Chicago’s DJ Casper, creator of the ‘Cha Cha Slide,’ is dead at 58
The hand claps sound upbeat, the grooves slightly funky and the moves smooth. Importantly, the instructions are so basic anyone between the ages of 3 and 93 can follow them....
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Review: Billie Eilish at Lollapalooza in a fearless if uneven headlining concert
If you ever experience self-doubt, uncertainty, mistreatment, sadness, alienation, shame or confusion, Billie Eilish sang you a tune Thursday at her headlining performance on the opening night of Lollapalooza in...
Review: Ed Sheeran opens Chicago concerts with a winning uncoolness, and a focus on ‘Subtract’
What happens when one of the world's biggest pop stars turns Chicago Theatre into the equivalent of a large living room? Sad hour, happy hour, profuse sharing, respectfulness and a...
Review: Beyoncé was all queenly bravado in her Renaissance Tour at Soldier Field. Never mind the raindrops.
It's Beyoncé's house. The crowd that packed Soldier Field Saturday for the first show of the singer's two-night stand was lucky enough to visit temporarily. Commanding a massive stage augmented...
Review: Cheap Trick shows its ’70s glory days at Metro’s 40th-anniversary celebration
They're all alright. Actually, Cheap Trick sounded more than just OK Sunday at a sold-out Metro, where the veteran band headlined the Wrigleyville venue's 40th-anniversary celebration finale with a set...
Windy City Smokeout opens with Zach Bryan, country music fans and that sweet, smoky smell of barbecue
The distinct aroma of smoke wafted over the northern United Center parking lots midafternoon Thursday on the opening day of the Windy City Smokeout. Unlike the noxious-smelling wildfire smoke that...
Windy City Smokeout 2023: All you need to know about the bands and barbecue as the fest marks 10 years
"Come hungry and thirsty." That's the advice Ed Warm, one of the partners presenting Windy City Smokeout, offers anyone attending the country music-themed festival taking place July 13-16 at United...
A music critic’s 8 great places for live music this summer
Where does your mind go when you think about summer and music? For many, the season means enjoying concerts outdoors in settings conducive to breathing fresh air, hanging out with...
Review: Stevie Nicks’ musical legacy was in the room with her at the United Center
In the waning moments of her concert Friday at a rafters-packed United Center, Stevie Nicks sang about getting older. She echoed the sentiments in back-to-back lines of "Landslide," a classic...
Review: The Cure is a band undiminished in its Shows of a Lost World tour
The Cure began its career-spanning show Saturday at a sold-out United Center by singing about the end, lamenting extinguished passions and toasting emptiness. All of that packed in just the...