Saturday Slumgullion

Please see this past Thursday’s Weekend Reminders post for events taking place tonight and tomorrow. 

Billy Idol will be joined by Joan Jett on his It’s A Nice Day To . . . Tour Again! series of U.S. concerts starting on April 30. That includes a stop at the Credit Union 1 Amphitheater in Tinley Park, IL on May 20.

Aerosmith bassist/backup vocalist Tom Hamilton will perform with his new band Close Enemies, which includes other rock and roll veterans, at City Winery Chicago on January 28. Hamilton was a co-writer on “Sweet Emotion” and other Aerosmith hits.

Several well-known acts from across various genres will perform at the FireAid Benefit Concert taking place on January 30 at the Intuit Dome and Kia Forum in Los Angeles. The event will raise funds to help areas that were destroyed by the recent wildfires. The performers include Billie Eilish; Dave Matthews and John Mayer; Stevie Wonder; Graham Nash; Stephen Stills; Joni Mitchell; Green Day; Earth Wind And Fire; Lady Gaga; John Fogerty; Rod Stewart; Katy Perry; Sting; No Doubt; Red Hot Chili Peppers; Stevie Nicks; and The Black Crowes.

Tickets are now on sale for the Stop Making Sense: A Film By Jonathan Demme And Talking Heads Live Event Hosted By Jerry Harrison event coming on May 1 to the North Shore Center For The Performing Arts in Skokie, IL. The re-release of Demme’s iconic 1984 concert flick has been restored in 4K, and Talking Heads guitarist Jerry Harrison will provide an introduction, as well comments and a Q&A session afterward. Limited meet and greet tickets available.

Several music critics have hailed The Beach Boys’ Pet Sounds as Brian Wilson’s finest moment, and there’s an event coming to to Park West in Chicago on March 7 that will celebrate that 1966 album. Pet Sounds LIVE is described as a “captivating show [that] combines live music, narration, and multimedia to bring the genius of Brian Wilson and [this] iconic masterpiece to life.”

With the film A Complete Unknown gathering positive reviews, landing on several film critics’ best of 2024 lists, and nabbing Academy Award nominations, the timing is right to check out the Ike Reilly And The Zimmermen Do Dylan event at FitzGerald’s in Berwyn, IL on Jan 30.

Sly Lives! (AKA The Burden Of Black Genius), a Sly Stone documentary directed by Questlove, will be screened at the Sundance Film Festival this weekend and on January 29 and 31. It will also be available via Disney+ and hulu on February 13.

Open Wide, the third album from Inhaler, drops on February 7, which is right around the time the Irish band will embark on a world tour. All but two of the February U.K. as dates (some with singer-songwriter Heidi Curtis as the opening act) are sold out, as is the opening show of the North America leg in Toronto. Inhaler has a dozen shows scheduled for the U.S., including on St. Patrick’s Day at the Houston, TX House Of Blues. But nothing in Chicago so far.

Tickets are now available for a show by the David Bowie tribute band Sons Of The Silent Age at SPACE in Evanston, IL on March 14. Those tickets are likely to go fast.

The Experience Hendrix 2025 Tour starts on March 11 in Cincinnati; and will also include Toronto; Milwaukee; Chicago (Chicago Theatre, March 21); Detroit; Atlantic City; and Washington, DC. Performers will include Kenny Wayne Shepherd; Marcus King; Christone “Kingfish Ingram; Zakk Wylde; Eric Johnson; Devon Allman; Samantha Fish; David Hildago and Cesar Rosas from Los Lobos; Dweezil Zappa; Ally Venable; and Dylan Triplett.

Pure Soul will present Bob Marley’s 80th Birthday Celebration at City Winery Chicago at 7:30 on February 6. The event will celebrate the memory of the legendary Jamaican musician by “pairing PureSoul musicians with some of the greatest reggae masters in Chicago.”

Fans who miss the blend of atmosphere and melody so entertainingly crafted by the English band Lush should check out the upcoming album from founding member Miki Berenyi’s new band. Tripla by the Miki Berenyi Trio is due out April 4 and is available to pre-order in digital and vinyl formats. Lush aficionados will also find much to like on the two albums the band’s cofounder Emma Anderson released over the past two years.

