Items filtered by date: November 2007

It’s 1959 and the house at 406 Clybourne Street boasts stained wooden columns, vaulted ceilings, three floors, and an attic full of memories. That’s precisely why Russ and Bev are leaving. Haunted by an upstairs incident and their neighbours' subsequent shunning, the middle-aged, middle-class couple have sold their home to escape northward. The neighborhood association is worried – not because they’ll miss Russ at Rotary or seeing Bev at the grocery store, but because the new tenants are black.

The issues of race and place take up residence in playwright-provocateur Bruce Norris’ newest dramatic comedy Clybourne Park, winner of this year’s Pulitzer Prize and the Steppenwolf season opener. In Act One of Amy Morton’s deftly staged production, the threat of plunging property values and white flight play out, while Act Two fast forwards 50 years to see the same home, now in a predominantly black neighborhood, being sold to white yuppies as gentrification begins. Two September afternoons, a half-century apart, reveal deep-seeded racism playing out during property negotiations. The play is also quite funny.

Karl Lindner, a man so slick his glasses slide off his face, arrives with his pregnant, deaf wife, to urge Russ not to sell. He’s just come from trying to convince the future tenants, the black Youngers family from Lorraine Hansberry’s A Raisin in the Sun, to not move into the neighborhood. Lindner is the closest thing Norris offers to a villain. Writing on him and his deaf wife, Norris remarks, “I wanted to make the point that nobody who could hear Karl Lindner would marry him.” But Russ, who can hear, won’t listen to Lindner either. He isn’t fighting for social justice and racial equality, he’s just sending a final fuck-you to the neighbors he once called friends.

“Fuck you” might be a crass way of describing how Norris treats the audiences of his plays. Seeing society as a depraved, dead mass, Norris derives joy from denying spectators a relatable, moral character. “I think art is to society as Christmas ornaments are to a tree,” Norris told the A.V. Club. “They make the tree prettier, but it’s still a dead tree.” This attitude has gotten the former actor work. A Chicagoan of 19 years who now calls Brooklyn home, Norris has had six of his plays originated at Steppenwolf, including last season’s time-bending musing on upper-class discount A Parallelogram. His acting background, which includes stints on Broadway and feature films, heavily influences his writing method. He tells SFGate.com that “writing plays is just an elaborate form of improvisation in which I act out all of the characters in my head and simultaneously transcribe what they say.” The result in Clybourne Park is a carefully crafted collection of fourteen characters, embodied by a talented ensemble of seven performers.

Each actor plays a different character in the two time periods, demonstrating considerable range and creating thought-provoking parallels. Kirsten Fitzgerald transforms from her positive, plump Bev into a self-centered real-estate agent; John Judd switches from his brooding volcano Russ into a soft-spoken contractor; Cliff Chamberlain swaps from his sly Lindner to half of the yuppie pair about to demolish the graffiti-stained property and build their McMansion. These juxtapositions elevate the whole play, making it greater than the sum of the acts. Mundane specifics (“Monday”, “4pm”) are kept constant, as well as profound mantras: “you can’t live in a principle – you live in a house.”  In these parallels, Norris suggests that while progress has certainly been made (the black maid and her husband, silent for much of the first act, are upper-class owners of the property after intermission); true integration is still far off. Our contemporary “euphemistic tapdance” around race, as one character calls us, keeps us trapped from addressing deeper issues. But perhaps Norris’ play, a perfectly structured memory of yesterday and stark staging of today, will keep us from reverting back to the tragedies that hang in our attics.  Also, maybe we can learn to laugh at ourselves.

The performance of Momix latest work, "Botanica", under the stars at Ravinia Festival in Highland Park was absolutely breathtaking, beautiful and inspiring, everything a modern dance company aspires to achieve. 

"Botanica" is a tribute to the rhythms of nature and the unfolding of the seasons. The piece is underscored by a lush and pounding soundtrack that includes modern drum/dance tracks, natural birdsong and Vivaldi and also has some of the most astounding costumes, props and puppets I've ever seen. The perfectly trained and energetic Momix dancers play and contort their bodies into the shapes and very essence of flowers, bumblebees, horses, sun and wind. 
Some people feel inspired to work out or play sports after seeing great athletes play football or basketball but having trained as a dancer in my youth, I feel that way after seeing great athletes like the Momix dancers. 

