Concert Pick:
Colin Hay (formerly the lead singer of Men at Work) at the Old Town School of Folk Music (August 24, 2024)
Theatre Pick:
First Floor Theater Presents In His Hands at the Den Theatre (Through August 24, 2024)
Comedy Pick:
The Daily Show and The Late Show with Stephen Colbert are both in town for the week for the DNC!
Quinn Delaney
Barns Courtney and his band kick things off with a bang on “Fun Never Ends” from his 2019 album, 404. It’s a full throttle rock song with a driving beat and he keeps his foot on the gas pedal for the entire set.
Later on they play “Supernatural”, their 2022 single. This one is a fantastic rock ballad similar to the alternative rock style of Welshly Arms.
Next up is “Glitter & Gold”, which is his top track on Spotify with over 188 million streams. This one is a real rocker and it’s no surprise that it is a massive hit with it’s great sound.
To close out the night, he plays “Fire”. Everyone sings together “Oh give me that fire / Burn, burn, burn” as he launches his body into the crowd. Yes, you too, can stand in the splash zone and hoist his sweaty body above the crowd. In this engaging and interactive performance, he also clings onto the second level railing and stabilizes himself with the hands of supportive fans. It’s a fantastic closer that had just as much energy and passion as the opener. It definitely left the audience wanting more.
See their full setlist here.
As soon as The Struts take the stage, it’s clear this is no ordinary band. It’s a full on glam rock band in the vein of The Darkness about to put on one hell of a show.
Luke Spiller, the lead singer, comes down into the crowd and instructs everyone to make a gap down the middle. He pits the left side against the right side in a loudness competition followed by a call and response segment where everyone sings what he just sang. It’s the same style that is used in Put Your Money on Me. Oh yeah! This highly interactive environment is maintained for the entire show.
To end their set they play Could Have Been Me as the crowd dances and sings along. The song sounds strong and fresh and yet still similar to classic rock songs. It’s the sign of a fantastically written song that is timeless.
The combination of their over-sized stage presence and excellent songs is skyrocketing their well deserved popularity. Catch them on tour now in middle sized venues now while you still can!
See their full setlist here.
Cost of a ticket: $52
PlaylistHQ Economic Rating: Worth It +
Rating Scale: Exceptional Value > Worth It > Discounted > Go for Free > Don’t Bother
Quinn Delaney
The film version of Back to the Future was released in 1985. The musical stage version first premiered in February of 2020 in Manchester, England. It opened on Broadway in August 2023 and now it opens at the Cadillac Palace in August 2024.
In the musical version, Marty McFly accidentally goes back to 1955 driving the DeLorean time machine to the hospital to save Doc Brown from dying of radiation poisoning. He needs to find the younger Doc to him get back to 1985. He also needs to fix the mess he created by interrupting his parent’s first meeting by getting them to meet and fall in love again.
This production uses projections very well, especially during the climactic scene at the clock tower. It’s reminiscent of The Bourne Stuntacular show at Universal Studios Florida with the great interaction between the live actors and the projections. Alos, the lights, videos, and sounds playing before the show give the feeling of the wait to ride a roller coaster at a theme park.
The cast does an excellent job with special mentions going to Burke Swanson as George McFly and Zan Berube as Lorraine Baines.
Overall, it is a fun nostalgia trip to revisit this ’80s movie, but this musical doesn’t fully capture the spirit of the film or add anything new and interesting to it.
Cost of a ticket: $139 (Orchestra)
PlaylistHQ Economic Rating: Discounted –
Rating Scale: Exceptional Value > Worth It > Discounted > Go for Free > Don’t Bother
Get tickets now for Back to the Future – The Musical through September 1st.
Quinn Delaney
Rachel Bloom (Rebecca Bunch on Crazy Ex-Girlfriend and Hannah on Reboot) begins very joyfully. She jokes about trees that smell like cum and have white flowers that fall from them. She even has a whole song about it. She says she is doing the show that she started to work on in 2019. That is, until she is interrupted by Death, played by David Hull (White Josh on Crazy Ex-Girlfriend). He insists that she talk about him.
So, she talks about her daughter being born with fluid in her lungs, resulting in her spending a while in the hospital. She also talks about Adam Schlesinger, her writing partner, who died from Covid on April 1, 2020. Bloom manages to balance humor and seriousness while talking about death.
Later on, she describes her experience going to a psychic who says that Adam has two ideas for TV shows. One is to do a show about the pandemic. The other is do one about USO shows in the 1960s. This second one seems oddly specific, until she recalls that this was a major plot point in The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel. This just deepens her non-belief in psychics.
Rachel Bloom is very funny and vulnerable in her performance. As she says, it’s her version of a Mike Birbiglia special. The surprise of David Hull makes this not completely a one woman show. Some of the best moments comes from their interactions, and Hull’s performance is excellent.
Cost of a ticket: $99 (Main Floor Sides)
PlaylistHQ Economic Rating: Worth It –
Rating Scale: Exceptional Value > Worth It > Discounted > Go for Free > Don’t Bother
Get tickets now for Rachel Bloom: Death, Let Me Do My Show through August 24th!
