Larry Campbell & Teresa Williams are a married couple playing as a duo tonight. They met in 1986 when Campbell was asked to play a concert in New York featuring Williams. Two years later they were married. In 1997, Campbell joined Bob Dylan’s backing band and played with them for eight years. Afterwards, they both joined Levon Helm’s band. In 2015, they made their official debut and released their first album. In 2017, they released their second album and now they are touring in support of their third album, Live at Levon’s!

Their sound is a mix of folk, americana, and rock. In addition to being great guitar players, they are also great storytellers. Throughout the night they spin tales that lead right into the songs. Campbell is also excellent on the fiddle.

Towards the end of Shawn Mullins set, he invites Larry and Teresa to join him on stage. They first play “Beautiful Wreck” “I’ve lost count of the times I’ve given up on you” he sings. The audience is fully engaged watching this master of songwriting and singing perform this beautiful song with Campbell on mandolin and Williams providing backup vocals.

At last they launch into Mullin’s 1998 hit, “Lullaby”, which has over 42 millions streams on Spotify. It’s a great song about LA. “It’s kinda like Nashville, with a tan.” “Everything’s going to be alright, Rockaby, rockabye, rockabye”. It’s a perfect end to a fantastic set of music.

Cost of a ticket: $43

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Quinn Delaney

It’s 1920 and Isaac Babel is writing in his journal about the Polish-Soviet War. Jump forward 90 years and this journal is given to a young man after a mysterious plane crash. It’s a play that blends historical drama, political satire, surrealistic fantasy, and meta-theatrical experimentation.

Rajiv Joseph (King James, Guards at the Taj ) has written a thriller that is on the longer side at 2 hours and 45 minutes. It’s an exploration of truth verse fiction. It is comprised of some great scenes and moments, but they don’t add up very cohesively in this production.

In the ensemble theatre, the set design is forced to be simple. No elaborate backdrop can be created for a theatre in the round which makes it harder to set the scene. Another issue is at all times, the actor will be facing directly away from some of the audience. If they are doing something directly in front of them, it will be missed. Also, many of the seats do not face towards the middle and you will be forced to sit sideways in your seat. This is especially true of the seats in the front towards the end.

Despite the issues mentioned, the cast gives great performances. Glenn Davis (King James, The Christians) is excellent as the KGB agent. James Vincent Meredith (The Minutes) is stellar as Isaac Babel, a Jewish writer journaling about the war. Yasen Peyankov (Lindiwe ) is haunting as the Russian soldier.  Sally Murphy (The Minutes, Linda Vista) is splendid as the wife of the Russian soldier. Caroline Neff (You Got Older, Linda Vista) is great as the reporter trying to escape the country. Jack Cain and Charence Higgins are solid in their Steppenwolf debuts.  

Cost of a ticket: $68

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Get tickets now for Describe the Night through April 9^th!

Quinn Delaney

TINA – The Tina Turner Musical had it’s first performance in April 2018 in London. It first opened on Broadway in November 2019. What’s Love Got to Do with It, the Tina Turner biopic, was released in 1993, starring Angela Bassett and Laurence Fishburne. Now it opens at the Nederlander Theatre in Chicago in March of 2023.

The musical starts with Tina’s humble beginnings in Nutbush, Tennessee. It then moves to her career in Ike Turner’s band. At last, it moves on to her solo career.

The first half of the show is intensely dark. It’s hard to watch as she is abandoned by her mother, abused by Ike Turner, and deals with racism in the south. The second half is much brighter as enters the solo phase of her career.

The most heartbreaking scene is when Tina sings “What’s Love Got to Do with It” to the band member that she has been seeing after she accepts an engagement to Ike. “Who needs a heart when a heart can be broken?” It’s such a powerful moment.

One of the highlights is the choreography by Anthony van Laast, which is both exciting and mesmerizing. The dance numbers are perfectly synchronized and complement the music perfectly, creating an immersive experience that will leave you wanting more.

“The Best” is the grand finale. “You’re simply the best / Better than all the rest / Better than anyone / Anyone I’ve ever met”. It’s a great song of triumph for Tina as she finally has found a great partner in Erwin.

After the curtain call, Zurin Villanueva returns as Tina to sing “Proud Mary” for an encore. On alternate nights, Ari Groover stars as Tina. This is necessary as the vocals required in this show that no one person could do eight shows per week. “Big wheel keep on turning / Proud Mary keep on burning / Rolling, rolling, rolling on the river”. It is a fantastically joyous way to end the night.

Cost of a ticket: $145 (Orchestra)

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Get tickets now for TINA – The Tina Turner Musical through April 2^nd!

Quinn Delaney

Sam Bush is touring supporting his latest album, Radio John: Songs of John Hartford. It’s full of covers including “In Tall Buildings”, which he plays early in the set. He sings “So it’s goodbye to the sunshine / Goodbye to the dew / Goodbye to the flowers / And goodbye to you / I’m off to the subway / I must not be late / I’m going to work in tall buildings”. It’s a beautiful song about what you give up to go work in an office.

