The Who have released a 7 CD/Blu-Ray Super Deluxe Edition Box Set of their 1978 album Who Are You. Fans get all that for $124.98, plus a 100-page hardcover book with sleeve notes by Matt Kent and Steven Wilson; previously unpublished photos; and memorabilia. A Deluxe 4 LP Edition is available for $89.98, and there’s a Deluxe 2 CD Edition for $19.98. As always, The Who have other splendid items available in their online store, including t-shirts, posters, a hoodie, and a tote bag.
Ratboys, the Chicago-based indie rock band whose 2023 album The Window made quite an impression with local fans and the media, have a new album coming out on February 6. Singin’ To An Empty Chair is available for pre-order on the Ratboys Bandcamp page; and the two tracks already available —“Light Night Mountains All That” and “Anywhere”—are both impressive.
Tickets for The Smithereens with Vicki Peterson and John Cowsill concert at The Des Plaines Theatre in Des Plaines, IL are now on sale. Cowsill and Peterson, who released an album together earlier this year, have become regular guests at live gigs by The Smithereens.
As recently noted by Tammy Easter, Admin for the official Let’s Active Facebook page, an Easter And Gang Play Let’s Active concert led by founding member Mitch Easter will take place on November 29 at The Ramkat in Winston - Salem, NC. The band’s entire catalog was newly remastered and will be released on streaming sites in late November.
Chicago-based power pop band The Spindles will have two albums worth of catchy originals and well-chosen covers to draw from when they perform at 7:00 pm on November 8 at Shannon’s Deli in Lombard, Illinois. The country and western quartet Saddleman will perform their original tunes at 8:30 pm.
International Pop Overthrow - Boston returns for its 22nd year on November 12 – 15 at The Square Root venue. This will be the penultimate IPO bash for 2025; with International Pop Overthrow - Toronto scheduled for November 21 – 23 at The Painted Lady.
Revolution(s), Zayd Ayers Dohrn’s play about a soldier who returns from Afghanistan only to find his south side Chicago neighborhood also in turmoil, has opened at The Goodman Theatre. Tom Morello of Rage Against The Machine fame created the music and lyrics; and Steve H. Broadnax III is the director. Revolution(s) runs through November 9.
As noted on the WXRT Facebook page and by WBEZ staffer Mike Davis in a recent issue of the Chicago Sun-Times, David Byrne and Mala Gaonhar’s immersive event Theater Of The Mind will have a Chicago-only run in March at the Reid Murdoch Center in the downtown area. Theater Of The Mind will be the directed by Andrew Scoville and produced by the Goodman Theatre.
In other WXRT news, long-time radio personality Terri Hemmert, or Aunt Terri as she’s affectionately known, will make an in-store appearance at Treetime Christmas Creations (22102 N. Pepper Road) in Lake Barrington from 7:00 pm to 8:00 pm on November 6. She’ll “share her favorite holiday musical selections” in what’s being billed as a holiday season kick-off celebration. Those interested are advised to guarantee their space at the event by registering in advance.
The Gram Fest - Cosmic American Music Festival is taking place on November 22 at the Joshua Tree Cultural Center - Blak Box Theater in Joshua Tree, CA. Performers include Sin City All Stars with special guests Jonny Kaplan And Friends, plus numerous other acts.
Chicago-based power pop band Dolph Chaney And The Phins will return to Montrose Saloon on November 8, along with Tall Grass Captains, Secret Forest Service, and Satellite Union.
In a move I’m willing to bet nobody saw coming, Australian garage rockers Hoodoo Gurus will be backed by the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra on January 29 at the Sidney Myer Music Bowl. The listing on the Ticketek site promises the band’s material will be “reimagined on an epic scale, with orchestral arrangements bringing fresh energy and grandeur.” Sure sounds like fun.
For rock fans who love to travel. Iggy Pop; Joan Jett And The Blackhearts; Hoodoo Gurus; and ZED will share a tour in Auckland, New Zealand next year on January 23, 26, and 31. Six months later, Hoodoo Gurus will be one of the headline acts down under at the Birdsville Big Red Bash. It’s being promoted as The Most Remote Music Festival In The World.
WGN Radio’s cultural- and civic-minded program Outside The Loop will celebrate its 1,000th episode with a live taping at the FitzGerald’s venue in Berwyn, IL on November 22. Singer-songwriter AJ Rosales, who recently released the impressive new album Phasedrift, will be a featured guest.
