Henry Rollins is the first to take the stage. With just the microphone on stage, he tells the 40 minute version of his life story with great passion and humor. It begins in 1960, when his parents meet and conceive him. They get married and he is born in 1961. They get divorced soon afterwards and he spends his childhood going back and forth between their two homes. Flash forward many years and he is working at a Häagen-Dazs ice cream store. He travels up to New York City from Washington, DC to see a Black Flag show. It’s getting late and he needs to leave to get to work on time. So, he requests “Clocked In” from their 1983 album, The First Four Years, before he leaves. The band invites him to sing the song and he puts everything he has into the performance. Back in DC at the ice cream store, he gets a call from the band asking him if he would like to audition to join the band. The rest is history.

The stage crew wheels out a podium and a stool with waters placed on top it. It’s instantly clear this second half will be a bit different. David Sedaris takes the stage to great applause. He goes on to read many humorous essays that he has written. He includes a few very short stories. One of them is about the book signing he does in Cincinnati on October 15, 2023. A young woman asks him for advice about writing a college essay. He suggest writing about getting pregnant at 14 and then having an abortion. And then to say that it is very important that she gets into college to honor the sacrifices that she had to make. He also told a story that begins with him reading a ChatGPT story written in the David Sedaris style. After reading it, he exclaims that it really sucks and that he wrote a much better version. He goes on to tell a truly dark and hilarious version filled with rape and murder.

Both David Sedaris and Henry Rollins are master storytellers. While their styles certainly differ, they were both very entertaining this evening.

Cost of a ticket: $110 (Orchestra)

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Check out the Auditorium Theatre’s website for tickets to future shows here.

Quinn Delaney

A pair of friends who meet in third grade ESL class are still friends as high school seniors. It is now the 2000s in Newark, NJ. Often, she sneaks into his room via the fire escape to get away from her bad homelife. Her mother’s boyfriends are always trouble. Their relationship is never romantic, but they consider getting married so that he can get his citizenship. They are both very unsure if it’s the best option, since It carries many risks.

Martyna Majok has written a very emotional piece about friendship and the immigration experience of young adults. The first half rapidly switches between scenes as time flies by and the their friendship develops. An intermission should be added before the second half, which consists of much longer scenes and the additional of a third character.

Grant Kennedy Lewis is excellent as the guy who is struggling to find happiness and citizenship. Jocelyn Zamudio (Rust) is superb as the gal who really wants to help her friend, but is very nervous about the potential consequences. Brandon Rivera (Rust) is great as the friend who is very uncertain about the whole situation and how he fits into it.  

See the program here.

Cost of a ticket: $60

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Get tickets now for Sanctuary City through November 18^th!

Quinn Delaney

Louis Armstrong begins his musical journey in New Orleans. He joins a big jazz band and gets married. He then witnesses one of his bandmates get murdered due to a racist false accusation. So, he decides to leave his wife and move to Chicago. He forms a new band with his new lover, who is in the band and is also the manager. From there, his story continues on to Los Angeles and then on to New York.  

In the middle of the show is “When You’re Smiling (The Whole World Smiles With You)”. “When you’re smilin’, when you’re smilin’ / The whole world smiles with you / When you’re laughin’, when you’re laughin’ / The sun comes shinin’ through”. The performance of this song is fantastic from the smooth baritone vocals to the great trumpet solo.  

The show closes with “A Wonderful World”. “I see trees of green / Red roses too / I see them bloom / For me and you / And I think to myself / What a wonderful world”. This is such a beautiful song and it sounds perfect being sung by James Monroe Iglehart. He truly captured Armstrong’s voice and charismatic style.  

The highlights of this show are the songs, but too much of the musical focuses on the narrative instead of the music.

Cost of a ticket: $115 (Orchestra Center)

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Get tickets now for A Wonderful World through October 29^th!

Quinn Delaney

Jefferson Starship kick things off with “Find Your Way Back” from their 1981 album, Modern Times. “And why I had to leave / I hear a voice, and it says to me / Find your way back / Find your way back to her heart.” This is a great rocker to start the show and prepares everyone for a great night of music.

Later on, in a tribute to a pair of newlyweds in the audience who used it as their wedding song, they play “Nothing’s Gonna Stop Us Now” from Starship’s 1987 album, No Protection. This song has over 484 million streams on Spotify. “And we can build this dream together / Standing strong forever / Nothing’s gonna stop us now / And if this world runs out of lovers / We’ll still have each other / Nothing’s gonna stop us”. This is such a massive hit and a great choice for a wedding.

Next up is “Miracles” from the 1975 album, Red Octopus. “If only you believe like I believe, baby (if only you believe like I believe) /We’d get by / If only you believe in miracles, (if only you believed in miracles so would I)”. This is such a beautiful song that really captures the spirit of the 70s while still sounding great today.

