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Archive for May, 2009

The Tragically Hip Sold Out XRT Show at the Vic Theatre

By Frank E. Lee ⋅ May 29, 2009 ⋅ 7 comments

Watching a possessed man is fascinating and disturbing at the same time. You don’t want to look, but there he is, commanding your total attention as he writhes and lurches in the spotlight. That’s the case with Gord Downie, the lead singer of the Tragically Hip , who led his band through the second of [...]

Ben Harper and Relentless7 Sold Out XRT Show at the Vic Theatre

By Jason Thomas ⋅ May 19, 2009 ⋅ 3 comments

“This is American rock, the way it is supposed to sound and feel.”
That’s a line from benharper.com describing the sound of the new album,
White Lies For Dark Times. After seeing Ben Harper &
Relentless7 this past Saturday at the Vic Theater, we can go ahead and
assume that the statement applies to the band’s live performances as
well.  [...]

Roger McGuinn at the Old Town School of Folk Music

By Terri Hemmert ⋅ May 19, 2009 ⋅ One comment

Last week it was the anniversary of the Byrds making their first tv
appearance in 1965 on Hullabaloo.  I remember watching that show (couldn’t
tivo it then, you know) and was knocked out by this new band with the
amazing vocal harmonies and gangling guitars.  And who was the guy with the
12 string Rickenbacher and the cool rose [...]

Loney Dear in an XRT Big Beat Show at Schubas

By Marty Lennartz ⋅ May 15, 2009 ⋅ Post a comment

Sometimes, out of misfortune, wonderfully unexpected things will occur.
That was certainly the case at Schubas last weekend for an XRT Big Beat
Show with Swedish band Loney Dear.
On record, Loney Dear is one Mr. Emil Svanangen.  His last two discs,
“Loney Noir” and the recent “Dear John” were both recorded in his
bedroom studio as well as his [...]

Leonard Cohen at the Chicago Theatre

By Jason Thomas ⋅ May 8, 2009 ⋅ 2 comments

It’s not every day you have the chance to see Leonard Cohen.  Or, every
year.  Or, um, every decade.  Something happened this past Tuesday
evening at the beautiful Chicago Theatre that hadn’t happened in 15
years…  Leonard Cohen stepped onto a stage here in Chicago.  “An
Evening With Leonard Cohen.”  “An Evening With!”  Code for no opener, so
the 8:00 [...]

The Dead in an XRT Show at Allstate Arena

By Tim Liston ⋅ May 6, 2009 ⋅ 3 comments

As a long-time listener of The Dead, and a life-time listener of friends and family members’ stories about their great live shows are (and how they saw Jerry’s last show), I finally got to see my first Dead show last night. As soon as I parked the XRT truck I was immediately greeted by members [...]

The Dead in an XRT Show on Monday night at Allstate Arena

By Dan Manella ⋅ May 6, 2009 ⋅ 2 comments

The Dead return to Chicago with an interesting set list of some old favorites and cool covers that pay tribute to  Jerry, John Lennon, Bob Dylan, and even Van Morrison!
(Set 1)
China Cat Sunflower -
Born Cross-Eyed -
Built To Last -
Pride Of Cucamonga –
I Need A Miracle
Wang Dang Doodle – always a treat in Chicago
West LA Fadeaway
Liberty [...]

Tinted Windows Sold Out show at Double Door

By Ken Sumka ⋅ May 4, 2009 ⋅ 2 comments

On paper it seemed like an interesting mix, three seasoned rock vets and one young hotshot, fresh from a decade selling platinum records with his musical brothers.  Ladies and gentlemen, it’s Tinted Windows.  When I first heard of the band, I was aware of the musical pedigrees of James Iha, Adam Schlesinger and Bun E. [...]

Franz Ferdinand in a Sold Out XRT Show at the Riv

By Marty Lennartz ⋅ May 4, 2009 ⋅ 2 comments

The first time I saw Franz Ferdinand was at the Empty Bottle. They had just made their US debut at SXSW and picked up an early slot at the Bottle on a night when TV On The Radio were already scheduled to play late. It made for quite a double header that night but what [...]

La Tragedie De Carmen at Harris Theater Millennium Park

By Frank E. Lee ⋅ May 3, 2009 ⋅ Post a comment

I admit it, I used to think opera was silly, stupid, something Tony Randall would talk about on the Tonight Show with Johnny Carson. But, with age comes wisdom (that’s about it) and the appreciation of  the finer things like jazz, classical music, children and maybe even Captain Beefheart. (I think I’m still a little young [...]

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