Results tagged “concerts”

Gottlieb Hall at the Merit School of Music, 38 S. Peoria, 7:30 p.m., $20-$40, $10 students

Today marks the start of the eleventh annual Chicago World Music Festival. The week-long event will feature fifty-seven artists performing fifty-five concerts at twenty-one venues stretching from Rogers Park to Beverly. If it sounds overwhelming, well, it is. We've split the week into two parts for easier digestion, beginning with today through Monday. A preview of the Festival's final three days will go up next week.

Ah yes, the loyal Chicagoist readers. Perhaps we don't let you know how much you mean to us as often as we should, but your devotion - reading our site on a national holiday, no less! - will be rewarded, for now you are the only ones who will be reminded to reserve your tickets tomorrow for the free events at Symphony Center on October 17.

We remember being in London a few years ago, looking for concerts to hit, and we saw The Lemonheads were performing It's A Shame About Ray from start to finish. "Cool!," we thought, "What a great idea! We hope this catches on!" Well, a few years down the road the format has not only caught on, it's become an outright pandemic. When done correctly it can thrill, and when it's not, it can ruin our memory of a particular album for a while.

A little miffed like us that Wilco has so far shunned their hometown on their 2009 tour schedule, which includes promotion of that new LP of theirs? We know they did that amazing five-night stand last year but...that was last year! What about 2009? Well, now we know what is up with 2009. This morning, XRT announced the show which is happening Sunday, October 18. The only thing that caught us off guard a bit was the venue: the UIC Pavilion. Not that they need to play somewhere bigger, but they probably could. Anyway, tickets for the show go on sale this Saturday and will cost $39.50 for reserved and general admission seating. So go those clicking fingers ready.

Trent Reznor took to Twitter today to announce the dates for the upcoming NIN tour - allegedly their last - and the Chicago dates are August 28 and 29, both shows at the Aragon Ballroom. The NIN.com presale for both dates is July 17 and general on-sale will be July 31. Mew will open both dates.

The Old Town School of Folk Music presents its twelfth annual installment of the Chicago Folk and Roots Festival this weekend in Lincoln Square. The Festival, spread across Welles Park, brings a steady stream of activities to a usually friendly, laid-back crowd: performances by Old Town staff, open jam sessions by the gazebo, dance lessons with live music, and a tent for kids, although we should point out that that's an area with entertainment for children, not a place to store them.

       

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Alash, masters of Tuvan throat singing and traditional instruments, will perform Wednesday at the University of Chicago's International House (1414 E. 59th) as part of its Global Voices Performing Arts Series.

In spite of opposition from the Southport Neighbors Association, the Chicago City Council gave the Chicago Cubs permission today to hold three concerts at Wrigley Field this July. Neighborhood Ald. Tom Tunney (44th) signed the plan and promised to “minimize the concerns of the community at large.” Pop legends Billy Joel and Elton John are slated to play a pair of shows together at the stadium (July 16 and 21) and country group Rascal Flatts will squeeze a date in between (July 18). Part of the protest from the Southport Neighbors Association centered on the fact that the Rascal Flatts show is during the same weekend as their annual Summer on Southport festival. The concerts come during an 11-day stretch during which the Cubs will be off for the All-Star break and then on the east coast. [Tribune]

We're not objective when it comes to jazz: we believe Blue Note is still the best jazz label, and this year it's celebrating its 70th anniversary. Since 1939 they've pretty much recorded every major jazz figure (with notable exceptions, like Ken Vandermark). Not bad for a company founded by a pair of Jewish refugees fleeing Nazi Germany. First recording in a series of rented studios, they later used engineer Rudy Van Gelder's genius to create the "Blue Note sound."

Yesterday's news that a second Elton John & Billy Joel concert had been added to the summer slate at Wrigley came as no surprise. The summer concert has become something of a tradition over the years, with boomer-centric acts like Jimmy Buffet and The Police playing multiple shows at the stadium and all the shows have sold quite well. Things, however, are starting to get ri-damn-diculous as news comes today that a third concert has been added to the slate for Wrigley. This one will be country rockers Rascal Flatts featuring Darius Rucker (formerly of Hootie & the Blowfish) and will happen on Saturday, July 18, between the two John/Joel dates. [In case you're wondering, the Cubs are out of town for the All-Star Break and trips to Washington and Philadelphia in that time frame.]

Greg Kot is reporting tonight's Smashing Pumpkins show has been postponed until Monday, December 8 due to frontman Billy Corgan falling ill with grumpiness.

It's hard to believe, but tickets for shows in the first quarter of 2009 are already going on sale and it's quite a collection of awesome.

     

Singer/Songwriter Martin Sexton hit up Park West for a solo show to promote his new live album, Martin Sexton: Solo.

