Thomas Dolby opens with a cover of “Blue Monday” by Orgy. It’s a great choice for the first song. “How does it feel? How should I feel? Tell me, how does it feel / To treat me like you do?”

Midway into the set, he plays “Heroes” by David Bowie. Dolby was a member of Bowie’s band for his performance at Live Aid.

Later on he plays “Hyperactive!” from his 1984 album, The Flat Earth. The title perfectly captures the energy of this fast paced song.

For the penultimate song, he plays his biggest hit, “She Blinded Me With Science” from his 1983 album, The Golden Age of Wireless. This song has over 26 million streams on Spotify. The crowd eats it up as they dance and sing along to this joyful track.

He closes with “Hot Sauce” which features George Clinton on vocals. It’s definitely a curious choice not to end with his mega hit.

Later on, Thomas Dolby makes a fantastic appearance during the Thompson Twins set to sing a verse of Psycho Killer by the Talking Heads.

Overall, Dolby’s performance was excellent. It’s clear he still enjoys putting on a great show.

See the full setlist here.

Cost of a ticket: $56

PlaylistHQ Economic Rating: Worth It

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

Quinn

The novel version of Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil was published in January of 1994. The film version, released in 1997, was directed and produced by Clint Eastwood and stars John Cusack, Kevin Spacey, and Jude Law. The World Premiere of the musical version is now playing at the Goodman Theatre through August 2024.   

Welcome to a true crime story taking place in Savannah, Georgia in the 1980s. Jim Williams is preparing to host the social event of the year, his Christmas Soirée. His assistant, Danny, is giving him a lot of issues including going on tirades where he wrecks havoc on the house. At the same time, Lady Chablis Is starring in her own show at The Shed Shack. That is until the owner tells her to reign it in and she immediately quits to find a new venue.

This production is a fully fledged Broadway sized musical with 26 cast members. It truly expands the world from the novel and the film. The set design by Christopher Oram is very impressive. While the plot is interesting, there is one thing that is missing, the conflict with the darker side of Savannah.

J. Harrison Ghee is outstanding as Lady Chablis. She is met with a great applause when she first enters, to which she says, “Let me earn it”, and earn it she definitely does. Tom Hewitt is superb as Jim Williams, the master host at the top of the social ladder. Austin Colby is excellent as Danny, the youthful assistant who is looking for fun and love. Sierra Boggess is great as the leading socialite so proud to be invited to the White House.

Overall, this musical does a fantastic job of bringing the world of Savannah to the stage, but it needs some work to add the tension between the characters.  

Cost of a ticket: $100 (Main Floor – Sides)

PlaylistHQ Economic Rating: Worth It –

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Get tickets now for Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil – The Musical through August 11^th!

Quinn Delaney

A teacher is addressing four students. “We are now going to talk about what happened to my car yesterday”, he says. “It must have been one of you four”. “It wasn’t me”, says Shirley. “I wasn’t in school yesterday!” “Ok, it’s down to 3.” “What happened to your car”, asks one of the students. “There were 16 salmon in it!” says Shirley. “That’s right” says the teacher, “and now I can’t get the smell of fish out of it!” So who did it?

This was a completely improvised scene that had the audience cracking up. It showcased the talents of this great cast.

Bill Letz (What the Elf?) is hilarious as vacation dad, the sad friend, and the Irish goodbye. Preston Parker is so funny as the friend who says their friendship isn’t over just because they are moving apart. Javid Iqbal (Oh, the Places You’ll Glow!) is the absolute King of the puns. Zoe McKee is fantastic in her solo piece. Jenelle Cheyne (What the Elf?) is great as the hallmark employee who always talks about demons. Lastly, Dani James is solid in her many roles.

Overall, it is a great sampling of the greatest sketches of Second City mixed in with some good improv.  

Get tickets now for The Best of The Second City!

Cost of a ticket: $65 (GA)

PlaylistHQ Economic Rating: Worth It +

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

Quinn Delaney

Haven Chicago will cease operations after their final production, Hedwig & The Angry Inch. Check out their closing statement here.

In tribute to Haven, here is a list of shows we reviewed, ranked by quality:

#1) KISS (August 2019)

#2) Get Out Alive (August 2022)

#3) The Total Bent (March 2019)

#4) How We Got On (October 2016)

Also, a special shoutout to the Director’s Haven, which they are hoping can continue past their closing.

Quinn Delaney

After some heavy pouring rain, the skies clear up just in time for Vulfpeck’s set. They start with the title track from their 2014 album, Fugue State. The party is instantly started with this funky jam.

Next up is “Animal Spirits” from their 2016 album, The Beautiful Game. This is such a fun song that is reminiscent of Jackson Five’s “ABC”, and just as catchy.

Later on, they play the fantastic “Cory Wong”, which is also on The Beautiful Game album. This song features the lead guitarist, Cory Wong, laying down some nasty grooves. Cory Wong also tours under his own name. See our review of him from February 2022 here.

Past midway in the set, they play “LAX” from 2020’s The Joy of Music, The Job of Real Estate. This song has such joyful lyrics. “You won’t regret it / I won’t forget this, baby, hey / I love my baby, she’s the best / She picks me up at LAX”. It’s a great love song.

For the penultimate song, they made it Christmas in July with “Christmas in L.A.” This one puts a huge smile on everyone’s face as they dance along. They localize the song by switching “in LA” to “in Midway”. The whole audience singing repeatedly “in Midway” is a fantastic moment that everyone will remember.

Overall, it was a set full of fantastic energy, excellent jams, and the joy of music. It was a perfect close to the Rose on the River festival.

See the full setlist here.

Cost of a ticket: $118

PlaylistHQ Economic Rating: Worth It

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Quinn Delaney

These three comedians work at Saturday Night Live. They have the summer off from the job, so they are touring together.

Andrew Dismukes was raised by a single mom. She had to be both parents. “She encouraged me to cry, but then she called me a pussy when I did!” He also talked about being from a small town in Texas. Anything foreign was very fun to him. He met a German lady at Disney World and he laughed about it with his siblings for years. He also joked a lot about his older brother who was goth growing up.

James Austin Johnson has a 2 year old son and his wife is a much bigger influence on him since he is away working so often. At the zoo, they go to the bathroom and discover their kid has a big rash. The boy exclaims, “Oh no, my penis! Oh goodness, my penis!” James says that if he were the bigger influence, he would be saying “Oh shit, fuck, my tinkle!” which is definitely not better.

Devon Walker’s girlfriend told him that she slept with one of his friend after they broke up. But it wasn’t a close friend, more like a tertiary level friend. He didn’t have any comeback at the time, but he has come up with a few now He picks an audience member to tell him “I slept with your friend”. He responds, oh ya, well I know he is really bad in bed! On his 2^nd attempt, he says, well, I know he’s really fertile and I hope you enjoy starting a family with him!

Overall, it was a night full of many laughs. The Den Theatre has become a fantastic destination for touring comedians. Check out their list of future shows here.

Cost of a ticket: $33

PlaylistHQ Economic Rating: Worth It +

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

Quinn Delaney