Megan Sullivan McInerney, known by her stage name Meg Mac, is an Australian singer-songwriter and musician. This past weekend, she was the opener for Jacob Banks at the House of Blues in Chicago and with her first song, she instantly grew her fan base as the audience was enthralled by her voice.

During this performance, Meg Mac mainly promoted her new album, Matter of Time, which was released September 16, 2022. She also included previous work from her debut album, Meg Mac with songs, “Every Lie” and “Roll Up Your Sleeps,” along with, “Give Me Back my Name” from her second album, Hope.

Her song-writing is deep and meaningful, and beautifully depicts the versatility in her voice. This was especially evident during her performance of “Give Me Back My Name” and “Understand” where her singing is effortless and her stage presence is captivating as she sings with conviction which resonates with the audience. In addition, her cover of “Grandma’s Hands” by Billy Withers had fans wanting more and is a testament to her continued and growing success. 

Setlist:
1. Every lie
3. Roll up your sleeves 
4. Give me my name back
5. Something in the water
6. Matter of time
7. Letter 
8. Grandma’s hands
9. Never be 
10. Understand
11. Is it worth being sad

Cost of a ticket: $38
PlaylistHQ Economic Rating: Worth It +
Rating Scale: Exceptional Value > Worth It > Half Price > Go for Free > Don’t Bother

D

The board game version of Clue was first created in 1943 by British board game designer Anthony E. Pratt. The film version was released in 1985. The musical version had tryouts in Baltimore in 1995 and Chicago in 1996 before opening Off-Broadway in 1997. The first productions of this play version were in 2018. And now, in October 2022, it opens at The Mercury Theatre.

Six people are mysteriously summoned to a remote mansion to play a game. It is eventually revealed that they were all blackmailed to attend. It’s not long until someone turns up dead and they have to figure out who is the killer.

This is a hilarious farce full of physical comedy, satire, and movie references. They reference Citizen Kane, Gone with the Wind, and many others. The only change I’d recommend is adding an intermission before they begin to solve the case

The entire cast over acts in a hilarious manner. Mark David Kaplan (Little Shop of Horrors) is outrageous as the butler, especially with his long winded recap towards the end. Tiffany T. Taylor (Spring Awakening) is sweet and funny as the maid. Honey West (Priscilla Queen of the Desert) is very hilarious as the cook and the singing telegram girl. Jonah D. Winston (Avenue Q, Spamalot) is so silly and stupid as Colonel Mustard. He also starred recently in The Play That Goes Wrong which shares a lot in common stylistically with Clue and was just as funny.

McKinley Carter (Spring Awakening, Fun Home) is devilishly good as Mrs. White. Nancy Wagner (Sister Act) is fantastically pompous as Mrs. Peacock. Kelvin Roston, Jr. is surprising as Mr. Green. Andrew Jessop (Mr. Burns) is excellent as Professor Plum. Erica Stephan is very seductive as Miss Scarlet. Finally, Patrick Byrnes and Andrew MacNaughton are solid in their many roles.

Cost of a ticket: $55 (Middle of the Main Floor)

PlaylistHQ Economic Rating: Worth It

Rating Scale: Exceptional Value > Worth It > Half Price > Go for Free > Don’t Bother

Get tickets now for Clue through January 1^st!

Quinn Delaney

Ella returns to her hometown of Vero Beach, FL, to help find a serial killer. She normally works as a researcher and profiler, but she is sent into the field for this case because of her familiarity with the city. While she is there, the death toll keeps rising as clues slowly come to light.

Jennifer Rumberger has written a play that is not for the faint of heart. There are many greatly terrifying and gruesome stories told. Thus, it is very appropriate for the Halloween season. However, it is not all serious as there are surprisingly many great moments of comic relief.

The positioning of the stage and the seats could use some improvement. A lot of the action takes place very far away from most of the audience. So, when facing the longest row of seats, sit as far to the left as possible.

Cyd Blakewell is excellent as Ella, who is very smart and determined while also battling the dark history she has in her hometown Brittany Burch (The Minutes) is great as her sister, who is very worried about her daughter and upset that Ella left town. Mariah Sydnei Gordon is full of youthful energy as the daughter, who tells great horror stories to her grandmother. Renee Lockett is solid as the grandmother, who is so supportive of her granddaughter’s dreams. Jennifer Glasse is fierce as the sheriff of Vero Beach who wishes she could get more funding instead of having outsiders come in to help. Patrick Weber is superb as the new cop eager to prove himself and catch the killer.

Cost of a ticket: $38

PlaylistHQ Economic Rating: Worth It

Rating Scale: Exceptional Value > Worth It > Half Price > Go for Free > Don’t Bother

Get tickets now for The Locusts through November 19^th!

Quinn Delaney

Early in the set, they play “Kickin’ da Leaves” from 2014. They say the song started as a joke, but his mom enjoyed it so much that they decided to record it. The quick repeating of words is so fun. “So so so don’t don’t don’t wait wait wait for for for me me me me me me me me me me me”!

