Live Reviews
PJ Harvey & John Parish live
Riviera, Chicago Friday, June 12, 2009 PJ Harvey has never shied away from the dark spaces. In fact, they almost seem to define her work. So it wasn’t at all unusual to find her singing “When you call out my name in rapture/I commit my soul to murder” during the opening moments of Friday night’s […]
Passion Pit, Harlem Shakes live
Empty Bottle, Chicago Sunday, June 14, 2009 On the surface, Passion Pit are seemingly doing everything right. A synth and keyboard-heavy outfit, the group invite instant comparisons to last year’s heatseekers MGMT. What’s more, blogs across the Internet are heaping wild praise upon the group, with remixes of songs from the band’s recentManners (Frenchkiss) record […]
Phoenix live
Park West, Chicago Saturday, June 13, 2009 I admit to having hesitated seeing Phoenix in concert. Bringing their artful, yet precise studio pop to the performance stage seemed as wise as transporting a world-war-trending Risk board from the kitchen to the basement mid-match.
Gogol Bordello live!
Congress Theater, Chicago Sunday, May 31, 2009 Spectacle comes second nature to the New York-by-way-of-Eastern-Europe collective known as Gogol Bordello. Whether it’s mustachioed, red-wine-swigging frontman Eugene Hutz dizzily stalking the stage like a deranged Lord Of The Dance (donning a sequined sombrero no less), violinist Sergey Ryabtsev making a case for landing a part […]
Yeah Yeah Yeahs live
Aragon, Chicago Tuesday, May 26, 2009 A common concern with success is whether someone gets too big too quickly. In Yeah Yeah Yeahs’ case, they went from a venue the size of the Riviera (where this show was originally booked) to the Aragon in a matter of weeks. No wonder frontwoman Karen O. didn’t know […]
Testament live
House Of Blues, Chicago Friday, May 15, 2009 Contrary to what you’ve heard, a classic, Bay-Area thrash-metal band released one of the finest albums of its career in 2008, marked by a return to form, crisp production, and an ability to capture what made the band great in the first place.
Fall Out Boy do ‘Soundstage’
Soundstage, Chicago Tuesday, May 12, 2009 When Death Cab For Cutie hit PBS’ “Soundstage” program last month, it proved a sensible pairing. Coming out of their time as acclaimed indie darlings, the group has grown into a band that seems practically designed for a sensible setting like “Soundstage,” all traces of college rock replaced by […]
The Dead live!
Allstate Arena, Rosemont Monday, May 4th, 2009 By the time the latest version of the Grateful Dead took the stage at 7:45 Monday night, the circus surrounding this event was already many-hours old.
Leonard Cohen live!
Chicago Theatre, Chicago Tuesday, May 5, 2009 With 15 years since he last performed on American soil, it’s no wonder why Leonard Cohen’s pair of Chicago Theatre shows are amongst the most anticipated of the year thus far. Though fans were given a sneak peak of the set list via the CD/DVD collections Live In […]
Flight Of The Conchords live!
Arie Crown, Chicago Tuesday, April 28, 2009 Reality and television converged at the first of a two-night, sold-out stand that brought HBO darlings Flight Of The Conchords to the Arie Crown Theater. Flanked by two screens better suited for the lawn at First Midwest Bank Amphitheatre, Bret McKenzie and Jemaine Clement deadpanned their way […]
Travis live!
Travis The Vic, Chicago Saturday, April 18, 2009 Sporting a bit more of gray around the temples than when Fran Healy and Scottish quartet Travis arrived on the scene as an answer to the swaggering, spiteful lads in Oasis, the band’s impish frontman still flutters around the stage with the fervor of a garage band […]
Death Cab For Cutie
Death Cab For Cutie WTTW Soundstage, Chicago Thursday, April 16, 2009 Given where Death Cab have landed in their career, their appearance on a program like WTTW’s “Soundstage” seems fitting. The established-artist showcase syncs up with the group’s continual march from former indie darlings to mature, adult-alternative act, as evidenced on 2005’s Plans as well […]
Junior Boys live!
Junior Boys Metro, Chicago Thursday, April 2, 2009 Ain’t no party like an indie-dance party and that’s why the indie-dance parties must be stopped.
Eagles live!
Eagles Sears Centre, Hoffman Estates Thursday, March 26, 2009 I haven’t thought of the Lanky Blonde — the older sister of a high-school buddy — in a long time. But, when the Eagles of my youth, all put back together and looking rather dapper in dark suits, took to the stage Thursday night, there she […]
La Coka Nostra live!
La Coka Nostra House Of Blues, Chicago Wednesday, March 11, 2009 Big B? Blaze Ya Dead Homie? The Kottonmouth fucking Kings? These are the kinds of acts Everlast used to blame for giving white rappers a bad name, yet here he and his fellow La Coka Nostra members are on the Bring Tha Noize tour, […]
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