Patti Smith photo from her official Facebook page.Patti Smith and her band’s concert at the Chicago Theatre on November 17 has sold out, so a second show was added on November 18. Smith has been celebrating the 50th anniversary of her groundbreaking debut album Horses with a world tour; upcoming shows include New York; Boston; Washington, DC; and Philadelphia. Smith also has upcoming book events promoting her Bread Of Angels memoir from November through January.
Smashing Pumpkins frontman Billy Corgan, who runs Madame ZuZu’s Teahouse in Highland Park, IL with his wife Chloe Mendel, is working with Lyric Opera Of Chicago boss John Mangum to create a piece “based on arranged and orchestrated music” from the Smashing Pumpkins’ Mellon Collie And The Infinite Sadness album. The Lyric Opera’s upcoming season will include performances of Night Of Mellon Collie And Infinite Sadness November 21 – 30.
Paul McCartney’s new autobiographical book Wings: The Story of a Band on the Run is now available. It was edited by well-known biography author Ted Widmer, who also contributed the introduction. Meanwhile, Paul McCartney’s Got Back North American Tour 2025 continues its run with a concert tomorrow night in Columbus, OH. Upcoming shows include 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.
Chicago area fans of eccentric yet melodic rock songs from the U.K. should circle November 12 on their calendars. That’s when Montrose Saloon on the city’s north side will present Robyn Hitchock/Soft Boys Night: Certified as Good as Gold! Local musicians involved include Dolph Chaney; The Embryos; The Dry Look; Phil Angotti; Phil Yates; Eric Chial; Danny Higgins; and Ken Robson. There is no cover charge, but patrons are encouraged to “tip hard!”
Speaking of Chicago area musicians paying homage to adventurous British acts, Indiscipline: A Tribute To The Music Of King Crimson takes place on December 6 at Reggies Chicago. The show will cover King Crimson “In All Eras: Lake, Wetton And Belew.” Reggies Chicago is located south of the Loop, at 2105 S. State Street, and this production will be staged in the Comedy Shack.
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.
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 on November 22. If my memory is correct, Otter Petter, Golden Richards, The Spindles, and Rolling Numbers are all veterans of International Pop Overthrow - Chicago.
Congratulations to Buddy Guy on his Ain’t Done With The Blues being nominated for the 2026 Best Traditional Blues Album Grammy Award. He’s facing some tough competition from Maria Muldaur; Charlie Musselwhite; Kenny Wayne Shepherd And Bobby Rush; and Taj Mahal & Keb’ Mo’.
Long-time U.K. ska masters The English Beat will perform on November 10 and 11 at City Winery Chicago.
Wicked Cool Records and Little Steven’s Underground Garage will present The Chesterfield Kings Christmas Show with special guests The Grip Weeds on December 13 at Iron Smoke Distillery in Fairport, NY.
The Band Calderisi has been performing catchy originals with tight harmonies on the Chicago club scene for a while now, so it’s nice to hear they’ve been recording material at the Transient Sound Recording Studio for an upcoming release.
The Arcada Theatre in St. Charles will present the double bill of The Lovin’ Spoonful With The Hollies Greatest Hits Starring Terry Sylvester on February 6. 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.
Big Brother’s Vinyl, a Chicago area band with a knack for performing classic rock songs that haven’t been covered endlessly by numerous other local acts, has a gig at Peggy Kinnanes in Arlington Heights on November 14.
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.
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.
The John And Yoko/Plastic Ono Band with Elephant’s Memory and Special Guests Live At The One To One Concert box set 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.
Tickets are now on sale for The Smithereens with Vicki Peterson and John Cowsill concert at The Des Plaines Theatre in Des Plaines, IL on March 6. Cowsill and Peterson, who released an album together earlier this year, have become regular guests at live gigs by The Smithereens.
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.
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.
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.”
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 Saint Rocke venue in Hermosa Beach, CA has a fun double bill of Flamin Groovies and The Pandoras coming up on November 19.
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.
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.
Another VU, the Chicago-based band that performs 1969-era Velvet Underground songs, has a gig lined up on November 23 at Simon’s Tavern.
Aimee Mann and Ted Leo successfully collaborate on indie rock songs from time to time, and they also enjoy spreading holiday cheer. Tickets are now on sale for their Aimee Mann and Ted Leo Christmas Show! with Paul F. Tompkins, Nellie McKay and Josh Gondelman. It kicks off on November 28 at City Winery New York, and will include shows in Chicago on December.
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.
