We've reached the cream of the crop!!!
Here are the shows that knocked us out last year ...
#4 - Ides Of March Christmas Show (December / The Arcada Theatre)
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Here are the shows that knocked us out last year ...
#4 - Ides Of March Christmas Show (December / The Arcada Theatre)
We’ve been to a few of The Ides’ Christmas shows now and they’re always a very entertaining evening, mixing holiday music and hits into a well-rehearsed, well-orchestrated show. (The Ides seem to rise to the challenge every time and have been presenting their Christmas Show for many years now … a whole new set of music, much of it written by Jim Peterik.)
This year’s show was no exception. And with The Ides represented both here and as part of the Cornerstones show (where they continue to steal the show at every performance), the rank right up there with The Cryan’ Shames with dual representation on our Top 20 Concerts List.
From our original review:
When The Ides Of March perform their annual Christmas Show, this isn't just a sprinkling of a few Christmas chestnuts intermingled with their regular set ... this is a full-blown, one hour production, jam-packed with holiday music (much of it Jim Peterik original-penned tunes), mixed together with some of your holiday favorites. They typically have special guests (like Megon McDonough this year) on hand to help them along and fans are treated to another side of The Ides that they don't always get to see. Each band member is prominently featured and The Ides harmonies shine throughout an incredibly beautiful and inspired set. Jim has told me many times before in the past that he feels truly blessed to have been able to live the life he's had ... and this is conveyed again and again through his memorable music.
And then ... as if this isn't enough ... after a full hour of Christmas Cheer ... the band takes a twenty minute break and returns to the stage for another hour of what Jim calls "full metal jacket" rock and roll tunes ... covering the biggest hits of their own career as well as a series of tunes that Peterik has written for other artists like Survivor and .38 Special. It's another full hour set of high energy rock and roll as the band rips through everything from "You Wouldn't Listen,""L.A. Goodbye,""Aire Of Good Feeling," and "Vehicle" to .38 Special's hits "Caught Up In You,""Hold On Loosley" and "Rockin' Into The Night" to Survivor classics like "The Search Is Over" and the #1 Smash "Eye Of The Tiger." (For all their rock-ability displayed throughout the evening, it was Jim's perfect reading of the Survivor hit "The Search Is Over" that was the concert highlight for me ... absolutely beautiful.)
From start to finish it was an amazing display showcasing the true talent (and versatility) of this band.
#3 - The Orchestra (November / The Arcada Theatre)
To the surprise of many, these guys topped our Best Concert of 2016 Poll last year … and they put on another amazing show this time around. (It's anybody's guess as to what kind of year they'll have in 2018 when Jeff Lynne brings over his ELO for a series of US Concert Shows for the first time in 35 years.)
Still these guys have ALL the chops … outstanding musicians … great vocals … and an incredible catalog of music to choose from … still highly recommended if Jeff Lynne doesn't happen to be hitting your town next year.
From our original concert review:
Last year we named them the Best Show of 2016 ... and The Orchestra will certainly be giving that title a run for the money again this year as well. They performed their extended set of ELO Classics to pure pop perfection Friday Night at the jam-packed Arcada Theatre to an audience filled with true Electric Light Orchestra aficionados who lapped up every drop. In a word ... outstanding. (As a life-long Jeff Lynne fan, I can honestly say that I'd be hard pressed to imagine Jeff putting on a finer performance himself ... and that's a true testament to not only how good and accomplished these singers and musicians are but also an example as to just how much this music really means to them, presenting it in such an honorable and appreciative way.)
We last reviewed The Orchestra in May of 2016 … that was the show that earned them the top spot on last year’s Best Concerts List … and we can assure you that everything written about them then still holds true today ... and then some. (You can tell that this band really loves and appreciates the crowd at The Arcada Theatre, who awarded them with numerous standing ovations throughout their set.)
They added some new tunes to the mix (the advertisements said that they would be putting a special emphasis on their "A New World Record" album) and even added "The Diary Of Horace Wimp," a track that wasn't released here as a single but was a Top Ten Record in England. (Likewise, a track that WE consider to be an ELO classic, "Can't Get It Out Of My Head," #9 in The States, wasn't even released as a single in Great Britain. Thankfully, they performed them both!)
The show ran the full gamut of what you wanted to hear, including stand-out performances of "Showdown,""Turn To Stone,""Sweet Talkin' Woman,""All Over The World,""Hold On Tight" and, of course, "Mr. Blue Sky."
Don't miss your opportunity see these guys live in concert. (Jeff Lynne just announced that he will FINALLY return for a series of shows here in The States but if he isn’t coming anywhere near your town, please take advantage of the very next best thing ... I promise you will not be disappointed.)
#2 - Boz Scaggs ( October / The Arcada Theatre)
I had never seen Boz Scaggs before … but kick myself for missing the tour he did with Michael McDonald (of The Doobie Brothers) and Donald Fagan (of Steely Dan) a few years back because THAT would have been the show to see.