The John And Yoko/Plastic Ono Band with Elephant’s Memory and Special Guests Live At The One To One Concert boxset is available to pre-order at the online Official John Lennon Store. Recorded live at Madison Square Garden in New York City on August 30, 1972, the concert is available in 9 CD + 3 Blu-Ray Boxset; 4 LP; 2 CD; 2 LP, and 1 CD formats.
Congratulations to former WGN radio host and current creator/host of the Radio Misfits Podcast Networks Nick Digilio on the release of his 40 Years, 40 Films book. It’s now available from Eckhartz Press.
Paul McCartney’s Got Back North American Tour 2025 continues its run with concerts tonight and tomorrow in Atlanta. Upcoming shows include Nashville; Columbus; Pittsburgh; Buffalo; and Montreal. The long and winding road ends with concerts at the United Center on November 24 and 25, which means Chicago area fans will have something fun to talk about with their families at Thanksgiving dinner.
Prog rock will definitely be on the menu when the adventurous seven-piece Chicago band McLuhan shares a double bill with the local duo Esmeralda’s Boys on November 8 at the Copper Fiddle Distillery in Lake Zurich, IL. There’s no cover charge; but a $15 donation is suggested.
The Chicago-based Super Creeps David Bowie tribute band has a performance coming up on November 15 at Montrose Saloon with special guests The Means (Of Joy Division) and that man of many bands, Eric Chial.
Tickets are now on sale for Gladys Knight’s concert with special guest saxophone player Harold Dawson on November 13 at The Arcada Theatre in St. Charles, IL. Knight recorded several rhythm and blues classics, including “Midnight Train To Georgia,” “I Heard It Through The Grapevine,” and “If I Were Your Woman.”
Coming up on February 6, The Arcada Theatre in St. Charles will present the double bill of The Lovin’ Spoonful With The Hollies Greatest Hits Starring Terry Sylvester. Long-time Hollies fans will recognize Sylvester as the musician who replaced Graham Nash in the late 1960s and stayed with them for a few decades.
Robert Plant, whose Saving Grace album with vocalist Suzi Dian is now available, has two concerts with her coming up in Chicago. They’ll be at The Vic Theatre on November 12, and at The Old Town School Of Folk Music on November 13.
Tickets are now on sale for the Desert Rock - A Tribute To The Laurel Canyon Music Scene event coming February 6 to The Raue Center For The Arts in Crystal Lake, IL. The two-hour multimedia show will celebrate the music of Linda Ronstadt; CSNY; The Byrds; Buffalo Springfield; Loggins And Messina; Poco; JD Souther; Warren Zevon; Lowell George; Tom Waits; Gram Parsons; and others.
The 28th Annual Jeff Buckley Tribute will be held on November 16 and 17 at Uncommon Ground Lakeview venue on Chicago’s north side.
FitzGerald’s in Berwyn, IL has issued a low ticket warning for the Chris And Heather’s Country Calendar Show involving several performers from the Chicago music scene on December 6. Even if you can’t make the show, I highly recommend finding a way to buy the Heather’s calendar because it’s always a masterpiece.
Cheap Trick’s latest album, All Washed Up, is due out November 14. The band has already teased fans with the songs “The Riff That Won’t Quit” and “Twelve Gates.”
Canadian singer-songwriter Sarah McLachlan’s new album titled Better Broken is now available; with the title track being the first single. Her 2025 North American tour will include a stop at the Auditorium Theatre in Chicago on November 22.
The Webstirs, a Chicago-based band that’s been a reliable source for well-crafted and witty indie rock, will release its next album, High Up In The Trees, on November 14. They’ll perform a free show in the Sidebar at FitzGerald’s in Berwyn, IL that night, with special guests Sunshine Boys.
A Carnival Of Grey And White, the latest and long-awaited album from the Milwaukee-based power pop band Trolley is now available on Bandcamp. In addition to the catchy title track and Elvis Costello style “As Long As I Can Find You,” which were previously released as teasers, other energetic gems include “Leaving You Behind,” “Stepping Up,” and “Radio Silence.”
The Saint Rocke venue in Hermosa Beach, CA has a fun double bill of Flamin Groovies and The Pandoras coming up on November 19.