Every member of this superior troupe was not only expressive and dynamic as an ensemble; they also each managed to convey an individual sense of humor, flair and savoir-faire that mesmerized me number by number.

There is also a very distinct and uplifting spiritual message underlying the rich and complex choreography. For example, during one segment a single female dancer spins with a silvery, translucent, circular veil around her neck, 12 feet wide. As she is spinning, the veil undulates and shimmers like a living thing, like the wings of a manta ray. 

The dancer's hands barely moving, as they transition from one mudra, or "prayer position" after another. Just as you begin to think she is not "doing" anything but spinning on point, you realize that she is spinning on point not six or even ten times but hundreds of times, without stopping, without dizzying, a compassionate, angelic portrayal of moonbeams and starlight, endless, infinite in variation with a dazzling, seemingly effortless, clocklike precision, much like nature herself. 

During another piece the dancers link together to portray the mating rituals of centaur like creatures, half human half horse and each taut flip of their tail or toss of the head sends out an instantaneous and electric response in the others, creating a delicious and suspenseful sense of sexual tension and fulfillment as the centaurs find their mates and begin to dance in pairs.

Another striking number involves four female dancers dressed as full blooming orange and red carnations, upon whose seated entrance all that is visible beyond the flowers "petals" are their faces and toes. As the dance continues the dresses are pushed down a little bit at a time until the arms and legs of the dancers are revealed and standing they become human flamenco dancers and flowers in motion at the same time.

I'll leave you with one last striking and deeply moving image from "Botanica" choreographed by the immensely gifted Moses Pendleton.

As the curtain parts, a single white rose twenty feet high is cast on the screen behind the stage and all the dancers in nude body stockings stand intertwined in front of it with their beautiful muscular backs to the audience. As they gently bend and sway, the color of the projected rose changes from black and white to sepia to a full blooming red and the audience realizes that the human back and arms linked together in this way absolutely and dynamically reflect the beauty, complexity and magnificence one of God's most delightful and artful creations, the rose, in full bloom.

The curtain fell on Momix' dancers reluctantly as we audience members gave them a standing ovation and called out "Brava!" and "Encore!". Momix' "Botanica" on closing weekend of the Ravinia Park Summer Festival was a genuinely exhilarating performance we were all privileged to have witnessed.

I highly recommend seeing the enormously innovative and spiritually uplifting Momix dance troupe in performance and taking along every little dancer in your family to inspire them with the vision of what a life in dance can be.

The Milk Carton Kids, consisting of Joey Ryan and Kenneth Pattengale, may only be similar to their name because their bios are virtually impossible to come across and know. I can tell you they are from LA, though, but probably would not buy one darn earring for a whopping $75,000 like LA area born and raised, Kim Kardashian, even if they did have that much dough.

During shows at Shubbas in Chicago with some old farts, I have been accustomed to rubbing elbows, boobies, booties, as well as, the likelihood of all other imaginable body parts. But, it was not a claustrophobe's nightmare a few nights ago, the venue had chairs and tables nicely set up for an evening of laid-back performing arts.
I found The Milk Carton Kids on stage right on time, and Joey Ryan had the audience cracking up at a drop of a dime.

While they were playing, I could not detect any flaws or wrongs. It was mainly intriguing how Ryan and Pattengale's singing voices sounded so delicate and in perfect harmony, like one singer actually, in many of their songs. I swear to you I had not taken any hits off of any bongs!

The Milk Carton Kids can also sing and play very loudly and infectiously rowdy. And, Ryan and Pattengale merely use their voices and acoustic guitars, that are not electronically tampered with or made cloudy.

The two attractive young guys exhibit seductive fingering of their instruments, during their performance of Americana, back-porch, flannel-folk arrangements. The Milk Carton Kid's heavily relatable lyrics about love can, additionally, make people's entireties transcend deeply into their tunes and onstage movements.

Plus, in breaks of playing, Ryan and Pattengale's shockingly blunt, non-politically correct and dry humor delivery, with natural comedic timing, proved they could also do well at Professional Comedy. Even if they did not have at least 98 percent of the audience laughing, and from their bellies, their music alone still would have made for a positively highly entertaining evening.

After having already just seen what to me, was the art of performing at its' best, during The Milk Carton Kid's second encore, Ryan asked the the crowd "Any requests?"

