The return of Cyndi Lauper’s revised, revitalized “Kinky Boots”
Following its 2012 debut right here in Chicago, “Kinky Boots” took Broadway by storm, racking up six Tony Awards the following season, including “Best Musical” and [More…]
1980s
Pre-Broadway musical “Beaches” juggles jokes, stirring songs and tons of tears
From its infancy as a novel by Iris Rainer Dart through a blockbuster silver screen adaptation starring Bette Midler and Barbara Hershey, “Beaches” continues to be an [More…]
U2 trades excess for introspection during tech-savvy journey
Coming off the most massive and highest grossing concert tour in history, U2 could’ve either repeated the formula verbatim or thrown the entire rule book out the window. [More…]
Emilio & Gloria Estefan’s “On Your Feet!” musical astounds during debut
With buzz steadily brewing around Broadway circles for the past year, Gloria & Emilio Estefan’s “On Your Feet!” finally landed at Chicago’s Oriental Theatre [More…]
From disco to house and hip-hop, Jody Watley and new Shalamar sparkle
For the first time in a long time, “Soul Train” dancer turned Shalamar singer and solo artist/songwriter/producer/model/entrepreneur Jody Watley returned home to Chicago, [More…]
Time spent in funk’s past reveals many ties to present during Narski Music’s night with Prince’s pals
Well over two thousand funk fans packed the Tinley Park Convention Center for the spring installment of Narski Music’s “It’s A Party With A Purpose,” [More…]
Los Lobos turns in a spicy Tex-Mex blend well beyond “La Bamba”
More than four decades since forming in East L.A., Los Lobos continues its road warrior tradition armed with a Tex-Mex blend that leans just as liberally on rock, country, [More…]
Zapp bounces back after tragedy, continues sampling streak and tours through Tinley Park
In the history of funk and R&B, few careers are as formidable as Zapp, the vocoder-enchanced band from Ohio with co-producer pal Bootsy Collins, an early endorsement [More…]
“Dear John Hughes” celebrates integral ’80s scenes and songs, in spite of some rough spots
Any child of the 1980s is surely infatuated with the many movies of Chicago’s very own John Hughes, and with this year marking the 30th anniversary of the “Brat [More…]
From The Gap Band through today, Uncle Charlie’s a soul survivor
He pioneered the electric funk scene as leader of The Gap Band throughout the 1970s and ’80s, and then in one of the most monumental (albeit somewhat unlikely) [More…]