Items filtered by date: November 2007

It was standing room only at the Vic Theatre Thursday night, as one of the Just for Laughs Festival heavyweights, Nick Swardson, gave the crowd an evening to truly remember. With an arsenal of jokes that touched on everything from cats vs dogs to the Virgin Airlines “rave plane”, Swardson barely allowed audience members to catch their breath between laughs.

In a very funny bit, Swardson speculated on what it must have been like to be the first person to ever suffer from a brain freeze - this being of course the inventor of ice cream. “Here you go kids. I have created a tasty treat called ice cream (as he pretends to sample). Come everyone, try this tasty treat.  It’s very delicious (as he samples faster and faster). I am eating this delicious treat faster and faster now”. Until, “Arrrrggggghhhhh! Oh my God!!!! What the f**k is this!? My brain is being eaten alive!” Of course the pain goes away moments later. “What the f**k was that?”

Swardson’s material was nothing short of brilliant, but I had hoped to see a longer set. He left the crowd with a humorous story where he was flying first class only to have Liv Tyler sitting next to him. Somewhat nervous and not knowing what to say, he opted to say nothing. He leaned his seat back to sleep and Liv Tyler followed suit, wherein he was “sleeping with Liv Tyler”. Swardson explained that they were baking chocolate chip cookies in first class and he groggily awoke to “What’s that smell?” only to have Tyler smile and whisper from her sleep excitedly “cookies”. “Is there possibly a better way to wake up?” asked Swardson to the crowd. Of course, he then explained how lucky he was to have Liv Tyler sitting next to him instead of say, Gary Busey, or it could have been, “What’s that smell?” with a reply of “COOKIES, MOTHERF**KER!!!”

Nick Swardson was simply hilarious and showed Chicago why he is considered one of the top comics in the circuit.

After Swardson’s show at the Vic, I scrambled over to Stage 773 just a few blocks west on Belmont. Stage 773 is TBS Just for Laughs comedy hub during the festival where a variety of super funny comics take on four stages all week long. While there, I was lucky enough to catch The Urban Comedy Hour, which featured a slew of great South Side Chicago comedians, including its hysterical host, Brian Babylon. Afterwards, Ari Shaffir took on the late night slot with his storyteller series “This Is Not Happening” to round off a perfect night of comedy.   

The 2013 TBS Just for Laughs Festival is underway and there are a bevy of terrific acts to catch throughout the week. With multiple shows each evening at various Chicago venues, one of Wednesday’s shows had the Park West Theater hosting The Whitest Kids U’ Know - and they did not disappoint. One of the top sketch comedy teams since their early Manhattan days in 2003, the hilarious quintet had the crowd roaring from their opening sequence where they slammed George Lucas for destroying the original Star Wars trilogy.   

Comprised of members Trevor Moore, Sam Brown, Zach Creggor, Timmy Williams and Darren Trumeter, The Whitest Kids U’ Know performed several sketches including one that had two rival monster truck drivers unexpectedly meeting at a party setting up a hysterical confrontation. Other sketches touched on a warped version of The Dating Game, four girls whining about having their periods, a boss who voyeurs one of his employees while having sex and a twisted séance. Trevor Moore also presented a couple funny music videos had had done - the first, a portrayal of a money hungry Pope likened to a street thug and another - “Tom Hanks Is an Asshole”.

The Whitest Kids U’ Know certainly showed audience members why they are a worthy addition to the TBS Just for Laughs Festival and also showed just how white they really are. At the end of the show, the comedy troupe led the crowd in a festive rendition of Oasis’ “Wonderwall”. Asking everyone in the audience to raise either a lighter or cell phone and wave it back and forth, they plan to edit footage from each city into a montage for their website just so people can ask, “What the hell is their show about?”   

TBS Just for Laughs Festival is the where to be this week. With such talented performers as Russell Brand, Seth Meyers, Nick Swarsdon, Dylan Moran, Todd Barry, Bill Maher, Artie Lange, Bob Newhart and so many, many more, you can see why this event is the hottest ticket in town.  For a complete rundown of the Just for Laughs schedule, click here.   

