Live Reviews
Earlimart live!
Earlimart Schubas, Chicago Thursday, August 30, 2007 Earlimart, like the South Central California town for which they’re named, have a propensity to be overlooked. They admit to not touring as much as they should, and their brand of college rock — Yo La Tengo without the manic guitar leads — is about as remarkable as […]
Wu-Tang Clan, Nas live!
Rock The Bells Charter One Pavilion, Chicago Sunday, August 26, 2007 Getting the entire Wu-Tang Clan on the same stage is a gargantuan undertaking. Thus pulling all nine of these erratic, kung fu flick-loving Staten Island rappers together was the primary draw of the original Rock The Bells concert in 2004. Three years later, the […]
New Orleans Social Club live!
New Orleans Social Club Millennium Park, Chicago Friday, August 24, 2007 Of all the stories chronicling the disasters of Hurricane Katrina, few explore the cultural devastation left in her wake. New Orleans was a hotbed of musical and cultural creation. Besides centuries-old jazz traditions, the city has also birthed its own brand of funk, rock, […]
Scott H. Biram live!
Scott H. Biram Schubas, Chicago Friday, August 17, 2007 “My grandma’s got a goat that pisses out its ass – tell you about that later.” Welcome, to a Scott H. Biram show.
Aretha Franklin live!
Aretha Franklin Ravinia, Highland Park Tuesday, August 21, 2007 Living legend Aretha Franklin is known for a plethora of radio smashes, including the enduring “A Natural Woman (You Make Me Feel Like),” “Chain Of Fools,” “Freeway Of Love,” “The House That Jack Built,” “I Say A Little Prayer,” “Spanish Harlem,” “I Knew You Were Waiting […]
Marilyn Manson & Slayer live!
Marilyn Manson, Slayer Allstate Arena, Rosemont Monday, August 13, 2007 Substance trumped style during one of the oddest double-headliner bills in recent memory, as legendary thrash gods Slayer and shock rocker Marilyn Manson performed at the Allstate Arena on Monday. Criticizing Christianity is about the only thing the two artists have in common (with Manson’s […]
Romantica live!
Romantica Schubas, Chicago Wednesday, August 8, 2007 Minneapolis-via-North Ireland folk-pop combo Romantica stopped into Schubas on a chilly August evening, bringing with them an unexpected, resilient warmth not counted upon given the tragic bridge accident just days earlier.
Lollapalooza review
Lollapalooza Grant Park, Chicago Friday, August 3 through Sunday, August 5, 2007 (Click above for more than 150 exclusive Lollapalooza photos) The summer festival can sometimes be a dicey proposition. Heat, rain, long lines for food/drinks/toilets are all conditions likely to arise. But you can’t deny the opportunity that it presents to hear lots of […]
Lolla Page 2
Saturday August 4, 2007 Resplendent in a costume that looked like a zebra-stripped bat cross-pollinated with a dungeon-dwelling dominatrix, Yeah Yeah Yeahs’ Karen O leveled any remaining doubt as to her status as a brand-new breed of rock star. While Nick Zinner (guitar) and Brian Chase (drums) churned out the tornadic soundtrack that is “Cheated […]
Lolla Page 3
Sunday August 5, 2007 Though Pearl Jam closed out the festival, frontman Eddie Vedder acknowledged the real leader of the day — Iggy Pop & The Stooges. In fact, that band could’ve very well filled the final slot of the night, but instead were relegated to an afternoon appearance (although throngs of appreciators still showed […]
Crossroads Guitar Festival live!
Crossroads Guitar Festival Toyota Park, Bridgeview Saturday, July 28, 2007 Many thanks to Eric Clapton for bringing the cream of guitar superstardom to Toyota Park in Bridgeview on July 28th for his second Crossroads Guitar Festival. The 11-hour guitar marathon was held to benefit the Crossroads Center, Clapton’s drug and alcohol rehab facility in Antigua. […]
‘Once’ live!
Glen Hansard & Marketa Irglova Old Town School Of Folk Music, Chicago Saturday, July 28, 2007 Sundance Film Festival smash Once won’t have the kind of money big-studio films get when the annual Oscar push commences. Yet while the movie seemed somewhat secondary as its songs were performed Saturday, promotional tours like this one won’t […]
Jimmy Eat World live!
Jimmy Eat World Park West, Chicago Wednesday, July 25, 2007 The story of a college radio favorite — much like Jimmy Eat World once were — finding success and moving beyond their former level of obscurity is hardly a new one. Which makes the story of such success’ casualties, like a lack of older material […]
Crossroads Guitar Festival Pics
Miss the weekend and want to act like you were there? Hit the festival and want to relive it? Click this link to our Flickr site to catch all the axe-grinding photos from Eric Clapton’s Crossroads Guitar Festival.
Mos Def, Talib Kweli live!
Zune Presents: Live At The BBQ Union Park, Chicago Sunday, July 22, 2007 It’s tempting to dismiss corporate-related shows. This is particularly true when the host is a mammoth like Microsoft’s Zune trying to recreate the community aspect of hip-hop by throwing the “ultimate park jam experience.” On the second stop of Zune’s Live At […]
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