Live Reviews
Against Me live!
Against Me House Of Blues, Chicago Wednesday, November 21, 2007 It’s often a blessing when punk bands keep their gigs short. Two-minute bursts of three-chord energy keep a moshpit on its toes and explosive, exhausting sets let everyone burn themselves out without fear of overdoing it. Yet at 50 minutes (including an encore) on Wednesday […]
Keith Urban live!
Keith Urban Allstate Arena, Rosemont Friday, November 16, 2007 He may be A-list tabloid fodder these days thanks to his highly publicized marriage to Nicole Kidman and last year’s round of rehab, but deep down Keith Urban is still the same Australian-bred hunk who took Nashville by storm 10 years ago with his unconventional interpretation […]
Tinariwen live!
Tinariwen, Mamadou Diabate Old Town School Of Folk Music, Chicago Saturday, November 17, 2007 Providing a hypnotic glimpse of Mali’s annual Festival Of The Desert, Malian musicians Tinariwen and Mamadou Diabate ignited a mini celebration of dancing and music. Two sold-out shows proved outstanding music easily overcomes language and cultural barriers. Very little English was […]
Avenged Sevenfold live!
Avenged Sevenfold Congress Theatre, Chicago Thursday, November 8, 2007 If it weren’t for Avenged Sevenfold actually being onstage performing Thursday night, the swarm of peppy, teenage girls and their have-you-seen-the-weight-room boyfriends could make you forget you were at a heavy metal show. Click here for the Avenged Sevenfold photo gallery!
Mike Doughty live!
Mike Doughty Schubas, Chicago Thursday, November 8th, 2007 If you expect to captivate a capacity crowd for more than two-and-a-half hours with nothing but a friend and an acoustic guitar, you’d better have either a whole lotta talent or a whole lotta personality. Fortunately for Mike Doughty, he has a whole lotta both.
The Hold Steady live!
The Hold Steady Metro, Chicago Wednesday, October 31, 2007 The “She’s been calling me again” hook of The Hold Steady’s “Your Little Hoodrat Friend” could be a metaphor for the band with Chicago behind the narrator’s voice. On an endless tour behind last fall’s Boys And Girls In America (Vagrant), Brooklyn-via-Minneapolis’ most literate party band […]
Say Anything, Hellogoodbye live!
Say Anything, Hellogoodbye Congress Theatre, Chicago Wednesday, October 24, 2007 Say Anything are not pop punk. At least, not entirely (contrary to popular belief, and even some evidence that would suggest otherwise). If there was ever any doubt before, it was made abundantly clear Wednesday night at the Congress, where the six-piece live outfit, more […]
Atmosphere live!
Atmosphere Metro, Chicago Monday, October 22, 2007 For most MCs, there are a few givens in the hip-hop game: boisterous claims, a righteous sense of entitlement, and a ludicrously inflated ego regardless of the quality of work being put out. Looks like no one told Slug.
Bruce Springsteen live!
Bruce Springsteen United Center, Chicago Sunday, October 21, 2007 Sunday night’s appearance by Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band wasn’t anything close to the three-and-a-half-hour lovefests of the recent past. Instead The Boss and co. pushed a trim, two-hour piledriver that leaned heavily on the new Magic (Columbia). Visit illinoisentertainerphoto.com for an exclusive Bruce […]
CMJ Marathon Report
CMJ New Music Marathon New York City, New York October 16 through 20, 2007 Much like its sister conference South By Southwest, the 2007 version of the annual CMJ New Music Marathon emerged with no clearer vision of tomorrow. No rapscallioin Midwesterners established themselves as the new “it” band, and no NME-sanctioned Brit sensation had […]
New Pornographers live!
The New Pornographers Metro, Chicago Friday, October 19, 2007 The enthusiastic ovation that greeted the much-revered Canadian collective The New Pornographers was startling, even after taking into consideration this was the second of a sold-out, two-night run at Metro. The voluminous salutation rose even higher when head Pornographer A.C. Newman and silver-throated siren Neko Case […]
Jersey Boys review!
Jersey Boys LaSalle Bank Theatre, Chicago Sunday, October 14, 2007 The Frankie Valli love fest finally arrived in Chicago with an audience so eager to express their affection for the octave jumper they rose to their feet after “Walk Like A Man.” Maybe it was a case of opening night fever or maybe the man […]
Van Halen live!
Van Halen Allstate Arena, Rosemont Tuesday, October 16, 2007 The summer of reunions continues. We’ve had the Police, Genesis, hell even The Bangles have shown up. Now it’s Van Halen’s turn with David Lee Roth in tow. If you close your eyes and listen, you’d swear it was 1984 again. For the Van Halen live […]
Jethro Tull live!
Jethro Tull Rialto Square Theatre, Joliet Saturday, October 13, 2007 Prior to Jethro Tull’s sold-out performance at the ornate and acoustically complimentary Rialto Square Theatre, an announcement was made stating whistling, shouting, and even drinking at any point during the concert would be completely inappropriate. At first, the list of regulations was meant with defiant […]
Down live!
Down House Of Blues, Chicago Wednesday, October 10, 2007 “Fucking Chicago, we’re Down” frontman Phil Anselmo roared as he and his all-star crew of bandmates — guitarists Pepper Keenan (Corrosion Of Conformity) and Kirk Windstein (Crowbar), bassist Rex Brown (ex-Pantera), and drummer Jimmy Bower (Eyehategod) — took the stage at House Of Blues. Not exactly […]
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