Weekly
Photo Gallery + Bonus Coverage: Riot Fest 2026 ⢠Day Two ⢠Douglass Park ⢠Chicago
Riot Fest Douglass Park, Chicago, IL Day 2: Saturday, September 19, 2026 Review by Jeff Elbel. Photos by Curt Baran. Moderate temperatures and overcast skies were a boon for bands that played early on Saturdayâs bill at Riot Fest. Gaslight Anthem frontman Brian Fallon and his band, the Painkillers, played to a respectable crowd on […]
Photo Gallery + Bonus Coverage: Riot Fest 2026 ⢠Day Three ⢠Douglass Park ⢠Chicago
Riot Fest Douglass Park, Chicago, IL Day 3: Sunday, September 20, 2026 Review by Jeff Elbel. Recap and Photos by Curt Baran. Rain that altered parts of Saturdayâs schedule persisted overnight. Doors shifted to 2 p.m., reshaping the timeline again. Puddles of mudâno pun intendedâformed on the Douglass Park grounds, echoing moist Riot Fests from […]
Stage Buzz: Cold Waves, Iron Maiden, Randy Stonehill, Sweet, Chelsea Wolfe
English heavy metal titans Iron Maiden are celebrating over 50 years of searing guitar riffs, Eddie the Monster, and Bruce Dickinsonâs insane vocals. The band behind metal staples âRun to the Hills,â âThe Trooper,â âAces High,â and â2 Minutes to Midnightâ continues to influence a new generation of fans. The band brings their âRun for […]
Stage Buzz and Spin: Blockchain Coalition ⢠Postmodern Distraction Album Release Show ⢠Tailgaters ⢠Bolingbrook
Blockchain Coalition Postmodern Distraction (Blockchain Coalition) Chicago heavy harmonic rockers Blockchain Coalition return with a gratifying and solid follow-up to their 2023 standout debut album, The New Normal, proving they have the chops to deliver another strong set of music after a three-year layoff. Born from the ashes of the beloved Veilside (along with […]
Stage Buzz: Riot Fest Preview
Riot Fest weekend is approaching. To kick off the highly anticipated festival, Barbarians of California will perform a chaotic set at Cobra Lounge. The brainchild of AWOLNATIONâs Aaron Bruno and producer/engineer Eric Stenman, the band makes hardcore thatâs chaotic, loud, intense, and most importantly, fun. Expect to hear cuts from their latest album, MEGATONS, […]
Live Review: Black Duck and Joan Shelley at Sound & Gravity Festival ⢠Judson & Moore Distillery ⢠Constellation ⢠Chicago
Sound and Gravity Festival Black Duck Joan Shelley Sunday, September 6, 2026 Review and live photos by Jeff Elbel Constellation Performing Artsâ second Sound & Gravity festival concluded on Sunday, offering a wide-ranging selection of adventurous music at several Bucktown/Avondale event spaces. Artists traveled from across the country and around the world to perform experimental […]
Stage Buzz: Skrillex, TLC and Salt-N-Peppa, Garth Brooks
Two â90s trailblazers are teaming up for an unforgettable tour that takes you back to the days of high fades, oversized pants, and MTV. TLC and Salt-N-Peppa are bringing their âItâs Iconicâ tour with special guest En Vogue to Huntington Bank Pavilion this week. Expect a night of dancing and great music when it goes […]
Spins: The Strokes ⢠Reality Awaits
The Strokes Reality Awaits (RCA Records) When The Strokes first came on the scene in 2001, the airwaves were saturated with teen pop, Butt-Rock, and Eminem, so five Italian New Yorkers dressed like the Ramones stood out from the crowd. Their debut album, Is This It, was so unlike the times that they instantly garnered […]
Stage Buzz: Sound & Gravity Festival, Rob Zombie, North Coast Music Fest, Danny Elfman, Babymetal
What do you get when metal, Japanese Idol culture, and J-pop collide? You get BABYMETAL, who are celebrating 16 years of âkawaii metal.â The group brings their vivid, highly choreographed, and kick-ass show to Chicago this weekend with special guests Halestorm and Violent Vira. It all goes down at Huntington Bank Pavilion on Northerly Island […]
Stage Buzz: The Ooozinâ Ahhs at Berwyn Car Show ⢠Cigars and Stripes BBQ ⢠Berwyn
Berwynâs Route 66 car show is one of the larger local and national vehicles shows held annually so it definitely makes it worth the visit. Itâs a huge one-day automotive festival held along historic Ogden Avenue (Route 66) between Oak Park Ave. and Ridgeland Ave. With 30,000 spectators expected and hundreds of classic and exotic […]
Stage Buzz: Peter Hook & the Light, Kesha, Robert Rolfe Feddersen, Corn Fest
Berwynâs Cigars & Stripes BBQ has brought back food and fun to Route 66 for 25 years, and theyâre celebrating this week on Wednesday, August 26, with their Bike Meetup, featuring Loudmouth vocalist Robert Rolfe Feddersen on stage. Feddersen became a favorite of legendary producer Steve Albini over several years, and heâll be mining his catalog midweek on Ogden […]
Stage Buzz: Jimmy Eat World, Ricky Martin, Big Suit, Usher
Jimmy Eat World is celebrating 25 years of their seminal album Bleed American. Featuring hits like âThe Middle,â âThe Sweetness,â âA Praise Chorus,â and âIf You Donât, Donât,â the album has been constantly hailed as one of the best punk records of all time. Youâll have a chance to hear this iconic album in full […]
Spins: Beastie Boys ⢠To the 5 Boroughs
Beastie Boys To the 5 Boroughs (Capitol/UMe) In 2004, Beastie Boysâ sixth album found the bicoastal trio of MCA, Mike D and Ad-rock returning to and celebrating their place of origin. To the 5 Boroughs finds the group in full flourish with an album full of infectious grooves, dizzying pastiches of inscrutable (and probably costly) […]
Spins: Robin Trower Live! expanded 50th anniversary 2xLP
Robin Trower Live! expanded 50th anniversary 2xLP (Chrysalis) Robin Trower is an enduring guitar hero from the golden age of classic rock and roll. The veteran British musician is still thrilling fans with work including 2025âs Come and Find Me and packing theaters as an energetic octogenarian. Still, most fans will prize 1974âs Bridge of […]
Spins: Violent Femmes ⢠The Blind Leading the Naked 40th anniversary
Violent Femmes The Blind Leading the Naked 40th anniversary (Craft) This reissue of Violent Femmesâ third album arrives on âCandlelight Swirlâ vinyl in celebration of its 40th birthday. For The Blind Leading the Naked, the Milwaukee alt-punk trio parted ways with Mark Van Hecke, producer of the bandâs landmark 1983 debut and its follow-up. The group […]
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