We've become so accustomed to a once a year visit -- in January -- by Railroad Earth to Chicago, that I did double take when I learned they'd be doing not one, but a pair of late night gigs during the Fare Thee Well weekend.What a coup for City Winery, that they got RRE...

City Winery has positioned itself as a hub for all things Grateful Dead -- day, evening and late night.Anchoring the weekend will be live streams directly from Soldier Field into their comfy and upscale music room each night from July 3-5.If you're looking for a place to catch the shows before late nights...

We've had the Alex Bleeker & The Freaks late night gig on our GD50 Show Grid since the announcement of City Winery's Weir World series of pre, during and post-show gigs.They've promised special guests from the beginning but, oh man, did they deliver. This is a dream line up for crossover fans of Grateful...

This just might be your kind of zoo.The folks at Front Left productions are not fooling around when it comes to providing entertainment. Their event lasts from 1:00pm to 2:00 am for three days, July 3-5th.It's close to Soldier Field for a quick visit before or after the show, or if you couldn't...

Planning a race on the eve of the final run of Grateful Dead shows goes a long way to draw in fans of the band -- but adding the right musical entertainment for the post show party, that's the secret sauce.The organizers of Terrapin 5K seemed to have lucked into finding Old Shoe, one...

Spotify takes a lot of heat from artists, competitors, even fans, these days. Mostly for lack of payouts... but in taking the long view, and from a consumer perspective, I've always been a defender.But perhaps a little chalk-talk could get others on board?In this under three-minute video, they deflate the myth of "Free...

Some of the most spectacular views of the Chicago skyline can be had from a boat on Lake Michigan.Crafty promoters have been using this as a secret weapon to draw music fans to experience live shows, and a pair of them have announced a few shows for this coming July Fourth Weekend.Otter Presents...

We've long had affection for these two places -- and no, we don't need your validation, USA Today. But it is nice to see both The Hideout(#8) and Lincoln Hall(#9) make the list of best venues as voted on by USA Today readers for their 10best.com website.And damn if they don't actually nail...

Special guests musicians apparently are the order of the day for many of the Dead 50 after shows.Our friends at City Winery have been committed to keeping their lineups interesting. In addition to the indiejam allstars lined up to support Alex Bleeker on Friday night, they are lending Matisyahu some jamband creed with the addition...

English band Wire set up in Chicago with a pretty high-minded mission, for their Drill festival. Here's how they put it.Genre-defying evolution is the hallmark of post-punk legends WIREs career. Now, nearly forty years into its existence, Wire is breathing new life into small, curated festivals built on artistic kinship across divergent musical styles,...