‘73-‘78 Metro Chicago, IL November 11, 2025 Review and Live Photos by Jeff Elbel Fans of classic punk rock arrived at the Metro on Tuesday night for a rare opportunity to see originators of the form when founding guitarist Ed Kuepper and original drummer Ivor Hay brought The Saints ‘73-‘78 from Australia […]
Stage Buzz: IC3PEAK, Pixel Grip, Tom Morello, Psychedelic Porn Crumpets
It’s no surprise that IC3PEAK’s music found an audience outside of their native Russia. Their latest album, Coming Home, arrived amid political unrest and social uprising. This is the duo’s bread and butter. They’ve come under fire in their country for their unapologetic criticism of the Russian government. Despite numerous attempts from authorities to censor […]
Stage Buzz: Thrice, Halsey, Thundercat, The Saints ’73-’78
Singer/bass maestro Thundercat keeps fans clamoring for new music. He hasn’t released an album since 2020’s It Is What It Is. Luckily, fans can still experience their favorite songs live on Thundercat’s latest outing. The tour makes its Chicago stop at Aragon Ballroom this Friday, November 7th. You can still grab tickets here. Singer/songwriter […]
Spins: Frank Zappa • Halloween ’78: Live at the Palladium, NY Super Deluxe
Frank Zappa Halloween ’78: Live at the Palladium, NY Super Deluxe (UMe/Zappa) Spooky! Scary! I am, of course, referring to the compositional skill and dazzling technical chops on display by Frank Zappa and his top-flight band on the Halloween night of 1978 in New York City. This is the fourth Super Deluxe costume box […]
Live Review & Gallery: David Byrne at Auditorium Theatre • Chicago
David Byrne Auditorium Theatre October 28, 2025 Chicago, IL Live review by Jeff Elbel, Live photos by Curt Baran. Tuesday’s concert by David Byrne began with a recorded welcome from the artist, informing patrons that the Auditorium Theatre management had agreed to allow dancing if the aisles were kept clear. “In the event of a […]
Spooky (Stage) Buzz: Plain White T’s and We the Kings, Ho99o9, My Life With the Thrill Kill Kult,
Chicago industrial legends My Life With the Thrill Kill Kult have been shakin’ and groovin’ to their brand of sleazy metal for nearly 40 years. With an eclectic sound spanning disco, metal, and rockabilly, their music is still fresh, exciting, and tantalizing as it was three decades ago. Catch Groovie Mann and co in action […]
Spins: Clifton Chenier/The Rolling Stones featuring Steve Riley
Clifton Chenier/The Rolling Stones featuring Steve Riley Zydeco Sont Pas Salés Valcour/Arhoolie/Smithsonian Folkways This 7” vinyl single is a six-minute getaway to the Big Easy by way of London and a tribute by some surprising acolytes of Creole and Cajun music. King of Zydeco Clifton Chenier’s original single occupies the A-side. “Zydeco et Pas Salés” […]
Stage Buzz: Lorna Shore, Between the Buried and Me, Herbie Hancock
There’s a reason Lorna Shore’s Will Ramos went viral in 2021; his vocals are out of this world. Ramos and co perform with such fury, it sounds like they’re summoning demons from hell to join them. In support of their latest album, I Feel the Everblack Festering Within Me, the band hits up Salt Shed […]
Live Review: Tommy Emmanuel at Cahn Auditorium • Evanston
Tommy Emmanuel Cahn Auditorium Evanston, IL October 15, 2025 Review by Steven Kikoen On a gray, rain-spattered day in mid-October, the campus of Northwestern University still seemed to maintain its quiet collegiate grandeur. Inside the 85-year-old Cahn Auditorium—a favorite among Northwestern students and the Evanston community—there are more than a thousand seats which would soon […]
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