Live Reviews
Art Garfunkel live!
Art Garfunkel Genesee Theatre, Waukegan Friday, April 27, 2007 Considering Art Garfunkel reunited with Paul Simon in 2003 and released the CD/DVD concert chronicle Old Friends (Warner Bros.) a year later, the half decade between solo albums and tours doesn’t seem nearly so long. But that’s indeed been the gap between a Park West performance […]
Kaiser Chiefs Live!
Kaiser Chiefs Vic Theatre, Chicago Friday, April 20, 2007 When Lollapalooza was baptized as a yearly Chicago event two summers back, some of the best surprises were the lesser known bands who handed in stellar sets. Case in point: Kaiser Chiefs from Leeds, England.
The Decemberists, My Brightest Diamond Live!
The Decemberists, My Brightest Diamond Riviera, Chicago Wednesday, April 18, 2007 Archaic. Cumbersome. These are words often applied to the bombastic, highly literate “rock” purveyed by The Decemberists. By arriving onstage to a Russian maritime anthem (the band’s name is an intentional misspelling of a 19th-century uprising against the czar) and lulling the audience through […]
Chris Cornell live!
Chris Cornell Metro, Chicago Wednesday, April 11, 2007 During the last decade or so, the stars of the alternative nation have engaged in what could be described as a massive game of musical chairs. And while the results — the likes of Audioslave, Zwan, and Velvet Revolver, to name a few — have arguably produced […]
Peeping Tom live!
Peeping Tom Park West, Chicago Sunday, April 15, 2007 Rap and rock? What is this 2000? No, no, wait. What is this . . . 1990? After all, that was the year Faith No More, fronted by Mike Patton, introduced themselves to mainstream music with a song called “Epic,”which combined rap vocals and heavy metal […]
Placebo live
Placebo House Of Blues, Chicago Friday, April 13, 2007 Placebo might not be who you think they are. Or, rather, they might not be who you thought they were.
John Vanderslice live
John Vanderslice Lakeshore Theater, Chicago Friday, April 13, 2007 To some, the idea of a stripped-down John Vanderslice concert would defeat the purpose. Vanderslice made his name as indie rock’s consummate studio maestro, churning out sonic adventures like a raconteur strings a yarn. While his deft songwriting and humanistic insights do tend to get underrated, […]
Son Volt, Jason Isbell Live!
Son Volt, Jason Isbell Vic Theatre, Chicago Tuesday, April 10, 2007 Jay Farrar, despite the country overtones on nearly everything he has recorded, gives the impression he’s all business. After Son Volt went on “hiatus” around 1999, he pursued his own goals as a solo artist, teeming with outside-the-box ideas. Bored, he reformed Son Volt […]
Lindsey Buckingham Live!
Lindsey Buckingham House Of Blues, Chicago Monday, April 9, 2007 There aren’t many folks in the music biz like Lindsey Buckingham. Nor are there as many as polarizing. To some, he’s a musical genius — an alchemist — who pushes the boundaries of studio technique and craft to new heights. To others, he’s a studio […]
Rocky Votolato Live!
Rocky Votolato Abbey Pub, Chicago Friday, April 6, 2007 During an ultra-abbreviated set Friday night, Rocky Votolato seemed out to prove he’s no self-destructive sally, despite what his records might say about him.
Stephen Marley live
Stephen Marley Vic Theatre, Chicago Saturday, March 31, 2007 As Bob’s second eldest son, Stephen Marley’s talents have often floated under the radar. He has always played a supporting role for his siblings, whether it was singing background with the Melody Makers or producing and writing hit albums for Julian and Damian. But if his […]
Neko Case live
Neko Case Park West, Chicago Thursday, March 29, 2007 The scheduled reemergence of The New Pornographers this fall will effectively yank Neko Case (the solo artist) off the concert circuit for at least the next year. Yet if this, the second of three, sold-out shows at the Park West, was supposed to be some seat-of-her-pants […]
Mute Math live
Mute Math House Of Blues, Chicago Wednesday, March 28, 2007 From the first moments Mute Math meandered onto the House Of Blues stage in their designer suits — drummer Darren King duct-taping his large headphones on, lead singer Paul Meany strapping on his keytar — the nearly sold-out crowd knew they were in for a […]
Ken Andrews live
Ken Andrews Double Door, Chicago Tuesday, March 27, 2007 Towards the end of the ’90s, the onslaught of one-hit wonders was overwhelming and in-exhaustive. So it was hardly surprising very few noticed ’90s almost-weres Failure. But for those who did find out about the band, they were both rewarded and made to suffer: rewarded because […]
Bloc Party Live!
Bloc Party Congress Theatre, Chicago Friday, March 23, 2007 If you only had a passing knowledge of the group Bloc Party, you might not necessarily assume them to be particularly dynamic. And even if you have some level of familiarity with the band, it would be understandable if you didn’t automatically label them bombastic.
Recent Comments