Ravinia Park Becomes A Cool Place

Photo taken from The Go-Go's Facebook page.

Ravinia Park was literally a cool place this past Friday night, as a below average temperature greeted an audience that had come for a double bill of 1980s rock. Luckily, The B-52’s and The Go-Go’s knew what to do to save the party. Although it has been at least 30 years since both of these groundbreaking acts made their debuts, they thoroughly entertained their fans at Ravinia with a number of big hits.

The B-52’s came on first, with original members Kate Pierson, Fred Schneider, Cindy Wilson, and Keith Strickland joined by longtime backup musicians Paul Gordon on keyboards, Tracy Wormworth on bass, and Sterling Campbell on drums. I was surprised by how much of the band’s material I was unfamiliar with, and even the people in the designated dance section in front of the stage seemed less animated during these songs. Still, everything was energetically rendered, with Wormworth and Campbell providing a steady, irresistible backbeat.

“Private Idaho” and “Give Me Back My Man” from 1980’s Wild Planet came early in the set and were well received, but “Roam,” from the 1989 release, Cosmic Thing was the first song to really get everyone up and grooving. “Party Out Of Bounds,” also from Wild Planet, was a blast, with Schneider giving lines like, “Disgusting things you’d never anticipate!” a theatrical flair. The B-52’s closed with a rousing rendition of “Love Shack,” which left a roaring audience demanding more.

The two encores came from the band's self-titled debut; the first being an extended and playfully spooky take on “Planet Claire” that was worth the price of admission alone. Pierson trilled along with the synthesizer while Schneider traveled the entire stage doing a robot walk. “Rock Lobster,” the impossibly silly new wave hit that first caught the attention of so many people back in 1979, served as the perfect finale for a concert that found The B-52’s still bringing the fun.

Seeing The Go-Go’s onstage again was a welcome development after the 2010 Farewell Tour was canceled due to an injury to guitarist Jane Wiedlin. This time out, there has been no talk of retiring, and all five original members look like they’re glad to be back. Lead vocalist Belinda Carlisle belted out the clever lyrics of “Skidmarks On My Heart,” one of several songs performed from The Go-Go’s debut, Beauty And The Beat, which was recently released in a two-disc 30th Anniversary Edition. The harmonies and vocal interplay were first rate on “How Much More,” “Fading Fast,” and the punkish “This Town” and “Tonite.”

The band opened with the title track from Vacation, and also picked “Get Up And Go” from that 1982 effort. There was a nod to Carlisle’s solo career with “Mad About You,” as well as Wiedlin’s collaboration with Sparks, “Cool Places.” It could have been my imagination, but it looked like Caffey was imitating Sparks goofball Ron Mael’s unique facial expressions while she played the keyboards on that song. A rollicking cover of The Stones’ “19th Nervous Breakdown” was a pleasant surprise, and The Go-Go’s went deep into their catalog for “Unforgiven,” from the solid but sadly overlooked 2001 comeback effort, God Bless The Go-Go’s, and “The Whole World Lost Its Head,” which can only be found on the Valley Of The Go-Go’s compilation.

The chart-topping single “Our Lips Are Sealed,” which surprisingly wasn’t saved for an encore, had everyone dancing and singing along, and The Go-Go’s closed with the exuberant “We Got The Beat.” Unfortunately, my wife and I missed the encore because we have to leave to catch two trains back to Palatine.

45 RPM Memories: The Go-Go’s - “We Got The Beat”

The Go-Go’s performed “We Got The Beat” on the Dancing With The Stars season finale last night. The cameras spent more time on some dancers than the Go-Go’s themselves, but it looked like Belinda and Co. were having fun. The Go-Go’s recently released a 30th Anniversary edition of their first effort, Beauty And The Beat, which contains a bonus disc of live performances. They’ll kick off their tour with a gig in Las Vegas in just a few days.

This 45 was released on the Stiff label in the UK a year before I.R.S. put out Beauty And The Beat, and sports a colorful cover that taps into the band’s early punk roots. I had no idea who The Go-Go’s were when I bought it, so the magic of cutting edge marketing must have worked on me. Although “We Got The Beat” would propel The Go-Go’s into the mainstream, it’s fun to consider that it came out in the same year as Joy Division’s “Love Will Tear Us Apart” and has a similar guitar-driven intro. It was composed by guitarist Charlotte Caffey, who has always seemed like the quiet member of the group.