The Oriental Theatre is hosting West Side Story for one week only. Playing from June 11^th-June 16^th, this classic musical still holds up to the test of time. Laced throughout with dazzling choreography reproduced by Tony Award nominee, Joey McKneely, West Side Story is a visual spectacle that rivals any dance filled show.

The modern take on Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, West Side Story is the story of two rival gangs in New York – the Jets, a collection of white street hoodlums, and the Sharks, a group of Puerto Ricans trying to make their stake in America. Like the Shakespeare tale, everything becomes complicated when a boy and girl from opposite sides fall in love. Ignorance and violence turns what could have been a breakthrough between rivals into senseless tragedy.  

As definitive the dance numbers are the assortment of songs performed – and incredibly well, at that. The audience is truly treated to one classic number after another including, “Tonight”, “Somewhere”, “Cool”, “Gee, Officer Krupke” and “I Feel Pretty”. Addison Reid Coe is just stupendous as “Tony” and really gets to display his vocal prowess in a shining rendition of “Maria”. Other standouts in the talented cast are Michelle Alves as “Anita” who sings and dances her way into everyone’s hearts in “America” and Mary Joanna Grisso who plays an amazing “Maria”. My only complaint during the entire production is that “Bernardo’s” Puerto Rican accent annoying slips in an out to the point of distraction.

Overall, the dancing and singing make this construction of West Side Story a memorable experience. The dance numbers are simply astounding to watch, the costumes colorful, the set creative and the singing elegant.  

For more information on West Side Story at the Oriental Theatre, visit www.BroadwayInChicago.com.

 TBS Just For Laughs

The crowd at The Chicago Theater Just for Laughs Festival welcomed Russell Brand with a warm roar much like they would a rock star. Although Brand reissued much of his old material in the show he also got some huge laughs working the crowd spontaneously and on a bit about outdated Illinois laws.

Brand has an astute, yet poetic grasp on the issues of politics as they relate to the exploitation of the masses including Gays, women and minority issues. Brand also delivered some great material about Hitler’s class photo and Che Guevara.

But his most entertaining bits were about sexuality.

"I worship women," he said. "I see them as my way back to God. There is power in the elegance of female sexuality."

Along those lines, I actually thought his riff on “Ass Jazz for the ladies” was very positive and feministic in nature.

“Referring to a woman’s anus as “a perfect aperture, so delicate and sweet it could’ve been penned by Walt Disney, so perfectly sanitary it could dispense nothing more toxic than little pink tic-tacs,” he went on to demonstrate and sing his sexual tactic of “Ass Jazz” on a lady and her beautiful screams of pleasure. Then Brand states how unfair it is to women that the guy then says to his lady turning his ass to face her,” My turn!” and began belching out  German Oompah music instead of Jazz.

Russell Brands comments on Jesus “being a nice, mellow guy who was all about kindness to women and promoting peace and love but who has been misappropriated by Christians and Catholics” was right on the money.

I would have liked to hear more comedy penned about The Messiah in his tour branded The Messiah Complex. That joke reminded me of the classic Jesus joke penned by Woody Allen in Hannah and Her Sisters, “If Jesus Christ came back to earth today and saw all of the evil that was being done in his name, he would never stop throwing up.”

At one point Russell left the stage and had the house lights turned up so he could search the crowd for an available lady to sleep with, “You might be a woman from the Chicago area thinking ‘oh, I’d love to have sex with Russell Brand but he’s so erudite and great I’m probably not good enough for him.’ Give it a shot. You probably are good enough. Have some confidence in yourself!”

Then saying to one woman who jumped up at him, “No, not you, no reason to plead or push, it’s already been decided (waving his hands over his crotch area) down here!”

Russell Brands freewheeling, psychedelic, high energy style of comedy and delivery is very much what younger generations need in order to enlighten them in a funny way to all of the ways they are being repressed sexually, spiritually and financially by our government, mass media and organized religions. My only suggestion for him is that he take some time now to write more into his Messiah Complex material about the Messiah.

