93XRT Concertgoers Blog » Artists

XRT Show with Davy Knowles and Back Door Slam at Double Door

XRT Listener Submission — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 21:24:42 +0000

The Double Door was knocked off it’s hinges last night by Davy Knowles and Back Door Slam. This 22 year old kid, just old enough to get into the joint, rocked the house. I’m not sure what delta bluesman he’s channeling but his fretwork, vocals and presence are way beyond his years. Weather he was playing his own material or covering CSNY he was great. The crowd was reall into him and he reciprocated by giving his all. Never saw these guys? Your loss, I hope to telling stories about seeing this guy as a youngster in 20 years.

XRT Holiday Concert for the Kids: John Fogerty at Auditorium Theatre

Frank E. Lee — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 19:16:50 +0000

“Hey Tonight” started the XRT Holiday Concert for the Kids on Saturday and it signaled a joyous romp through one of rock’s best catalogues. John Fogerty. looking trim in basic black (with hair to match,) led a crack six piece band (including a violinist and ace drummer Kenny Aronoff) through their paces on most of the Creedence top forty hits and some tasty album cuts as well. John was in fine voice and demonstrated that he is still flash on the guitar(he’s taken some lessons recently,) doing everything from ultrafast Jeff Beck shredding on “Ramble Tamble” to snaky psychedelic blues rock for “Suzie Q” and even some twangy Telecaster runs on the country flavored tracks. All played on an amazing collection of mint vintage guitars, including a Louisville slugger six string for his baseball anthem “Centerfield”. The John Denver, Ricky Nelson and Everly Brothers covers from his latest album seemed a little out of place but were impeccably played and. on the charity front, there was a good count of children’s winter wear for the Merlin’s 200,000 Mile Shops’ Snug Hugs for Kids warm clothing drive brought in by generous XRT listeners. The sound was crisp and clean reminding everyone there that the Auditorium Theatre is a Chicago treasure.

David Gray Live from Studio X

XRT Listener Submission — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 17:21:35 +0000

I submitted my one entry (10points) for David Gray and won, yippee. This was my first Studio X performance and it was awesome. I can’t say I’m a huge David Gray fan, but I do like his new song Fugitive from his new CD. He has an amazing voice and isn’t bad to look at. He has quite the sense of humor with his one on one interview. Thank you XRT.

Nora I.

Bob Dylan XRT Show at the Aragon Ballroom

Frank E. Lee — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 16:47:53 +0000

Bob Dylan can often be seen in Chicago right around Halloween. Whether it’s due to a scheduling quirk or something more sinister, well, we’d have to ask him. He certainly looked the part last night at the Aragon Ballroom, resembling the ghostly preacher in Poltergeist 2 with a wide brimmed hat and a waistcoat. His voice is well worn and cracked and comfortable as an old boot of the finest Spanish leather. Delicate ballads like “Girl From the North Country” and “Just Like a Woman” became more like recitations because of his current vocal approach however, and even “Stuck Inside of Mobile With the Memphis Blues Again” and “Highway 61 Revisited” lost some of their inner lyrical dynamics although his crack band (including the return of Texas guitar flash Charlie Sexton) always kept things moving forward. The night worked best on newer material like “Beyond Here Lies Nothing” and the venerable putdown “Ballad of a Thin Man,” which was a talking song from the beginning. The current Bob mostly plays keyboards with a couple of forays to center stage to strum guitar and blow one-handed harmonica. All in all, a good start for the three night stand of XRT Shows at the newly refurbished Aragon which, by the way, looks great except for the Yes album cover ceiling artwork which, to my eyes at least, seemed more 1960s than 1920s.

Los Lonely Boys XRT Show at Old Town School of Folk Music

XRT Listener Submission — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 16:14:15 +0000

Los Lonely Boys Acoustic Set, late show. Wow the “Boys” had fun and amazed with soaring harmonies and beautiful fret work. They seemed to be having a great time playing to a very appreciative crowd. Goofin’ on “Elvis” “Talking Guitars” and some good banter highlighted the boys having a great time on stage. Songs like “Velvet Sky”, “Heaven” and “Hollywood” showcased their vacal and instrumental artistry.

