Tag: featured
Live Review & Photo Gallery: Brigette Calls Me Baby
Brigitte Calls Baby Thalia Hall Chicago, IL April 18, 2026 Live Review by Ashley Perez-Hollingsworth; Photos by Curt Baran There was something special about Brigitte Calls Baby’s second sold-out show at Thalia Hall (April 18). Maybe it was the anticipation of the crowd enthusing about past shows and their favorite songs. Maybe it was notices […]
Photo Gallery: Dance Hall Crashers with Fishbone • House of Blues • Chicago
Dance Hall Crashers with Fishboone House of Blues April 18, 2026 Chicago, IL Recap and photos by Curt Baran The Ska genre has seen itself move through several different stages, or “waves.” Originally, the ska style was derived from reggae or rocksteady in the 1950s. It was popular in Jamaica, but stateside remained mostly unknown. […]
Stage Buzz: Model/Actriz, Biffy Clyro, 2K, Dethlok
Need a healthy dose of nostalgia to forget what’s happening in the world for a little while? Take a journey back to the mid-2000s with the newly reunited B2K on “The Boys 4 Life Tour.” The tour also features special guests Bow Wow, Wacka Flocka Flame, Pretty Ricky, and Amerie. It all goes down at […]
Feature: Volores • Deeper Level
The unassuming package arrived, sans celebratory hoopla, a few weeks ago, sandwiched in between bills, various oversized advertisement cards, and several days’ worth of a mail-delivered New York Times subscription. A small, CD-sized, puffy envelope tumbled out of the delivery stack like a relic from the distant past that could no longer fit inside the […]
Live Review: Robyn Hitchcock at Athenaeum Center • Chicago
Robyn Hitchcock Athenaeum Center Chicago, IL April 10, 2026 Review and photos by Jeff Elbel Pop surrealist Robyn Hitchcock has been good to his devotees in Chicago, making regular visits to town with his engaging one-man shows. On Friday, fans got a special treat when the English musician and former Soft Boys frontman stopped […]
Live Review: Florence + The Machine at Allstate Arena • Rosemont
Florence + The Machine Allstate Arena Rosemont, IL April 10, 2026 Review By Curt Baran “Everybody scream!” Not only is it the name of her latest single, but it was also something that shares the name of Florence Welch’s current tour. But at the first of two sold-out shows at Rosemont’s Allstate Arena, it also […]
Photo Gallery: Nessa Barrett at Thalia Hall • Chicago
Nessa Barrett Thalia Hall April 7, 2026 Chicago, IL Recap and photos by Curt Baran On her Tuesday return to Chicago, Nessa Barrett chose to host a black-tie affair. As guests assembled for her performance at Thalia Hall, the Pilsen venue greeted arrivals with an air of sophistication. Gentlemen clad in black tuxedos and white […]
Stage Buzz: BoDeans at Art Theater • Hobart, IN
While attending Waukesha South High School in Wisconsin in 1977, buddies Kurt Neumann and Sam Llanas planted the seeds that would soon germinate into Americana roots-rock band BoDeans in 1983. After the release of its 1986 debut album, Love & Hope & Sex & Dreams, the years of slugging it out in the Milwaukee clubs […]
Live Review: Billy O’Neill • Liar’s Club • Chicago
Billy O’Neill (of oh my god) Liar’s Club Chicago, IL Friday, April 3, 2026 Live Review and photos by Jeff Elbel Good Friday saw the welcome return to Chicago of erstwhile local hero Billy O’Neill. The singer and bassist visited Liar’s Club to reacquaint his former hometown audience with songs by theatrical post-punk band […]
Cover Story: Trouble – Headlines Legions of Metal Festival
Chicago’s beloved doom metal legends, Trouble, will be headlining the second night of the eighth annual Legions of Metal festival at Reggies on Saturday, May 2. Incidentally, it’s the band’s first-ever appearance at the famed Chicago rock club. Initially conceived in May of 2017 by Reggies owner Robby Glick, along with longtime local promoter Shane […]
Media: April 2026 • 100 Years of Sirens In The Loop
The journalism business has obviously changed dramatically over the past few decades. The latest book about the history of the Chicago News Bureau (Sirens in the Loop), written by Paul Zimbrakos and Jim Elsener, really shines a spotlight on just how much it has changed. The City News Bureau was a news cooperative, meaning […]
Photo Gallery: The Format • April 2 • Chicago
The Format The Salt Shed Chicago, IL April 2nd, 2026 Recap and photos by Curt Baran Nate Ruess FINALLY made it back to Chicago. His band, The Format, announced in 2020 that they would once again hit the road as a live touring band. They booked shows in New York, Phoenix, and the previously […]
Stage Buzz: GWAR, Ashnikko, Poison the Well
Intergalactic shock rockers GWAR are chaos incarnate. The only thing they love more than blood, sex, and violence is rock and roll. The otherworldly beings promise to bring carnage and kick ass music when “The Gor Gor Strikes Back Tour” rolls into town. Catch GWAR with special guests Soulfly and King Parrot at Concord Music […]
Photo Gallery: The Hives at The Salt Shed • Chicago
The Hives March 26, 2026 The Salt Shed Chicago, IL Recap and photos by Curt Baran Since their inception back in the early ’90s, Sweden’s The Hives have consistently proven to be one of the most dependable live acts in the Rock pantheon. To the unsuspecting, their matching suits (which included illuminated hemlines this time […]
Live Review: Lamb of God at Aragon Ballroom • Chicago
Lamb Of God Aragon Ballroom Chicago March 25, 2026 It only took three songs for frontman Randy Blythe to express an overt and timely political message during Lamb Of God’s all-ages headlining show at the Aragon on March 25: “No more war for oil, motherfuckers,” Blythe spat out as an introduction to “Blood Junkie.” Otherwise, […]
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