Later on, the National Parks come back out on the stage to join the band for a covers melody. They play “Since U Been Gone” by Kelly Clarkson and “Higher” by Creed, followed by a recording of “Snap Yo Fingers” by Lil Jon. It’s a very fun celebration of music in the middle of their set.

The mandolin player, Brian, is from Wheaton. So, this is a hometown show for him and his parents are in the audience tonight.

Soon afterwards, they play “Suit and Jacket”. Judah sings “I ain’t trading my youth for no suit and jacket / I ain’t giving my freedom for your money and status”. It’s a great song about doing what you want, and not just what is expected of you.

They close their set with their biggest hit, “Take It All Back 2.0”. It has over 90 millions streams on Spotify. The entire audience sings along: “And one day we might have a big house with nice cars and fancy clothes and a wife with a big ol’ diamond ring / ‘Cause the people they dancing along, they dancing along to the mando’ and some sort of hip-hop beat / But I’d take it all back, take it all back, take it all back /I’d take it all back just to have you”! It’s a fantastic love song about giving it all up for your love and an excellent set finale.

See the full setlist here.

Cost of a ticket: $50

PlaylistHQ Economic Rating: Worth It

Rating Scale: Exceptional Value > Worth It > Half Price > Go for Free > Don’t Bother

Quinn Delaney

To begin, Dan Layus takes the stage, bows, and sits down at the piano. He then goes on to play about four songs from his latest album, Everyday an Eternity: Solo Piano Works. He doesn’t say anything to audience before or in between the songs. It has everyone wondering if he will speak at all. Finally, after the last one, he says hello to the audience. He says that was the first time he played those songs for a crowd. They sounded great and are definitely audience ready, but a short introduction to them would be better than none.

Layus also plays some songs from his other album that came out this year, “Yourself Yesterday: A Rarities Collection”. One of these is “Looking for the Door”.

Later on he plays “Fire”. Layus only recently learned that this song almost didn’t make it on the album because the producer and the label didn’t think it fit in well. This album, Can’t Love, Can’t Hurt (2008) hit #2 on the charts. Tonight, he is playing his old songs a bit slower and quieter than usual, which makes them fit in nicely with his solo piano songs.

Dan says they decided to make their third album self-titled because it really felt like who the band really is. This self titled album (2011) also hit #1 on the Billboards chart for Top Independent Albums. He plays the opening track from this album, “Steal Your Heart”. It sounds a lot different in this slower solo version, but still solid.

“Oh, and I forgot this one” he says as begins the closer, his biggest hit, “Boston”. This single from 2005, hit #10 on the Adult Top 40. The audience is delighted as they sing along. “She said I think I’ll go to Boston / I think I’ll start a new life / I think I’ll start it over / Where no one knows my name”.

“See you next year!” he says as he exits the stage.

Cost of a ticket: $25 to $35

PlaylistHQ Economic Rating: Exceptional Value

Rating Scale: Exceptional Value > Worth It > Half Price > Go for Free > Don’t Bother

Quinn Delaney

Próxima Parada, which means next stop in Spanish, are from San Luis Obispo, California. Having an opportunity to speak with the band prior to the show, they displayed such warmth and created a welcoming and relaxing environment. Their devotion to music and their fans was felt immediately and throughout the night. At the beginning of the evening, the lead singer, Nick Larson, picks up on the energy of someone in the audience in the front and instantly forms a connection with his fans.

His voice is fantastic, full of emotion, and resonates with everyone in the room. It is similar to the great soulful Leon Bridges. This is especially true on, “Time in a Circle”. “I decided to tear my house down / Now begins some reconstruction”. It’s a beautiful song and the crowd eats it up.

Larson at one point shares with the fans that two of the members had a crush on the same girl in college. So, they wrote a song about her titled, “Hannah Hannah”. The lead singer encourages everyone to shout out “Hannah” in the chorus, or any name they want to really. The lead guitarist says he likes to shout his own name. So, a large portion does just that, and yells “Josh,” which creates a connection among the fans. In another similar instance, Larson introduces a new song which they wrote in Spanish and when the audience passionately sings along, “me gusta” (the only part they knew), hecannot contain his laughter and acknowledges the love from their fans – a beautiful moment of the evening.

The lead guitarist, Josh Collins, makes great use of a talk box. He uses it well to create an excellent groove on stage that has everyone dancing along. Their energy makes them a great match to tour with Joe Hertler and the Rainbow Seekers.

Cost of a ticket: $30

PlaylistHQ Economic Rating: Worth It +

Rating Scale: Exceptional Value > Worth It > Half Price > Go for Free > Don’t Bother

Quinn Delaney

Peg lives alone in rural Wisconsin. Her husband died one year ago. Ryan, a local young man who she has known since he was six, is her only friend. She paid the taxes on his house while he was in prison for three years. In her will, she plans to leave her house to him. One day, Peg notices that some of her late husband’s tools and gun are missing. The local sheriff immediately lists Ryan as the top suspect. Her new deputy isn’t so sure and makes a great good cop to counter the sheriff’s bad cop personality. Who took the gun and what was Peg planning to do with it?

