Weekend Reminders

Photo from the Chicago Shakespeare Theater.

Thursday posts focus on events that were previously mentioned on Broken Hearted Toy, and are taking place during the upcoming weekend. Plus, the occasional event taking place this weekend that has just come to my attention, or concert tickets going on sale.

Where have all the good times gone? Sunny Afternoon, the UK play based on the music of The Kinks, wraps up its run at Chicago Shakespeare Theater this Sunday. If you’ve been meaning to check out this critically acclaimed and thoroughly rocking production, there isn’t much time left.

International Pop Overthrow - Chicago 2025 kicks off tomorrow night at Montrose Saloon on the city's north side and will run through May 3. Check out my earlier posts this week offering previews of this weekend’s showcases. I’m hoping to continue my previews as the festival progresses.

John Cowsill, who started his career with The Cowsills (“The Rain, The Park, And Other Things”) and recently released an album with his wife Vicki Peterson of The Bangles, will be the guest lead vocalist when The Smithereens perform at the North Shore Center for the Performing Arts in Skokie, IL tomorrow night. Chicago’s own and very impressive Sunshine Boys will be the opening act.

Singer-songwriter Robbie Fulks will be showcasing songs from his several critically acclaimed albums when he performs at SPACE in Evanston tomorrow night and Saturday.

EXPO Chicago, which bills itself as the city’s “premier contemporary and modern art fair,” returned to Navy Pier for its annual visit today and will run through Sunday. Visitors can spend hours admiring paintings, photographs, sculptures, books, and other creative wonders from Chicago and around the world. Single admission is $40.

The Effigies, one of Chicago’s first and best known punk bands, have an all ages show (with parent or guardian) coming up tomorrow at The Vixen venue in McHenry. The music starts at 6:30 pm, with Chicago-based punk band Sex Dream as the opening act. The Effigies have classic albums such as For Ever Grounded and Fly On A Wire to choose from, as well as their 2023 effort Burned. Unfortunately, we lost founding member John Kezdy to a fatal accident right around the time of that last effort.

The Handcuffs will likely include a few new songs they’ll be recording soon for their 5th album when they open for fellow Chicagoans The Steepwater Band at FitzGerald’s in Berwyn, IL tomorrow. The Steepwater Band has recorded a series of albums filled with hard-hitting Americana rock.

Big Brother’s Vinyl, a Chicago area band that performs classic rock songs that haven’t been covered endlessly by numerous other local acts, has a gig at Peggy Kinnanes in Arlington Heights tomorrow night.

McLuhan, the adventurous seven-piece Chicago band inspired by philosopher Marshall McLuhan, will perform at the Copper Fiddle Distillery in Lake Zurich this Saturday. Based on its recent series of shows at Montrose Saloon, it seems likely McLuhan will have vinyl copies of its ground-breaking and recently re-released album Anomaly available for sale at this show. Copper Fiddle Distillery is located at 532 W. Il. Route 22, Suite 110.

The Social Act, one of the first local bands I interviewed when I started writing for the Illinois Entertainer back in the mid-1980s, is back in action and has a 7:30 pm gig this Friday at The Liar’s Club on Chicago’s north side. Fans can expect to hear early goth-tinged gems such as “Sally-O,” “Love Hearts Open,” and maybe “Heaven Is Waiting.”