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Gig of the Week: Main Street Nights

Fri, 07 Jun 2013 02:23:25 -0500

With warmer weather, there are many entertainment options for Southlanders. One that offers free events is Main Street Nights, which will run on Wednesdays from June 12-Aug. 7. “The community supports it,” said Chuck Sabey, who has coordinated the outdoor summer entertainment series for four years. “We have great entertainment, and organizations come out and either vend or share information about what they’re about. All of that just combines for a festive atmosphere. “The other great thing is we have children and seniors coming out, enjoying themselves, and just the setting itself: the downtown green.” Sabey, who is also the …

John C. Reilly gettin’ by with help from his Friends

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 17:15:12 -0500

When actor John C. Reilly sang a showstopping version of “Mr. Cellophane” in the movie musical “Chicago,” the world took notice: This guy can sing. But it wasn’t until Robert Altman’s film “Prairie Home Companion” that Reilly, a native of Chicago’s South Side, really stepped into an all-encompassing musical role when he and Woody Harrelson played a couple of singing cowboys. “That was the first time I sang and played guitar live on camera in front of a live audience,” Reilly recalls. “It was pretty heavy stuff; a real white-knuckler for me. It was that experience that showed me I …

Kanye West’s ‘Yeezus’ unlikely to match Justin Timberlake’s sales

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 21:25:10 -0500

Forecasters expect the new dad’s album to sell 500,000 copies in its first week.

Summer festivals in the Southland 2013

Wed, 29 May 2013 22:54:04 -0500

Here is a look at the summer festivals set for the Southland from May to September. Updates posted on 5/29 include the Starry Nights concert series presented by the Homewood-Flossmoor Park District.

Concerts on the Hill starts up in Joliet

Fri, 07 Jun 2013 02:23:54 -0500

“If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” That’s Billie Limacher’s motto, and it’s proven successful for 39 seasons of Concerts on the Hill. The free concerts take place at 6:30 p.m. Thursdays at Bicentennial Park in Joliet. Visitors are invited to bring chairs and blankets for hill seating and some money for concessions like hot dogs, nachos, popcorn, pickles, lemonade and root beer floats. So what’s the secret to 39 successful years? “We’re giving them what they want. It’s free,” Limacher said. “Seniors like free. Although we are getting a lot of young people now, which is great.” Back again …

First Midwest Bank Amphitheatre’s 2013 concert season

Tue, 11 Jun 2013 06:10:02 -0500

The 2013 summer concert season is a live music fan’s dream. A ton of great gigs are on the way, and many of them will be at First Midwest Bank Amphitheatre, 19100 S. Ridgeland Ave., Tinley Park. “It’s a busy summer and there’s just a lot of great artists on the road and great shows coming through,” said Jon Reens, senior director of marketing/Midwest for Live Nation, which operates FMBA. “They run the gamut on style and they run the gamut on format. It’s an extremely wide-ranging summer season.” The outdoor venue is boasting the most amount of country concerts …

Muddy Waters’ home rollin’ and crumblin’ in North Kenwood

Sun, 02 Jun 2013 02:45:53 -0500

Fans still drive by to check out the vacant, foreclosed house on S. Lake Park Ave. where the blues giant lived from 1954 to 1973. The city is working to order repairs on the landmark where contemporary American blues was born. “It is a great treasure now,” says City of Chicago Cultural Historian Tim Samuelson, “even as a ruin.”

Crowd Pleasers for June 14, 2013

Fri, 14 Jun 2013 02:19:22 -0500

Here is a look at some crowd pleasers. Events include Driving the Dixie in several suburbs, Throttle Fest Chicago at Toyota Park in Bridgeview, and Pro Championship Wrestling’s Dream Night XII in Midlothian.

FYI on FMBA: Q87.7 Piqniq in Tinley Park

Thu, 30 May 2013 18:01:15 -0500

Q87.7 Piqniq will be at First Midwest Bank Amphitheatre in Tinley Park in June. Find out more and watch videos by the reported acts on FYI on FMBA at blogs.southtownstar.com/fmba.

Vickroy: Students learn that music is message

Thu, 30 May 2013 02:13:57 -0500

For what it’s worth, only a fortunate son could fight the power on the eve of destruction. No, you don’t have to be a Baby Boomer to know what that means. Music has long been a messenger of sentiment — giving issues such as racism, poverty and unfairness a beat and lyrical poignancy. It has been a way for generations, cultures and the oppressed to express themselves politically and emotionally to mass audiences. It’s also a reflection of its times. In John Duckhorn’s U.S. history class at Eisenhower High School in Blue Island, music is an opportunity to work song …

FYI on FMBA: Miranda Lambert, Dierks Bentley in Tinley Park

Thu, 30 May 2013 16:37:54 -0500

The Locked & Reloaded Tour featuring Miranda Lambert and Dierks Bentley with Brett Eldredge and the Cadillac III will be at First Midwest Bank Amphitheatre in Tinley Park in September. Find out more including when tickets go on sale on FYI on FMBA at blogs.southtownstar.com/fmba.

Chicago Opera Theater to launch 2014 season with an Ellington rarity

Sun, 19 May 2013 11:11:40 -0500

In announcing its 2014 season, Chicago Opera Theater continues to move in different directions from its recent past while building on its strong bond with its general director’s Southern California company. Duke Ellington’s “Queenie Pie,” inspired by the life of black entrepreneur Madam C.J. Walker, will launch the season Feb. 15-23.

FYI on FMBA: Rascal Flatts in Tinley Park

Thu, 06 Jun 2013 07:54:35 -0500

Farmers Insurance will present the Live and Loud Tour featuring Rascal Flatts with the Band Perry and Cassadee Pope from “The Voice” at First Midwest Bank Amphitheatre in Tinley Park in August. Find out more including when tickets go on sale on FYI on FMBA at blogs.southtownstar.com/fmba.

Florida Georgia Line’s meteoric rise continues

Fri, 14 Jun 2013 02:20:35 -0500

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Florida Georgia Line already had a chart-topping country hit with “Cruise” when rapper Nelly got hold of it and helped transform it into a crossover smash. The two acts teamed to close the CMT Music Awards on June 5 with a pyro-filled production, placing themselves firmly in a long, proud line of cross-cultural collaborations that trace back to Jimmie Rodgers recording with Louis Armstrong in 1930. FGL’s Tyler Hubbard and Brian Kelley have discovered — like Taylor Swift, Lady Antebellum and a few other country acts — that there’s nothing like the ride of a crossover hit. …

FYI on FMBA: Lil Wayne in Tinley Park

Mon, 29 Apr 2013 12:18:30 -0500

Lil Wayne will bring his America’s Most Wanted Music Festival to First Midwest Bank Amphitheatre in Tinley Park in August. Support acts include Tip “T.I.” Harris and 2 Chainz. Find out more including when tickets go on sale on FYI on FMBA at blogs.southtownstar.com/fmba.

Demi Lovato’s music much matured on latest release

Fri, 14 Jun 2013 02:20:58 -0500

NEW YORK — Before achieving back-to-back radio hits with “Give Your Heart a Break” and “Heart Attack,” Demi Lovato wondered why she had yet to find her breakthrough on the radio. She knew she had a big voice, and had found success as a Disney Channel star, but something was off. “I had a moment where I was just like, ‘What am I doing wrong? I know I can sing. I know I’m talented. How is it that other artists who don’t have my vocals ... [are] on the radio? What’s taking so long?’ ” she said in a recent …