“We Got The Beat” was an anthem for kids who were tired of the same old music. The reference to getting out of school evokes images of summer, but Caffey might have also meant it as a metaphor for freedom. At any rate, it’s an energetic call to action with fun harmonies and an irresistible melody.

It’s always a bonus when the B-Side of a single is a good song as well, and that was the case with “How Much More.” Penned by Caffey and her fellow guitarist Jane Wiedlin, it benefits from their frenetic strumming, Belinda Carlisle's evocative vocals, and Gina Schock’s galloping beat. It’s the tale of a female stalker who follows a guy around every night, and feels she’s about to lose her mind when she spots him with another girl. Interestingly, she doesn’t hate her competition. She simply notes, “She’s looking good just like I would/If it could be me.” Fate is the real villain in this song, which combines a modern arrangement with the 1960s girl group sound.

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Special bonus! A second round of Slumgullion in a single day.

By the time you read this, it will probably be too late to catch Faith In The Fallen’s 9:45 set tonight at Rock US Beer Company at 1801 N. Clybourn. The hard rock quintet, which features current New Millennium Theatre member and former Famous In The Future member Guy Schingoethe on lead vocals, has a gig in Kentucky on April 22nd, as well as one at the Penny Road Pub on June 18th.

Genral Patton & His Privates will be the closing act for the Peace Fest Battle Of The Bands (isn’t that an oxymoron?) tomorrow night at Phyllis’s Musical Inn on 1800 W. Division in Chicago. Other acts include Jagweeds, King Casey, Populele, and Ko Starz. There is a $5 donation.

The Second Disc online newsletter recently reported that The Go-Go’s will be celebrating the 30th anniversary of their effervescent debut, Beauty And The Beat by releasing a variety of special editions in May. The options will include Beauty And The Beat on pink vinyl, and as a two-disc CD set that features live performances as well as the original tracks. The Go-Go’s, who will be performing with The B-52’s at Ravinia on June 17th, are slated to receive a star on the Hollywood Walk Of Fame in August.

Bruce Springsteen will be Little Steven’s special guest on the guitarist-actor’s syndicated radio show Underground Garage for the next three weeks. Underground Garage airs on Sunday night from 9:00 to 11:00 PM on WXRT in Chicago. Fans can also hear a live stream via the station’s website.

International power pop trio The Britannicas have released a three-sided single - - one song composed by each of the members - - that’s available for free download at drummer-vocalist Joe Algeri’s bandcamp page.

The Bad Examples have just announced their first full concert since the release of their long-awaited Smash Record CD will take place on April 29th at FitzGerald’s in Berwyn.

Also at Fitzgerald’s, the 2nd Annual Concert For Carlos, a tribute to the late journalist Carlos Hernandez Gomez, will be held next Thursday, April 7th. Scheduled performers include Miles Zuniga of the band Fastball; Material re-Issue, featuring singer-guitarist Phil Angotti, along with original members Mike Zelenko and Ted Ansani; The Phil Angotti Band; Eric Howell’s Greatest Hitch!; and The New Fiction, which includes members of The Gear, along with guests Wes Hollywood and Johnny Million. There will be a silent auction with items donated by Rock And Roll Hall of Fame inductees and Grammy Award winning artists. Fitzgerald’s is located on 6615 Roosevelt in Berwyn. Donations can also be sent to the Carlos Hernandez Award in Journalism by contacting Wendy Irvine at DePaul University at wirvine@depaul.edu

Back on February 15th, I did a post on director P. David Ebersole’s Hit So Hard, an independent documentary about former Hole drummer Patty Schemel. Rolling Stone is now reporting that all four members of the band reunited for the premiere at New York’s Museum of Modern Art. Bassist Melissa Auf der Maur described the film as, “an incredible survival story about Patty.”