2013 Back to Bass Tour at Ravinia, IL - Sting and his musicians effortlessly delivered another satisfying performance of his stripped down “Back to Bass Tour”, playing his music spanning 25 years. Sting was joined by his longtime guitarist Dominic Miller, Vinnie Colaiuta (drums), David Sancious (keyboards) Peter Tickell (electric fiddle), and Jo Lawry (vocals).

It was a beautiful, crisp night under the stars at Ravinia Park and Sting charmed the mostly middle aged, wine drinking, Highland Park crowd with straightforward yet heartfelt renditions of most of his greatest hits. Sting opened with “If I Ever Lose My faith in You” and kept it going with a strong set list that included “Demolition Man”, “Message in A Bottle”, “Shape of My Heart”, De Do Do Do, De Da Da Da” AND “Roxanne” before coming out for encores “King of Pain”, “Every Breath You Take”, “Next To You” and “Fragile”.              

At 61, Sting looks fit as ever in his skinny jeans, flashing us all a great “gun show” under his short sleeved t-shirt, but the best thing about this concert was Sting’s voice, still strong, rich, full and capable of  hitting all the high and low notes including his trademark howls and growls.

Each of Sting’s current minimalist rock band lineups continue to perform to the high level of perfection he demands.  Peter Tickell, a 23-year-old prodigy from the UK, delivered a mind bendingly complex, fast and furious electric fiddle solo that made me laugh out loud with wonder at his youthful skills.

Sting first started this tour back in 2011 and now he is making another go round with it before releasing his first new album in 10 years, titled "The Last Ship", which will be released on Universal Music Group's Polydor Records. The Last Ship will feature 12 songs and be produced by Rob Mathes.

Even more exciting Sting news is that he will be bringing a musical production with the same name to Broadway next year. Sting (Gordon Mathew Sumner) spent nearly three years working on the story that is focused on relationships, family, and community, collaborating with Joe Mantello, the director of the hit musical "Wicked" and John Logan, co-writer of the latest James Bond film "Skyfall".

Sting seems to bend time and the quickly passing years in his favor picking up “The Back to Bass Tour” exactly where he left off in 2011 as if to say to his fans – “Get your fill of my hits, I’m still here playing rock and roll but next year I will treat you to something new and I hope you will welcome it as much as you welcome my classic catalogue.”

No word yet on if Sting will be performing in his Broadway production but I have always considered him a fine actor on a par with another brilliantly gifted, rocker and songwriter, David Bowie (The Elephant Man).

Sting fans can’t miss by seeing the Back to Bass Tour 2013 again when it hits their towns over the next 8 weeks; it is a warm, fun evening of solid hit music sure to satisfy hungry Sting fans from every generation.

In the meantime, Ravinia Park is a fantastic place to see some of our favorite musical artists and 2013 has a great schedule which includes The Go-Go’s, Journey, Jewel, Matchbox 20, The B-52’s, Natalie Cole and so many more. Be sure to check out the show listing at  http://ravinia.org/. And if you are in Chicago, don’t forget that Ravinia is one short Metra ride away and you are literally dropped off at the front gate.   

Chicago Celebrates with over 500 Cities around the World

98.7WFMT Broadcasts throughout the Day

CHICAGO (May 20, 2013) – Presented byRush Hour Concerts, Make Music Chicago, a completely free musical celebration across Chicago, returns for its third annual event taking place on the first day of summer, Friday, June 21.  Chicago joins more than 500 cities across the world celebrating music with free performances, all on the longest day of the year.  Tishman Speyer is proud to be Presenting Sponsor of Make Music Chicago 2013.

