He Said She Said is a power pop rock dance band that knows what the crowd likes. Their show at Chicago City Limits (1712 W. Wise Rd. Schaumburg, Illinois) just kicked ass. At no time were asses just sitting in seats. If you were at this show your feet were tapping or you were dancing up a storm. In front of the stage was a good group of fans dancing all the way up until after 2:00 a.m. They were fantastic!

Lead Singer Tamara Mooshey came forward and charged up this crowd with a strong performance. She was dressed to kill in skimpy clothes, but she wasn’t dressed this way to hide her talent. This woman has a good vocal style that fits the type of music they are doing. She never stopped and neither did the band.

The hard hitting ball of energy drummer Matthew Koller came to this show for one main reason, to rock. Don’t let this group fool you. They are doing a bunch of dance hits, but they truly know how to slam and having this drummer within the band keeps them slamming in time all night long. His clock is right on the money with every beat. 

The low end master Carl Kusch thumped his way around on stage like a seasoned professional. The bass master played through a huge bass stack that was painted like the Chicago flag. His fingers were picking away all night with precision moves on stage. He had the moves and all of the skill to keep them dancing in front of the stage as he locked with the drummer as they became one.

Kerry Ridout completes this four piece band with class. The six string was like an extension of his hands. He played a lot of the funky harmonies that made the songs complete. As this group is mostly oriented around pop, rock, and dance there weren’t a lot of guitar solos that came from him, but the rhythms and leads he played take more skill than being a wanker.

He Said She Said is full of energy and very entertaining if you like this kind of music or not. All four members of this band will sing within songs and vocally they have very good harmonies that compliments the musical covers that they did. Every song was done true to the original. For the lucky people in the audience they really got a treat.

The band pulled off popular rockGuitarist Kerry Ridout  songs like Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believing” and Bon Jovi’s “Living on A Prayer.” They played to perfection Cheap Trick’s “I Want You to Want Me’ and it sounded very close to Live at Budokan. They played all of the dance hits including a surprising song by Lady Gaga “Bad Romance.” It was nothing but high drive music all evening for the entire time they played. This group might have more energy than the Energizer Bunny.

They did have a young lady come up on stage to play guitar with them for a few songs and she held her own during everything that she played. She was rock solid with her guitar addition to the band and fit their style too. Although her real name is a mystery, she simply goes by Sharky.  

He Said She Said is a power pop rock dance band that knows what a crowd likes. Their show at Chicago City Limits was nothing short of fantastic. If you attended this show and you didn’t enjoy it, you might want to check your pulse, you may be dead. This band can act like a defibrillator just shocking you all the way through to your soul. They are amazing entertainers.

 Guitarist Kerry Ridout

There is nothing like hanging out with friends at a local night club while a good band is playing live. The music goes through to your soul and sets the tone for the evening. It can be an amazing time as the soundtrack is unveiled by the group on stage. Within the band Trainwreck it is a guaranteed good time for all.

The name of this group is Trainwreck, but they don’t sound like a big group of metal cars crashing into each other. It is just a name. These guys know how to set the mood for a party and get everyone in the crowd involved.

As the music began at Papa T’s in Burbank, Illinois, these guys played the “2112 Overture” by Rush. The four piece rock band took the song, jammed the hell out of it, and the place went crazy. Interestingly enough, the date was 1-21-12 and surely they played it because of the date of the show.

As their set unfolded through the night they kept playing one hit after another within the classic rock world. Performing a condensed version of all three sections of “Another Brick in the Wall” was a highlight of the band’s night. They played their own arrangement of the songs and immediately went into “Young Lust” after that. You can’t go wrong with playing Pink Floyd. It’s always a crowd pleaser.

The songs kept pouring out getting the people off their feet to dance and move about the room. An excellent version of “Simple Man” was great for the beer drinkers. A fairly well behaved crowd also enjoyed “Freebird,” “Sweet Home Alabama,” and what show would be complete without the Alice in Chains song “Would?”

Drummer Patrick Murphy slams his drum kit with hard precise hits within every song. He keeps the band’s clock on the beat and also sings lead vocals within a lot of songs. The talents within him shine through and he is fun to see play. Within the Chicago music scene he is definitely the cream of the crop of musicians.