Tickets are now available for Alejandro Escovedo’s April 4 and 5 shows at City Winery Chicago. In addition to his roots rock solo career,  found success as a member of Rank And File and True Believers.

 

The Consequence website is offering a special ALL FOR LA Wildfires Relief T-Shirt in various colors to raise funds for victims of the Los Angeles wildfires. 100% of the proceeds will benefit MusiCares, an organization that “provides a safety net of critical assistance forums people in times of need.”

Joel Paterson, a guitarist who’s been impressing audiences in Chicago area clubs for a while now, recently recorded an album of rock and country music covers titled Atta Boy Girl with L.A. singer-guitarist Annie Dolan.

This year’s New Orleans Jazz And Heritage Festival will take place from April 24 through May 4, with well-known acts from several genres taking part. This year’s lineup includes Pearl Jam; Lenny Kravitz; Kacey Musgraves; Santana; John Fogerty; HAIM; Cage The Elephant; Patti LaBelle; Gladys Knight; Joan Jett and The Blackhearts; Cheap Trick; Diana Krall; Branford Marsalis; The Wailers Featuring Julian Marley; Taj Mahal And The Phantom Blues Band; Stanley Clarke; Rickie Lee Jones; Shemekia Copeland; and The Dirty Dozen Brass Band.

The critically acclaimed Black Ensemble Theater is holding general auditions for its 2025 season on February 18 from 11:00 am to 6:00 pm at the venue’s 4450 N. Clark Street location in Chicago. A recent Facebook post provided info on what applicants will need to audition.

The Zombies’ official biographer Robin Platts has written a book titled Times and Seasons - The Rise and Fall and Rise of The Zombies that’s now available for pre-order from HoZac Books. Bangles singer-guitarist and long-time fan Susanna Hoffs wrote the Forward.

Chicago area Harry Potter fans might wind up cursing themselves if they don’t buy their tickets for Harry Potter And The Cursed Child at the James M. Nederlander Theatre soon. The production, which earned four stars from Chicago Tribune critic Chris Jones, will close on February 1.

Scottish indie rockers Franz Ferdinand Human Fear recently released their first album in a while last Friday, and will soon kick off a world tour. The American leg of that tour includes an April 5 concert at The Vic in Chicago.

The Webstirs have a show coming up on March 8 at Phyllis’ Musical Inn on Chicago’s north side. The band has been setting clever and humorous lyrics to catchy arrangements for several years now, and has released six albums. Phyllis’ Musical Inn is located at 1800 W. Division.

A Freddie Mercury Birthday Party 2025 bash will take place at the Casino Barriere Montreux in Paris on September 6th. Since the event will also celebrate 50 years of Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody” single, attendees are being asked to wear white to match the outfits worn by band members on the A Night At The Opera album cover. According to the official announcement, tickets, t-shirts, and posters will be available to purchase soon. The Freddie Mercury Birthday Party 2025 will benefit The Mercury Phoenix Trust. 

The annual My Sweet George George Harrison birthday tribute will take place on February 22 at Martyrs’ on Lincoln Avenue. If previous years are any indication, the event’s organizers—Ellis Clark and Ary Paloma— will  recruit some of Chicago’s best musicians to join the celebration, and the selection of Harrison material performed will range from hit singles to deep tracks and rarities.

Americana singer-guitarist Mindy Smith will likely be performing songs from Quiet Town—her first album in 10 years—at her City Winery Chicago concert on January 30.

Hey Nonny in Arlington Heights will present its annual Blues Week February 4 – 8. This year’s performers are The Cold Stares; Brother John Band; Joanna Conner; Kevin Purcell; and John Primier.

 

Tickets are now available for Beautiful Vision: The Songs Of Van Morrison with Steve Dawson, Chris Greene, Alton Smith, John Mead, John Abbey, Larry Brown, and Sophie Creutz on March 17 SPACE in Evanston. Robbie Fulks has concerts slated for SPACE on April 25 and 26.