Make Music Chicago celebrates the ability of everyone to participate in music-making.  Throughout the day, people of all ages and backgrounds – beginners, amateurs, professionals and marquee artists – gather in Chicago’s public spaces to perform live music of all genres.  This year, over 25 sites host music events, including Daley Plaza, the Driehaus Museum, The Poetry Foundation, Midway Plaisance, Lincoln Park Zoo, Old Town School of Folk Music, Roosevelt University and more.  The Grand Finale takes place in the historic St. James Cathedral (65 E. Huron Street at Wabash) in River North, followed by an outdoor street party at the St. James Commons.  A complete list of performance sites can be found at www.makemusicchicago.com.

In related news, Rush Hour Concerts is pleased to announce that pianist Kuang-Hao Huang has joined Creative Director Deborah Sobol on the Make Music Chicago Creative Team.  A renowned pianist and frequent artist on the Rush Hour Concerts Summer Concert Series, Huang is collaborating with Sobol to program several locations for the June 21 celebration.  "I'm excited to join Rush Hour's creative team for Make Music Chicago," said Huang. "We are planning a range of programs across the city, from large participatory events like ‘Play the Plaza’ to a full day of live broadcasts on 98.7WFMT."

Make Music Chicago 2013 Events

Play the Plaza

Make Music Chicago invites anyone and everyone to Play the Plaza, beginning in the morning at Daley Plaza (50 W. Washington Street).  The fully participatory event welcomes all orchestra, choral and concert band musicians of any age.  Play the Plaza opens with the Rise and Shine Orchestra and continues with two popular lunchtime events returning from prior years, the Broadway and Opera Sing-Along and Sousapalooza.

• Rise and Shine Orchestra: 10 – 10:45 am

Lloyd Palmiter of Quinlan & Fabish Music Company leads musicians through vibrant orchestral music (rehearsal begins at 9:00 am). 

• Broadway and Opera Sing-Along: 11 – 11: 45 am

Bill Chin, Artistic Director of the Oriana Singers, leads Broadway and opera fans in favorite tunes.

• Sousapalooza: 12 – 12:45 pm

Richard Fischer, Director of Bands at Concordia University-Chicago, leads classic marches of John Philip Sousa. 

Any musicians interested in participating in Play the Plaza events can learn more, download repertoire and sign up at www.makemusicchicago.com/play-the-plaza.

Live Broadcasts on 98.7WFMT

Chicago's only classical music radio station, 98.7WFMT, devotes a full day of broadcasting on June 21 to Make Music Chicago, featuring live performances from the Music Institute of Chicago (1490 Chicago Avenue, Evanston), the PianoForte Foundation (Fine Arts Building, Studio 825, 408 S. Michigan Avenue) and the Reva and David Logan Center for the Arts (915 E. 60^th Street). The broadcast is produced by 98.7WFMT's program director, Peter Van De Graaff, who said: “Make Music Chicago is one of the city's most unique musical events and WFMT is excited to feature a day of live broadcasts from around the city on June 21^st."

• Nichols Hall at Music Institute of Chicago in Evanston: 10 am – 12 pm

Performances by Newberry Consort, Music Institute of Chicago, Opera Moda, International Chamber Artists, New Budapest Orpheum Society and Apollo Chorus

• PianoForte: 1 – 3 pm

Performances by George LePauw, Marcia Bosits, Sylvia Wang, Isabelle Olivier, Matthew Hagle, and Alex Djordjevic

• Logan Center: 4 pm – 6 pm

Performances by Fulcrum Point New Music Project featuring Kuang-Hao Huang, Avalon String Quartet, Orion Ensemble, Cavatina Duo and CUBE Ensemble

Family Concerts

Make Music Chicago includes multiple Family Concerts throughout the day.  In Lincoln Park Zoo (2001 N. Clark Street), woodwind ensemble Quintet Attacca, along with special guest narrator Mark George, President of the Music Institute of Chicago, perform their interactive "Peter and the Wolf" show.  Also, the young musicians of the Suzuki Music School of Lincoln Park perform favorites in “SuZOOki” and the young artists of the Chinese Fine Arts Society perform highlights of their repertory.

