Tag: featured
Live Review: Los Lobos at City Winery [with added photo gallery]
Los Lobos City Winery Sunday, December 8, 2019 Los Lobos set up camp at City Winery on Sunday for its eighth annual residency of Christmas shows. This time, the band brought new songs written specially for the occasion. Material from the bandâs first Christmas album, LlegĂł Navidad, added to the already festive spirit of […]
Photo Gallery: George Clinton and Ohio Players at Horseshoe Casino
Ed Spinelli captured two of the most important members of Funk’s hall of fame class, George Clinton (with Funkadelic) and Ohio Players (who recorded many of their biggest hits in Chicago). George told Spinelli that retirement is not in the cards right now (“I’m having too much fun”), and proved it to an adoring crowd […]
Stage Buzz: Ace Frehley at Joe’s Live Rosemont [with added photo gallery]
Ace Frehley Friday, December 13 Joe’s Live Rosemont KISS co-founding guitarist and vocalist Ace Frehley takes the stage at Joe’s Live in Rosemont on Friday, December 13, with openers Ladrone and Like It beginning at 7:30 PM. Real rock fans know the history of this iconic guitar slinger. The former original lead guitarist for KISS […]
Live Review and Photo Gallery: Celine Dion at United Center
Celine Dion Sunday, December 1, 2019 United Center Over a decade has passed since Celine Dion performed in Chicago. Still, as the dynamite vocalist proclaimed at the start of another United Center sell out, âItâs All Coming Back To Be Now.â Indeed, the women who captivated the generations between Barbra Streisand and Adele sounded as […]
Recap and Photo Gallery: Slayer, Ministry, Primus and Phillip H. Anselmo at Tax Slayer Center
Slayer/Ministry/Philip H. Anselmo And The Illegals TaxSlayer Center Moline, IL 11/14/2019 Slayer made the last “area” appearance ever (after their Riot Fest appearance in September), and the Quad Cities (Moline, IL) got the honors. They brought a “cast of thousands” with them, including Philip H. Anselmo And The Illegals, who started the evening with a […]
Photo Gallery: Angel Olsen at The Riviera Theatre
Former Chicago native Angel Olsen made the most of her recent homecoming. She’s hit the road in support of her acclaimed album All Mirrors, and her performance was a kaleidoscope of dramatic strings, ethereal synths and Area 51-worthy strobes. But even if you stripped away all the extracurricular aesthetic, you’d still be left with Olsenâs […]
Photo Gallery: Caamp at Thalia Hall
Caamp is riding a wave of propulsion that is certainly cresting. The Columbus, Ohio quartet just released their second album, By And By, and it promptly shot to the top of the Billboard Heatseekers albums chart. The record has also birthed the single âPeach Fuzzâ which has quickly become all but ubiquitous on both terrestrial […]
Photo Gallery: Lana Del Rey at Aragon Ballroom
Seduction arrived in Uptown this past weekend in the form of the âNorman Fucking Rockwell!â tour. Sharing a name with the recently released album by Lana Del Rey, the West Coast native cooed and purred her way through 18 career-spanning songs that also included guest appearances from evening openers Lucy Dacus and Best Coastâs Bethany […]
Live Review and Photo Gallery: Tool and Killing Joke at United Center
Tool has always conducted itself as an unconventional anomaly. From their cryptic videos and ambiguous album art, their image has always thrived in the dark spaces that leave almost every aspect of their aesthetic open to interpretation. Who else but this band could wait 13Â years between (arguably non-mainstream) records, knock Taylor Swift of the […]
Cover Story: Sam Fender
Ostensibly, this is an article about British rock newcomer Sam Fender and his brilliant, one-in-a-million debut disc, Hypersonic Missiles – easily the best album of the year. Nothing can touch it; itâs so far ahead of the pack. But itâs also a moment where we canât help but break with a few staid journalistic traditions […]
Stage Buzz: Michael Franti at Concord Music Hall
In this era of building walls, unsettled government and strife at the border, Michael Franti continues his message of positive vibes and bringing people together. Franti made his mark a decade ago with his massive hit “Say Hey (I Love You).” Mixing rock steady beats, ska, reggae, rock, hip-hop and electronica – Franti has […]
Spins: The Beatles “Abbey Road” 50th Anniversary Super Deluxe Box Set Reviewed
The Beatles Abbey Road 50th Anniversary Super Deluxe box set (Apple/Universal) As with the 50th anniversary editions of Sgt. Pepperâs Lonely Hearts Club Band and The Beatles (aka The White Album), any fan could argue that this new mix of Abbey Road is unnecessary. Some may go as far as saying that tinkering with the […]
Live Review: Saga at Arcada Theatre
Saga Arcada Theatre, St. Charles, IL October 16, 2019 Review and photos by Jeff Elbel Wednesday nightâs concert at the Arcada Theatre in St. Charles was impressive on multiple counts. Credit goes to promoter Ron Onesti for listening to patrons and taking the risk to book Sagaâs first standalone US show in ages. Although the […]










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