Patrick’s brother Jimmy Murphy takes the center position on stage for some sweet vocals as well along with some tasty licks on the guitar. His rock guitar style is an important part to the band as any other member. He knows just what to play and it’s never overdone. He is very skilled at his instrument of choice and within a solo will stay more true to the original musical work of art.

At the stage left position is Jim Tomaszewski on guitar and vocals and he can hold his own on the six string. There is no doubt that this man has skills and knows his way around his instrument. He will throw in some flashier stuff at times doing some finger tapping. It’s quite obvious that he was influenced by Van Halen and he could pick a worse guitar player to be influenced by. 

·Kathy Robinson Tomaszewski

• Kathy Robinson Tomaszewski

Providing the low end and some very smooth vocals is Kenn Keyser. This south paw player fills the stage right position, but thanks to a nice wireless system he can be seen walking about the room interacting with the crowd. His playing compliments the others well in every song and he locks with the drummer.

This band’s main goal is to bring an “arena sized” show to local music venues and they do it so well. They will play a lot of songs true to the original, but on some songs they throw in a nice creative twist showing that they can think outside the box.

As this band has no rules other than to entertain, they will do it by any means necessary. Kathy Tomazewski, Jim’s wife, came up to sing a few songs and the girl has a set of pipes. She belted out “Heartbreaker” by Pat Benetar and it was definitely a worthy version. She also sang “Barracuda” (Heart) and “Call Me” (Blondie) and hit the notes with ease.

This band always seems to have the girls at their shows and no Trainwreck show would be complete without the twins Carla and Angela Annerino. Referred to by one bar patron as “The Doublemint Twins” these two are always there to support bands and take pictures.

In front of the stage people were cutting a rug during most of the songs played. The song that had everyone moving was “Play That Funky Music (White Boy).” Your feet can’t stop moving during the song and there was even a white boy trying to break~dance. Everyone had fun and if they didn’t they were dead. 

 Unfortunately all good things must come to an end and so did this show. They didn’t end it without hitting on some great songs like “Paranoid” (Black Sabbath) and “Free for All” (Ted Nugent). Ending their night was the Neil Young classic “Rockin' in the Free World.” It was a good time.

As the night came and went way too fast it will be a pleasure to see the band Trainwreck again. These guys rocked the house and kept you musically entertained all night long. It was a pleasure to be amongst friendly people and enjoy some live music. It was a night to remember.

AC/DC has long been one of the greatest rock bands to ever exist. They have inspired so many for forty years to play kick ass rock music. Some of them got it right like the AC/DC cover band TNT Chicago. These guys without a doubt know how to rock a house just like the boys from down under.

On a day that most regular people wouldn’t venture out, TNT Chicago took the stage at Penny Road Pub and tore the place up. The snow that hit Chicago caused quite a few fans and even one of the guitarists to miss this show. The band made the necessary adjustments and the show went on as scheduled. In the Chicago Metro area, this is the AC/DC show to see live.

Lead singer Jim Irwin usually doesn’t play guitar in this band, but the seasoned musician stepped up to the plate and covered the rhythm guitar as well as his required vocals. Honestly, the second guitarist wasn’t missed at all musically. Irwin covered all the rhythms just as if it was normally part of the show.

Bass player Stevie Conlon is the low end master within this group and sings backing vocals as well. The limber fingers rolled out the notes during every song keeping the rhythms tight. Feeling the bass within your chest and body made you feel as if you were part of the song.

Completing the other half of the rhythm section is Peter Jones on drums. He kept the timing with precision hits as wood chips occasionally flew off of his sticks. As the drums locked with the bass it really seemed as if this rhythm section became one entity.

Mike Sawinski filled one of the most important roles in an AC/DC band, the lead guitar role of Angus Young. Not just any guitarist can pull off these incredible licks handed down from a masterful band, but somehow Mike pulls it off just like the record. He is just phenomenal!!

As the night went on, the band played so many songs to perfection it was sick. All four of the musicians that showed up were of top notch caliber and played to amazing levels of expertise. WOW!!

The long list of songs within their set were a treat to hear. Songs like “Back in Black,” “Whole Lotta Rosie,” “Sin City,” and “Back in Black” shook the floor and walls of Penny Road all night long. These guys didn’t just come out with the hit songs. They went back to some “B” side material as well. For the real AC/DC fans, this was an impressive show.