Members of the audience shouted out many, and the probably exhausted from traveling Ryan and Pattengale, played every single one and still whole-heartedly.

The Milk Carton Kids are clearly people pleasers and work hardy, for they also invited the audience to speak with them after the show and to party.

I approached two girls in the crowd, and Jean said "The show was phenomenal--great chemistry and stage presence," and Suzanne conveyed "The music made my toes tap, my heart swoon, and the banter made me laugh out loud."

So, I suggest people be on the lookout for The Milk Carton Kid's whereabouts, because you do not want to miss your chance to catch them! Also, it is recommended people buy The Milk Carton Kid's live album "Prologue," which is a fusion of each Ryan and Pattengale's solo material, and it is a rare gem.

Please visit: themilkcartonkids.com for info on their tour dates and albums. Oh, and The Milk Carton Kid's have so generously made some of their songs free to download from there!

“If you’re feeling good make some noise” – Carrie Underwood

It was Labor Day weekend at Ravinia in Highland Park. Everywhere through the crowd were candlelit picnics on this cool breezy Sunday evening. Daylight was just beginning to fade and the stage was set for Carrie Underwood to entertain a sold out show.

An orchestra was set up on stage with a country band intermingled amongst them. Before the concert the orchestral instruments warmed up on stage for the show. In the center of the stage were the conductor’s podium and a black full concert grand piano.

The band walked out and took their places. You hear the occasional scream from someone who can’t stand the wait any longer to see the 2005 American Idol winner. Carrie Underwood makes it out to the stage and the place just lights up with excitement. The person they came to see was finally there to sing.

Opening out the night was the hit song “Cowboy Casanova.” The upbeat pop country piece was done to perfection by the huge band that was on stage. Underwood was right on the money within the entire presentation. The violin hit the solos just like the record with smooth flowing precision.

The song “Change” was just a tremendous delight to hear it played out live. The blending of the orchestra on this song was impeccable. The strings played their parts making it feel bigger than life as the song was building.

A sweet violin melody leads into “Wasted.” The harmonies of angels were singing out during this dramatic piece. It seems their graceful voices were put here for one reason, to sing. Carrie Underwood has proven that she was more than just a flash in the pan for a moment artist. Six years later she is still going strong and won’t be going anywhere soon, but up. Her vocal abilities were polished beyond perfection as she harmonized with the background singers over the beautiful music.

Before they played “American Girl” Carrie told a story about the song. Every time they played it they would bring some young lady up from the audience to sing with. The last time she was at Ravinia, a pretty young lady came up on stage and then chickened out at the opportunity at the last second. The entire idea backfired on Underwood, but “She is here tonight” said Carrie. “I saw her earlier and I wanted to dedicate this song to her.” It would’ve been nice if the girl would’ve grown the courage to sing it on stage this time. Maybe on Carrie’s next time through Chicago.

The sweet sounds of “Temporary home” started out so mellow and it was just a beautiful piece to hear. The guitars blended with all the strings. The soft piano backing up the words “I can see Gods face” sent chills through your spine.

The country ballad “Jesus take the wheel” was absolutely the highlight of the show. When this song starts out, it comes in slow with strum of the guitar and accented with violin accompaniment. The story being told within the lines of the song is very well written. How could Underwood ever top this song? Don’t worry she will, but seeing it in the amazement of Ravinia on a cool evening couldn’t be any more like Heaven.

Underwood explained that this is her third time playing at Ravinia and that she “always enjoyed playing here. It has such a relaxed feeling. Wish we had a place like this where I’m from. Hope you know how good you got it.”

Underwood told stories about what she has been doing. Lately, playing with puppies and hanging out with her husband has been taking up a big part of her free time. Talked about the fact she did over a hundred shows last year. She continued and talked about having a journalist background to fall back on just in case music doesn’t work out for her. The only thing she needs to write is more songs. She will never need the journalist background, but might work well with composing music.

Within every note it is quite obvious that Underwood has an amazing voice in every way. She has grace and can bring it down to Earth with soul. American Idol seems like it was just so long ago.

During the performance Underwood had a very sensitive microphone. Occasionally she wouldn’t pull back far enough from the microphone causing a breath pop through the speakers. It sounded very unprofessional although most people seemed to be oblivious to it. The unwelcome sound was not overpowering enough to make the show not enjoyable, but to a trained ear it was nuisance. Adjustments must have been made by Underwood or the soundboard because it did go away after about a half dozen songs.