Lincoln Park Zoo

• Quintet Attacca with Mark George, “Peter and the Wolf”: 10:30 am – 11:15 am
• “SuZOOki”kids play-along:  11:30 am – 12:00 pm
• Chinese Fine Arts Society Young Artists:  12:15 pm – 1:00 pm

During the Grand Finale, Quintet Attacca also performs its interactive “Quintet Idol!” on the Scott V. Bruner Family Stage in the St. James Commons, a show intended to introduce school-age children to woodwind instruments where they decide their favorite.

Organ Crawl

• St. Chrysostom Episcopal Church (1424 N. Dearborn Street): 11:10 am – 11:40 am
  Performance by Richard Hoskins
• Fourth Presbyterian Church (126 E. Chestnut Street): 12:10 pm – 1:00 pm

Performance by Julie Vidrick Evans

• St. James Cathedral: 1:20 pm – 2:00 pmPerformance by David Jonies

More Music Throughout the Day

Make Music Chicago events take place throughout the day at these Tishman Speyer properties:

• 10 & 20 S. Wacker Drive
• 161 N. Clark Street
• 222 N. LaSalle Street
• 30 N. LaSalle Street
• 353 N. Clark Street
• 525 W. Monroe Street
• 227 W. Monroe Street
• 1 N. Franklin Street

Additional Sites Hosting Music:

• Midway Plaisance, 731 E. 60th Street
• Nichols Park, 1355 E. 53rd Street
• Diehaus Museum, 40 E. Erie Street
• The Poetry Foundation, 61 W. Superior Street
• Joan’s Music Studio, 1438 E. 57th Street
• International House (2 – 8 pm), 1414 E. 59th Street
• Resurrection Project Plaza, 1818 S. Paulina Street
• Old Town School of Folk Music, 4544 N. Lincoln Avenue
• Roosevelt University, 430 S. Michigan Avenue
• Chant Restaurant (starting at 9 pm), 1509 E. 53rd Street

Grand Finale

The day’s events close with the Grand Finale, including a free two-hour concert event as part of the Rush Hour Concerts Summer Concert Series from 5 – 7 pm, at St. James Cathedral, featuring (in order of appearance, subject to change):

• A trumpet fanfare by Chicago Symphony Orchestra trumpeters Chris Martin and Tage Larsen
• Spektral Quartet performing Verdi’s String Quartet in E Minor
• Singers from the Ryan Opera Center of Lyric Opera Chicago performing selections from Carousel, The Marriage of Figaro and Dido and Aeneas
  • Janet Sung (violin) and Kuang-Hao Huang (piano) performing Poulenc’s Sonata for Violin and Piano
  • Fifth House Ensemble with participants in the 2013 fresh inc festival
  • Quintet Attacca performing the music of Paquito D'Rivera, Arturo Marquez and Astor Piazzolla
  • Chicago Symphony Orchestra Brass Quintet
  • David Schrader’s improvisations on organ

The Grand Finale continues outdoors in the new St. James Commons on Wabash at Huron from 7 – 9 pm for the Make Music Chicago Street Party, featuring family programming and international music on three stages.  Renowned harmonica performer and teacher Joe Filisko leads an all-ages Harmonica Jam with harmonicas generously donated by Hohner, Inc.  A variety of food trucks will also be on hand.

About Make Music Chicago

Celebrating the ability of everyone to make music, Make Music Chicago is completely free for musicians and audiences alike.  It is inspired by Fête de la Musique, a national musical holiday in France.  Since its inaugural year in 1982, Fête de la Musique has become an international phenomenon, taking place every June 21^st in more than 500 cities in over 130 countries – including Germany, Italy, Egypt, Syria, Morocco, Australia, Vietnam, Congo, Cameroon, Fiji, Colombia, Chile, Nepal and Japan – easily making it the largest music event in the world.  Make Music Chicago is part of a national group of “Make Music” cities that includes New York, Los Angeles, Denver, Baltimore and Philadelphia.