Parents are spotted shuffling out their kids right as he begins to play “Granny Wontcha Smoke Some Marijuana”. “When it gets dry and you wanna get high, I gotta clean them seeds just one more time.” This is such a fun bluegrass song that puts a smile on everyone’s face.

“Dinosaur Birthday” is a song by the banjo player, Wes Corbett. It was inspired by the party his wife through him for his 30^th birthday, which was dinosaur themed, because she knows him so well. It’s a very fun and happy bluegrass tune.

To close out the set, they play a long jam that includes many melodies from different songs including “Midnight Rider” by The Allman Brothers Band. Sam Bush also lays down some lightening fast mandolin playing.  It’s a great rocking way to end the set.

Cost of a ticket: $53 (Middle)

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Quinn Delaney

A theme of the concert tonight is songs about heartbreak. First, she plays a string of “pre-breakup” songs.

On “Phase Me Out, she sings “Don’t you want to stay here or do you want to phase me out?” She fully expresses the pain and heartache in this song.

“I don’t want your body, but I hate to think of you with somebody else”. This is from “Somebody Else” by The 1975. Her cover of this song has exploded on Spotify with 133 million listens. It fits in very well with her songs.

On “younger women”, she sings “If you don’t want me anymore… just say it.” The audience eats this song of raw emotion up.

Then, there are the post-breakup songs. On “think of me” she sings, “I hope you fuck her with your eyes closed… and think of me.”

This tour is in support of the album she just released on February 24^th, love you forever. She plays seven songs from this album, including “by now”, which is the last song of the night.

While most of the songs are dark, it’s actually a joyful night. Music gives us the power to feel and express these emotions which makes us feel better in the end.

See the full setlist here.

Cost of a ticket: $25

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Quinn Delaney

Annie first opened on Broadway in 1997. It won the Tony Award for Best Musical. In 1982, the film version was released starring Carol Burnett and Albert Finney. In 2014, a new film version was released starring Cameron Diaz and Jamie Foxx. Now, in March of 2023, it opens at the Cadillac Palace Theatre.

It is 1933 and Annie is living at an orphanage in New York City. Her parents dropped her off when she was a baby in 1922. A local billionaire, Mr. Warbucks, has his secretary choose an orphan to spend two weeks at his house for Christmas. Annie is selected and they quickly form a strong bond. He wants to adopt her, but she wants to find her parents. So, he agrees to launch a big search and offer a $50,000 dollar reward to anyone who can prove they are Annie’s parents.

This musical has fantastic songs. On “Tomorrow”, Annie sings “When I’m Stuck With A Day That’s Gray And Lonely / I Stick Out My Chin And Grin And Say / The Sun’ll Come Out Tomorrow / So You Gotta Hang On ‘Til Tomorrow, Come What May / Tomorrow, Tomorrow, I Love You, Tomorrow / You’re Always A Day Away.” It’s such a great optimistic song and it sounds great at this performance.

Another big song from the show was used in JAY-Z’s hit from 1998, “Hard Knock Life”. The chorus features children singing “It’s the hard knock life for us. Instead of getting treated, we get tricked. Instead of kisses, we get kicked!” It’s not often that an rapper will use a song from a musical. In this instance it works really well.

This cast is fantastic. The kids are especially remarkable as they act just as professionally as the adults. The very well trained dog is also very impressive.  This musical is truly fun for the whole family. It’s a great balance of dialog and songs. It’s truly funny and heartfelt.

Cost of a ticket: $86 + fees (Orchestra)

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Get tickets now for Annie through March 19^th!

Quinn Delaney

The first set is all acoustic. It’s a very mellow and relaxing set.

The second set is electric and kicks off with “Righteous”. It’s a rocker and the vibe is instantly transformed.

Later on comes “Trademark”.  It is such a cool groove and it puts a smile on everyone’s face.

“Nothing Can Keep Me From You” is one of just a few songs with lyrics in the second set. “If you could just, give me one more try / ‘Cause I’m down on my knees”. It’s a great song about asking for one more chance at love.

Up next is “Manhattan”. It invokes a classy night out in downtown NYC, no lyrics required.

A very long extended intro leads into his masterpiece, “Cliffs of Dover”. The audience erupts into applause when they recognize the song. His fingers fly across the fretboard during this fantastic rock song. It’s the perfect way to end the set!

Cost of a ticket: $84 (Orchestra)

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See the full setlist here.

Quinn Delaney

An American in Paris is a new musical that won four Tony Awards in 2015. However, it doesn’t feel like a modern musical as it is based on the 1951 film of the same name. The music also doesn’t sound like it’s from the 50s. That’s because it’s from George Gershwin’s orchestral piece of the same name from 1928.