 For over one hundred years Ravinia has been having concerts like this during the warm summer months. As this summer is winding down, where else would you rather be than amongst these manicured gardens seeing an incredible act like Carrie Underwood? The sold out show was proof without a doubt that this young lady has touched a lot of people with her music. As this night of music ends, people are bused back to their cars parked at the Botanical Gardens and slowly the parking lot thins out. It wasn’t just another fine evening at Ravinia. It was a night with Carrie Underwood. She is an amazingly talented young lady and truly is an American worth being idolized. She was just fabulous!

It was one of this summer’s most beautiful nights – balmy, but not too humid, warm, but with a perfect light breeze and clear enough to see a host of stars overhead. Ravinia’s lawn was filled with picnickers – some which did things simple with just a blanket, maybe a chair or two, a few snacks and a bottle of wine, and some who set up grand displays with candlelit tables, dining ware, goblets and a feast large enough to feed a small army. Of course this occurs on most nights at Highland Park's Ravinia, but this was not most nights – this was Tony Bennett’s birthday - his 85th!

To get things started, Tony’s daughter, Antonia Bennett came out to do a short set. The tall redhead quickly proved that she was not riding on her father’s coattails, showing off her own dynamic voice.

The entire crowd took to their feet as Tony Bennett then took the stage in his white lounge jacket, blue tie and blue slacks. As Tony went into song, the cheers accelerated and the cries of "I love you, Tony" and "Happy Birthday, Tony" were heard. Looking robust, tanned and as healthy as an ox, Tony played a variety of favorites including "The Best is Yet to Come", "The Way You Look Tonight", "I Left My Heart in San Francisco" and "Fly Me to the Moon", which he dedicated to the people on the lawn.

Tony was indeed the legend we know him as. His voice was strong and his timing was that of perfection. Smiling his way through the energized set, the crowd erupted in a handful of standing ovations to honor the great star. Antonia even joined her father for a duet in which the two exchanged a few dance moves.

As classy as Tony was, his band certainly held their own and more. Featuring greats such as Harold Jones on drums, Gary Sargent on guitar, Marshall Wood on stand up bass and Lee Musiker on piano, this was a performance to cherish – a performance, and picture-perfect setting, that made a magical evening.

Of all things I could say about Lifehouse, "They put on an amazing concert!" is probably one of the last things I would even think to say about them. In fact, you wouldn't even hear them playing in my car sitting in 5 o'clock traffic. I would like to point out that I'm not trying to bash Lifehouse (I don't want any upset Lifehouse fans out there!), they are great musical artists, and Jason Wade is a very talented singer; they are simply not my cup of tea. But one thing certain about LIfehouse' live concert on Saturday at Ravinia - they really put on a spectacular concert.For someone who never really appreciated their music before, I have certainly found a new respect for Lifehouse. I had a great time and was blown away by their performance.　

All I could see as I looked around while Lifehouse played, was that everyone was really rockin' out to their music - and not just the teenage rockers! I saw everyone from small children to adults on their feet, singing and head bobbing along to all of Lifehouse's hits. I never realized how popular this band really was. By the end of the show, I was even getting into the music and bobbing my head too! I was even singing along to a few of the songs that I actually did recognize! This live Lifehouse show really did change my opinion on the band. They still may not be my most favorite band in the world, but I would certainly not mind seeing them live again. Just seeing how much they can work up a crowd was exciting in itself, even the security guards themselves were getting in their show. They are a great band to see live for all ages, as I'm sure that it was the first concert for a lot of children there that night. I'd like to thank Lifehouse for coming to Chicago and changing how I see their band. As good as music sounds on a CD or an Ipod, there is no comparison for how great this band sounds live. Their talent really shines on stage.

One question by the way, WHY DIDN’T ANYONE TELL ME HOW GREAT THE RAVINIA IS BEFORE?!?! Seriously. After hearing so much about all of the great concerts, shows and events that happen there, I was pleased to finally able to feed my curiosity. Ravinia even has it's own Metra station stop, so it just had to be a great venue, right? OF COURSE! My first impression of this place just walking in is how remarkably clean this place is! Hats off to the Ravinia for keeping this place near to spotless. I'm used to trash on the floor and dirty smelly bathrooms, however, Ravinia certainly takes the cake for the cleanest outdoor venue in the Chicagoland area.