 The band gathered audience participation on “Thunderstruck” at the beginning to help lay down a nice groove. “Ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, Thunder!” bellowed from the stage and the audience. They pumped the crowd up well and did their jobs as entertainers.

During the song “TNT” a young lady by the name of Debra was invited on stage to sing and dance with the band. She provided an extra show by shaking and dancing around for the guys in the room. Behind the microphone she appeared to be having the time of her life. When the song was over she was smiling from ear to ear. She animated the words, “Knockin' me out with those American thighs” as she grabbed her own during “You Shook Me All Night Long.” The temperature within the room seemed to go a little higher within her erotic dance moves.

The band kept playing until completely exhausted. Every bit of the show was a great time for all the attendees to this concert. The courageous fans that had the balls to make it through the snow were just amazed. It was a great time.

The members of AC/DC would be proud to see their songs done right. All the little intricacies of this band were pulled off by TNT Chicago flawlessly. Very simply, these guys F’n rock!! It’s about time someone covered this band so true to the original. If you go to a TNT Chicago show wanting to see blood, “You got it!!!!”    

Huge rock bands like Judas Priest are imitated all the time. Cover bands climb out of the woodwork to put together bad versions of the works of art by this iconic band. Some of them are just horrible, but others are quite amazing. Within the band Sin After Sin are five talented musicians that if you close your eyes, you think you are actually listening to Judas Priest themselves.

On a freezing cold January night, Sin After Sin took the stage around 10:00 P.M. at Bobby McGee’s (10139 S. Harlem in Chicago Ridge, Illinois). This group of professional musicians played the music of this great heavy metal band note for note. To enjoy this band you don’t have to be a fan of Judas Priest. If you truly enjoy music, these guys are musical entertainers.

For the real Judas Priest fans, this is a treat to see. These guys pulled out songs that Priest themselves don’t even do anymore. They will perform more from a diehard fan perspective than anything else. This is the most elite version of a cover band that could possibly ever exist and thankfully they are here in the Chicago area.

Each musician within this group is a show all by itself. The rhythm section is about as tight as you can get. With the thundering tree trunk fingers of Brent Sullivan on Bass, it locks with the timekeeper on drums, Ed Pukstis. The hard hitting drummer and the bottom end paint the canvas for the rest of the band to shine on.

Vocalist Steven Reimer nails the high notes like never seen before in any cover band. His range and sound is very wide and dynamic. The guitars are provided by two six string masters, Al Contreras and Briant Daniel. Both of these guys know all the ins and outs of their instruments and display it well within every song.

Songs that can be heard within a Sin After Sin show are; “Electric Eye,” “Dissident Aggressor,” “Hell Bent for Leather,” “Desert Plaines,” “Exciter,” “Starbreaker,” “The Ripper,” “Green Manalishi,” “Stained Class,” “Devil’s Child,” “Grinder,” “Diamonds and Rust,” “Breaking the Law” and many more.

There may have only been five guys on stage, but this band owes a lot of credit to the sixth man for the night, the sound man. The man behind the board had a very good ear for mixing. He even had a portable mixing pad so he could walk around the room and make adjustments depending on what he was hearing in the different parts of the room. He provided a very high quality level of sound for Sin After Sin and made this cold January night a party to remember.  

The band Sin After Sin is an awesome act to see in a live setting. They perform all the great songs of the band Judas Priest. This group of musicians will take a stage and completely and totally satisfy the heavy metal music fans in attendance. Any opportunity to see this band live should be taken. The heavy band Sin After Sin are truly “Metal Gods!” 

Very rarely does an entertainer take a stage and just knock out the audience. From the moment an entertainer walks out on stage they are thinking about one thing, a great performance. The setting for this show was The Venue inside Hammond’s Horseshoe Casino. The puppet master himself, the one and only, Jeff Dunham was the Saturday night entertainment and he was hysterical.

From the time Dunham stepped on stage, the audience didn’t stand a chance. He hit them with one powerful joke after another like it was a hit from a prize fighter. First a left – then a right. Some of the audience members had a hard time breathing with all the comical hits. The audience never stood a chance; it was an unfair match up as this comic’s jokes are just too strong.