The band leaves the stage except for the lead guitarist, Jude Gold. He proceeds to play “Embryonic Journey” from Jefferson Airplane’s 1967 album, Surrealistic Pillow. It’s a fantastic electric guitar solo that belongs among the ranks of songs by Joe Satriani and Eric Johnson.

Next, they play “White Rabbit”, also from Surrealistic Pillow, with an extended introduction. “When the men on the chessboard / Get up and tell you where to go / And you’ve just had some kind of mushroom / And your mind is moving low / Go ask Alice / I think she’ll know”. This psychedelic tribute to Alice in Wonderland is truly a masterpiece.

The hits just keep coming with “We Built This City” (over 489 million streams on Spotify) from Starship’s 1985 album, Knee Deep In The Hoopla. This song is also part of Rock of Ages, which just had a great production at Mercury Theatre. See our review here.

Next up is “Jane” from their 1979 album, Freedom At Point Zero. This track was featured in Wet Hot American Summer. The lead singer, Cathy Richardson (from Elmhurst, IL), rocks this one out of the park.

To end their set, they play “Somebody to Love”, also from Surrealist Pillow.  “When the truth is found to be lies / And all the joy within you dies / Don’t you want somebody to love”. This was a great rocking choice to have at the end leading the audience to continue singing it as they exit the City Winery smiling.

See the full setlist here.

Cost of a ticket: $69

PlaylistHQ Economic Rating: Worth It –

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Quinn Delaney

A Bahamas concert is not just an audience watching a band perform. It is an interactive celebration of music. The band is fronted by the lead singer, Afie Jurvanen.

Midway into the set, he plays “Lost In The Light”. It’s a beautiful song that features his slick guitar playing along with the Felicity Williams’ magnificent voice, which is pure delight for the appreciative crowd. Afterwards, he says that his favorite part of the show is watching people dance to this song. It’s a tricky one to move to. He also says he wishes he wrote 10 songs just as good as this one. It could definitely be argued that he has.

Soon afterwards, they play “All The Time”. “I had all the time in the world; you wanted none of that.” Afie has captured that melancholy feeling perfectly with the tone of this song.

Alfie comments on how silly the encore process has become in that it is now expected. So, instead of going to stand over by the trash cans for a minute, he’ll just say “Goodnight” and the audience can pretend they left the stage. Sure enough, after the next song, he does this and it works like a charm. 

To close out the night, they play “Caught Me Thinkin’”. “Caught me thinking / What it might be like / To be alone for a while / Or alone for just one night”. This is a beautiful song that encapsulates his soft rock sound. This brilliant musician is a master of his craft and he puts on a fantastic show! Catch him live whenever you can!

See a recent setlist here.

Cost of a ticket: $32

PlaylistHQ Economic Rating: Exceptional Value –

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Quinn Delaney

As you enter the theatre, a jazz trio is playing. Jimmy Powers on the piano accompanied by a double bass and drums are laying down a mellow vibe. The theatre resembles a cocktail lounge with candles and gardenias at every table. Excitement builds for the entrance of Billie Holiday (“Lady Day”). Finally, she arrives clad in a beautiful pink dress and immediately stops at a small table near the microphone laden with gin, brandy and other liquor. She pours a brandy and takes a big slug and then refills her glass and fills another stating “For later.” It quickly becomes obvious that this is not a typical performance of one of the greatest jazz singers to ever walk the earth.

Before long she begins her first song “I Wonder Where Our Love Has Gone,” which ends to huge applause. Billie is played wonderfully by Yolanda London. She continues to drink and sing interspersed with tales of her life.

She talks lovingly of her first husband Sonny Monroe, although she acknowledged his many faults including his introducing her to heroin. In addition to addicting her, she blamed him for hiding his stash in her luggage during a police raid. As a result, she spent a year and a day in prison.

As the performance moves along, she continues to drink and decline. At one point, she runs from the stage and returns stumbling with a surgical cord around her left arm. Plainly, she just got a fix. Throughout, Jimmy tries to keep her going. He interrupts her stories with the start of a song to get her back singing. Later, he suggests that she take a short break while exchanging shakes of his head with the other band members. Whenever a song would start, the monumental singer would drop her infirmities and beautifully capture the feeling of each song. Among the songs covered were some of her most famous including: “Pig Foot,” “God Bless the Child,” “Strange Fruit,” and “Deep Song.”

Billie’s reminisces about her life are extremely poignant as it is clear that she is approaching the end of her life. She details her lifelong battles with poverty, addiction, and racial prejudice and intersperses them with the magic of performing at Carnegie Hall and the loves of her life. Throughout it all, she sings. Each song is a loving tribute to the enduring legacy of the great Billie Holiday.

Cost of a ticket: $90 (Cabaret Seats)
PlaylistHQ Economic Rating: Worth It +
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Get tickets now to Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar & Grill through November 26th!

