Umphrey's McGee played their first ever show at the long-standing "wine-and-cheese" venue Ravinia Festival in Highland Park last night. The set featured an acoustic interlude, including a lengthy "In The Kitchen", a cover of Toto's "Africa" and the closing of both the second set and the encore with a string quartet sit-in.Here's the full...

Photos: Eric FischerTruly outstanding shows don't just achieve that status by virtue of a single song choice or inspired jam. The best of the best are a collection of moments -- some arising spontaneously as the music is created, some as punctuation in the continuing narrative of the band's career.Over the course of the...

I've been really behind on writing long-form reviews lately, so decided to tweet reviews for the Phish shows over the weekend. I still intend to post a more thoughtful piece on the entire run, but until then, here are setlists (via phish.net) and the tweets I sent out the day after each show.Saturday, 07/19/2014...

Here's the setlist (via phish.net):Phish: Fri, Jul 18, 2014FirstMerit Bank Pavilion at Northerly Island, Chicago, ILSet 1: 555, Kill Devil Falls, Bouncing Around the Room, Reba, Waiting All Night, Birds of a Feather, Halfway to the Moon > Sparkle > Sample in a Jar, A Song I Heard the Ocean Sing, Stash, The Squirming CoilSet 2: Golden...

This is our kind of place, but somehow escaped our previous list of Chicago goings on. Links Taproom will be tapping 13 Phish inspired brews from eight local breweries. Some classic names here... Powerful Pils, You'll Never Get Out Of The Haze, and Wheetapaug Groove among my favorites.Hungry pre-or-post-show? Check out the "Rotation Jam". Perfect...

Phish has unveiled the design for the 2014 Northerly Island Run posters. As expected (and consistent with Randall's and SPAC posters), the design is a triptych, with the three posters forming a twisted cityscape, using a similar palatte from the official LivePhish / TicketsByMail scheme for this tour.These limited edition posters are by artist Drew Millward...

Among the many things I like about Chicago is the diversity of of options on just about any night. This is amplified when Phish is in town.Case in point: not only can Phish set up shop for three big weekend shows, the city can simultaneously host a multi-band festival with some crossover appeal to...

Ben Kwellers set at Lincoln Hall was packed with classics, serving as a reminder of the strength of the songwriters catalogue.Performing without a band, Kweller jumped between an acoustic guitar and piano throughout the show, his constant comments and conversation maintaining an intimate, laid-back atmosphere, perfect for the small venue.The songs were played...

Photos / Reporting: Heidi PetersGinger Baker's early set at City Winery on Monday was only six songs, but like a true jazz band those tunes were stretched into well over an hour of musicStarting with Wayne Shorter's classic composition "Footprints" the band dived headlong into a jazz that was dominated by percussion.After exploring many rhythmic...

Tedeschi Trucks BandWidespread PanicOne SetFishwaterHolden Oversoul >Love TractorHope In A Hopeless WorldSleeping ManRebirtha >JamCrazyShut Up & DriveBlue IndianRed BeansLife Is Like Water (w/Jerry Joseph)Chainsaw City (w/Jerry Joseph)DrumsDark End Of The Street (w/Derek & Susan)I've Been Working (w/Derek & Susan)Stop Breaking Down (w/Derek & Susan)...