I’ve seen over 20 shows this year and this was one of the best. This venue and acoustivc format were a great way to see the Garza Brothers. Thanks Los Lonely Boys!

Gov’t Mule Live from Studio X

XRT Listener Submission — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 15:47:54 +0000

Last night at Studio X with Gov’t Mule was solid rock. It was hard and heavy and because it was such an intimate venue there was no escape and your soul was encased in an iron wail that delivered another distinction of loud. My ribcage still resonates from ‘Beautifully Broken.’ The new tune ‘Monday Mourning Meltdown’ was especially magnificent. Such sound. Thank you.

Wilco Sold Out XRT Show at UIC Pavilion

Marty Lennartz — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 04:20:42 +0000

On Sunday night Wilco, Chicago’s favorite sons, returned for a triumphant homecoming at a sold out XRT Show at UIC Pavilion.

In the first of two rare arena rock gigs, singer Jeff Tweedy was prompted to joke about his big stage “frontmantivness”, the band’s weekend purchase of a few more lights and that it was a greatest hits show.

“All two of them”.

The enthusiastic Wilco audience would probably disagree with Jeff’s self deprecating estimate. The band played a generous two hour set touching on many of the songs that have made them XRT favorites for the past 15 years and one of the most respected bands in rock.

Plus, these guys really bring it live.

Nels Cline’s explosive and physical guitar rants, Glenn Kotche’s giant wingspan and constant motion behind the drums, secret weapon Mike Jorgenson’s keyboard accents, multi-instrumentalist Pat Sansone’s rock attitude and bassist John Stirrat’s melodic and steady presence all combine to launch Tweedy’s songs into the stratosphere and then bring them back again.

Early highlights included “Shot In The Arm,” “Handshake Drugs,”, “Misunderstood,” and the intense dark energy of “Bull Black Nova” from the new Wilco (The Album).”

The three-part guitar symphony on “Impossible Germany,” the chooglin’ stomp of “Walken,” and the six string battle between Cline and Sansone on “Hoodoo Voodoo” were thrilling as well.

John Stirrat was brought front and center to take a turn behind the mic for “It Ain’t That Simple,” while the crowd handled nearly all the vocals for “Jesus Etc” and gave themelves a richly deserved ovation for their efforts.

There was a surprise when the band played their contribution to Sponge Bob Squarepants with the garage rocker, “Just A Kid”. That was fun.

Jeff was in fine voice and good humor and by the time the band got around to those “greatest hits” like “Always In Love,” “Outta Site (Outta Mind),” “Heavy Metal Drummer,” and the always reckless and rocking “Monday,” everyone seemed happy it was Sunday night and Wilco was home.

Rodrigo y Gabriella Sold Out XRT Show at the Riv

Marty Lennartz — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 14:30:42 +0000

The guitar duo of Rodrigo Sanchez and Gabriella Quintero, who go by the name Rodrigo y Gabriella, have certainly been one of rock’s most surprising success stories of the past few years.

Their story is the stuff of legend. Mexican metal band refugees go to Ireland to become Grafton Street buskers. Get discovered by Damian Rice, who takes them on tour and they end up playing stadiums.

We’re talking two acoustic guitarists playing with the dexterity and musicianship of flamenco combined with the attitude and shredding ability of thrash metal along with arena rock showmanship.

With Rodrigo’s nimble finger picking and Gabriella’s powerful percussive and rhythmic style, it’s truly amazing how much music they make while totally rocking out the audience.

Words are hard to come by when trying to describe their shows. It’s something best experienced live.