That being said, Boz blew us away … enough so to rank at #2 of ALL the shows we saw in 2016. He was simply amazing … and his crackerjack band gave him all the support he needed but still allowed him his own moments to shine … which he did throughout the evening.
This was another sold out show at The Arcada Theatre and the audience was mesmerized. (Once again we ran into Carl Giammarese and Tommy Scheckel at this show who agreed that Boz OWNED IT that night!)
From our original review:
Three Word Review: Absolutely Top Notch!
From start to finish, Boz Scaggs covered ALL the bases ... blues, jazz, soul, pop, rock ... and everything in between. You name it ... this guy can do it ... and do it well.
Boz was in excellent voice performing to a packed house at The Arcada Theatre. His band has to be one of the best I've ever seen, performing EVERY style of music from love ballads like "Look What You've Done To Me" (#14, 1980) and "Harbor Lights" to the soulful pop sounds of "It's Over" (#38, 1976) and "What Can I Say" (#42, 1976) to the biggest of his smash hits like "Lowdown" (#3, 1976) and "Lido Shuffle (#11) ... to extended blues jams with some stellar musicianship throughout. (Boz is one hell of a guitarist himself ... but I swear HIS guitarist hit notes I didn't even know existed!!!)
The Arcada stage looked incredible Tuesday night - opened up to its fullest view with a beautiful backdrop that lit of the mood of every song Boz performed. His 90 minute set included a three song encore that concluded with a KILLER version of Chuck Berry's "You Never Can Tell (C'est La Vie)" that brought the house to its feet, with folks in every aisle twistin' the night away, Pulp Fiction style.
We spent a moment backstage before the concert began and the last thing he said before I went to go out and take my seat was "I hope you enjoy the show."
Boz ... I did ... and then some. A GREAT night of music. (kk)
#1 - Olivia Newton-John ( August / The Genesee Theatre)
If for no other reason than pure courage and commitment to her fans, I’d have to rank Olivia Newton-John’s show at The Genesee Theatre this past ___ (after a three month postponement when her breast cancer returned) as a worthy candidate for our Forgotten Hits Show Of The Year.
But there’s so much more to it than that …
She just took charge of the stage and gave a command performance as good as any I’ve ever seen, basically spitting in the eye of ANY ailment that might have prevented her from doing otherwise and putting the fans ahead of any and all distractions she may have been feeling to put on the show of the year, taking the audience along with her on an incredible journey through her incredible career.
Every phase of her career was showcased … from the early country hits like “Let Me Be There” to the “Grease” soundtrack tunes like “Hopelessly Devoted To You” and her two duets, “You’re The That I Want” and “Summer Nights” … to “Xanadu” hits like “Magic,” the title track and another duet, “Suddenly” … to her ‘80’s #1 Smash “Physical” (presented with an entirely new interpretation that I absolutely LOVED) to an “unplugged” acoustic segment that while somewhat out of character really raised the benchmark as to what this girl can do.
I said it that night in the audience … “It’s going to be tough for ANYBODY” to beat this performance as Show Of The Year” … she won it hands down and deserves every bit of this honor.
From our original review …
We caught the Olivia Newton-John concert on Friday Night at The Genesee Theatre. This was her rescheduled show after a three month postponement due to the return of her breast cancer. (Honestly, I was concerned that she should be out performing at all ... but it just goes to show what a trouper she is ... she is a very brave woman with a lot of faith in the healing process and her loyalty to her fans who brought tickets literally all over the country to see her is unmatched.)
Her show at the Genesee was only the second one she's done since postponing those dates back in May ... and she was nothing short of brilliant. She looked and sounded AMAZING ... and played a perfect 90 minute set packed with hits to a packed and enthusiastic and appreciative theater of fans.
She kicked things off with three hits from her film "Xanadu," starting with the #1 Hit "Magic" followed by the title track and then the duet she originally did with Cliff Richard, "Suddenly."
After "Deeper Than The Night," the entire group ensemble (which consisted of Mark Beckett on Drums, Dane Bryant, her Band Leader on Keyboards ... which included an absolutely huge grand piano, Marlen Landin Chapman on Background Vocals, Kerry Marx on Guitar, Matt McKenzie on Bass, Steve Nieves on Horn, Sax, Flute, Percussion, Background Vocals ... and, as Olivia pointed out, just about everything else and Steve Real y Vasquez, Background Vocals ... and Olivia's Male Duet Partner on hits like the aforementioned "Suddenly" and the still to come "You're The One That I Want") came forward, center stage, and did an "unplugged" set of some of the country material that first launched Olivia's career here in the States including "If You Love Me (Let Me Know),""Don't Stop Believin'" (no, not the Journey song ... the one that Livvy released several years earlier that virtually never gets played anymore despite its very catchy chorus!), "Have You Never Been Mellow," "Please Mister Please" and "Let Me Be There" (which is essentially "If You Love Me (Let Me Know)" all over again.) She hit some incredibly high notes during this little mini-set, proving that despite any medical setbacks she may be dealing with right now, she's still got her chops ... some of these had to be tough to hit 40 years ago when she was in her prime!)
