May 15, 2015
By Matt FricksAnother one of musics iconic groups celebrated a fifty-year anniversary in the best way possible: a full tour honoring their decades of music. The Who and graced the Allstate Arena Wednesday night with a setlist jam-packed with hits, a stunning stage setup, and surprisingly elaborate performance.I was lucky to score some free...
May 14, 2015
There are terms that youll often hear me use to describe my peak musical experiences: lose yourself, surrender to the music, "let go". I suppose these terms mean different things to different people, but for me they are tied intimately with the ability to wrap my head around what is being performed, to make...
May 6, 2015
By: Alex Wood | Videos:zoothorn99Though many bands from the 60s and 70s are still touring today, few have displayed the vitality and vigor of Crosby, Stills & Nash. For their first night at the Chicago Theatre, the trio played a massive set to an ecstatic audience, each song a reminder of what made the...
May 4, 2015
Umphreys McGee- The London Session [4/7]Recorded in a single day at the famed Abbey Road Studio 2, The London Session finds Umphreys in top form. Perhaps it was due to the historic space or the pressure of time constraints, but the songs on The London Session are Umphreys best studio tracks in years, the record combining...
Apr 27, 2015
By Alex Wood | Videos:seijinleeMuch like his albums, every Sufjan Stevens tour changesdramatically, showcasing a different side of the complex and endlessly evolving songwriter. Though known best for the intricate, dense layering of instruments and melodies on albums like Illinois, his Chicago Theatre performance boasted a more stripped-down, minimal sound, tomatch the tone of his...
Apr 24, 2015
Five things I learned attending DeadPhish Orchestra at Wire on Friday, April 17th.1. Intellecutally, I cant help feeling a small sense of betrayal in choosing a cover band over the many original music options available. But, my heart very much belongs to Grateful Dead and Phish, and in creating a band that specializes in those...
Apr 15, 2015
By: Alex WoodDeath Cab For Cuties Ben Gibbard performed an intimate WXRT Studio X session at the Empty Bottle on Tuesday, offering a handful of acoustic songs and multiple live interviews.Two weeks away from Death Cab For Cuties Chicago Theatre dates, Gibbard flew to Chicago specifically for the short sessions, a fact that WXRTs...
Apr 11, 2015
By: Matt Fricks | Photos: Matt Fricks & Sean WilmsenCome with me and youll be in a world of pure imagination.The stage and set dressing at The Chicago Theatre on Friday night was exactly that: something of ones most outlandish imagination. Primus delivered an absolutely stunning two-set performance, highlighted by the wildly innovative live rendition...
Mar 29, 2015
By: Alex WoodTheDecemberistsmade a triumphant return to Chicago on Friday, their Chicago Theatre performance marking their first tour in four years.Despite the prolonged hiatus, the band returned with a feverous energy in a set that flaunted their stylistically diverse discography.Opening, appropriately, with The SingerAddresses His Audience, frontman ColinMeloystepped on stage alone, addressing the...
Mar 22, 2015
By: Matt Fricks | Photos: Matt Fricks / Wyatt BrakeThe Chicago Theatre was graced with the aura of Pink Floyd on Saturday night with two full sets and an extended encore from Brit Floyd. Damian Darlington (guitar, vocals) and Ian Cattell (bass, vocals) front the nine-piece group and guided the band through a setlist that spanned the...