Bob Gendron – Page 18

Laura Jane Grace & the Devouring Mothers blow off some steam at Cobra Lounge

December 11, 2018 at 11:25 p.m.

The seemingly unremovable smile on Laura Jane Grace’s face Sunday at Cobra Lounge expressed as much about the singer’s mood as the music. Performing her second local show this month...

Amanda Shires, shown at the Americana Honors and Awards show in Nashville, Tenn., played Thalia Hall on Thursday, Sept. 20, 2018.

Amanda Shires review: A night of conviction, elegance at Thalia Hall

December 12, 2018 at 5:16 p.m.

Amanda Shires made nearly every song she performed Thursday at Thalia Hall sound autobiographical. Whether the works concerned her, people she knew or fictional beings seemed irrelevant. What mattered was...

Billy Corgan and his band, The Smashing Pumpkins, performing at the United Center on Aug. 13, 2018.

Smashing Pumpkins review: United Center show a bounty of works transcending nostalgia

December 12, 2018 at 6:57 p.m.

“I’m in love with my sadness,” sang Billy Corgan on Monday at the first of a two-night stand at a sold-out United Center. The Smashing Pumpkins leader’s words have never...

Members of the audience watch the Foo Fighters perform at Wrigley Field on July 29, 2018, in Chicago.

Foo Fighters review: Success and excess embraced at Wrigley

December 12, 2018 at 10:28 p.m.

Too much wasn’t enough for Foo Fighters Sunday at a packed Wrigley Field. Playing the first of a two-night stand, the veteran band embraced almost any opportunity to go bigger...

Neil Young was surrounded by an impressive spread of old guitars, pianos and organs, and decided what he wanted to play on the spot Saturday at the Auditorium Theatre.

Neil Young delivers classics, deep cuts with passion at Auditorium Theatre

December 12, 2018 at 8:28 p.m.

Neil Young announced Saturday at a sold-out Auditorium Theatre that he wanted to tell a story but didn’t know if he had enough time. While the singer never shared any...

Brandi Carlile performs on June 15, 2015, at the Chicago Theatre.

Brandi Carlile daring, personal and triumphant at Chicago Theatre

December 13, 2018 at 6:31 a.m.

Brandi Carlile decided to test the acoustics Friday at a sold-out Chicago Theatre in a manner few artists would dare attempt. Along with her two longtime bandmates, the Hanseroth twins,...

Tom Araya plays the bass and sings during Slayer's concert on Friday, May 25, 2018, at Hollywood Casino Amphitheater in Tinley Park.

Slayer says farewell with hits, dusties and noise

December 14, 2018 at 9:03 a.m.

Slayer’s Chicago-area farewell concert Friday at a packed Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre ended with the song that kicked off its 1986 album “Reign in Blood” and, by extension, countless subgenres of...

Nick Cave has been singing about mortality for decades, and he's really good at it. Whether the narratives are biblical or pulpy, the victims innocents or death row convicts, the circumstances comprehensible or cruelly random, Cave's songs are on intimate terms with the infinite ways a life can be extinguished. And yet, "Skeleton Tree", his latest album with his estimable band, the Bad Seeds, is a relatively concise song cycle shadowed by death that feels different than all the rest. <a href="http://www.chicagotribune.com/entertainment/music/kot/sc-music-nick-cave-skeleton-tree-ent-0916-20160916-column.html" target="_blank">Read the full review.</a>

Andrew W.K. plays the joyous preacher at the Vic

December 13, 2018 at 9:36 a.m.

If Andrew W.K. didn't exist, showbiz would try to invent him. Yet no boardroom creation could stand up to the oversized personality, exuberant energy or outrageous bombast the vocalist brought...

John Prine’s Chicago Theatre show full of wit, timeless relatability

December 14, 2018 at 1:29 p.m.

Don't ever accuse John Prine of trying to cover up flaws. Aware of the occasionally inconsistent sound of his gruff voice just minutes into his stellar concert Friday at a...

The Decemberists perform songs from their new album, "I'll Be Your Girl," at the Chicago Theatre on April 10, 2018, during their "Your Girl/Your Ghost" tour.

Wit and whimsy ever present at Decemberists’ Chicago Theatre show

December 14, 2018 at 10:56 a.m.

The Decemberists wasted no time establishing a theme for their show Tuesday at a sold-out Chicago Theatre. "Everything is awful," sang mustachioed frontman Colin Meloy, the phrase soon echoed by...

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