Quinn Delaney

It’s 1964 in Montgomery, Alabama. The Nacirema Society is preparing for their 100 year celebration. The grande dame is incredibly excited preparing for the event. The children are not that interested in the event or the plans that their parents have laid out for them. Gracie isn’t interested in attending Fisk in Nashville. Instead, she wants to go to school in NY to become a writer. Bobby doesn’t want to be with Gracie. Instead, he wants to marry another woman. Also, Alpha is blackmailing the grande dame. She is claiming that Dunbar is her father. The tensions continue to rise as further developments surface.

Similar to Pearl Cleage’s other play, Blues for an Alabama Sky, currently running at Theatre Wit, this play starts out a bit slow as the characters and plot are introduced. In the second half, the action does increase as it becomes a farce and the laughs start rolling in.

The set is very impressive. They built the inside of a large mansion which then slides out of the way as a smaller kitchen set moves in. This matches the extravagance of the costumes.

E. Faye Butler (Gypsy) is extraordinary as the larger than life grande dame who loves to be in control of everything. Demetra Dee (STEW, Be Here Now) is so sweet and funny as Gracie, intent on chasing her dreams. Eric Gerard is so charming as Bobby, who has fallen deeply in love. Ora Jones (The Children, Familiar, The Roommate) is hilarious as Bobby’s overwhelmed mother. Jaye Ladymore (Relentless) is so funny as the reporter from the NY Times. Tyla Abercumbie (Sweat, writer of Relentless) is great as Alpha, stumbling through a blackmail attempt. Lastly, Sharriese Hamilton (A Gentleman’s Guide To Love and Murder) and Shariba W. Rivers are great in their supporting roles.

Cost of a ticket: $65 (Back Main Floor)

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Get tickets now for The Nacirema Society through October 22^nd!

Quinn Delaney

The Darkness formed in Lowestoft, England and tonight they are playing at the Vic Theatre in Chicago. To celebrate the 20^th anniversary of Permission to Land, they are playing the entire album.  

For the second song of the night, they play “Get Your Hands off My Woman”.  Midway into the song, there is a part where he sings “Mother” and then gestures for the audience to repeat. The lead singer, Justin Hawkins, does this a few times with different styles of singing. He then halts the song and explains that, because of his lighting engineer, he can see the crowd when they are supposed to sing. He calls out one specific audience member, Billy, who is not participating, and invites him to sing solo. Billy agrees and then proceeds to sing call and response style with Hawkins to the audience’s delight. It is moments like this that make the experience of a Darkness concert grand and form a community among the fans.

Hawkins is a master of falsetto. “Growing on Me” is an excellent showcase of this skill. It also features some sizzling guitar riffs.

He is also a great showman. A great example of this is on “Love Is Only a Feeling” as he dances all around the stage and sings with great passion. Also, during another track, he is carried through the audience while playing guitar.

Before starting “I Believe in a Thing Called Love”, he requests that audience members put away their phones and just live in the moment. He says YouTube doesn’t need any more shaky videos of the song.  It is very effective and leads to a mostly phone free grand finale to their set.

See the full setlist here.

Cost of a ticket: $49

PlaylistHQ Economic Rating: Worth It+

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Quinn Delaney

Grace Potter married Matt Burr, the drummer of her band, in 2013. Two years later they divorced and Grace Potter & the Nocturnals disbanded. Even though the band is no longer together, she still plays many of the songs from that time. Tonight, she takes the stage will great enthusiasm and positive energy. This is a great sign that it will be a fantastic set.

In the middle of the set, the band leaves the stage and just Grace Potter remains at they keyboards for “Big White Gate”. “So Saint Peter, won’t you open up the big white gate / Cause I heard about forgiveness and I hope it ain’t too late / No, I ain’t no holy roller but you go tell your King / That all the folks up in heaven might like to hear me sing”. It’s a beautiful tribute to her grandmother and an intimate moment.

At the end of the set, she asks the crowd if they want to hear a barn-burner or a tearjerker. Barn-burner wins and she launches into a song that definitely fits that description, “Paris (Ooh La La)”. “If I was a man I’d make my move / If I was a blade I’d shave you smooth / If I was a judge I’d break the law / And if I was from Paris / If I was from Paris / I would say / Oh la la la la la la la”. This rocker has the entire crowd dancing and they continue right into “The Lion The Beast The Beat”. “Can’t stop the beat, can’t stop the beat / Run, but you can’t hide from the heat / When life is a record, playing on repeat / I’m running wild with the lion, the beast, the beat”! This is an epic rock song that belongs in the same category as Fleetwood Mac’s greatest hits.

She ends the night with “Stars”, which has over 17 million streams on Spotify. She sings it with such great emotional intensity. “And I can’t look at the stars / They make me wonder where you are / Stars, up on Heaven’s boulevard / And if I know you at all / I know you’ve gone too far / So I, I can’t look at the stars”. It’s a beautiful end to a great night of music.

See the full setlist here.

See our past review of Grace Potter from 2015 here.

Cost of a ticket: $66

PlaylistHQ Economic Rating: Worth It –

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

Quinn Delaney