Tag: Jeff Elbel
Stage Buzz: Traveler, Midnight Dice, Peter Hook & The Light, Franz Ferdinand, Kendrick Lamar, Korn, Demetria Taylor
Red Hot Chili Peppers bring their funk-rap-rock stylings to Solider Field this Friday, August 19, with support from The Strokes and Thundercat. Starting back in 1983, they are the most successful alternative rock band with 14 number-one hits, 25 top-ten songs, and over 100 million records sold worldwide. And they keep the hits coming with […]
Live Review: Riot Fest Night with the White Sox – Guaranteed Rate Field • Chicago
The Chicago White Sox and My Chemical Romance clinched wins at Guaranteed Rate Field on Tuesday night. The ballpark’s Riot Fest Night event reminded Southside baseball fans that the city’s premiere punk rock festival will launch its 2022 event in one month. The game was a match-up between the surging White Sox and 2021 playoff […]
Live Review: Nick Lowe and Los Straitjackets • Old Town School of Folk Music • Chicago
Nick Lowe and Los Straitjackets Old Town School of Folk Music, Chicago, IL Thursday, August 4, 2022 Review by Jeff Elbel Photo: Nick Lowe at Riot Fest 2019 (by Curt Baran) Nick Lowe and Los Straitjackets kicked off a lengthy touring jaunt of opening dates for Elvis Costello by warming up with a […]
Cover Story: Tears For Fears • “Heritage This!”
After many years of touring with a bevy of classic pop hits from their ‘80s heyday, including “Change,” “Pale Shelter,” “Shout,” and “Sowing the Seeds of Love,” British band Tears for Fears have returned to the road with a powerful new album. With The Tipping Point, co-leaders Roland Orzabal and Curt Smith revisit the heady […]
Live Review and Photo Gallery: Wilco at Auditorium Theatre • Chicago
Wilco Yankee Hotel Foxtrot 20th Anniversary Auditorium Theatre, Chicago, IL April 24, 2022 Review by Jeffrey Kotthoff; Additional photos by Jeff Elbel and photos courtesy of Auditorium Theatre/Andy Argyrakis Wilco’s 2002 album Yankee Hotel Foxtrot was born of dysfunction and chaos. For most bands, the idea of looking back and celebrating what by all accounts […]
Live Review and Photo Gallery: Nick Cave and Warren Ellis – Auditorium Theatre • Chicago
Nick Cave and Warren Ellis Auditorium Theatre, Chicago, IL Sunday, March 20, 2022 Review by Jeff Elbel Photos by Andy Argyrakis courtesy of the Auditorium Theatre When Australian singer-songwriter Nick Cave last performed at the venerable Auditorium Theatre in 2017, there was no trace of worry about a global pandemic. The show became a religious […]
Cover Story: Midnight Oil • “The Last Dance”
As combustible as ever, Midnight Oil is again doing what they’ve done better than anyone else. At home and abroad, the band is rocking with furious post-punk energy and pop-savvy while agitating for change on social, political, and environmental issues. Like its biggest hit, “Beds are Burning,” the Oils’ 2020 release The Makarrata Project advocated […]
Gear Review • Apogee Digital: Symphony Desktop Interface
The most basic function of Apogee Digital’s Symphony Desktop is its capability as a two-channel audio interface. Apogee has a range of portable interfaces available, but Symphony Desktop represents the company’s first offering of its top-quality converters in a desktop format that travels easily. Boasting a pair of Apogee’s flagship Symphony microphone preamps and analog […]
Live Review and Galley: Neal Morse Band • Arcada Theatre • St. Charles
The Neal Morse Band The Arcada Theatre, St. Charles, IL February 19, 2022 Review by Jeff Elbel Photos by Luciano J. Bilotti The Neal Morse Band presented a master class in progressive rock on Saturday night, with a hint of laudable grace under pressure as the quintet returned to a faithful audience at the supportive […]
Live Review and Gallery: Jeff Tweedy at Metro • Chicago
Jeff Tweedy Metro, Chicago, IL Thursday, December 23, 2021 Review and photos by Jeff Elbel Chicago’s hottest ticket for rock fans during the holiday season was Thursday night’s show at Metro. Jeff Tweedy and his band did not disappoint during the second of two concerts, performing a joyful set that brimmed with a sense […]
Spins: Neil Young & Crazy Horse • Barn
Neil Young & Crazy Horse Barn (Reprise) Neil Young collects his trusty, veteran Crazy Horse gang for a freewheeling album that sounds like a joyful weekend getaway among friends in the garage – or in Young’s case, the restored 19th-century barn. The ambiance is amiable, loose, and natural. The recording draws together an intuitive band […]
Stage Buzz: Review and Photo Gallery • Wilco, Sleater-Kinney at Pritzker Pavillion
Wilco, Sleater-Kinney, Nnamdï Jay Pritzker Pavilion, Millennium Park, Chicago, IL Saturday, August 28, 2021 Review by Jeff Elbel Photo Gallery by Curt Baran Saturday’s performance at Pritzker Pavilion was Wilco’s first hometown show since December 2019, when the band supported 2019’s Ode to Joy album at the Chicago Theatre. After 20 months of waiting, Jeff […]
Spins: Jeff + Ping • The Threefinger Opera
Jeff Elbel + Ping The Threefinger Opera (Marathon Records) A few years ago, Chicago-area musician Jeff Elbel experienced a crushed nerve ending that denied him the use of two fingers on his left hand. This is bad news for someone who not only fronts his own band, the expansive Jeff Elbel + Ping but sits […]
Stage Buzz: Live Review and Photo Gallery – James Taylor and His All-Star Band and Jackson Browne • United Center
James Taylor and His All-Star Band, Jackson Browne Thursday, July 29, 2021 United Center, Chicago, IL The third time’s the charm. Originally scheduled for the summer of 2020, the long-anticipated tour by James Taylor and His All-Star Band featuring Jackson Browne’s opening set was bumped to June of this year by the pandemic. Opening […]
Stage Buzz Review and Photo Gallery: Todd Rundgren Clearly Human Livestream from Chicago
Todd Rundgren Clearly Human Virtual Tour Private Venue, Chicago, IL Friday, February 26, 2021 Review by Jeff Elbel Photos by Jim Snyder Celebrated innovator and musical polymath Todd Rundgren is conducting his 25-date “Clearly Human” tour entirely from an unnamed theater in Chicago. Each show has featured all of the songs from 1989’s Nearly […]
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