Jessi Roti

Comedian Matteo Lane performs during the TBS Comedy Festival on Nov. 7, 2017, in New York.

Matteo Lane returns home with a sold-out ‘Al Dente Tour’ comedy show at the Chicago Theatre

September 25, 2023 at 5:00 a.m.

Get out of your own way and start posting your work online. Instagram, mostly. Trade the thirst traps for jokes about thirst traps, hookups and why all Disney princes are...

Chicago noisemakers Blacker Face sit at the convergence of afrofuturism, punk and politics. It’s challenging — whether you’re ready or not

October 11, 2019 at 1:25 p.m.

"Stick to the music" sounds like a threat to artists who believe it's part of their duty to use their voices to confront the powers that be. In Chicago, musicians...

Don’t call ’em a ‘throwback’ band. Starcrawler just wants to rock.

October 3, 2019 at 9:56 a.m.

"When we started this band, around the L.A. scene at least, all the bands were pretty boring," says Arrow de Wilde, frontwoman of Los Angeles-based quartet Starcrawler, on a phone...

Orville Peck, the masked, gay, self-anointed ‘country star,’ breathes new life into the outlaw tradition

October 3, 2019 at 9:43 a.m.

What exactly makes country music "outlaw?" The rebellious, grittier sound of the South gained popularity in the 1970s thanks to artists such as Willie Nelson, Waylon Jennings, Kris Kristofferson, Merle...

Lizzo, here during her May performance at the Riviera, was back in Chicago for a powerhouse show at the Aragon.

Review: Just months after packing the Riv, Lizzo’s Chicago ‘homecoming’ doubles in size, thrilling the Aragon on the first of two sold-out nights

October 3, 2019 at 10:18 a.m.

You need to see Lizzo live to get the whole picture. Body positive, self-care advocate, LGBTQI+ ally, queen of the self-love empowerment anthem, ultimate "feel good" artist of 2019? Yes...

Avril Lavigne, during a recent performance in Los Angeles. The pop star visited the Chicago Theatre on Thursday night.

Review: Avril Lavigne, in Chicago on her first tour in five years, proved she is still pop’s punk princess

September 27, 2019 at 8:07 a.m.

With a toss of her hair and pop of her hip, Avril Lavigne smirked at her audience. "Don't pretend, I think you know I'm d--- precious," she sang, delivering her...

Nick Jonas, of the Jonas Brothers, performs, Sept. 19, 2019, at the United Center in Chicago.

Review: Jonas Brothers deliver on their ‘Happiness Begins’ tour stop at United Center — the group’s first outing since 2013

September 20, 2019 at 9:14 a.m.

You can call it a comeback. "Three years ago, we sat in a room together and said, 'What if we did this again?'" Kevin Jonas, consummate spokesman and eldest of...

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