Incoming

Priority tickets are now on sale for The Who’s Tommy, which will run at the Goodman Theatre in downtown Chicago from June 13 to July 23. This is the genuine article; book by Pete Townshend and Des McAnuff, directed by Des McAnuff. It looks like ‘priority’ means buying a package deal of three or five plays; tickets for The Who’s Tommy will become available to the general public March 24.

Graham Nash, Nancy Wilson from Heart, Lyle Lovett, Bettye LaVette, Bruce Hornsby, Natalie Merchant, Glen Hansard, Ingrid Michaelson, and Peter Asher will perform at the Michael Dorf Presents The Music Of Paul McCartney at Carnegie Hall this Wednesday, March 15.

A Night For Tina, a benefit to help Tina Juhlin cope with costs while she undergoes cancer treatment, will be held at Simon’s Tavern on Chicago’s north side this Wednesday, March 15. The evening will feature performances by EXPO ’76, The Webstirs, Gerald Dowd, Phil Angotti, and Sunshine Boys (featuring Gerald Dowd). The event will run from 7:30 to 10:00 pm.  

Shemekia Copeland, definitely a member of blues royalty, has sold out her show this Thursday at SPACE in Evanston.

Tickets are now on sale for the North American dates of Peter Gabriel’s i/o The Tour. He’ll be in Chicago at the United Center on September 30, and other stops include Toronto, Montreal, New York, Philadelphia, San Francisco, and Los Angeles.

Stompin’ Grounds Cafe in Lake Zurich has a St. Patty’s Day Music Night coming tomorrow with live music by the Face N Time band. The performance will take place from 7:00 to 9:00 pm. Tickets are available on the cafe’s website.

Paul Rock has an impressive track record of staging multi-artists concerts through his Wild Honey Foundation that benefit worthy causes. On May 19, the Foundation will combine with writer/producer Lenny Kaye and Rhino Records to present Nuggets - 1965 – 68, an Autism Benefit at Alex Theatre in in Glendale, CA. Kaye, Rob Laufer, and Andrew Sandoval will lead the Wild Honey Orchestra; and if past events are any indication, other well-known musicians will be recruited as the date gets closer. Elliot Easton, Peter Buck, Scott McCaughey, and Peter Case among the musicians already involved. 

With St. Patrick’s Day coming this weekend, tomorrow would be a good time to catch the Classical Blast In Kilts show to Hey Nonny in Arlington Heights.

NRBQ will R-O-C-K this Thursday, March 16, at FitzGerald’s in Berwyn.

And you thought having a Bears stadium would be cool. Although I’m currently a Palatine resident, I grew up on Chicago’s southwest side. Back in the mid-1960s, I had no idea there was a teen club called The Cellar in Arlington Heights (right next to Palatine) that booked the best local rock bands, as well as The Who, The Yardbirds, Cream, The Byrds, MC5, Buffalo Springfield, and other world-famous acts. Sure, I collected WLS and WCFL surveys, but I was a timid child that might not have even gone to see The Who if they were performing in my grammar school’s basement.

Now, thanks to Hey Nonny in Arlington Heights, I can get an idea of what I missed. The music venue, which does a nice job of booking bands in the current day, will present The Cellar - Cultural Zenith Of Arlington Heights on April 25. “This show will tell the story of the rise and fall of the Cellar,” the website explains. “with pictures, witnesses, recordings made live at The Cellar, and a group of great young musicians playing live many of the songs that rocked the Cellar in its heyday.” Tickets range from $40 to $15, and Hey Nonny has already slapped a Low Ticket Alert! on the Cabaret and Premier options.