Incoming

Photo of Pete Townshend and Roger Daltry from The Who Facebook page.

Happy Birthday to Pete Townshend, a true icon who’s excelled as a member of The Who, a solo artist, an author, and creator of rock operas. Take a few minutes to check out social media and you’ll see several fans and fellow musicians posting tributes. The Who’s The Song Is Over North America Farewell Tour starts August 16 in Sunrise, FL and will finish on September 28 in Las Vegas. The 14-concert tour will include a stop on September 7 at the United Center in Chicago.

Chicago area fans can check out the Jason Narducy and Dag Juhlin Celebrate Pete Townshend’s (Belated) Birthday performance at Hey Nonny in Arlington Heights, IL on June 21. Tickets recently went on sale for a late show that will start at 9:30 pm; tickets for the original 7:00 pm show are quickly selling out.

The Band Calderisi, one of the many impressive acts at the recent International Pop Overthrow - Chicago event, have a 5:00 pm set next Sunday at the outdoor Belmont Sheffield Music Festival on Chicago’s north side.

The 49th annual Fest For Beatles Fans - Chicago will take place on the weekend of August 8 –10 at the Hyatt Regency O’Hare. WXRT DJ Terri Hemmert will once again serve as MC; and this year’s special guests will include drummer Simon Kirke from Bad Company and Free; Jim McCarty from The Yardbirds and Renaissance; British Invasion hit maker Billy J. Kramer; 1960s model/Carnaby Street scene celebrity/author Jenny Boyd; author Yvonne Innes, whose Dip My Brain In Joy: A Life With Neil Innes celebrates her marriage to the late writer-musician-actor; and actor Eddie Deezen from the I Wanna Hold Your Hand comedy flick. There will be performances by Liverpool; The Weeklings; The Taxmen; Phil Angotti And Friends and other bands. A recent Fest For Beatles Fans email stated, “The Fest For Beatles Fans 2025 Chicago is dedicated, with love, to Joey Molland.” The Badfinger founding member was a Fest special guest on several occasions.

Fans of Chicago rock and roll circa the mid-1960s might have a willingness to check out The New Colony Six this Friday at Hey Nonny in Arlington Heights.

PureSoul will present Stevie Wonder’s 75th Birthday Celebration: Songs In The Key Of Life, A Tribute this Sunday at City Winery Chicago. The 7:00 pm event, taking place the day before Wonder’s actual birthday, will feature PureSoul's Chicago Allstars performing his 1976 double-LP masterpiece.

“Leitmotif,” the fourth song Chicago-based singer-songwriter AJ Rosales has released from his upcoming album Phasedrift on Bandcamp, continues the string of melodic acoustic songs with well crafted, introspective lyrics. Once again, listeners will likely be reminded of vintage Neil Young as Rosales supplies all the vocals and instrumentation. It might be the last preview we get since Phasedrift is due out on June 20.