Two acts have already been announced to play shows at Wrigley Field this summer, but rumors are swirling about Bruce Springsteen and Phish raising the question of whether Wrigley will be hosting more concerts than usual this year. more ›

Groupon and Live Nation have joined forces to launch a discount ticket deal website for concerts, live theater and other events. As James Van Osdol put it, now you can get fleeced while reading too-clever-for-the-room descriptions of your favorite bands. more ›

The Sun-Times reports local promoters Jam are suing Ticketmaster to get out of a 2006 deal they signed that allows Ticketmaster to sell tickets, for a cut of the profits of course, to Jam concerts. The fly in the ointment is Ticketmaster's merger last year with Jam rival Live Nation, creating what could be seen as a ludicrous conflict of interest. While Jam ain't exactly the little guy it does seem pretty unfair to expect them to basically pay their competition a portion of their own proceeds from ticket sales. The agreement expires next year but Ticketmaster is fighting to extend it, so we can see why Jam believes they have no choice but to fight it. more ›

Look, we can't believe the Department of Justice actually went ahead and approved the merger of Ticketmaster And Live Nation either, especially in light of the effects it will possibly have on the local concert scene. So we're going to do whatever we can to avoid further fattening their coffers whenever possible. more ›

Lady GaGa's hotttly anticipated January 8, 9, and 10, 2010 appearances at The Chicago Theatre have been moved to the Rosemont Theatre. Livenation claims the move is "due to the size of the production" but we suspect it has more to do with Rosemont's capacity of 4,400 outstripping the original venue's capacity of 3,600. Fans who already have tickets must buy new tickets thorough a special pre-sale starting tomorrow Tuesday, December 29 at 5:00 p.m. All other tickets go on sale to the public January 4 at 10 a.m. Full details as well as refund information is here. more ›

At first we barely paid attention to the news that Live Nation had joined forces with Blockbuster as their exclusive physical ticket outlet ... until a friend pointed out this phrase: more ›

The Chicago Theatre is being sold to Madison Square Garden. At least that's what Chris Jones is saying. According to the article, Madison Square Garden Entertainment has agreed to purchase the downtown landmark and is just waiting for a few formalities — like the City signing off on the sale — before closing the deal. MSGE owns — duh — Madison Square Garden, plus Radio City Music Hall and the Beacon Theater in NY. It's... more ›

As a boater on Lake Michigan, you're entitled to profanity-free air. At least that's what a group of 300 boaters and motorists, who came together to protest on Sunday night, are saying. They're, as the punny Trib puts it "honking mad" about the youth-infecting rap music that's been occurring at Northerly Island for the past two weeks. There were apparently complaints after the show on Aug. 26, which included Wu-Tang, MF Doom and Pharoahe Monch.... more ›

Live Nation has put the First Midwest Bank Amphitheatre in Tinley Park up for sale after an evaluation on their real estate holdings by CB Richard Ellis. If the venue is sold, it does not mean that concerts won’t be held there anymore, but it sounds pretty likely that this single-use venue could become a warehouse. With rezoning of the 110-acre property, we can imagine condos, condos, town homes, and more condos filling up the... more ›

A study commissioned by Broadway in Chicago about Broadway in Chicago reveals — surprise! — Broadway in Chicago is injecting big bucks into the city. How big? Around $635 million in 2006, give or take a few hundred million. An article in today’s Sun Times blew a big sloppy kiss to the Live Nation/Clear Channel/Nederlander money machine, leading with that impressive figure which they concede is a tad inflated. Around half of it ($320 million)... more ›

For those of you who keep tabs on architectural goings-on around town, the Uptown Theater saga has become old hat. Supporters of the 1925 theater first lobbied to save it in the '80s and got it registered as a Chicago Landmark in 1991. Technically it can't be torn down ... but so far no one has successfully picked up the challenge of rehabbing the severely delapidated nightspot. Enter not one, but two major entertainment companies... more ›

We’re not big fans of the outdoor music sheds, but Chicagoist’s suburban upbringing is dotted with warm remembrances of the old Poplar Creek Music Theater. Soon, the tweens of the Northwest suburbs will have similar memories of sitting on the grass as they listen to major label acts they’ve overpaid for, thanks to the Prairie Creek Music Theater, which is scheduled to open next May. According to an article in the Sun-Times by Jim DeRogatis... more ›

We told you, not that long ago, that Live Nation had purchased the House of Blues chain effectively throwing another Molotov cocktail at Jam Productions in this war for Chicago’s live music scene. Little did we know that quietly, behind the scenes, Jam Productions, who dominates the small and mid-size venues in Chicago, was shoring up their defenses by purchasing the Riviera Theater in Uptown. Riviera Entertainment Properties LLC (same managers and address as Jam)... more ›

This week Live Nation agreed to purchase the House of Blues chain for a cool $350 million. What does this mean to us? No one knows yet as neither company is commenting about what changes the acquisition may bring. Jim Derogatis helps us understand what it could mean for Chicago in terms of market domination by one company ala Starbucks or Microsoft. He also explains how Chicago is unique in that we still have Jam... more ›

The outdoor music space formerly known as the Tweeter Center (giggle) has changed its name to something even more ridiculous. The Tinley Park “shed” is now known as the First Midwest Bank Amphitheatre. You might also think the space has changed ownership, too. What was once clearly marketed as a Clear Channel property is now billed as a Live Nation venue. But a few clickthroughs at the Live Nation website will soon lead you to... more ›