Unlike most venues, Ravinia offers its goers freedom from annoying security and pesky venue employees telling you what you can and cannot bring into the park. You are free to bring blankets, picnic tables, chairs, wine, cheese and any other goodies you can manage to bring in! If you don't want the hassle of lugging around any of this stuff however, fear not! Ravinia offers all of the above there at the venue! Ravinia has a beautiful little dining area offering all kinds of foods and snacks to munch on, as well as a dainty little seating area to enjoy it all! They also offer table/chair rental for those of you who don't want to be a pack mule! Not to mention a variety of beer/wine for those of you who like to enjoy some drinks as you enjoy a great concert and a cool summer breeze. I should mention again, that Ravinia is pretty lenient with what you can bring in to the venue, so if you plan on having a few drinks, I encourage you to bring your own from home! Like most places you can expect to pay 7 dollars for a beer or some wine. So save that cash and load up on goodies for you and your date. This place is the perfect place for a nice romantic evening with that special someone - take note of this guys!

With all these great amenities, why wouldn't you want to go to this place!? At this point I should mention that all this talk of chair rentals and table rentals, etc, is for anyone who plans on purchasing lawn seating. There are seated tickets available for purchase in the Ravinia's Pavilion (the stage is in the pavilion, so if you want to be as close as possible to the action, I highly recommend purchasing tickets in the Pavilion). However, no food or alcohol is allowed in the Pavilion's seating area, barring bottled water. Concert goers can only enjoy bottled water in this area. This must explain why I saw a sea of people all over the lawn! So keep that in mind when purchasing tickets to any of the Ravinia's wonderful events.

Getting to Ravinia is also a cinch. They are easily accessible via the Metra rail system; the train actually stops right at the front gates (this is the best way to get there is the train is convenient for you). However if the train is not convenient for you, consider driving. Parking is available right at the venue, but expect a lot of traffic there. I recommend using the many "Park and Ride" lots located in the Ravinia's general vicinity. They provide free parking and a free shuttle service to the venue and back in the "Park and Ride" lots. Personally, I think this is the best way to get to the Ravinia. I found it to be quick and easy, and you can't be FREE, not at all. Please visit http://www.ravinia.org/ for more venue information on where the "Park and Ride" lots are located. Events, ticket information, parking information, etc. can also be found on the website, so check it out before it's too late for this year. Although summer is nearing it's unfortunate end, fall is right around the corner. There is still some time left to enjoy some of the great events going on at the Ravinia, so be sure to check this place out while you still can this year! I certainly am looking forward to seeing more concerts and events there in the near future!

On Saturday night a little after 7:00 P.M. ticket holders were having their tickets scanned in as they walked through the door. Even the ones who knew how great these musicians were had no idea what was about to hit them. No one had any idea how incredible this show was going to be. The super groups, Return to Forever-IV and Zappa Plays Zappa, were in Hammond, Indiana at the Horseshoe Casino and The Venue was a great setting for this musical display.

After paying the outrageous toll, climbing the mile high bridge, you come over the Ski-way to the bottom of the bridge to the first exit which takes you to where you want to be. As you walk in the doors, you are reminded by the smell of smoke that you aren’t in Illinois. You make your way across the building to The Venue. You find your seats and you are ready to start the show.

Opening out the evening was Zappa Plays Zappa. The amazing and talented band conquered old classic Frank Zappa Material with ease. The band led by Dweezil Zappa played every intricate change with precision and clarity. The comical lyrics and stories within the music made it hard to ever take this music seriously, but they were told amongst some of the toughest music written in the twentieth century.

Dweezil is a highly underrated guitarist. The most incredible guitar runs of the night came from the hands of Zappa. He ripped through the songs with complete syncopation, through very complicated pieces. He stepped up to the plate and tackled these songs for the crowd appearing very cool and laid back. He seemed lost in his own little world as he focused on the music coming through his ear monitors. There was no fancy stage show, just kick ass music. That’s all this crowd wanted to see anyway.

The band involved in backing up Dweezil on this quest was amazing to see. Including Zappa, there were eight musicians that made up this ensemble. Sheila Gonzalez played saxophone, flute, keyboards, and sang within this lineup. This one is really a Jill of all trades and was a necessary piece of the puzzle.

