Weekly
Stage Buzz: Skrillex, TLC and Salt-N-Peppa, Garth Brooks
Two â90s trailblazers are teaming up for an unforgettable tour that takes you back to the days of high fades, oversized pants, and MTV. TLC and Salt-N-Peppa are bringing their âItâs Iconicâ tour with special guest En Vogue to Huntington Bank Pavilion this week. Expect a night of dancing and great music when it goes […]
Spins: The Strokes ⢠Reality Awaits
The Strokes Reality Awaits (RCA Records) When The Strokes first came on the scene in 2001, the airwaves were saturated with teen pop, Butt-Rock, and Eminem, so five Italian New Yorkers dressed like the Ramones stood out from the crowd. Their debut album, Is This It, was so unlike the times that they instantly garnered […]
Stage Buzz: Sound & Gravity Festival, Rob Zombie, North Coast Music Fest, Danny Elfman, Babymetal
What do you get when metal, Japanese Idol culture, and J-pop collide? You get BABYMETAL, who are celebrating 16 years of âkawaii metal.â The group brings their vivid, highly choreographed, and kick-ass show to Chicago this weekend with special guests Halestorm and Violent Vira. It all goes down at Huntington Bank Pavilion on Northerly Island […]
Stage Buzz: The Ooozinâ Ahhs at Berwyn Car Show ⢠Cigars and Stripes BBQ ⢠Berwyn
Berwynâs Route 66 car show is one of the larger local and national vehicles shows held annually so it definitely makes it worth the visit. Itâs a huge one-day automotive festival held along historic Ogden Avenue (Route 66) between Oak Park Ave. and Ridgeland Ave. With 30,000 spectators expected and hundreds of classic and exotic […]
Stage Buzz: Peter Hook & the Light, Kesha, Robert Rolfe Feddersen, Corn Fest
Berwynâs Cigars & Stripes BBQ has brought back food and fun to Route 66 for 25 years, and theyâre celebrating this week on Wednesday, August 26, with their Bike Meetup, featuring Loudmouth vocalist Robert Rolfe Feddersen on stage. Feddersen became a favorite of legendary producer Steve Albini over several years, and heâll be mining his catalog midweek on Ogden […]
Stage Buzz: Jimmy Eat World, Ricky Martin, Big Suit, Usher
Jimmy Eat World is celebrating 25 years of their seminal album Bleed American. Featuring hits like âThe Middle,â âThe Sweetness,â âA Praise Chorus,â and âIf You Donât, Donât,â the album has been constantly hailed as one of the best punk records of all time. Youâll have a chance to hear this iconic album in full […]
Spins: Beastie Boys ⢠To the 5 Boroughs
Beastie Boys To the 5 Boroughs (Capitol/UMe) In 2004, Beastie Boysâ sixth album found the bicoastal trio of MCA, Mike D and Ad-rock returning to and celebrating their place of origin. To the 5 Boroughs finds the group in full flourish with an album full of infectious grooves, dizzying pastiches of inscrutable (and probably costly) […]
Spins: Robin Trower Live! expanded 50th anniversary 2xLP
Robin Trower Live! expanded 50th anniversary 2xLP (Chrysalis) Robin Trower is an enduring guitar hero from the golden age of classic rock and roll. The veteran British musician is still thrilling fans with work including 2025âs Come and Find Me and packing theaters as an energetic octogenarian. Still, most fans will prize 1974âs Bridge of […]
Spins: Violent Femmes ⢠The Blind Leading the Naked 40th anniversary
Violent Femmes The Blind Leading the Naked 40th anniversary (Craft) This reissue of Violent Femmesâ third album arrives on âCandlelight Swirlâ vinyl in celebration of its 40th birthday. For The Blind Leading the Naked, the Milwaukee alt-punk trio parted ways with Mark Van Hecke, producer of the bandâs landmark 1983 debut and its follow-up. The group […]
Photo Gallery: Lollapalooza 2026 – Day One (Part One)
Lollapalooza Grant Park Chicago, IL July 30-August 2nd Recap and photos by Curt Baran Day One Lollapalooza, the massive, annual four-day music festival, once again landed back at its home in Chicagoâs Grant Park for its 2026 run. It featured dozens of bands, sprawled out over four days, all on the cityâs front lawn. Day […]
Live Review: Wet Leg at The Vic Theatre ⢠Chicago
Wet Leg The Vic Theatre Chicago, IL July 29, 2026 Review by Jeff Elbel. Photos by Curt Baran. Hailing from the Isle of Wight in the UK, indie rock quintet Wet Leg performed a bit of time traveling magic in addition to crossing the Atlantic Ocean for their first appearance in Chicago this year. The […]
Stage Buzz: Lollapalooza, Ben Folds, Guns Nâ Roses
The biggest event of the summer is finally here! Lollapalooza kicks off this weekend, bringing four nights of music, fun, and good vibes to end your summer right. As always, this yearâs lineup is stacked, featuring Clipse, Turnstile, Olivia Dean, Charli XCX, YUNGBLUD, Lorde, sombr, Wet Leg, The xx, Loathe, Haue & Freddy, Viagra Boys, […]
Live Review and Photo Gallery: Rush at United Center ⢠Chicago
Rush United Center Chicago, IL July 22, 2026 Review by Jeff Elbel. Photos by Curt Baran. The unexpected reignition of Rush has emerged as the must-see concert tour of the year, as witnessed on Wednesday by an ecstatic audience at the United Center. In addition to touching 13 of the Canadian rockersâ 19 studio albums, […]
Stage Buzz: Lollapalooza 2026 Undercard Preview ⢠Chicago
The Braymores ⢠Thursday, July 30 ⢠BMI Stage ⢠1:00 p.m Chicagoâs Braymores deliver a familiar blend of folk and roots rock, recalling bands nurtured in the city, including The Insiders and Way Down Wanderers.  Add a dash of atmospheric shoegaze to their mix, and itâs a more than interesting result. Their surprisingly solid […]
Live Review: The Church at Park West ⢠Chicago
The Church, 2026 The Church Park West Chicago, IL July 7, 2026 Review by Jeff Elbel Led by founding member Steve Kilbey, Australian rockers the Church filled Park West with dreamy psychedelia, inventive alternative pop, and searing rock on Tuesday. âWhen I was young and getting started, the man opened the big book of […]
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