A sold-out Riviera crowd of XRT listeners did that very thing Friday night as Rodrigo y Gabriella returned to Chicago in support of their fine new album, 11:11. The record is made up of 11 songs inspired by eleven of Rod and Gab’s favorite guitarists. From Hendrix to Santana to Al DiMeola, the collection of six-string workouts is a trip through the artists who’ve influenced their music. None of those giants though, could possibly have influenced Rod and Gab’s unique style of rockin’ the house. That is all their own.

The show started with a good helping of new songs while the audience clapped along and stomped their feet, led by the duo’s exuberant stage presence. Rod promised early on that there would be a surprise, which turned out to be a guest appearance from Metallica bassist Robert Trujillo. With his bass somewhere below his knees, Robert assumed the thrash player’s position while trading licks with Rod as Gabriella stood above the two keeping it all together by rapping out the percussion on the body of her guitar. It made one wonder how sore her knuckles must be after a show.

However thrilling it was, it says something when an appearance by a member of one of the biggest metal bands in history is not the ultimate highlight of the show. For most of the audience it seemed to be the performance of “Tamacun,” from their last album. The crowd went nuts.

My friend had never seen one of their shows and she was really blown away by the whole experience. I know, the promise of 90 minutes of acoustic guitar playing doesn’t sound like a rocking time, but when Rodrigo y Gabriella are bashing it out and flashing the metal sign of the horns after each song and you exit the theatre to the strains of AC/DC, you feel sufficiently rocked.

The Decemberists XRT Show at the Riv

Terri Hemmert — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 17:12:02 +0000

The music of The Decemberists is like a rain magnet. A lot of us stood in
the rain to see them this summer at Lollapalooza, and I remember getting a
bit wet when they played at the Pritzker Pavilion with the Grant Park
Symphony. But, although it did rain outside, the Riv was warm and dry and
the band was incredible. The first half was a brilliant performance of The
Hazards of Love. My heart’s still pounding from the drumming of the whole
group on ‘The Rake’s Song’. Intense. The whole rock opera concept, and the
occasional excursions into the real of progressive rock, could be dreadful
in the hands of a less capable band, but The Decemberists were brilliant.
Part two of the show was a well played collection of songs including ‘The
Crane’s Wife’ and ‘Valencia’. But the real surprise of the night was a killer
version of ‘Heart’s Crazy On You’. Wow! Guest vocalist Shara Worden nailed
it. They did not hold back and the crowd went bananas. What a night. Colin
Meloy is a genius, not just because of his musicianship, but because he is
smart enough to surround himself with an outstanding band of collaborators.
Jenny Conlee added so much depth to the sound of the group with her work on
keyboards from Hammond b-3 organ to accordion. This band gets better all
the time. Can’t wait to see what they come up with next.

XRT Bud Light Free Passion Pit Party

Tim Liston — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 15:08:01 +0000

If you were there, you were singing. If you didn’t know the words, you were dancing. If you didn’t know how to dance, you became part of a sweaty sea of people that swayed in harmony to the hyper-electronic band Passion Pit. Having the opportunity to be in the balcony for part of the show, I was able to witness the illumination of 1,100 blue and green XRT glow sticks popping like neon popcorn from an aerial view. Hot off of a trailblazing festival tour this band’s popularity seems to be rising by the day. The demand for tickets was incredible and of all the shows I’ve worked at XRT I can’t recall a crowd represented by so many of our younger listeners to the degree that this was. Now, to the band. They came onstage at almost exactly 8:30 with the voltage that everyone expected. With such a small catalog of music, playing their only full-length album almost in entirety, I won’t bother with the set list. However, I will tell you that front man Michael Angelakos had the stage command of Wayne Coyne and the potential to become a name almost as respected in the breaking music world. The band behind him offers high intensity drum beats from Nate Donmoyer and unbearably catchy samples that make you want to jump “higher and higher” song after song. They bounced off of each other, both literally and musically. All members of the band seemed to be having a great time and really connecting with the amped crowd. With a debut record as appealing as Manners and the live get-up-and-dance juice of their performances, I can see Passion Pit coming back for another XRT show and filling a much bigger venue next time around.