Pete Griffin comes in on bass guitar holding the bottom end together. He had a few real warm bass parts to provide. On all sorts of percussion instruments was Billy Hulting who hit out some rhythms that sounded almost robotic. This machine doesn’t make a mistake.

Jamie Kime chimed in on guitar helping this group pull it all together. He himself is a guitar virtuoso without a doubt. On vocals was Ben Thomas who did a number on the old stuff that won’t soon be forgotten. His vocal abilities are fitting, but the man’s way of telling a story was very charismatic. He is truly an entertainer of a highest caliber.

Joe Travers takes the roll on top of the riser hitting with dynamics and power creating wicked drum rolls. Chris Norton finalizes a great band within everything that he does. He is surrounded by keyboards, a laptop, and a few other gadgets to get the old school sounds. Every one of these musicians has a key part in this band. Together they make up Zappa Plays Zappa.

Some of the songs chosen to be performed were “Don’t You Ever Wash That Thing,” “Pojama People,” and the classic “Don’t eat the yellow snow.” “Dancing Fool” was another whimsical song that was done to perfection. During their shared stage time they had a guest violin player sporting a candied blue electric violin. Jean Luc Ponty sat in for one of the compositions and he added some magical tones to the music that was just a delightful moment.

As their show ended there was no encore for this group. Instead Dweezil Zappa did a very cool thing. He reached down at the front of the stage and started to sign autographs. The stage hands started switching the bands up and get everything ready for Return to Forever IV. Dweezil signed autographs, took pictures, and shook hands with everyone who came up to the front of the stage. Just when everyone thought he was done, he proved them wrong. It was now time for the next act and he was still signing all the way up until a few minutes before the lights dimmed. That is such a rare thing to see and very well appreciated by the fans. It was a very nice gesture from a first class act.

It was time to see the musical masters do it up. No intro music or fancy anything. They just walked out, waved hello and started playing. From the opening notes if Return to Forever IV, it was quite obvious you were about to see greatness.

Chick Corea destroyed the egos of any amateur keyboardist in the room within his falling runs. His quick finger style was beyond just being skilled. The keyboardist extraordinaire wowed the crowd within the first few minutes of playing. At one point he even pulled out his most popular piece “Romantic Warrior.” He made the comment to the audience, “If you weren’t here …..” shrugged his shoulders and smiles, “you wouldn’t be here,” then walked back to his keyboards.

Stanley Clarke, “the master of everything,” has to be the best bass player ever. The audience at The Venue Saturday night couldn’t imagine seeing a bass player that is any better than Stanley Clarke. He played bass solos on acoustic and electric basses that were slapping and thumping away. He did runs that today’s top bass players couldn’t find by accident even once.

Jean Luc Ponty is just a graceful act. This gentleman played some intricate pieces himself. The strings were touched by his bow to help create some magical moments. At other points he did stuff in a pizzicato fashion sometimes trading off with a complimentary guitar piece. He made reference to the old days of performing Zappa’s music stating that “Dweezil was only 4 years old at the time. It’s nice to see his band doing Frank’s music so well.”

Lenny White stepped up to introduce a piece. He said, “It’s really nice to play music for people who appreciate it. We’re gonna play you some manly music now, cus we’re a man band.” He went back to this drum kit and proved it. His modest sized kit was all he really needed. Honestly, this man could make pots and pans sound good. His drum solo was filled with some offbeat jazzy stuff that is really an acquired taste that not all ears can appreciate. Only handfuls of drummers are as talented as Mr. Lenny White.

Frank Gambale is amazing guitarist in all respects to share a stage with these fine musicians has to be an honor. As the night proceeded, the talents in his hands were not used much as he appeared only to be a gun for hire. During some songs he sat back on a chair and bopped his head to the music. For as much talent as this six stringer has, it seems like his talents were wasted. He looked like the first string quarterback sitting on the sidelines being punished, itching to jump in and play.  

As Return to Forever IV played, the time allotted was running out. They finished their last song and said their goodbyes. They signed a few autographs, shook some hands, and they were gone. They may never have sung a note in any songs, but they said a lot within their instruments of choice. The theater started to clear out and the stunned crowd dissipated into the casino. The ones that made it back to their vehicles right away after the show got to enjoy a traffic jam that awaited another vehicle in the parking garage.