Doing two sold out evening shows back to back with his family of ventriloquist dummies; Dunham was a five alarm fire that could not be put out. His laid back approach when he first came out made someone say “how is he going to do this?”, but a book should not be judged by its cover. With a mighty power Jeff hits you with comical stories. As he starts to tell the stories, witty one-liners spawn off the story giving you a few seconds in between the laughs and building you up to the big ones.

He changed from one dummy to another during the show and went into comical interludes with his cocky arm decorations as his mouth piece. Jeff works in a way that most ventriloquists do. He lets the dummy make most of the insulting or off color jokes except Dunham goes a little further. You won’t see him do any tricks like drink a glass of water while the dummy talks. He is far beyond trying a novelty prank.

Each of his dummies has a personality that is different than the others which makes you wonder if Dunham has multiple personalities himself. Certain ones are more respectable characters and others are not. Doesn’t seem to matter who he has with him, Walter, Peanut, or Achmed, or any of the others, the show is a guarantee to be a side splitting moment. His performance had the crowd hurting because they couldn’t take any more.

The 3,400 seat theater appeared to be completely sold out and the happy feeling coming from the stage was being felt within all the seats. No where amongst the crowd could you find a person not laughing. A few young ladies in the balcony sent happy feelings back to Jeff with a “We love you!” It was a good performance.

The time came and went quickly as Dunham was already saying goodbye leaving everyone wanting more. He finished up and the lights came on. Most of the lucky individuals who saw this show were still laughing when they were getting into their cars to make the journey home. It’s not a concert they will soon forget.

Dunham has reached tremendous success with his comedy over the past few years. His most recent success places him at the number three position for top grossing comedy acts in the two previous years and looks like 2011 will be no exception. This just proves that he is more than just a flash in the pan comic. He has put smiles on the faces of so many over his time in comedy and it’s fair to say he is an expert within his craft of stand up ventriloquism.

When Jeff Dunham started to perform at The Venue inside Hammond’s Horseshoe Casino, no one really knew what to expect. No one knew this rock solid entertainer was going to hit them so hard with his comical wielding. He was more than just hysterical. He was priceless.

“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!

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.

Big Randy knows how to throw a party! Some of the best parties of the summer in recent years have been in Schiller Woods in the form of Woodsbash. For the tenth anniversary celebration it was a fantastic time. Woodsbash 2011 was a blast!

Sweet G has been a tremendous asset to Woodsbash as she has helped promote this event or the last five years. This was most likely her last year working on the committee for Woodsbash and is deciding to step down. This lady has helped out so much on these events over the years and not all the credit does go to Randy.

The day started out with the usual rain in the morning scaring a lot of music lovers away. As luck would have it, the skies cleared up and the sun came out for a bit to help out in having a better time. An abundance of the partiers that weren’t afraid to melt still showed up and didn’t mind the couple of raindrops that fell later in the day as it was quite refreshing.

The entertainment was awesome as always. Starting out the show was the band Sonic Pistol. The sweet sounding grooves provided by the tight rhythm section were very cool. These guys kicked off the show and helped to knock the sleep out of the eyes of the vampires within the crowd. If they didn’t wake you up, you might want to see a doctor because you might be dead.

Old Chicago area veterans Diamond Rexx came up next and jammed for your entertainment. The aging musicians within this band date back to a much simpler time for Chicago area musicians. Some of the old Thirsty Whale crowd showed up and it was definitely a nostalgic moment. The band played and had some cool tricks up their sleeves. They rocked!!

The up and coming Veilside came out and jammed their asses off. Very cool group with all the makings of a band that should succeed. Each one of the members in this band is a solid show themselves. Together? As a band? They are unstoppable!

The final act of Woodsbash 2011 was Loveblast and why not save the best for last. This guitar oriented band makes use of the talents within the hands of their guitar slinger. The rhythm section creates the templates for the guitarist to showboat his playing. With multiple influences driving this band from the hair metal days, this is one of the bands that got it right.