Make Music Chicago is presented by Rush Hour Concerts in partnership with 98.7WFMT, Alliance Française de Chicago, the Consulate General of France in Chicago, the Chicago Loop Alliance, Chicago Sister Cities International, the Chicago Park District and St. James Cathedral.

About Rush Hour Concerts

Rush Hour Concerts presents the annual Summer Concert Series featuring free concerts of “great music for busy lives” at St. James Cathedral every Tuesday evening, June 4 – August 27, 2013.  In a format that reinvents classical music for life in a new century, Rush Hour Concerts begin with a pre-concert food and beverage reception with the artists at 5:15 pm in the cathedral foyer, followed by a 30-minute concert at 5:45 pm.  The reception and concert are always free and no tickets are required.

Since its inception in 2000, Rush Hour Concerts has reinvented the classical music experience through a dedication to presenting uncompromising artistic quality; a concert format suitable to contemporary lifestyles and accessible to all listeners; and a policy of admission-free events.  Rush Hour Concerts has created groundbreaking programs and access initiatives that have revolutionized music making in Chicago and forged trendsetting partnerships with the city’s arts and cultural community. 

Rush Hour Concerts is committed to broadening arts access and launched its Community Engagement Residencies to bring expert musical instruction to under-resourced neighborhoods in Chicago through a long-term strategy of artistic and community collaboration.  Now in its 14^th year, Rush Hour Concerts has expanded into a year-round arts organization, yet remains grounded in its mission to reach across all communities with new ways for audiences to experience world-class music in Chicago.

To learn more about Make Music Chicago, please visit www.makemusicchicago.com, and to learn more about Rush Hour Concerts, please visit www.rushhour.org. 

• State of the art audiovisual capabilities in an inviting room wrapped with intimate booth seating and two levels of cabaret-style seating on the third floor of Piper's Alley.
• 5000 sq. ft. of space designed by Ryan Nestor of Barker Nestor
• This warm and intimate space seats 285 people
• Full service kitchen and bar with a no drink minimum

About TBS Just For Laughs Festival:
TBS Just For Laughs is America’s largest comedy festival bringing together the biggest stars in comedy as well as introducing new up-and-coming comedic talent. The five day festival, now in its fifth year, is a must-see for thousands of Chicago comedy fans showcasing multiple talents and historic Chicago comedy venues.
 
Tickets on sale now! Call: 312-662-4562 or log onto:  http://upcomedyclub.com. Specific information for each of the signature shows can be found at  http://upcomedyclub.com.

RAVINIA’S 2013 SUMMER SEASON OPENS WITH:

DOUBLE BILLS OF DON MCLEAN AND JUDY COLLINS,

INIDIGO GIRLS AND JOAN BAEZ

TWO SOLD-OUT NIGHTS OF STING

BENNETT GORDONG HALL $10 CLASSICS SERIES SEASON PREMIERE

KO-THI DANCE COMPANY KICKS OFF KRAFT GREAT KIDS SERIES

DON MCLEAN AND JUDY COLLINS:

• Returning hit-makers Don McLean and Judy Collins will share a double bill opening our 2013 season on June 6.

Tickets: $55-$45/Lawn $22/Park opens at 5 p.m.

INDIGO GIRLS AND JOAN BAEZ:

• With 14 studio records, three live records and three greatest hits albums, the Grammy-winning Indigo Girls return to Ravinia on a double bill with musician and activist Joan Baez, singer of such hits as “Diamonds and Rust” and “Babe, I’m Gonna Leave You,” on June 9.

Tickets: $65-$55/Lawn $27/Park opens at 4 p.m.

STING:

• Following his two-concert sold-out 2010 Ravinia debut, music icon Sting returns for two more sold-out performances, June 7 and June 8, as part of his Back to Bass Tour.
• Sting has sold nearly 100 million albums from his combined work with The Police and as a solo artist, and has earned 10 Grammy Awards, a Golden Globe, an Emmy and three Oscar nominations.

Tickets: SOLD OUT/Park opens at 5 p.m.

