Concert Reviews

A collection of 27 posts

Concert Reviews

Lauren Mayberry Puts On A 'Vicious' Performance at Chicago's Lincoln Hall

There's nothing in the music industry quite like a good Best Albums of the Year list. The ultimate opportunity to flex equally how contrarian and diverse you can be, it's also an easy way to get traffic and stir up controversy. But just like the seasonal

Concert Reviews

Magic City Hippies Flip Expectations on their Head at Chicago's Metro

Walk up to any fan of the HBO series Game of Thrones and say the words "subvert expectations" and see what kind of reaction you get. Don't blame me if you get spit on or slapped. The downfall of that show, going from what looked like

Concert Reviews

Marc Rebillet Flies by the Seat of his Undies at Thalia Hall

No matter who you are, where you come from, what your age is...chances are that you've seen some bad improv in your life. I'd argue that improv gets an undeserved rap, but if I'm being honest a lot of improv is not very

Concert Reviews

Enter Shikari Pack A Massive Show Into Chicago's Metro

England gave us The Beatles. And The Rolling Stones. And James Bond. For these things, we thank our friends from across the pond. England also gave us James Corden. And Russell Brand. And British cuisine. Hard pass on all of the above please and thank you. But not everything falls

Concert Reviews

Rise Against Write Their Own Script At Salt Shed Debut

I've got good news and bad news about the current Rise Against tour. Getting the negative out of the way first, the bad news is that there is no new Rise Against album, either right now or anywhere in the near future. And while that's not

Concert Reviews

Riot Fest 2024 Review Part 1: The Bands

I really do need to start this out by asking Riot Fest to forgive me for my stupidity. For as much as I talk about how much I love the Fest both on this very site as well as in my everyday life, in reality I'm a semi-recent

Concert Reviews

Sum 41 Get Their Windy City Farewell at Concord Music Hall

As someone whose college years spanned 2001-2005, I have been absolutely feasting over the last few years when it comes to tours. With my generation finally breaking into the coveted 40+ demographic, all of the sudden Super Bowl halftime shows and classic rock stations and network television commercials cater to

Concert Reviews

Bright Eyes Hide in Plain Sight For Secret Show at Chicago's Lincoln Hall

"This is actually our first show ever, so thanks for taking a chance on an unknown band." Normally, a lead singer making a true statement like that would not expect a solid chuckle from a sold-out audience. They also wouldn't expect the audience to sing along

Concert Reviews

Dillinger Escape Plan Reunite Just To Dismantle Chicago's Salt Shed

I'm not even that old and there are absolutely concerts I barely remember attending. Sure, everything from two drink minimums to late start times can contribute to the loss of those memories (or if the band is bad enough, prevented them from being formed in the first place)

Concert Reviews

Killer Mike Shows His 'Michael' Side At Intimate Promontory Lollapalooza Aftershow

Would it be stating the obvious to say that Killer Mike has some serious momentum right now? Last summer he dropped Michael, his first solo album since 2012's legendary R.A.P. Music, to universal acclaim. He followed that up with a late-summer tour barnstorming across the country

Concert Reviews

idobi Radio Summer School Holds Class At Concord Music Hall

We're all best friends here, right? I can bare my soul to you all without judgement? I'm a bit of a late bloomer when it comes to festivals. For all the raving I do about Riot Fest (all of it deserved), I've only been

Concert Reviews

Third Eye Blind Live Up To Their 'Summer Gods' Title at Darien Lake

This was a pretty cool first for me. I've reviewed bands more than once before. Sometimes I catch them at a festival and then a dedicated show of their own. Other times a band comes through as an opening act only to come back through town later as

Concert Reviews

Frank Turner's Live Chops Remain 'Undefeated' at Chicago's Aragon Ballroom

At this point, you might as well inject all Riot Fest-related things directly into my veins. When I'm not covering one of the awesome shows that they put on in Chicago, I'm constantly seeing acts who I was first exposed to through attending over the last

Concert Reviews

Friday Pilots Club Set the Bar for 2024 at 'Nowhere' Bottom Lounge Album Release Show

I never claimed to be unbiased. Hell, I'm not getting paid anything for this, so I'm actually quite open to being biased. Sadly, no offers (monetary or otherwise) have rolled in just yet. So for the time being, if someone wants to get a glowing review

Concert Reviews

Bayside After 20 Years: Fresh As Ever With the New Record to Prove It at Chicago's House of Blues

After taking over a year off from touring because of COVID-19, band re-emerged in mid-to-late 2021 like the cicadas we get here in the midwest, teeming with energy and vaccines. Awaiting them was an audience almost begging to fork over their disposable income to see not only their favorite bands,

Concert Reviews

Spanish Love Songs and Oso Oso Mine the Sad for the Happy at Chicago's Metro

Yeah, but I still come through when you want/It's like if I serve no use, where will I get my purpose from?/And then it always changes the second we see the sun Lyrics like that bring to mind a shoegaze-y downtempo number perfect to slot in

Concert Reviews

All Of Chance the Rapper's Gifts On Display At Ramova Theatre Birthday Show

Dear Chance, At the risk of things going...well, something like this, I thought I would write this piece directly to you as a combo thank you letter/birthday wish. Why take such a huge risk doing something potentially lame with little to no upside? Variety, I guess. Telling other

Concert Reviews

Mom Jeans' Epic Emo Throwback at Night 1 in Chicago

Emo music and nostalgia are so intertwined that they might as well go on a co-headlining tour. Remember the gross creature that Jeff Goldblum turned into at the end of The Fly? That's nostalgia and emo music. And it makes sense. Emo music has long touched on all

Concert Reviews

Mclusky Bring A Two-Decade Party to Chicago's Vic Theatre

As someone in his early 40's, I've had an absolute blast over the last few years musically celebrating the 20 year anniversary of some of the most awkward and uncomfortable years of my life. With so many bands cashing in on the "20 year anniversary

Concert Reviews

Jason Isbell Serves Up A Dose of Real America at Chicago's Salt Shed

There's a line in the Manchester Orchestra song 'The Silence' that's been on my mind a lot lately. You can go anywhere but you are where you came from Now I'm not normally the type to be walking around with lyrics from

Concert Reviews

Porno for Pyros Say Farewell to Chicago at the Salt Shed

Porno for Pyros has always been a pretty big deal for a side project. If you mention Perry Farrell to someone that remembers the early to mid 90's pretty well, they're going to know him as the enigmatic lead singer of Jane's Addiction. Ask

Concert Reviews

Militarie Gun Brings Hardcore To The Masses at Chicago's Bottom Lounge

I'll be the first to admit I wasn't the biggest Militarie Gun fan when they first popped up on my radar. But both the universe and my awful eating habits seemed to have other plans. The first time I heard Militarie Gun was last year at

Concert Reviews

Sarah Jarosz Serves Up Americana Masterclass at Chicago's Thalia Hall

Growing up in rural northwest Illinois, I was faced with a crucial decision as I entered my formative years: country or rock? In the mid to late 90's, there weren't many artists trying to straddle the line between the two, so it was a much more

Concert Reviews

Living Colour Flex Their Staying Power at Chicago's Bottom Lounge

When you're a band that's been mostly defined by a single song, I imagine it's something of a double edged sword. Take Living Colour for example. The New York City quartet (outside of a 5 year break in the late 90's) has

Concert Reviews

Meet Me @ the Altar Turn Chicago's House of Blues Into an Inclusive Pop-Punk Haven

"I'm a bitch and my band is an industry plant, 'least that's what it says on the internet." That's not just the beginning lyric to Meet Me @ the Altar's hit single "Say It (To My Face)". It&