Incoming

Photo of Jim Babjak from the official Jim Babjak Facebook page.

Happy Birthday to Jim Babjak, guitarist-vocalist-founding member of The Smithereens, and all-around nice guy. I’ve been to a number of Smithereens shows where the musicians came out afterward to meet with fans and sign autographs. The Smithereens, with Vicki Peterson and John Cowsill, have a concert coming up at The Des Plaines Theatre in Des Plaines, IL on March 6.

Also Happy Birthday to Emily Togni, the long-time bassist-backing vocalist for The Handcuffs. She’s performed on three of the Chicago-based indie rock band’s four albums, and will likely play a role on the upcoming one.

And, a hearty welcome to Patti Smith. She and her band are in town for a pair of concerts at the Chicago Theatre. Tonight’s show has sold out, but there may be tickets left for the one tomorrow. Smith has been celebrating the 50th anniversary of her groundbreaking debut album Horses, and also has upcoming book events promoting her Bread Of Angels memoir from November through January.

As noted today on the official Cheap Trick Facebook page, the band will kick off its 2026 All Washed Up Tour in Madison, WI on January 24. Twenty more concerts will follow, stretching through April 25, but so far none of them are in Illinois. There are three TBAs on the schedule, but it doesn’t seem like Chicago or Rockford could conveniently fit into those open spots.

The Western Elstons, the Chicago band featuring well-known local players Casey McDonough, Scott Ligon, Joel Paterson, and Alex Hall, have a gig coming up this Friday at Robert’s Westside venue in downtown Forest Park.

The Gram Fest - Cosmic American Music Festival is taking place this Saturday at the Joshua Tree Cultural Center - Blak Box Theater in Joshua Tree, CA. Performers at this salute to the late country rock legend Gram Parsons include Sin City All Stars with special guests Jonny Kaplan And Friends, plus numerous other acts.

Chicago-based band whitewolfsonicprincess, which describes its approach as 21st century druid music, will share a bill with Dark Room Men at Cary’s Lounge this Saturday. The venue is located at 2251 W. Devon on the city’s far north side.

International Pop Overthrow - Toronto, the very last IPO event for 2025, takes place this Friday through Sunday at The Painted Lady venue. Twenty acts will perform; there are afternoon and evening showcases on Saturday.

Performances of The Lyric Opera Of Chicago’s Night Of Mellon Collie And Infinite Sadness start this Friday and will run through November 30. Smashing Pumpkins frontman Billy Corgan worked with Lyric boss John Mangum on creating a piece “based on arranged and orchestrated music” from the Smashing Pumpkins’ Mellon Collie And The Infinite Sadness album.

Canadian singer-songwriter Sarah McLachlan’s 2025 North American tour in support of her recently released Better Broken album will stop at the Auditorium Theatre in Chicago this Saturday.

Another VU, the Chicago-based band that performs 1969-era Velvet Underground songs, has a gig coming up this Sunday at Simon’s Tavern on the north side.

The Saint Rocke venue in Hermosa Beach, CA has a fun double bill of Flamin Groovies and The Pandoras coming up on this Wednesday night.

Four Chicago area bands who’ve long shared the goal of creating their own brand of catchy rock and roll will share billing at Montrose Saloon this Saturday night. If my memory is correct, Otter Petter, Golden Richards, The Spindles, and Rolling Numbers are all veterans of International Pop Overthrow - Chicago.

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 this Saturday from 3:00 to 6:00 pm. Admission is free with RSVP. Singer-songwriter AJ Rosales, who recently released the impressive new album Phasedrift, will be a featured guest.