Jam Productions Archives - Chicago Concert Reviews

Steve Albini-produced Toadies a grungy Vic Theatre “Charmer” after potent punch of Local H

As one of the grunge/alternative rock superpowers that really picked up steam in the front half of the 1990s, it might have seemed like the Toadies would’ve connected [More…]

Mavis Staples’ “Sad And Beautiful World,” solo Nathaniel Rateliff uplift the Chicago Theatre

Rock & Roll, Blues and Gospel Hall of Famer Mavis Staples may now be an American treasure, but long before securing such status, she was a fixture in the Windy City [More…]

Park West joins the “Christmas Caravan” of jazz, swing revivalists Squirrel Nut Zippers

At the start of the 1990s, there weren’t too many bands committed to reviving early American jazz, swing, Dixieland, klezmer and vaudeville, let alone now, but that’s [More…]

Iron Maiden singer Bruce Dickinson and monstrous “Mandrake Project” get up close with The Vic

It wasn’t the first time Bruce Dickinson turned up in a venue as intimate as the Vic Theatre, but the Iron Maiden front man was previously speaking about an incredibly [More…]

Indie/folk/blues rockers Mt. Joy “Hope We Have Fun” and succeed during United Center debut

Anyone who’s followed Mt. Joy since debuting nearly a decade ago probably isn’t all that surprised at its steady ascent, although those who haven’t been paying [More…]

For the first time in a whopping 50 years, the English art pop of 10cc pleases Park West

Despite at least two of its tracks receiving constant radio rotation, it’s been exactly 50 years since all of English art pop/soft rock group 10cc came to Chicago proper on [More…]

Industrial institution Ministry “Work For Love” throughout Riviera’s “Squirrely Years” sell out

As Chicago’s industrial rock institution Ministry sets sights on a final studio project slated for 2026, the Al Jourgensen-led band is going back to the very beginning and [More…]

The Vic turns the “Key” on four solo decades of Alison Moyet, Yaz’s iconic synth-pop “Situation”

Either co-leading Yaz throughout the early part of the 1980s or spending exactly four decades on her own, Alison Moyet’s inimitable voice and hypnotic presence is as [More…]

Elvis Costello & Steve Nieve reconstruct the familiar, dig deep during Park West residency

Seeing Elvis Costello in a venue of any size is always a fulfilling experience, but getting a rare chance to catch him and longtime collaborator/pianist Steve Nieve in a club [More…]

Glasgow’s alternative rockers Travis “Raze The Bar” during living room-like Vic Theatre visit

For its most extensive tour throughout America since 2009, Glasgow’s alternative rockers Travis more than made up for lost time, updating everyone on its latest album, [More…]