Soulful acoustic crooner Martin Sexton has had quite the career and has become well-known for his outstanding live shows. And his continual touring has given him the opportunity to release a document of some of his best solo live performances: Martin Sexton: Solo, which was released a few weeks ago. The record features Sexton at his live best, singing a handful of covers - including the album's single, Prince's "Purple Rain," Ray Charles' "Hard Times" and The Beatles' "With A Little Help From My Friends" - as well as rarities like "Caught In The Rain." The album also includes two bonus band tracks and a voucher redeemable for a free song download. And now Martin's bringing the magic to Chicago's Park West for, what else, a solo show tomorrow night. We've been fans of Sexton's stuff in the past and his solo performances always seem to carry a bit more oomph than full band shows, so it's worth a look. Ryan Montbleau opens.

Tickets for the Smashing Pumpkins' 20th Anniversary tour Chicago shows go on sale to the general public this Monday, October 13 at 10:00 a.m. They are:

Mark Tomasino, President and Artistic Director of the Wicker Park Choral Singers, founded the non-profit ensemble in February upon realizing that there was no outlet for a choral group to rehearse and perform in the neighborhood. Auditions were held in May and the Wicker Park Choral Singers are hosting their free, debut concert tomorrow at 3:00 p.m. in the historic Wicker Park Lutheran Church.

With the 12th Street Beach just south of Northerly Island, it has become a hot spot to listen to the music coming from the Charter One Pavilion. As many as 1,000 teens might gather on any given evening. But after about a half-dozen fights broke out amongst the crowd Thursday evening, police are now saying they will shut down the beach if further trouble erupts.

The weather has been gorgeous all week and, if you're like us, you've been stuck inside, dreaming of a chance to get out and about. Lots of bands are announcing late summer/early fall tour dates for our fair city and lots of Lolla-related shows happening, so while you wait for the weekend, here are some shows you can utilize your Ticketmaster clicking finger on.

Since its release last October Raising Sand, the critically lauded collaboration of former Led Zeppelin frontman Robert Plant and high priestess of bluegrass Allison Krauss, has become something of a phenomenon. Working in tandem with producer T Bone Burnett, who picked and arranged the songs, Raising Sand is a joy to the ears. Its emphasis on blues, country and old R&B is reminiscent of Bob Dylan's records of the past twenty years, while Burnett's production at times evokes the ethereal moods of Emmylou Harris' Wrecking Ball or Willie Nelson's Teatro.

We know there's no shortage of things going on this weekend, but just in case you're looking for something else, we suggest the Paul Green School of Rock "Rock the Bus" Fundraiser. The School, founded ten years ago in Philadelphia, has spread its wing with branches located nationwide, including Chicago (3043 N. Ashland Ave.) and nearby Highwood, as well as a branch opening this fall in Evanston. "Rock the Bus," a faculty benefit show and silent auction, will raise money to send a group of students from the Chicago School of Rock to the national Paul Green School of Rock Festival in Philadelphia at the end of June, which will feature performances by School of Rock student bands as well as Devo, The Butthole Surfers, Less Than Jake, Dropkick Murphys, and The Hold Steady.

This summer-like weather we've been enjoying all week? It's going to disappear this weekend. But our brief respite from Spring won't get us down. We mentioned the upcoming Rock The Bells fest is coming to Chicago this year and that reminds us of one thing: summer music to look forward to. Hey, it's not always about Lollapalooza.

Frankly, the forecast for snow on the first two days of spring has us super cranky, so let’s just get to it.

We discovered The Spinto Band through a friend's single of the month club.Immediately we fell in love with the first tune we heard, the sweetly chiming shoulda-been feel-good hit of that summer, "Mandy." The group rode a mild wave of buzz for a while, some of it driven by just how ridiculously young the band was in contrast with how good their songwriting chops already were. And then they wisely dropped out of sight before the blog-buzz backlash could turn on them.

We just learned that tickets to ALL Metro and Smart Bar shows are only available through their websites, or the Metro Box Office. There will still be service fees for tickets bought online, though we believe they will be much reduced due to Metro handling all sales internally, and there is still never a service fee for tickets bought at the Box Office.

If you saw a haze hanging over downtown this morning...nevermind, that joke's too easy. The Doggfather kicked off a two-night stand at the House of Blues last night on his current tour promoting his new record, Ego Trippin' (due out March 11th), and left our ears ringing.

Ah, late February in Chicago. Cubs tickets go on sale today, there's a forecast for a high temperature above 35 degrees next week, and thousands of indie rock kids around Chicago will soon be shedding their parkas for high-priced hoodies bought from Wicker Park boutiques (tip: ours cost us $12 at Target!) for several worthwhile shows around the Chicago area. Lots of tickets go on sale this weekend. So, despite this crappy weather, there is, in the words of Spoon, "something to look forward to."

WXRT just announced this morning that Wilco will be playing a five-day residency at the Riviera Theatre in February. And the most exciting part is the band promises to explore its entire catalog, creating a unique set list for each show and playing songs they haven't played in quite some time. Needless to say, we're excited. (Summerteeth, anyone?)