Bringing back this column has reminded us of the nature of ticket sales. Last week was huge for upcoming shows, and inevitably this week follows in lighter suit. Don't fret, we still rounded up a couple gigs that will pique your interest.
Bringing back this column has reminded us of the nature of ticket sales. Last week was huge for upcoming shows, and inevitably this week follows in lighter suit. Don't fret, we still rounded up a couple gigs that will pique your interest.
It seems like it was just a few weeks ago we informed you Radiohead was coming to town. Now another alt-rock behemoth has announced they'll be making their way to our little hamlet this summer. Just today, R.E.M. announced dates for their upcoming tour in support of their new record, Accelerate, due out on Warner Bros. Records on April 1.
A sad week for LAist as they lose their trusted and amazing editor Tony Pierce to the LA Times, but what a blast his last week was. He shared his 25 Favorite CDs of 2007 and wrote a great review of just a good movie, No Country For Old Men. At UCLA, thousands of students celebrated the end of their quarter by running around campus in their undies (lots of photos in a two-part photo essay, one, two). That wasn't the only photo essay either: Joss Whedon/Mutant Enemy friends and Star Trek actors all joined in at the Writers Strike and KROQ's Almost Acoustic Christmas brought two nights of amazing bands that included Avenged Sevenfold, Linkin Park (Part I), Modest Mouse, Muse, Spoon and The Killers (Part II). Not only is L.A. a great music town, it has just been named the best city for bookish types. For those who are looking for something a little more active, American Gladiators are back (yes!) and if that's not enough, how about a Christmas gift of action and adventure?
Lots to rock about over the next few days, from Modest Mouse at the Congress, to Bob Pollard at the Metro, to our beloved Hall & Oates at the UIC Pavilion, but DDaN's gonna keep it live and local this week.
This writer-photographer had never been to Lollapalooza and came with mixed expectations. Fortunately, we seemed to choose our acts correctly, and between the tight sets from The Hold Steady and Muse on Saturday and the intense energy offered up by Iggy and the Stooges and Cafe Tacuba on Sunday, we left the weekend without any disappointments. Chicagoist was fortunate enough to secure a few coveted photo passes, allowing us access to the photo pits...
Congratulations! You've made it to the last day of Lollapalooza (but probably not the last day of our coverage). You've stuck it out through the heat and the occasional rain. Maybe you've been subsisting on energy bars and your refillable water bottle or you've been ducking out of the masses of people to grab a bite outside the fest at McDonald's or Subway. But today is different.You know your hunger pains are going to hit right between Peter, Bjorn and John and Modest Mouse, and you're not going to want another McChicken.
Before we teleported up into the great nightclub in outer space, Chicagoist took a few hours to walk around Grant Park this weekend and have a friendly chit-chat with some of the many fine folks who came to Lolla this weekend. Some of them came from nearby - North Side, South Side and the suburbs. Others came from farther away, places like New Jersey. Still others came to visit us from other countries, like Ireland....
The Comas have been at this shit for a while now. Originally formed in Chapel Hill, NC in 1998, their blistering brand of psychedelic-soaked garage rock has left a steady stream of sweaty, melted faces in its wake for nearly the past decade. They’ve collected some of the most desirable accolades an independent-spirited band can hope for, including contacts with North Carolina tastemakers Yep Roc and (currently) Vagrant Records, shoe shines from Pitchfork Media, Rolling...
The You Tell Me Cookie of the Week goes to “some guy,” who suggested that we check out new Chicago transplants The Whole Fantastic World last night at the Darkroom. This dedicated reader’s description (“Spoon playing the Police as prog rockers”) combined with our love of the Darkroom’s comfy booths on our weekend-weary bums proved to be an irresistible Sunday night, so we took a deep breath, ordered a cocktail, and settled in for...
Tonight is AMPED! Columbia College’s Third Annual Battle of the Bands which is part of an ongoing series that invites participation from area high school students interested in arts and communications majors. Six bands comprised of local students will be competing at Hothouse for the princely sum of a $50 gift certificate per band member and, of course, the bragging rights of being Chicago’s best band! Chicagoist will be there as a “celebrity judge” to...
It seems like, all across the network, folks were up to no good. Maybe it was all the green beer from last weekend... Gothamist spent the week writing about New Yorkers behaving badly: at the post office, at the Garden, and at the fertility clinic. Calvin Klein may not be misbehaving, but he's just a little dirty, and in a completely different way than some NYC kitchens. SFist had its share of misbehave-rs, too, like...
There was something going on sale that we can’t quite remember. What was that? It was something that we were supposed to be all excited about. Some group was getting back together… The Sheriffs? That can’t be right. We’re being driven to tears by this. Seattlest would have been all over these tickets if the band hadn’t sold out last night. We’re much more forgiving than that. Hell, we’re all for grabbing the money and...
Remember when Modest Mouse rocked? Oh wait, that never happened. Well then, remember when they were interesting and you would think, “Wow, do I wish Modest Mouse would just rock the fuck out?” We do. In the years since we’ve gotten many promo packages from bands promising to bridge that mythical gap, but it wasn’t until a friend of ours turned us on to Oxford Collapse that we believed it was possible.
We hope you’ve been saving your money, because the shows we’re looking at this week are a bit pricey. We’ll be scanning Craigslist for someone looking to offload their tix cheap. Why, oh why, isn’t there a Hot Tix for shows? Now removed from the avalanche of hype that surrounded their last shows here, Clap Your Hands Say Yeah returns to town for a pair of shows at The Vic. Expect fewer people who “heard...
Chicagoist would like to set one thing straight: A digital jukebox and electronic poker machine are not a fair trade for a Nintendo entertainment system. The new management at Darwin’s (1935 N. Damen) has removed the Nintendo system from the front bar, and we could not be more disheartened. Many a Saturday night, when tired of the typical bar scene, Chicagoist would take refuge at Darwin’s. We’d order a few beers, play some Super Mario...
Chicagoist made the trek from CTA's Roosevelt Station to Charter One Pavilion on Northerly Island to check out the free seats on the beach in order to experience the outside of Chi-town's newest venue and to hear Modest Mouse, of course. Arriving early, we staked out a prime location where we could clearly see the big screen TVs. Outside the venue on the beach there is fantastic people watching, our gorgeous skyline, and the sound...
When it was announced that the city would begin putting on concerts at Mei...er, Northerly Island, Chicagoist wondered what kind of acts Clear Channel would book. Would they be acts to consume wine and cheese by like Ravinia? Noveau hipsters for the kids? Or would they take the easy way out and book some low-hanging fruit? To our surprise, the answer to all those questions is “yes.”
Chicagoist knows you like being told what to do over the weekend, and we like telling you. If you're into orgiastic life-affirming pop symphonies, check out the robed and copious Polyphonic Spree (quoth Milhouse, "My doctor says I'm not supposed to go on sprees") and lead singer Tim Delaughter's attempts to become Wayne Coyne. The Spree will even have drummer Brian Teasley in tow after being cleared from the FBI's Ten Most Wanted List via that most trustworthy of alibis, TiVo. (See, we told you it's good for something.) Check out this band (cult? movement?) tonight and/or tomorrow at Park West and help them conquer the world one sugary single, iPod/VW commercial, and Michel Gondry film at a time.
The Editor and Publisher Awards are called the "EPpy's," not to be confused with the ESPYs or Epilady.