CONCERT DANCE, INC.:

• Ravinia’s most intimate performance space, the 450-seat Bennett Gordon Hall, is home this summer to 26 concerts that cost $10 for a reserved seat.
• This year’s $10 BGH Classics series begins with two performances of Concert Dance, Inc. (CDI) on June 6 and 7.
• These performances are also part of Ravinia’s Ruth Page Festival of Dance celebrating the late dancer/choreographer.
• There will be no lawn tickets for these shows

Tickets: $10/No Lawn Sales/Park opens at 5 p.m.

KO-THI DANCE COMPANY:

• The 2013 Kraft Great Kids Concert series emulates the festival’s main-stage programming in a kid-friendly environment.
• This family series connects to the mission of the festival’s REACH*TEACH*PLAY education programs and opens June 8 at 11 a.m. with the Ko-Thi Dance Company in the Martin Theatre.
• The dancers are trained in African history, mythology and art techniques and are taught to use rhythm and dance to captivate and inspire the audience

Tickets: $10/Lawn $5/Park opens at 10 a.m.

Ravinia is North America’s oldest outdoor music festival and is located at Lake Cook and Green Bay roads in Highland Park, IL. Tickets are available by visiting Ravinia.org or calling the Ravinia Box Office at 847-266-5100. A $7 service fee is added to all online and phone ticket orders. Ravinia welcomes all festival fans to follow, connect and interact online at backstage.ravinia.org, facebook.com/Ravinia Festival and twitter.com/raviniafestival. Ravinia is a not-for-profit organization.

Umphrey's McGee has always been a band that delivers a great show when the situation warrants it. They turn in their best performances on New Year's Eve, at the end of a long run in a city, at a late-night tent at a festival, and of course, when they throw their fans a party. For the last four years, none of their shows have warranted a big performance more than their annual UM Bowl. Last Friday night, Umphrey's McGee treated their most loyal fans to a very unique concert experience and they delivered a very impressive show indeed.

At a normal concert, you might get 2 sets of music totaling about 2.5 hours, if you're lucky. At UM Bowl, you are treated to 4 sets (or quarters, if you will) taking over 5 hours, with a few timeouts. You are also introduced to the 21st century equivalent of shouting "Freebird" at a band, only this actually works. The band set up a text line, and during the third and fourth quarters, put instructions up on big screens telling people to give them ideas for where to take the jam next, or options to vote on what song will be played next. This is definitely one of the coolest ways I've seen a band interact with their crowd during a set.

This is a unique show that caters to their die-hard fans (panders, maybe?), but it is also a neat musical trick they are able to pull. Nearly everything played on the night was influenced by the crowd, and the crowd knew it. Going in to it, the crowd knew it would be basically impossible to not hear all kinds of fan favorites. By allowing so much fan interaction, they are able to take the credit for a great show and the audience has to take the blame for a bad one.

So what does all of this get you? Two sets of nearly straight improvisation (one set the band guided, one set the audience did). One set of covers, rarities and other favorites the fans voted on beforehand. Finally, you get a set where the audience was often split between itself and more interested in the outcome of a vote rather than the music on stage. Sure, as an Umphrey's fan, this was a very fun set of music to experience, however the interactive element lead to many awkward transitions, as was the case in the audience-lead jam. A regular Umphrey's show will have much smoother segues between songs, something that is really a trademark of the band.

Surely, with all this voting on songs, there were some cool moments -you must be thinking. First of all, don't call me Shirley, and secondly, of course there were. The second set started off with Orion by Metallica. Very cool, but not surprising enough you say? How about the theme from the Mos Eisley Cantina (yes, you must specify the cantina) in Star Wars. All that was missing was a big blue elephant looking alien playing a horn. This set also featured one of my favorite things to see live, the second half of Abbey Road. Unfortunately, this version didn't feature "The End", but it was great nonetheless.

