Live Reviews
Kenny Loggins live
Kenny Loggins Ravinia Festival, Highland Park Sunday, June 15, 2008 There are several components to the three-and-a-half-decade career of Kenny Loggins, some of which have stood the test of time better than others. His first taste of fame came under the Loggins And Messina heading, a folk/pop duo also starring Jim Messina (ex-Buffalo Springfield, Poco) […]
R.E.M. & Modest Mouse live!
R.E.M., Modest Mouse United Center, Chicago Friday, June 6, 2008 Comparing the R.E.M. of 2004 with the band of today is the difference between watching a dying engine tapering out on fumes and lighting a match over a gas tank at full-throttle. Much of the reason for this rollicking resurgence stems from the jangle rock […]
Bell X1 live!
Bell X1, Brooke Waggoner Empty Bottle, Chicago Wednesday, May 28, 2008 Back home, Ireland’s Bell X1 enjoy the prestige of being labeled a stadium act. On the band’s second American outing in only the last three months, the size of the rooms might be smaller than those normally afforded chart-topping artists — kinda like driving […]
Stone Temple Pilots live!
Stone Temple Pilots Charter One Pavilion, Chicago Thursday May 22, 2008 Click picture for full gallery Stone Temple Pilots always wanted it both ways. In the halcyon days of Seattle grunge, they yearned for the credibility of torchbearers like Nirvana, Mudhoney, and Soundgarden. Instead, they got blamed for birthing Bush (the band, not the president). […]
The Cure live!
The Cure Allstate Arena, Rosemont Saturday, May 17, 2008 Click picture for full gallery Judging from those at Allstate Arena, the average Cure fan has moved on. Somewhere along the way, they ditched the black clothes, stopped moping about their lot in life, and joined society. As a result, the only eyeliner was on the […]
Ministry live!
Ministry House Of Blues, Chicago Thursday, May 8, 2008 The first of Ministry’s four farewell shows (incidentally the first to be scheduled, leaving fans who jumped at tickets in the lurch) failed to be the celebratory death blow it promised, languishing in a mash of commercials, one-note punditry, and general indifference.
The Police live!
The Police Allstate Arena, Rosemont Saturday, May 10, 2008 Funny thing about victory laps – if left unchecked, they can go on longer than the race. This could be an apt description of The Police at Allstate Arena. Visit the official Illinois Entertainer Photo Gallery to see more Police concert pics.
Gigantour wrap-up!
Gigantour Aragon Ballroom, Chicago Tuesday, May 6, 2008 Decades ago metal was proclaimed the beast that refused to die. But now it seems to be merely immortal. Gigantour, which made its Chicago stop on its international tour at the Aragon on May 6th, showed how metal has maintained its infinite vitality. Visit the official Illinois […]
Dolly Parton live!
Dolly Parton Chicago Theatre, Chicago Friday, May 9, 2008 Those hoping to catch country-pop crossover queen Dolly Parton on her Backwoods Barbie tour had to wait just a little longer, thanks to a back injury. “I’m mending very nicely and will be fit as a fiddle soon,” the singer-songwriter said at the time. “And I’ll […]
Flosstradamus live!
At this point in the game, predicting the continual advent of the next generation of Chicago hip-hop talent is hardly a new or groundbreaking call. Nearly every music magazine in the country has written about at least some, if not the majority of the talent that has emerged the last few years. In fact, many […]
Atmosphere live!
Atmosphere Metro, Chicago Wednesday, April 23, 2008 It doesn’t seem much of a stretch to see life imitating art in the case of Minneapolis hip-hop outfit Atmosphere. After all, the group’s just-released record is titled When Life Gives You Lemons, You Paint That Shit Gold, which might explain the impressive level of output released by […]
Earth live!
Earth The Note, Chicago Friday, April 25, 2008 “Dude, I’m bored,” announced a friend of a friend in a Venom-themed Boris T-shirt. “Are you guys going to leave soon?” It was a damned good question. After six songs of blandly introverted, lightly amplified twang, many at the quaint Wicker Park bar were starting to come […]
International Pop Overthrow Wrap-Up
International Pop Overthrow Various clubs, Chicago April 15th – 27th, 2008 Back in 1998, when David Bash organized the first International Pop Overthrow in Los Angeles, he probably couldn’t have imagined how much his low-budget, annual celebration of power pop would flourish. By 2001, International Pop Overthrow, named after a Material Issue song and album […]
Iron And Wine live!
Iron And Wine Vic Theatre, Chicago Tuesday, April 22, 2008 Just as bookends maintain a shelf’s order and organization, the breathtaking opening and closing numbers of Iron And Wine’s tour-closing show on Tuesday – the second of a two-night stand in Chicago’s Vic Theatre – kept the rest of the set list from going off […]
Counting Crows — Double live!
Counting Crows To preview his upcoming interview with Adam Duritz in the May issue of Illinois Entertainer, we shipped Jaime de’Medici to a pair of outposts to catch Counting Crows getting intimate.
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