This Weekend In Music: Three To See
By Tankboy in Arts & Entertainment on Mar 7, 2014 8:40PM
Miley Cyrus and Icona Pop at Allstate Arena
Miley Cyrus brings her Bangerz tour to town tonight and you can be certain she'll leave a lot of chatter in her wake. This writer thinks Cyrus is one of the most canny manipulators of public perception he's seen in a long time and is duly impressed with her showbiz smarts. When you top that off with amazing pipes, a true talent for music and crafting pop that is in and of the moment you have one of the last remaining true Pop Divas out there. Icona Pop opens and while their set at Lollapalooza last year had some pacing issues their upbeat Eurodance tinged confections should get the crowd warmed up nicely. Sadly Sky Ferreira has had to drop off the tour, which bum us out since we were looking forward to the younger crowd getting a dose of her darker, intelligent take on pop.
Friday, March 7, at Allstate Arena, 6920 N Mannheim Rd, Rosemont, IL, 7:30 p.m., $49.50-$89.50, all ages
Mixtapes at Concord Music Hall
Mixtapes are having quite a year or so, playing to ever growing crowds and landing on higher profile bills. These incredibly catchy pop punkers from Ohio are one of the best at the game, and their male/female back and forth vocals add an additional layer to their music that raises them above the pack in a genre that features strong yet often indistinguishable bands. They're also adept at the "play as long as you need to and no more" rule which means their chaotic shows always leave you wanting for more at the end, despite leaving you drained. They're first on a bill opening for Bayside—who themselves are touring behind their latest album Cult, which is also particularly strong—so get there early and stay for the whole show.
Saturday, March 8, at Concord Music Hall, 2047 N. Milwaukee, 6 p.m., $16, all ages
Peanut Butter Wolf at The Empty Bottle
The Stones Throw records documentary Our Vinyl Weighs A Ton comes through town Sunday and this party after the screening is THE place to be if you feel like dancing Sunday night. I got nothin' more to say about this other than it's gonna be a party.
FOOLCAST 017 - PEANUT BUTTER WOLF LIVE @ DISCOTHEQUE CHICAGO by Fool's Gold Records on Mixcloud
Sunday, March 9, at The Empty Bottle, 1035 N. Western, 9 p.m., $15, 21+