The third set, which was the audience lead jam, was as brilliant as it was awkward. Several moments were great, like when someone's suggestion was just "Gin and Juice", but then quickly got awkward as it segued into "Beach Boogie". Hey, they can't all be winners. The redemption was on with "Warrior Marching into Battle" (yea, these got a little weird), but the definite peak of the set was the "Tribal Drum Jam", where percussionist Andy Farag found his piece of stage real estate very crowded.

The audience was given one additional treat which was universally loved. Before each quarter started, and before the encore, they showed parts of a Forrest Gump parody they made up, lovingly called gUMph. Joel Cummins(Keyboards) plays the role of Gump, and everyone makes an appearance as various characters. The video culminated in Cummins running across the country and to the venue, through the crowd and up on stage to perform the encore, "Runnin' on Empty". A fun (and a little cheesy) way end to a marathon concert.

So how was the UM Bowl experience? Fantastic, to hear it from a veteran of over 50 Umphrey’s McGee shows, but I am a little biased. A show like this isn’t for a casual fan. That’s what the other 100+ shows every year are for. So I suggest that you go check them out this summer at Northerly Island. They play on Saturday, August 17^th, and who doesn’t like an outdoor venue on the lakefront in the summer in Chicago? All I can say is that I hope that everyone is as lucky as I am to see their favorite band play such a unique show for their most devoted fans.

There is just something about the ballet; the people watching (it’s a very entertaining crowd), the glass of bubbly before the show starts, the curtain rising, the live orchestra playing, and of course the ballet dancers that make the most difficult of feats seem effortless. Unfortunately, like previous performances I’ve seen at the Joffrey, the most recent performance of “Othello” left me wanting more.

Once again, Joffrey loyalists will roll their eyes when I tell them I was disappointed by the “Othello” performance. This was a completely original ballet based off of a great Shakespearean tragedy and it should have been amazing. The short teaser trailer of the performance on the Joffrey’s website was dramatic and foreboding. On the other hand, as the show began, I knew immediately that I would be left wanting. Let me first say that the dancing was beautiful. The main dancers, Othello played by Fabrice Calmels and Desdemona played by April Daly, were graceful, strong, and fluid, and exactly what you’d expect in the principal dancers. Sadly, great dancers can only do so much with what they are given, and I don’t think they were learnt much in the ways of choreography and music. The music alone was enough to make someone dislike the show. Imagine an entire 2 hour performance with drums and strings building and building and taking forever to reach a crescendo and when it does nothing happens on stage to match the power behind those notes. I equate it to sitting in a scary movie, the music building your expectations to a state of uncontrollable suspense, just waiting for the killer to jump out and attack, only to have the loud crash usually tied to a scary moment to be someone yawning on screen. What a letdown, right?

Also, the choreography was a bit too in-your-face-foreshadowing of the tumultuous and ultimately grim lover’s tale. If you went through high school and college never having read Othello or seeing the movie O, then perhaps the references weren’t so easy to pick up on, but for those of us who know the story it was about as blunt as an axe to the head. At times the duets between Othello and Desdemona just consisted of him lifting her and tossing her around like a gracefully beautiful sack of potatoes, his hands and arms lingering around her neck for an awkwardly long time. Outside of those dancers, the solos of Cassio and Iago, played by Aaron Rogers and Matthew Adamcyzk respectfully, were beautiful, but the jealousy that eventually drives Iago to his dastardly acts was so jagged and rough that it took away from the grace of a great dancer. The character of Iago seethes with jealousy, hatred, and envy but it didn’t translate as powerfully as it could have in the dancing and he ended up looking like a petulant child. All in all, the entire ballet performance was lukewarm for such a heated storyline.

So why go back? Why keep going to the ballet if I’m not going to enjoy it? It’s because I believe in this art and want to be blown away each and every time. Some of the dance companies in Chicago without nearly the endowment the Joffrey has, have left me speechless and simply blown away by their performances. I suppose I just expect the same from a company with such amazing talent as the Joffrey. So I will still go, and still hope for a performance that takes my breath away and leaves me saying ‘O.’