Live Reviews
Van Halen live!
From the moment Van Halen non-chalantly took the United Center stage, one of the most paradoxical shows in rock began. First comes the band — Alex Van Halen playing comfortably and business-like behind the drums, while Eddie and son Wolfgang, dressed in their button-down shirts and jeans, worked their guitar and bass, respectively, with straight-ahead […]
Peter Frampton live!
Like Linus who found his long lost blanket, Peter Frampton owned the Chicago Theatre Saturday night with his old pal and newly found 1954 Gibson Les Paul.
The Promise Ring reunited!
Before it became an epithet and anyone outside of punk-rock circles knew what it was, The Promise Ring were highlighted in nascent Teen Vogue magazine as the access point to emo.
Guns N Roses & Flogging Molly pics!
Tim Hiatt was a busy boy this weekend! Visit our photo site for live pics of both Guns N Roses and Flogging Molly at the Aragon!
Glen Campbell’s farewell!
When an artist stages a farewell tour, it’s generally just a bluff to sell more tickets and they wind up coming through town for an endless parade of victory laps. (Cher and the Eagles come to mind.) But in the case of Glen Campbell, this really is his last hurrah,
Wilco live!
For the first half hour, Jeff Tweedy hardly spoke to the audience. For a homecoming gig, that’s an interesting choice, one that didn’t hinder Wilco‘s kick-off of their five-night Chicago residency a bit.
Tori Amos live!
For the length of her career, the saga of Tori Amos has, at its most basic, come down to the story of a woman and her piano. Certainly, there’s much more at play there, what with all the mystical lyrical imagery, fearless revelations, heady concept albums, and endless personas.
Kanye West & Jay-Z live!
Let’s get this out of the way upfront. Yes, Kanye West and Jay-Z played “N***** In Paris” eight times this past Wednesday at the United Center, the first of the duo’s two-night run at the venue. Yes, it was a bit like one of those “Family Guy” gags that go on so long it stops […]
Puscifer live!
In spring 2010, serial frontman Maynard James Keenan brought his Puscifer act to The Vic for a three-night stand. The run of shows saw the act deliver a highly theatrical series of concept performances, including one night’s hillbilly-centric event, wherein Keenan played the part of country-fried frontman Billy D.
Patrick Stump live!
By now, much has been said about the funky and soulful direction of former Fall Out Boy frontman Patrick Stump‘s solo career. Though a departure from the power-punk of the artist’s full band catalog, the recently released Soul Punk (Island) full length strongly plays to Stump’s adventurous pop sensibilities– sensibilities the artist had on display […]
Paul Simon live!
Tipping the scales of 70 seems to have lit a spark in Paul Simon, not necessarily enhancing his laid-back personality, but giving him renewed creative vigor. The recent studio set So Beautiful Or So What (Hear Music/Concord Music Group) is among his most magnetic since Graceland (though it favors folk over African arrangements), while his […]
Ray Davies live!
He may not tour very often, but thankfully Ray Davies’ music never goes out of style. Between an endless stream of classics he wrote and sang for The Kinks to the occasional solo chestnut, there’s plenty of material in his arsenal, which translated to no less than two-dozen tunes in front of a healthy crowd […]
Thrice live!
Towards the end of Thursday night’s sold out show at the Metro, Thrice frontman Dustin Kensrue looked back upon his band’s history with the venue. As it turns out, the Metro served as the first stop of the group’s very first national tour, a full decade ago.
Howard Jones live!
When Howard Jones was at the height of his 8-million album-selling career during the mid-1980s, the time period’s limited technology forced him to skip performing several of his more complicated songs on stage.
Duran Duran live!
Very few bands survived the new-wave era with integrity in tact, and though Duran Duran‘s certainly made a few missteps along the way, the Fab Five (well, technically now just Simon Le Bon, Nick Rhodes, John Taylor, and Roger Taylor), haven’t just survived but thrived. Besides the band’s hysteria-inducing beginnings and a second bout with […]
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