Live Reviews
The Dresden Dolls live!
The Dresden Dolls Vic Theatre, Chicago Saturday, January 5, 2008 When you describe your music as “Brechtian punk cabaret,” like The Dresden Dolls do, you very well might be relegating yourself to underground, or cult status, for the length of your career. But something weird is happening with The Dolls: More and more people are […]
Duran Duran live
Duran Duran Chicago Theatre, Chicago Friday, December 14, 2007 For those who think Duran Duran went off the deep end by working with Timbaland and Justin Timberlake on its new CD, step outside the ’80s and consider the basics. To start with, Red Carpet Massacre (Epic), is loaded with robust beats destined for the dance […]
Wu-Tang live
Wu-Tang Clan Metro, Chicago Saturday, December 15, 2007 Less than four months after successfully headlining the Rock The Bells hip-hop festival at Northerly Island, the Wu-Tang Clan returned to Chicago to kick off a 25-stop nationwide tour. Not so surprisingly, the group’s producer-on-the-mic, Rza, was the only absent member at the Metro.
Silverchair live
Silverchair House Of Blues, Chicago Thursday, December 12, 2007 In an iTunes-dominated era, five years is a lifetime between albums. It not only puts act’s longevity in jeopardy, but can find a fanbase shift a complete generation. Though Silverchair tempted fate by stalling for a half decade, the time was clearly well spent.
Dewey Cox live!
Dewey Cox Cubby Bear, Chicago Thursday, December 6, 2007 South Side native and Brother Rice graduate John C. Reilly is a rock star. This designation may confuse anyone familiar with the Academy Award nominee’s past appearances in Chicago, Boogie Nights, and The River Wild because Reilly resembles Fozzy Bear more than Elvis. But, as Dewey […]
Patterson Hood live!
Patterson Hood Empty Bottle, Chicago Saturday, December 8, 2007 Despite the growing popularity of his main gig fronting Drive-By Truckers, Patterson Hood has struggled to keep his solo career on track. Trying to will the (eventually) forthcoming Murdering Oscar (And Other Love Songs) into existance, he skipped a friend’s wedding to promo it during the […]
Michael McDonald live!
Michael McDonald Chicago Theatre, Chicago Thursday, December 6, 2007 As a man with many artistic personas, it’s not always easy to guess exactly how Michael McDonald will put together a set list. Based on his latest CD, Through the Many Winters, A Christmas Album, seasonal offerings were a sure-fire bet. They were presented in ample […]
Hall & Oates live
Daryl Hall & John Oates UIC Pavilion, Chicago Friday, November 30, 2007 Commercial pop and soft rock from the late ’70s and early ’80s are in the process of a comeback, but we’re not just talking about the grocery store, overhead mall-speaker, and dentist office circuit. The scene’s forebearers are actually experiencing a cult-ish resurgence […]
This Is American Music reviewed
This Is American Music Hideout, Chicago Thursday, November 29, 2007 The Drams You can bemoan today’s youngsters, who aren’t aware there was a time when people actually paid for music and vinyl was more than a poor choice to upholster your car’s interior. But The Drams, Grand Champeen, Two Cow Garage, and Glossary went further, […]
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 […]
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