In the story, it’s 1945 and World War II has just ended. Jerry “missed his train home” and has decided to stay in Paris to become an artist. On his first day there, he meets Lise — and he is instantly smitten. He runs into her again soon after and learns that she has a serious boyfriend, a nightclub performer. He doesn’t let this deter him and he continues to pursue her. On a professional level, he strives to be a graphic designer for a ballet. The composer that is working on the music for the ballet also has a crush on Lise.

An American in Paris is half musical – half ballet. The best parts of the musical half are “I Got Rhythm”, “‘S Wonderful,” “I’ll Build a Stairway to Paradise,” “They Can’t Take That Away From Me,” and “Fidgety Feet”. The cast does an excellent job singing these songs. The dancing is fantastic as well. A ballet within the show takes place in the second act that showcases the talents on stage. Even the Joffrey Ballet would be impressed.

The play is completely in English, but there are a few French touches. Here are a few translations:

Merci – Thank you

Monsieur – Mr., sir

Madame – Mrs., ma’am

Merde – Shit!

Brianna Abruzzo (Spielberg’s West Side Story) is graceful as Lise. Her ballet dancing is most impressive. Michael Starr (Eric Andre’s Bad Trip) is fantastic as Jerry Mulligan, the ambitious and romantic American. Their chemistry together is very strong. Nicholos Barakos is very funny and charming as the composer, Oscar Levant’s role in the film. He steals a few scenes. Lucas Coatney-Murrieta is fantastic as the nightclub performer. The scene where he is writing his proposal letter to Lise is outstanding.

Cost of a ticket: $126 (Front) to $66 (Back)

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Will Jerry end up with Lise? Find out now through March 12^th at An American in Paris!

Quinn Delaney

“I think I’d like you better naked / Layin’ out on the floor (you know, I like it like that)” sings Betty on “WEEKEND” in the very first line of the first song of the first night of the US BIG! Tour. Immediately the party is started as her two dancers join her onstage and they begin their choreographed dance.

Soon afterwards, they bring out her keyboard and she sits down to play “BIG”. “Ten feet tall and I’m proud of it / You can’t make me smaller, you’ll never make me fit / ‘Cause, baby, I was born to be big.” It’s a big beautiful ballad and it sounds excellent live.

“I’m not exactly your type (ooh-ooh) / That’s alright / If you’re lonely, I can be your man tonight” Betty sings on “I CAN BE YOUR MAN”. It’s a great dance pop song that gets the whole crowd dancing. At some concerts, everyone is just waiting to hear the old hits, but tonight everyone is just as excited to hear the songs from the new album, BIG!, which was just released on October 14, 2022.

To start the encore, Who sings “Blow Out My Candle”. “You can blow out my candle / But you’ll never put out my fire.” It’s a simple line, but such a strong statement about fighting against people trying to bring you down.

To close out the night, she sings her cover of Donna Lewis’ 1996 hit, “I Love You Always Forever”. This is such a fantastic song that she put her own spin on. It’s a perfect close to the night that sends the crowd out with giant smiles on their faces.

See the full setlist here.

Cost of a ticket: $48

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Catch Betty Who on tour now across the US including a stop in Chicago at the Riviera Theatre on March 21^st.

Quinn Delaney

“Machinehead” from their debut album, Sixteen Stone, is the second song of the night. The iconic guitar riff on this song gets the entire audience moving. “Breathe in, breathe out” sings Gavin Rossdale. It’s immediately clear this is going to be an incredible performance.

Soon after is “The Chemicals Between Us” from 1999’s The Science of Things. The excellent guitar sound and bass lines still sound magnificent and fresh today, 24 years later.

During “Flowers On A Grave” from 2020’s The Kingdom, Gavin wanders throughout the audience. He goes up and down all the aisles of the grandstands at the back of the venue and then comes up through the general admission pit back up to the stage.

On “Everything Zen”, he sings “Should I fly to Los Angeles? Find my asshole brother”. The crowd fully enjoys singing these lyrics.

Later on is “Heavy Is The Ocean”. It is one of the best songs from the latest album, 2022’s The Art of Survival. It has a groove that sounds great live.

During the encore, Gavin plays “Glycerine” solo. This is their most popular song, which has over 178 million streams on Spotify. “If I treated you bad, you’d bruise my face / Couldn’t love you more, you’ve got a beautiful taste”. It’s a fantastic song about a troublesome relationship.

For the finale, they play “Comedown”. “’Cause I don’t want to come back down from this cloud. It’s taken me all this time to find out what I need.” Attending this concert was like being on a cloud that you don’t want to come down from. While other bands from the 90s perform half-heartedly, Bush gives it 100% and they are just as good as ever.

See the full setlist here.

Cost of a ticket: $99 (General Admission)

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Quinn Delaney