North Coast Music Festival 2018: Day Three in Review
After two days cut short by rain and thunderstorms, there was a lot riding on day three of North Coast Music Festival. The promoter did right by fans allowing those […]
North Coast Music Festival 2018: Day Two in Review
After Friday night’s rainstorm, North Coast was forced to delay the opening of the fest on day two, causing acts like Mother Nature to cancel their sets. It’s an unfortunate […]
Review: Jordanna Brings Top Local Talent and a Dazzling Set to First Headlining Gig at Schubas
A four-bill show at Schubas Tavern on Labor Day Eve felt like a giant, warm hug. Carefully curated by Chicago R&B headliner Hayley Jordanna (“Jordanna”), the lineup featured local, genre-bending […]
Review: Scorched Tundra Fest Brings a New Side of Metal to Empty Bottle
This weekend the Empty Bottle hosted back-to-back soldout shows for the annual Scorched Tundra festival. Since 2011, Alexi Front has been curating and highlighting some of the most innovative acts […]
Review: Sleigh Bells Brought Their Party Vibes to Metro
Sleigh Bells’ shows are nothing if not utterly fun. From start to finish, very time I’ve seen Alexis Krauss and Derek Edward Miller it was been a nonstop party. Even […]
Review: Amen Dunes Casts a Spell at Lincoln Hall
“It feels like we’re all waiting to go into a haunted house,” observed a fellow concert goer. Brooding synths echoed in a darkened Lincoln Hall as we waited for Amen […]
Album Review: Ohmme Brings Harmony and Noise Together on Parts
When Ohmme, the duo of Macie Stewart and Sima Cunningham, announced the release of Parts on Joyful Noise Recordings, it was impossible not to be excited. The pair have been […]
Review: Gaslight Anthem Brings Nostalgia to Riviera
I came to the Riviera Theatre Saturday night expecting to be an impartial observer to the beginnings of late aughts nostalgia. The sentiment that began to bubble when Obama left […]
Review: Vans House Parties Caps Off the Summer with Wolf Parade, Torres, and Lala Lala
[soliloquy id=”34856″] In a world of typical venues where the mode of operations is as simple as stand, drink, and wait for the band, House of Vans has been doing […]
Foo Fighters’ Triumphal Return to Wrigley Field, or Rock’s Death Has Been Greatly Exaggerated
The last time Foo Fighters played Wrigley Field, Dave Grohl was confined to an oversized throne due to a broken leg. When the band returned July 29, Grohl was unfettered […]
Review: Post-Adventures with Lume, Chastity, and Mourn at the Empty Bottle
Tuesday night’s show at the Empty Bottle featured three relatively up-and-coming bands that redefine their parent genres and challenge what it means to sound like a “post-rock” band. In an […]
Let’s Talk About Lollapalooza 2018, Shall We?
How does one even write about Lollapalooza nowadays? I’ve been going to the festival since its inception in 1991, and have only missed a couple, during the fest’s darker years […]