Rebecca Gilman has written a great play about a widow’s life in rural Wisconsin. The title is misleading, as there is only one line about politics. It is much more about Peg’s friendship with Ryan and her relationship with the police. These are explored in a very natural way to starts off light and funny and leads to being dramatic. At an hour and 45 minutes, it quite long to not have intermission.  

Mary Beth Fisher (Domesticated) is excellent as Peg, who is struggling to get through each day and find meaning in her life. Bubba Weiler (The Good Fight) is great as Ryan, who is also barely hanging on as he tries to adapt back to life outside of prison while also deeply worrying about Peg. Kristen Fitzgerald (Sweat, Mary Page Marlow) is intense as the sheriff who is looking to solve the case, even if Peg doesn’t want her to. Anne E. Thompson (Twilight Bowl) is so kind as the new deputy, who has finally found a job she is good at.  

Cost of a ticket: $55 (Main Floor)

PlaylistHQ Economic Rating: Worth It

Rating Scale: Exceptional Value > Worth It > Half Price > Go for Free > Don’t Bother

Get tickets now for Swing State at The Goodman Theatre through November 13^th!

Quinn Delaney

Joe Satriani comes to The Chicago Theatre on his Earth Tour to support his latest release, The Elephants of Mars. Early on in his first set, he plays two tracks from the album, “Sahara” and “The Elephants of Mars”.  It is immediately clear he is still writing great music and his playing is still fantastic.

The solos on “Flying in a Blue Dream” are face melting. Behind the band on 3 screens, there are visuals of flying across beautiful landscapes. Another song features a spaceship flying through an asteroid field which matches the otherworldly guitar playing.

For one song, he says he pictured Nicholas Cage on fire on a motorcycle escaping the devil (like his character in Ghost Rider). He has to keep playing rapid notes so that he can survive.

To open the second set, the drummer, Kenny Aronoff, plays an extensive solo. It’s very impressive and is met with a great applause at its conclusion.

After jamming on “Shapeshifting”, Satriani says, “Woah, I don’t know where I went on that one. I need to calm down for the next song, which is a serious one called “Teardrops”.

He was right. This one was serious as it explored some dark and sad emotions.  

There are more shredding electric solos on “If I Could Fly”. No lyrics are required. Like classical music, the emotion is in the notes.

See the full setlist from the St. Louis show here, which was very similar.

Cost of a ticket: $114 (Main Floor Middle)

PlaylistHQ Economic Rating: Worth It

Rating Scale: Exceptional Value > Worth It > Half Price > Go for Free > Don’t Bother

Quinn Delaney

P.S. Satriani gave lessons to Steve Vai, who will be playing in Chicago next month.

Marcella and Cynthia have been dating for eight months. Tonight is a big night for them as Cynthia finally allows Marc into her house. Marc is very excited about this and before long she mentions the possibility of moving in. Cyn jokingly calls her out for being a U-Haul lesbian. After some time, Cynthia gets around to telling Marc the truth about why it took her so long to invite her in. It’s a thrilling story about love and loss that will have you at the edge of your seat.

Paloma Nozicka has written a fantastic psychological thriller that has a lot of love and humor. After 80 minutes, the audience is left wanting more.

Lisandra Tena (Fear the Walking Dead, The Good Place) is fantastic as Cynthia , who truly believes the wild story she tells. Gaby Moldovan is excellent as Marc, who is so excited to be in love again and also has some secrets to reveal. Together, they make a very loving couple who have some major hurdles to deal with.

If after seeing this play, you’d like to hear an idea about an alternative ending, please reach out via our Facebook page.

Cost of a ticket: $38

PlaylistHQ Economic Rating: Exceptional Value –

Rating Scale: Exceptional Value > Worth It > Half Price > Go for Free > Don’t Bother

Get tickets now to Enough to Let the Light In through October 23^rd!

See the program here.

Quinn Delaney

It’s a cool 60 degrees outside tonight, but inside Subterranean it is hot as it is filled with a sold out crowd. Everyone is excited to see Taylor Cameron Upsahl, aka UPSAHL, from Phoenix, AZ. She last played in Chicago at Park West with K. Flay and corook in February of this year.

“I wanted us to end up as friends, But you fucked it all up. You’re a douchebag, And I can prove that.” The entire audience dances and sings this along with UPSAHL. It’s such a fun and catchy song.

The singalong continues on “Thriving”. “La-la-la-la life is a bitch!” This lyric rolls off your tongue perfectly and the crowd is eating it up. Taylor sings this one with great enthusiasm and energy.

To close out the night, they play their biggest hit to date, “Drugs”, which has over 110 Million streams on Spotify. “I just came here to the party for the drugs / (Drugs), drugs, (drugs), drugs, (drugs) / I’m not tryna make a friend or fall in love.” It’s such a fun and snarky song. Taylor also released a version with Two Feet that is excellent.

See the full setlist here of her show in Austin a few days ago, which is very similar to tonight.

Cost of a ticket: $20

PlaylistHQ Economic Rating: Exceptional Value

Rating Scale: Exceptional Value > Worth It > Half Price > Go for Free > Don’t Bother

Quinn Delaney