Rock Archives - Chicago Concert Reviews

“The Outsiders” makes a riveting transition from the book and screen to Cadillac Palace’s stage

In the four decades since the S.E. Hinton novel turned Francis Ford Coppola-directed film made Tom Cruise, Patrick Swayze, Rob Lowe, Emilio Estevez, Matt Dillon, Ralph [More…]

BoDeans bring North Shore Center four decades of “Love & Hope & Sex & Dreams & Good Things”

The not too distant Waukesha, Wisconsin was responsible for birthing the BoDeans, yet the entire Chicago area is a very close second home to the roots/heartland/alternative [More…]

G. Love & Special Sauce serve Space a laidback glass of “Lemonade” in honor of 20th birthday

When it comes to sunny songwriting delivered with a hip-hop cadence over laidback beats, Philadelphia’s G. Love & Special Sauce could quite possibly be in a class [More…]

Shaggy’s sunny reggae party and Lit’s platinum power punk ring in Hard Rock Live’s New Year

Quantity often outweighs quality when it comes to New Year’s Eve concert choices, but for anyone around the Chicago area, the Hard Rock Live Northern Indiana was hands down [More…]

Trans-Siberian Orchestra thrills the Fiserv Forum from “Christmas Eve” to “Beethoven’s Last Night”

There’s never been an instance when Trans-Siberian Orchestra cut corners or favored economy over entertainment, and in the case of “The Ghosts Of Christmas Eve: The Best [More…]

Pink Martini-All Stars spread jazzy meets classical “Joy To The World” and Auditorium

A little over three decades ago, pianist Thomas M. Lauderdale had a vision to bring together a stable of virtuoso vocalists and musicians to create a sophisticated cocktail [More…]

Acoustic guitar great and Phish’s Mike Gordon collaborator Leo Kottke defies age at Space

Six decades ago, Leo Kottke unveiled a revolutionary approach to the acoustic guitar, preferring folky, bluesy and roots rock instrumentals, usually characterized by [More…]

Legendary Darlene Love delivers Christmas, hits of the 1960s and gospel gems to Arcada Theatre

She’s known for singing lead or background on an abundance of Phil Spector-produced singles, yet it was her classic contributions to the “A Christmas Gift For You From [More…]

Paul McCartney “Got Back” to The Beatles, Wings and solo during triumphant UC closer

Anytime Paul McCartney comes to town, it’s a monumental event eliciting an instantaneous sell out, amplified all the more by the fact the “Got Back” Tour came to the [More…]

Billy Corgan, Lyric Opera reinterpret The Smashing Pumpkins’ “Mellon Collie” masterpiece

When Chicago’s The Smashing Pumpkins released the sprawling, 28-track double album “Mellon Collie And The Infinite Sadness” in 1995, it changed the course of the whole [More…]