A fantastic night of music was once again held at The Venue within Hammond, Indiana’s Horseshoe Casino. The super groups of Return to Forever IV and Zappa Plays Zappa were the talented entertainer’s of the evening. This was an amazingly talented show to see.

Comedian Jim Gaffigan triumphantly returned to his native state Indiana, this time taking on a full house at The Venue, located inside the Horseshoe Casino. Touching on all subjects from the urgency and awkward process of getting a drink at a crowded bar to his famous bit on Hot Pockets, Gaffigan had the crowd laughing nonstop from beginning to end.

With a healthy combination of material that included a healthy dose of King Baby as well as new stuff and old, Gaffigan was sure to incorporate his high-toned side commentary of the ignorant or offended audience member with every opportune moment. "Oh really, Jim. The baby and diarrhea joke already?" "My girlfriend is allergic to tuna, Jim. How offensive."

All subject matter was open game for Gaffigan, who even targeted Extenz (penis enlarger) spokesman Jimmy Johnson. "Do you think they called him to do the spot originally as a joke?" "Do you think they were going to try Dick Butkus, too?" Gaffigan went on taking shots at Subway’s watery tuna fish, praised his overweight self for being the "skinny guy" at McDonalds, and challenged the bar back who is unable to hand him a beer in a busy bar. "Ok, you just carried five cases of beer up a narrow staircase but you are not qualified to hand me one?"

As far as working out goes, Gaffigan told the audience he would just prefer to wear black. Still, funny as ever, for most, Jim Gaffigan’s humor was the perfect remedy to the doldrums of a monotonous workweek even if just for a couple hours. Do yourself a favor and keep a lookout for his show the next time around and mark it on your calendar as a "must see".

On a wonderful summer evening, I had the privilege of visiting one of the best venues in the Chicago area.  The Ravinia Festival in Highland Park is a pillar of the outdoor concert community, and I can't believe I considered myself a seasoned concert-goer without ever stepping foot on the grounds.  From an extensive lawn where nobody seems bothered that they cannot see the stage, to the wonderful pavilion where there isn't a bad seat - everyone is bathed in amazing acoustics.  What better band to drive those acoustics than the perfectionists, Steely Dan.

The show started with an instrumental called "Dizzy's Bidness" that consisted of most, and then the entire backing band.  As the two men that make up the heart of Steely Dan, Donald Fagen and Walter Becker, entered the stage the needle was dropped and the band broke into the 1977 album "Aja".

I've become quite a fan of bands covering an entire album at a show, and Friday night's performance of "Aja" did not disappoint.  The tightness of this band and the familiarity with the material really showed as it was a faithful reproduction of the album that reached #3 on the US charts.  Though Fagen's vocals are slightly declining with age, he showed no fear in belting out each song with as much energy as he could possibly muster.  He was quite obviously having more fun than anyone else at the show.  Fagen was given a vocal assist by three lovely backup singers he endearingly referred to as "The Embassy Brats".

After the completion of "Aja", Fagen, Becker and crew broke out material from across the spectrum of the band.  This included an interesting prelude to "Hey Nineteen", where Becker informs the audience of the importance of keeping a hip flask handy.  Prior to this, Becker had been so intensely focused on the music that he seemed as if this little speech was the first time he noticed the audience.  Song after song rocked on, and it became more and more apparent just how great the musicians are that Fagen and Becker have surrounded themselves with.

There were a total of 13 musicians on the stage for the entire show, playing in sync the entire time.  This lead to an extended cover of James Brown's "Papa Don't Take No Mess" where Becker once again stepped up to the mic in order to introduce every single member of the band.  It was a well deserved salute and maybe a bit too long of a rest before the awesome conclusion that was in store.

The set came to a raucous conclusion with "My Old School" and "Reelin' In the Years".  The last song finally got the crowd on their feet - one of my pet peeves at a show is when everyone is sitting down, but the venue doesn't strike me as the kind of place where everyone gets up and dances.

The band was back on stage nearly as quickly as they exited, with Fagen informing us that they still had 7 minutes to play.  The band broke into "Kid Charlemagne" and the crowd went nuts all over again.  As the show wrapped up, Fagen and Becker exited the stage, and the band played everyone off with the theme from "Last Tango in Paris".  This provided excellent framing for a fantastic show.  The band played for a solid two and a half hours and didn't let up once.  Now that I've crossed Steely Dan off the list of my bands to see, my next objective is to see them again as soon as possible!