Weekend Reminders

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.

Neil Young will be 80 years old on November 12, and fans in Chicago can party a bit early this Sunday night at Martyrs’ on Lincoln Avenue. Steve Dawson, Tommi Zender, Alton Smith, Gerald Dowd and John Abbey—all well-known musicians on the local scene—will perform a “career spanning” Neil Young tribute divided into an acoustic set and an electric one.

The 24th Annual International Pop Overthrow - New York festival opened tonight at The Parkside Lounge in Manhattan will run through this Sunday. Over 30 acts are scheduled to perform.

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, will finish its run at The Goodman Theatre this Sunday. Tom Morello of Rage Against The Machine fame created the music and lyrics; and Steve H. Broadnax III is the director.

Marshall Crenshaw’s 40+ Years In Showbiz! tour will hit the east coast this weekend, with stops in Rochester, NH tomorrow; Fall River, MA on Saturday; and Northampton, MA on Sunday. James Mastro will be his opening act at each of those gigs. Crenshaw’s tour continues through November 25.

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 this Saturday at the Copper Fiddle Distillery in Lake Zurich, IL. There’s no cover charge; but a $15 donation is suggested.

The Black Harvest Film Festival opens tomorrow at the Gene Siskel Film Center in downtown Chicago. Over 70 films from around the world will have their Chicago premieres as the festival runs through November 16.

Chicago-based power pop band/recording artists Dolph Chaney And The Phins will return to Montrose Saloon on November 8, along with Tall Grass Captains, Secret Forest Service, and Satellite Union.

The Chicago-based indie rock band Van Go can pick several impressive originals from their albums when they perform at The Gallery Cabaret on the city’s north side this Saturday at 9:00 pm. It’s being billed as the Van Go Live 2025 World Tour! One Night Only!

The WXRT Live From The XRT Concert Archives series continues tomorrow night at 9:00 pm with an April 16, 2000 performance by Smashing Pumpkins recorded at Aragon Ballroom in Chicago. The concert can be heard on 93.1FM; 93XRT.com; and the Audacy app.

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.

Robbie Schaefer and Danielle Wertz will perform Both Sides Now: The Music and Lives of Joni Mitchell and Leonard Cohen at SPACE in Evanston, IL this Sunday. Created by Schaefer and Wertz, the piece is billed as a theatrical concert with a cabaret style ambience.