Live Reviews
Kill Hannah live!
Kill Hannah Metro, Chicago Saturday, August 23, 2008 For whatever can be said about Kill Hannah, the group’s enthusiasm and affection for their hometown is undeniable. After years of Next Big Thing proclamations — from Billy Corgan to local radio to this magazine — their long-awaited superstar status would never arrive. Yet the outfit seem […]
Big Tune Battle recap
Red Bull “Big Tune” Beat Battle Metro, Chicago Thursday, August 21, 2008 Countless cities have held one-night beat battles, but it’s Red Bull’s Big Tune traveling competition that has aspiring hip-hop producers from across the country loading their work onto CD-Rs for a shot at national exposure.
The Faint & Jaguar Love live!
The Faint, Jaguar Love Vic Theatre, Chicago Friday, August 22, 2008 In May 2007, when last The Faint touched down in Chicago, it was a hot, sweaty affair, a hyper-charged electric tension palpable within the confines of the Metro’s second floor. In town behind Wet From Birth (Saddle Creek), the group rose above the wave […]
Chris Isaak live!
Chris Isaak Morton Arboretum, Lisle Saturday, August 16, 2008 Few artists are capable of tapping into a winning formula that doesn’t significantly evolve as the years progress, but colors just enough outside the lines to attract repeat customers. Enter veteran singer/songwriter Chris Isaak, the debonair crooner who’s made a killing channeling the outfits of Elvis […]
Extreme reunited
Extreme House Of Blues, Chicago Saturday, August 13, 2008 Despite a 13-year absence, not much has changed for Extreme. The adjective that is their name has been repurposed for nu metal-listenin’, Red Bull-drinkin’, X Games mayhem and, obviously, mainstream tastes have run their cycles. But Saturday, for the most part, the Boston band’s Frankenstein funk […]
She & Him live
She & Him Park West, Chicago Tuesday, August 5, 2008 While most actress-stabs at musical careers usually fall flat (Jennifer Love Hewitt, Lindsay Lohan, and most recently Scarlett Johansson), Zooey Deschanel (The Happening, Elf, and Almost Famous) manages to pull off the impossible by not only receiving heaping praise, but also garnering a following that […]
Lollapalooza ’08 roundup!
Lollapalooza Grant Park, Chicago Friday, August 1 — Sunday, August 3, 2008 It takes a certain type of person to do the whole three-day festival thing. The lines, the prices, the sun . . . the portable toilets. It’s not easy, or always fun. Lucky for IE we have Andy Argyrakis, Jamie De’Medici, and Timothy […]
Lolla 2
SATURDAY, AUGUST 2 Dierks Bentley Perhaps Dierks Bentley missed the memo that Country Thunder festival was in Wisconsin (and last month no less) because when he showed up at Lollapalooza, he presented nothing but the slickest commercial packaging of the genre. Though the guy can make the ladies go wild (“Every Mile A Memory”) and […]
Lolla 3
SUNDAY, AUGUST 3 Kid Sister Early in the day Sunday, Chicago rising star Kid Sister braved the brutal heat with Flosstradamus (with J2K on vocals and Autobot on the decks). Kid Sis bounded through an energetic set that was all dance moves and ridiculous banter. Despite her forthcoming debut, Dream Date, not dropping yet, she […]
Rod Stewart & Bryan Adams live!
Rod Stewart, Bryan Adams Sears Centre, Hoffman Estates Tuesday, August 5, 2008 If you think he’s sexy, Tuesday night’s Rod Stewart concert at the Sears Centre delivered enough ass-shaking, primping, and shimmying to salve any libido thirsting for a piece of the soccer enthusiast-turned-crooner. And if there was any doubt Stewart relishes his role as […]
Coldplay live!
Coldplay United Center, Chicago Wednesday, July 23, 2008 “I was there” means so much more when whatever’s happening isn’t choreographed. Coldplay’s constant reminder that they were recording Wednesday’s performance for a DVD completely hijacked any notion of spontaneity, leaving the impression the crowd was already watching the video.
Neil Diamond live!
Neil Diamond United Center, Chicago Saturday, July 26, 2008 There are two distinct sides to Neil Diamond’s musical personality — the legitimate singer-songwriter or the ham-fisted Vegas crooner — and usually his latest album hints at what vibe will be predominant on tour. Thankfully 2008’s Home Before Dark leans in the much more astute direction […]
Pitchfork Music Fest roundup!
Pitchfork Music Festival Union Park, Chicago July 18 to 20, 2008 / 7.5 It took nearly 24 hours of festival, but Pitchfork 2008 finally had its Dan Deacon moment after the “last band” took the stage. To put it in perspective, crowd safety was never threatened the way it was when fences were toppled during […]
John Mellencamp live!
John Mellencamp Charter One Pavilion, Chicago Tuesday, July 22, 2008 Often, all it takes is a little alone time to work out the kinks in an unruly or crabby attitude. Time-outs work wonders for children, then why not for Indiana-native John Mellencamp? Far from throwing any tantrums on a brisk Tuesday night at the Charter […]
The Crue And Friends Live!
Cruefest First Midwest Bank Amphitheatre, Tinley Park Wednesday, July 16, 2008 Metalheads young and old united last Wednesday for Cruefest, so named for headliner Motley Crue. With a bill running the gamut of metal sub-genres –Trapt, Sixx: A.M., Papa Roach, Buckcherry, and Crue — the crowd was a Mulligan Stew of characters, from 35-year-old yuppies […]
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