Items filtered by date: Tuesday, 03 August 2010

The sky down poured all night long and into the morning leading up to the show. Skittish people afraid they would melt started to proclaim that the out door party would be cancelled. As luck would have it for the second year in a row the sky cleared up and the sun peaked out. The ground started to dry up and mother nature allowed Woods Bash 2010 to go on as planned. Big Randy put together a great show as always. The entertainment consisted of four incredible bands that played throughout the day. This was a true party!!

First band up was the new group out of the O’Hare area of Chicago called Ballistic. This group warmed up the place in style. Performing mostly cover songs from the classic rock genre, the band played their set of songs to wake the crowd up, and that is exactly what they did. The songs “Crossroads” and “Sunshine of Your Love” were definite highlights for the lunchtime crowd. The crunchy guitars, sweet vocals, and in sync rhythm section was a great start to the party. They finished up with an original song called “Red Ducati” that was the best performance of their set and it blended into an extra long jam of Nugent’s “Stranglehold.” They were fun.

Rhino 39 took the second spot with a vengeance. This group was a solid head bangers band every step of the way. Performing a song from Metallica seemed to be an easy task for such a rock solid band. The bass player and drummer paved the road for the rest of the group to follow. The grooves were deep and heavy old school metal. They brought out a Drowning Pool song with a little count off, getting the crowd to be involved with the show. “One, Nothing wrong with me – Two, Nothing wrong with me.” As the opening line “Let the Bodies Hit the Floor” started the song, concert goers were carrying a devilish grin. Once Rhino started in with Pantera’s “Walk” most heavy metal enthusiasts couldn’t contain themselves any longer.

Rising Up Angry out of Florida had some issues and showed up late so their set was cut short. This highly professional band came in and performed a short set blowing the woods apart. Louder than the previous two bands, this group was over powering the vocalist and PA on every move. They band was so powerful and was just amazing. What bleed through on the vocals was incredible as well, but could barely be heard. They were just a high energy band; they were super tight and never made a mistake musically. It would be suggested to see this band in a setting with a PA that can keep up with their enormous sound levels. It might be nice to actually hear them with vocals. Oh yeah, they were that loud!

The AC~DC tribute band Problem Child was undoubtedly the best band of Woods Bash 2010 and had the most seasoned musicians of the party. This group came in sounding just like the group from down under with all the power and the show of the heavy rocking band. The boys jammed a bunch of the old classics from this band and a few of the “B Side” songs as well. They played the songs “T.N.T.,” “Whole Lotta Rosie,” and “Sin City” imitating one of the most popular bands in the world. The guitar player came out dressed like Angus Young playing solos note for note just like the master. The vocalist did a great job of putting on a show when he climbed on the roof of the pavilion. Problem Child was definitely as close as you could possibly get to being AC~DC without actually being the real McCoy. They were just awesome and definitely the main event!!

Kimberly Katz’ Platinum Press

“This Brilliant Jew is No Dummy!”

I have been eager to see the brilliant comedian and actor Don Rickles live and in concert for so many years. I saw him perform finally at The Venue in Hammond, Indiana last week and I was blown away by his abundant energy and razor sharp rapier wit. Even at 84, Don is still knockin’ ‘em dead with his own, unique brand of insult comedy.

The audience in the sold out house roared as Rickles’ hysterically skewered those in the front rows. “Hey look it’s a black guy in the front row, isn’t that nice, that’s lovely, send them some champagne. Oh and you the Jap, why don’t you take a picture of the nice black couple in the front row with their champagne - you’re never gonna’ see that again!”

I am Jewish too, and there is kind of an unspoken thing that if you ARE Jewish, you can joke about Jews, and since your people survived the Holocaust, well… you can pretty much safely joke about everyone else.

Rickles’ is a long time Democrat, and the thing that actually makes his insult comedy politically correct is that instead of spewing hate, he is actually defusing all the stereotypes and generalizations that most people have bubbling under the surface, and he allows them to come out into the light of day and pop like so many soap bubbles in laughter.

I was surprised to find out that this long time friend of Frank Sinatra is actually in possession of a great set of pipes himself. Rickles’ performs a couple of great tunes in his act with a full orchestra behind him and with great force and emotion. I was very impressed and had no idea he could sing so well!

I also loved the general atmosphere of his show. Many of my relatives, my grandparents and great aunts and uncles have all passed and being there with Don and his audience, which happily had a lot of alta cockers - old Jews in it, was like being back at home at my grandparent’s house in Miami, Florida as we kibitzed around trying to make each laugh. What a wonderful evening it was and I have rarely seen an audience this size and with so many races and ages in attendance, leave a show laughing and with such huge smiles on their faces!

One of my favorite bits was about his wife of 45 years, Barbara. Don says

”I still have to give her what she wants once in a while. When I come home and hear her saying, ‘Pussycat? Pussycat?’ I know I have to jump under the bed and say ‘Meow? Meow’ -Yeah, I still do it for her…because everything is in her name!”

Rickles continues to be very active on the stand-up comedy scene, and is still a popular performer in Las Vegas with many dates booked through the end of 2010. He has no plans to retire and as he recently said in an interview: "I'm in good health. I'm working better than I ever have. The audiences are great. Why should I retire? I'm like a fighter. The bell rings and you come out and fight. My energy comes alive. And I still enjoy it!”

