A complete year of concerts finally took place for the first time since 2019 and it was certainly one for the record books with Chicago Concert Reviews covering every step of the way.

Festivals were as exciting as ever, including the mammoth Lollapalooza (Metallica, Dua Lipa, J. Cole, BTS’ J-Hope, Summerfest (Machine Gun Kelly, Rod Stewart, Lil Wayne), Riot Fest (My Chemical Romance, The Original Misfits, Nine Inch Nails) and Windy City Smokeout (Tim McGraw, Sam Hunt).

The stadiums were also bursting at their seams, from Wrigley Field home runs such as Dead & Company and The Lumineers, to Soldier Field touchdowns with a fully reunited Red Hot Chili Peppers and The Strokes.

Additional outdoor action came from Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre heavyweights AJR, Garbage, Josh Groban, Train, Luke Bryan, Bush and Keith Urban, alongside Huntington Bank At Northerly Island highlights Norah Jones, Deftones, David Gray, Maren Morris, Florence + The Machine, Alicia Keys and Pet Shop Boys.

Ravinia Festival favorites included Little Big Town, Steve Miller Band, The Revivalists and Gipsy Kings, plus there was a Millennium Park reunion for Robert Plant & Alison Krauss and an American Family Insurance Amphitheater farewell from KISS.

Moving inside, arenas were overflowing, starting with the United Center’s staging of New Edition, Tool, Eagles, John Mayer, Rage Against The Machine, Swedish House Mafia, Roxy Music, Eric Clapton, Mary J. Blige, BLACKPINK and Arcade Fire.

The Allstate Arena was the site of Journey, Scorpions, Michael Bublé, Daddy Yankee, Trans-Siberian Orchestra and Jingle Ball (headlined by Pitbull, Khalid and Jack Harlow), while the Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee brought the blockbuster Bon Jovi, Imagine Dragons, Kendrick Lamar and New Kids On The Block, featuring Salt-N-Pepa, En Vogue and Rick Astley.

The Auditorium Theatre acquired the intimate score of the century via Pearl Jam’s Eddie Vedder, the Riviera Theatre ran a close second thanks to Muse, as did the Vic Theatre with Iron Maiden’s Bruce Dickinson sharing his life story.

The Chicago Theatre brought Van Morrison, Tom Jones, The Beach Boys, Bono’s book tour and the star-studded combination of Jeff Beck & Johnny Depp as the Genesee Theatre entertained the burbs with Judas Priest, Pat Benatar and Soul Asylum.

The Venue At Horseshoe Casino hit the jackpot with the 60th anniversary of The Temptations and the equally iconic Three Dog Night, plus the Hard Rock Casino Northern Indiana hosted Paul Anka, Yes and welcomed home The Jacksons.

The classy City Winery hosted a who’s who of cross-genre notables (Regina Belle, Jim Messina, EXTC, Jim Brickman, King Crimson’s Robert Fripp), while clubs such as the Byline Bank Aragon Ballroom boasted sell outs with Kraftwerk, Conan Gray and Carly Rae Jepsen.

Musicals and plays were plentiful given Broadway In Chicago residences of “Moulin Rouge!” and “Hadestown,” along with the Paramount Theatre’s “Groundhog Day,” Mercury Theater’s “Clue,” Marriott Theatre’s “A Christmas Story” and Drury Lane’s “Elf.”

In between, artist interviews were abundant, including members of Heart, Tears For Fears, Collective Soul, Blue Öyster Cult, Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, ELP, Midnight Oil, Spyro Gyra, ABC, The Tubes, America and LANY, in addition to Sheila E. and Tito Jackson.

Rumor has it the 2023 calendar is going to be even busier, so stay tuned for a constant stream of reviews, photos and features, while supporting the extraordinary Windy City show scene!