Woodsbash would not be complete without Jell-O shots, kickass music, and the heavy metal Godzilla. A guy dressed up in a Godzilla suit wearing a leather jacket walked around the crowd and posed for pictures. To be trapped within a hot suit during an above eighty degree day should make just about anyone pass out from the heat. Inside this custom suit are battery operated fans to help keep the guy inside cooler as he entertains the crowd.

The day after Woodsbash 2011, many heads needed aspirin, the woods needed to be cleaned, and Big Randy needs to start organizing Woodsbash 2012! He keeps saying that he isn’t going to do it again; that this year is the last year. He said it last year and the year before. It’s a lot of work for one person to organize and headaches come with it.

Funding is the hard part of the equation. To throw a party like this will cost an upward of a thousand dollars. In the last few years, Randy, Sweet G and a few others working behind the scenes have done a Winterbash that helps to fund the Woodsbash. It has been a successful idea for the last few years, but it is becoming tougher on the comittee. The obligation and commitment to run a show like this is huge and in future years, Randy may need to get some help with setting it up and with the funding the entire event. If he decides to put the torch down, someone else needs to pick it back up. Donations to the event are always welcome and that is what really helps to put on this party. Thank you Randy and Sweet G for doing this!!

The Venue inside of Hammond, Indiana’s Horseshoe Casino always has some of the best acts that come through the area. The setting for a show is a top notch facility with not a bad seat in the house. The theater will start to fill up and the entertainer du jour will start their show. On Saturday night, a seasoned performer graced the halls of The Venue with her angelic voice. After a half century of singing for her supper, musical super star Patti LaBelle sang her heart out for a packed house. It was just awesome!

From the opening song to her final bow, Patti Labelle was a graceful musical angel and the eyes of the concert goers could not be turned away. The very young looking Labelle was sporting a mini dress and showing lots of leg as she sang hard for everyone. This ripened singer really knows how to put on a show. Her voice was strong and beautiful with a lot of dynamics. She was just phenomenal in every way.

“If You Asked Me Too” was introduced as that hit song by Celine Dion in which she sold millions of copies of the song and Patti “only sold two” she said jokingly. She then began her original song and did it better than anyone else had. It was being performed the way it should always be done, by Patti Labelle.

Everyone was dancing in their seats when “New Attitude” started up. The song made famous through the 1984 movie Beverly Hills Cop was so intense with energy. The representation of the digital age was present within The Venue and this song took people back to fond memories of a crappy blue Chevy Nova being driven down Rodeo Drive.

The show marched on through a sea of hits. She nailed a great version of “Over the Rainbow” taking the crowd under her spell. When the opening line “Hey sister, go sister, soul sister, go sister” started out, people started dancing. “Lady Marmalade” was being done live and the queen of the stage was in command. She sang the song “On My Own” that she had done with Michael McDonald and it was beautiful.

During the course of the show, the set list seemed to go on and on with the band sounding incredible. The bass, the drums, the guitars, the singers, the keys, and Patti made a flawless combination. Never a sour note or an offbeat moment could be noticed. The group of traveling entertainers came in and tore the roof off of The Venue.

The night came to the point where the band has to pretend like the show is over. They wave their goodbyes and walk off stage. The lights never went out on the stage and The Venue started to get loud. They absolutely had to have some more of Patti Labelle and her smoking band. Finally a little bit of life is seen on the stage and the place cheers with excitement.

The anticipation was killing everyone. What was she going to do to close out the night? Which one of her hits was she going to bring out now? The crowd anticipated a gem and that is what they received. The strongest performance of the night was not a song written by Patti Labelle. Instead, she chose a song from the King of Pop, Michael Jackson, to end it. The “Earth Song” started to ring the first few notes and everyone in the place knew what she was about to do. Did she really dare to touch such a strong song of Jackson’s? She did! The song was perfect all the way through and Michael would be so proud to see the incredible version done.

She finally waved goodbye for real and Patti was gone. The band and this pop music icon had just taken a crowd and put smiles on everyone’s faces. The entire evening had been a nonstop session of sweet music. No one could have been disappointed by the performance that had been seen. It just wasn’t possible.

If you are looking for a good concert to see you might get lucky at The Venue in Hammond, Indiana’s Horseshoe Casino. On a beautiful Saturday evening in July, a crowd of people got lucky and saw Patti Labelle. It was just awesome!