Quinn
Dance for Life is an inspiring event that merges talent and philanthropy into one spectacular evening. It brings together the best Chicago dance companies and all proceeds go toward the Chicago Dance Health Fund; a resource which provides financial assistance to professional dancers in their time of need, including covering medical expenses. It is one of the many ways our vibrant dance community joins forces to care for its own.
As dance enthusiasts entered the Auditorium Theatre this year, one could immediately feel the infectious joy that carried through the evening with each performance. The joy and support from the audience radiated to the dancers who in turn delivered a magical evening filled with grace, beauty, precision, and undeniable talent.
This infectious energy carried on to the after party at Venue SIX10. It’s a sophisticated affair with an impeccable ambiance thanks to the decor executed by TM Creative Consultants with the help of Tablescapes Party Rental and Windy City Linens. To add on, some of the best in the catering industry, including J&L Catering, Blue Plate Catering, and Butter & Vine outdid themselves with both the quality and choice selection, including Mediterranean, sliders, various sides, and an indulging selection of desserts. A nice selection of beverage options, including Playpen Vodka, kept the audience satisfied as they waited in line for the fan-favorite sushi by M Square Sushi. While some mingled enjoying their food and drinks, many were entertained by DJ Sasha from BeatMix Music who kept the dance floor going all night. These companies also helped with the after party: Action-Lines, Ambient AV Solutions, AV Chicago, Breakthru Beverage, Moet Hennessy, The Chicago Academy for the Arts, HMS Media, MK Lighting + Design, Paterno Group, Rick Aguilar Studios, and Tea Rose Flower Shop. It’s truly amazing how many people came together to make this evening a magical moment for dance enthusiasts.
See the full program here.
Below you will find a photo with the title of the performances along with information for upcoming shows by the dance companies that participated in this year’s Dance for Life.
Giordano Dance Chicago – Rhapsody in Blue – Music by George Gershwin
September 21st – Chicago Live
September 27 – Harvest Festival
The Joffrey Ballet – Italy pas de Deux from Anna Karenina
Atonement – October 17-27 at The Lyric Opera House
Praize Productions, Inc – “Black is the Color”
Next Performance: TBD
Trinity Irish Dance Company – Communion
September 21st – Chicago Live
Visceral Dance Chicago – 18+ 1 (Excerpt)
September 21st – Chicago Live
November 21-24 – Fall Engagement
Hubbard Street Dance Chicago – Dear Frankie
November 15 – 24 – Fall Series at Steppenwolf
Winifred Haun & Dancers – Absent Moon (Excerpt)
October 18 – Absent Moon
Ballet 5:8 – Wind
October 5th – Gala and La Llorona
Ensemble Español Spanish Dance Theatre – Viejos Aires / Flamenco Tango
September 21st – Chicago Live
Quinn Delaney
The first book of The Lord of the Rings was first published in July of 1954 The film version of the first book was released in 2001 starring Elijah Wood, Ian McKellen, and Orlando Bloom. The musical was first performed in 2006 in Toronto. And now, it opens at the Chicago Shakespeare Theater in August of 2024. In November, it will open in Auckland, New Zealand.
In the story, Frodo and Sam are on a journey to destroy the one ring to rule them all by throwing it into fires at Mount Doom in Mordor. Along the way, they face many challenges.
This production has some impressive effects, including an impressive full stage depiction of the fires at Mount Doom.
The cast is solid. The performance by Tony Bozzuto as Gollum is especially impressive.
Cost of a ticket: $86
PlaylistHQ Economic Rating: Discounted +
Rating Scale: Exceptional Value > Worth It > Discounted > Go for Free > Don’t Bother
Get tickets now for The Lord of the Rings – A Musical Tale through September 1st.
Quinn
According to Ticketmaster, the show was scheduled to begin at 7pm. However, the Salt Shed app listed the starting set time for 6:45pm. Sure enough, flipturn takes the stage at 6:45pm to a mostly empty venue. Hopefully more venues will get on board with posting set times too!
For their second song, flipturn plays “Chicago” from their 2017 album, Heavy Colors. “So we tell ourselves we’ll go, go, go / But we never ever leave, whoa / I’m going to Chicago / Somewhere I don’t really know / See the sun rise on the east coast”. It’s a great song and the Chicago crowd eats it up.
Soon afterwards, they play “Sad Disco” from their 2022 album, Shadowglow. This song has a fantastically catchy melody along with great guitar playing. Also, it’s a true joy to sing along to this line: “Now, what the fuck is up with my life?”
Later on they play “August” from their 2018 album, Citrona. This is their most popular song on Spotify with over 50 million streams.
They also play a lot of unreleased songs which they say will be on their next album. After this great set, they will surely return to Chicago to promote the new album in the near future.
See the full setlist here.
Cost of a ticket: $69
PlaylistHQ Economic Rating: Worth It
Rating Scale: Exceptional Value > Worth It > Discounted > Go for Free > Don’t Bother
Quinn Delaney
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 –
Rating Scale: Exceptional Value > Worth It > Discounted > Go for Free > Don’t Bother
Get tickets now for Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil – The Musical through August 11th!
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
PlaylistHQ 