Once up a time there was a very successful movie franchise, about a green ogre and his desire to live alone in a swamp. As with so many fairy tales, the path to happiness did not run smoothly, and soon his stinky corner of the world is disrupted by all manner of fairytale creatures. He sets off to preserve his solitude, but before he knows it, he has befriended a talking donkey and is on a mission to battle a dragon and save the princess. Along the way, he learns that girls can fart just as loudly as boys, and true love doesn’t always come packaged as you’d expect.

The beauty of Shrek was the way it took standard fairytale conventions and twisted them, just a little, to keep the parents on their toes and capture the imagination of their offspring. Shrek the musical doesn’t depart too far at all from this concept, with plenty of quick fire lyrics that sail just over the heads of the children and high-energy songs to keep the story moving along.

Eric Petersen (Shrek) holds the musical together, doing a great job of bringing emotion, humor and pathos to the role, while wearing the theatrical equivalent of a foam hot-dog suit. It’s a tough role to pull-off; everyone knows the storyline and Petersen could just do an impression of Mike Myers. Instead, he brings his own charm to the role. Alan Mingo, Jr. (Donkey) brings masses of passion and energy, but does sometimes fall into impersonation territory. His donkey is a cross between Little Richard and Eddie Murphy but while he’s always entertaining, it can get a little over-played. This show belongs to Haven Burton (Fiona) as she tap dances with rats in “Morning Person” or assures us of her faith in fairytales in “I Know It’s Today”. She gets the best of both the choreography and lyrics for the majority of the show, only being upstaged by Carrie Compere (voice), as a sensational dragon brought to life by a three person puppet in “Forever”.

Shrek the Musical has been a long time coming. High-brow British director Sam Mendes suggested the idea to DreamWorks Animation’s Jeffrey Katzenberg back when the second movie was in production. This is Dreamworks Theatrical’s first venture into legitimate theatre, and the first night audience reponse suggests that this is going to be a successful one. There’s enough here for repeat visits and both children and adults will be enchanted by the high-energy show in which everyone lives happily ever after.

Shrek the Musical is brought to Chicago by Broadway in Chicago and is at the Cadillac Theatre (151 W. Randolph St) until September 5^th. For more information, visit www.shrekthemusical.com and www.broadwayinchicago.com .

Shrek the Musical features a book and lyrics by Pulizter Prize winner David Lydsay Ahare, music by Olivier Award-winner Jeanine Tesori and is directed by Tony Award-nominee Jason Moore and Tony and Emmy Award-winner Rob Ashford. Set and costume designs are by Tim Hatley, lighting design by Hugh Vanstone, sound design by Peter Hylenski, choreography by Josh Prince, music supervision by Tim Weil, music direction by Andy Grobengieser and orchestration by Danny Troob and John Clancy.

Josie’s on vacation far away. Come around and talk it over.

The opening lines to The Outfield’s “Your Love” implore the packed house at Duffy’s Tavern and Grille (420 ½ W. Diversey) to take part in an illicit encounter with a dude whose girlfriend is way out of town, and on Wednesday night the people respond favorably. Eager screams and empty glasses dominate the spacious bar’s back room topography. I feel my own fist inexplicably rise above my head and begin to pump back and forth. Two young women rush up to the stage, and then they climb onto it.

Perhaps we are so excited about being prompted to commit adultery because the suggestion comes from Louis Stigwood, enigmatic nerd vocalist for The Spazmatics, Chicago’s best 80’s New Wave Synthpop cover band, the band that has played Duffy’s Tavern and Grille every Wednesday night for nearly five years.

Donning his trademark suspenders, horn-rimmed glasses and rainbow propeller hat, Louis fits right in – at least on stage. His fellow band-mates are garbed in white button-down shirts, ties of varying lengths and widths, a protective helmet, slicked back hair and, of course, pocket protectors; these rockers appear more likely to subscribe to Mental_Floss than to Rolling Stone. The cumulative effect of the motif and their outstanding stage presence sets The Spazmatics apart from any band you’ve seen in the last ten – wait, make that twenty-five – years. They’re an hommage to the great New Wave bands of the 80’s, bands like Devo, The Buggles, and Men At Work, who celebrate nerd culture instead of stepping on it.

Importantly, beyond costumes, synchronized dance moves, and over-the-top ribald banter, The Spazmatics are solid musicians who consistently put on a good show. Louis’ impressive vocal range allows the band to transition seamlessly from Billy Idol to Cyndi Lauper, while Shureman Larusso’s guitar shredding always makes me stop and appreciate, about four dollar-beers in, how these guys are talented, and how I’m lucky to live in a city that houses professional cover bands.

The night wears on but the music keeps coming. It’s nearly one in the morning, and everybody knows that this set will soon end. The band starts up one of my favorite songs, The Cure’s “Just Like Heaven,” with Shureman on the mic; I go crazy, I am afforded extra personal space, and then they say goodnight as the last reverb fizzles away. The DJ starts to play Top 50 radio jams. Duffy’s is somber for a drunken mass of young people. We’re somber because the night is over, because the Brown Line is no longer running, and because, for almost a whole week, it is no longer 1985. Thankfully, sometimes The Spazmatics play Friday nights at Uncle Fatty’s Rum Resort (2833 N. Sheffield). Let’s be grateful for small mercies.

To learn more about The Spazmatics, follow them on Facebook, check out their recently renovated website, www.chicagospazmatics.com, or come to Duffy’s next Wednesday. We’ll all be there.