To close the set, she did an amazing, acoustic "bossa-nova" version of "Physical," which was the biggest hit of her career. This is a pretty bold move and a bit of a gamble for ANY artist ... but let me tell you, it worked PERFECTLY in this new arrangement and the crowd absolutely loved it. (She should consider re-releasing this track ... it just might find a whole new audience in the process! After all, we're all a bit older now ... and this sounded SMOOTH!!! Plus, the lyrics that sounded so risque back in 1980 are pretty tame by today's radio standards!) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kPhvx_rkfrs
She talked a little bit about some of the alternative healing procedures and medicines she was exploring and then played a couple of tracks she had written that were designed to project a more pro-active state of consciousness that would do more to save and protect our planet environmentally ... these worked extremely well with the accompanying videos.
And then it was time for "Grease"!!!
Olivia brought the house down when she and her male duet partner, Steve Real (who also took the male lead in "Suddenly" earlier in the evening), sang "You're The One That I Want" ... the entire audience was up on its feet. (Is there ANYBODY out there who hasn't seen "Grease" at least 20 or 30 or 50 times?!?!) She next did the film's ballad "Hopelessly Devoted To You," which brought some members of the audience (male and female) to tears. Next, she brought out Didi Conn, who starred with Olivia in the film as "Frenchie" nearly 40 years ago. Didi had flown in from New York City ... and looked great in her Pink Ladies jacket. Together they launched a full-on audience sing-along to "Summer Nights," easily the highlight of the evening. EVERYBODY participated, again with the entire audience up on its feet, singing and clapping along.
She closed her show with "I Honestly Love You," a #1 Hit in 1974 ... and then returned for an encore of "Somewhere Over The Rainbow," accompanied only by her pianist / musical arranger Dane Bryant.
I've seen Olivia in concert before and I can honestly say I've never heard her better ... a remarkable achievement in light of all she's been going through these past few months.
As I write this, today is August 26th ... and let me tell you ... it is going to be next to impossible to top this show as our Concert Of The Year ... this was just an OUTSTANDING evening of entertainment. Olivia Newton-John ... we honestly love you. (kk)
Another GREAT season of some GREAT shows gracing the stages here in Chicagoland (and 2018 looks just as promising with SO many great acts already booked to hit our fine city in the months to come.)
Headed to The Arcada Theatre over the next six months we’ve got:
January 21st– The Buckinghams with Denny Seraphine (original founding member of Chicago) and special guest Bill Champlain – playing an evening of Chicagoland favorites
February 9th– The Fab Four – one of the ultimate Beatles tribute bands, performing on the 54th Anniversary of the night that The Beatles made their first appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show (we’ve got tickets to give away to this one!)
Sunday, February 11th– The Grass Roots, Gary Puckett and the Union Gap and The Cowsills … ALL great entertainers and providers of ‘60’s music classics
February 23rd– Mickey Thomas and Starship
March 3rd - The BoDeans
March 3rd - The BoDeans
Uriah Heep on March 11th
Foghat with Savoy Brown on March 16th
Frankie Avalon – March 18th
March 31st– Sweet
Michael Bolton – April 4th
April 8th– Ann Wilson of Heart
April 15th– Lou Christie with Bobby Rydell
April 28th - Mark Farner (founder of Grand Funk Railroad)
April 28th - Mark Farner (founder of Grand Funk Railroad)
April 29th– The Cornerstones Of Rock (featuring The Buckinghams, The Cryan’ Shames, The New Colony Six, The Shadows of Knight and The Ides Of March)
May 3rd– Gene Simmons of Kiss
May 4th– Chuck Negron with The Box Tops
May 5th– Engelbert Humperdinck
May 6th– Dweezil Zappa
May 11th– Josh Turner
May 13th– Peter Noone and Herman’s Hermits
June 8th - .38 Special
The Genesee Theatre has:
The O’Jays appearing on Thursday, January 25th,
Followed by Richard Marx (with special guest John Waite) on Friday, January 26th
On Friday, February 2nd, Priscilla Presley brings her “Elvis And Me” Q&A Show to The Genesee (I wonder who’ll be seated up there with her asking the questions??!?!)
February 10thit’s Dennis DeYoung, performing the hits of Styx (including the complete “Grand Illusion” LP in its entirety
February 15th– the ALWAYS entertaining Peter Noone and Herman’s Hermits
March 4th– The Million Dollar Quartet (always a good show)
March 22nd– Boys II Men
April 13th– Daughtry
April 14th– Jay Leno
April 19th– Dave Davies of The Kinks (with The Smithereens)
Taking the stage at The City Winery we’ve got:
Judy Collins – Sunday, February 4th
J.D. Souther – February 11th
Sergio Mendes – February 25th
A.J. Croce – March 7th(Jim Croce’s son)
Howard Jones – March 8th
Los Lonely Boys – March 17th and 18th
The Zombies – March 19thand 20th
Stanley Clarke – March 21st
Christopher Cross – March 31st
Remember … new dates are being added all the time …
So be sure to check out each theater’s online box office for the latest information …