Weekly
Live Review: Calexico at Metro ⢠Chicago
Calexico Metro Chicago, IL Friday, October 7, 2022 Reviewed by Jeff Elbel On a fall night when Chicago temperatures plummeted into the thirties, Calexico brought a blast of arid desert sunshine to the Metro. The band from Tucson, Arizona, arrived with songs from its latest album El Mirador on ANTI-Records. âChicago, Que Paso?â […]
Live Review and Photo Gallery : Iron Maiden at United Center ⢠Chicago
Iron Maiden: Legacy of the Beast tour United Center, Chicago, IL Wednesday, October 5, 2022 Review by Jeff Elbel; (Photo Gallery by Curt Baran) With Halloween fast approaching, what better time could there be to catch Iron Maidenâs literally incendiary heavy metal show and its creepy accouterments? The bandâs Legacy of the Beast tour returned to Chicago […]
Stage Buzz: Palaye Royal, Harry Styles, B-52s, Michael Schenker
Take a dash of The Rolling Stones, add a pinch of David Bowie, mix in a dash of Small Faces and a hint of My Chemical Romance and youâve got Palaye Royale. They fuse their love of brit-pop, glam rock, and art rock to create a style they dub as âfashion-art rock.â Their infectious […]
Live Review and Photo Gallery: Gorillaz at United Center ⢠Chicago
Gorillaz United Center, Chicago, IL Monday, October 3, 2022 Review by Jeff Elbel. Photo Gallery by Curt Baran. Four years to the month after bringing The Now Now Tour to Chicago, Gorillaz ringleader Damon Albarn brought his live bandmates, guest performers, and cartoon avatars for a return visit to the United Center on Monday. […]
Photo Gallery: Smashing Pumpkins at Metro ⢠Chicago
Smashing Pumpkins Tuesday, September 20 Metro Chicago Chicago, IL Review by Jaime deâMedici; Photos by Curt Baran Thereâs no concert hall more meaningful for The Smashing Pumpkins, and by extension, the bandâs fanbase, than Metro Chicago. Any true fan, and even many casual fans, are almost certainly aware of the bandâs extensive history with the northside […]
Live Review: Roxy Music at United Center ⢠Chicago
Roxy Music United Center, Chicago Tuesday, September 19, 2022 Review by Jeff Elbel. Photos by Curt Baran. Can it really be 50 years since the release of Roxy Musicâs self-titled debut album? The English bandâs music documented across seven albums spanning 1972 to 1982, still seems modern and forward-looking, even considering the longstanding acclaim that […]
Stage Buzz: Heaven 17, Prognosis, Ivy Ford Band, Damaged Justice
Some of the best ânewâ blues players in the city are now women. You can add Ivy Ford and her band near the top of that list. Her soulful voice matches her abilities on the guitar. Raised in Waukegan, Fordâs self-released albums  (Harvesting My Roots is an in-office favorite) show sheâs become one of […]
Live Review: Spiritualized at The Vic Theatre ⢠Chicago
Spiritualized The Vic Theatre, Chicago, IL Thursday, September 15, 2022 Review and photos by Jeff Elbel Jason Pierce (aka J. Spaceman) and company brought the hypnotic space-rock of Spiritualized to the Vic Theatre on Thursday. The English band performed fresh material from its captivating new album Everything Was Beautiful. Pierceâs finely crafted songs overflowed with […]
Stage Buzz: The Riot Fest 2022 Undercard Preview
Riot Fest returns for its 18th year to historic Douglas Park at Chicago at Ogden & Ashland. From its humble beginnings in small clubs to its current incarnation as a classic punk and hip-hop celebration each Fall, Riot Fest has a connection to Chicago like no other festival. Here are some of our must-see […]
Live Review: Pearl Jam at Madison Square Garden ⢠New York
Pearl Jam Madison Square Garden New York, NY September 11, 2022 Review and live photo by Curt Baran Anything that takes place on September 11th in New York City is obviously going to carry with it a significant amount of gravitas. Be it the memorial events down in lower Manhattan or something as […]
Live Review: Echo and the Bunnymen at The Vic Theatre ⢠Chicago
Echo and the Bunnymen The Vic Theatre, Chicago, IL Wednesday, September 7, 2022 Review and photos by Jeff Elbel Echo and the Bunnymen returned to the Vic Theatre on Wednesday, bringing a tour dubbed â40 Years of Magical Songs.â The show emphasized the English alternative rockersâ influential first five albums, including 1980 debut Crocodiles, 1981âs Heaven Up […]
Live Review and Photo Gallery: The Fixx at House of Blues ⢠Chicago
The Fixx House of Blues, Chicago, IL Tuesday, September 6, 2022 Live Review and photos by Jeff Elbel The Fixx visited Chicagoâs House of Blues on Tuesday, bringing songs from the bandâs first new album in ten years. The British alternative rockersâ eleventh album Every Five Seconds succeeds 2012âs critically praised album Beautiful Friction. Both sets of songs […]
Live Review and Photo Gallery: Neko Case at Out of Space ⢠Evanston
Neko Case Out of Space Temperance Beer Co. Evanston, IL Saturday, September 3, 2022 Review and Gallery by Jeff Elbel Cover photo by Ebru Yildiz Last yearâs Out of Space performance by Neko Case and her band was postponed due to an illness in the touring party. On a blustery Saturday, Case made a […]
Stage Buzz: North Coast Fest, Rammstein, Deacon Blues, Nas and Wu-Tang Clan
Two titans of hip hop Nas and Wu-Tang Clan, are bringing their NY State of Mind Tour with special guest Busta Rhymes to Tinley Parkâs Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre this weekend. Both acts changed hip hop forever with their unique styles, skilled lyricism, and groundbreaking music that continues to inspire the genre to this day. […]
Stage Buzz: Sacred Rose, Alice in Chains, Framing Hanley, Blondie, Soft Cell
Often touted as one of âThe Big Fourâ of grunge rock, Alice in Chains stood out from their peers with the distinct vocal stylings of Layne Staley and Jerry Cantrell and for their incorporation of heavy metal in their music. The band, fortunately, continued on with acclaimed vocalist William DuVal, whoâs been continuing their […]
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