The Chicago band Empires has made it into the next round of Rolling Stone’s Do You Wanna Be A Rock & Roll Star? competition and is now among the eight finalists. The group has just recorded two new songs, which can be heard at http://www.rollingstone.com/choosethecover/artists/empires

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I’ve mentioned The Second Disc before, but it really is worth signing up to receive regular updates from this reissues-obsessed blog. An email I received yesterday immediately caught my attention with an opening line that proclaimed, “It’s Hollies-mania all over again!” The reason for this excitement is a new crop of Hollies-related reissues and box sets. The Second Disc reports that April 19th will see the release of a vinyl box set of the band’s rarities, as well as the Lost Recordings And Beat Rarities CD box set on the Sundazed label. Hollies fans can also look for vinyl reissues of the 1966 Imperial albums, Beat Group and Bus Stop. BGO Records is also set to release a disc that combines the 1964 release Here I Go Again with the 1965 release Hear! Here! The Second Disc has also recently provided news on reissues by Neil Diamond, Simon & Garfunkel, and The Beach Boys’ long lost SMiLE album.

Singer Cliff Johnson and his current band will be digging into the Off Broadway treasure chest of power pop gems for an Off Broadway Redux gig scheduled at the Nitecap Lounge on April 2nd. Johnson will be performing some of his newer stuff as well. The Nitecap Lounge is located at 5007 W. Irving Park Road in Chicago. The show starts at 9:30.

Tres-Tres, a new band on the Chicago scene, has just released its debut effort, Romantic Propaganda. The group describes its music as power pop for moderns, and the consistently clever lyrics are packed with references to several high-tech devices. The well-polished vocals and arrangements call to mind The Outfield, but at times they’re a bit too commercial for my tastes. “Holly Says Go,” a fun tale about hanging out with trendy gal whose hot looks get her into any club she wants, and the catchy “Ashley Chase” are the best tracks. Romantic Propaganda definitely sounds like a hit record, but I’d like Tres-Tres more if they threw out the rule book and played a little rougher.

A trio of improv groups at The Playground Theater are plenty excited about the second annual Chicago Comic & Entertainment Expo, also known as C2E2. On Friday, March 18th, The Fling, International Stinger, and The Tweet Life will be aiming for an entire evening’s worth of laughs “dedicated to and inspired by the awesomeness that is C2E2.” The Tweet Life’s performance will be based on the Twitter musings of comic book writer Warren Ellis. The show kicks off at 8:00 PM. Tickets for the BYOB event are $10. The Playground Theater is offering visitors to its website a chance to win weekend passes to C2E2.

Most of the visitors to The Chicago Comic & Entertainment Expo, which is coming to the West Building at McCormick Place March 18th - 20th, will probably stop by the Tonner exhibit. The company makes lifelike dolls and figures of celebrities, and has hit on an interesting method for getting the word out about its products. It’s now possible to become Facebook friends with Andy Mills, Cami Malone, and Jonquil Parker - - a trio of impeccably dressed dolls who hang out in Manhattan; seeing the latest hit musicals, visiting museums, and planning elegant social events. If you don’t mind inanimate objects having more fun than you ever do, you might want to Like them on Facebook.

WXRT DJ Tom Marker posted a blog on the station’s website this week with the news that Garbage may be planning to release a CD of new material within the coming months. A new tune called “The Hunger,” featuring Garbage front woman Shirley Manson on vocals, is available on iTunes, with the profits going to help Amnesty International. The song is from the musical Prometheus Bound.

Thomas Conner, the Sun-Times music critic noted in yesterday’s edition that this year’s Ravinia schedule leans heavily toward pleasing Baby Boomers. Several classic rock acts will be performing, including Robert Plant, Deep Purple, The Moody Blues, Doobie Brothers, Steely Dan, Peter Frampton, and Lynyrd Skynyrd. The most intriguing date for me is the double bill of The Go-Go’s and The B-52’s. When last heard from, The Go-Go’s had aborted a farewell tour last year due to a Jane Wiedlin injury. I'm wondering if the Ravinia date is part of a new swan song, or if the girls have decided to stick around for a while. Here’s hoping it’s the latter.

James Moeller and Carla Hayden, founders of Black Forest Theatre as well as members of the WhiteWolfSonicPrincess alt-rock band, have unveiled a new venture dubbed Black Forest Design. The company will provide clients with website design, web application development, graphic arts, and other services. For more information, send an email to jamesblackforest@yahoo.com

The Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame is selling new t shirts and mugs to help promote the 2011 Inductees. This year’s ceremony, honoring Alice Cooper, Neil Diamond, Dr. John, Darlene Love, and Tom Waits, will be held on March 14th at the Waldorf Astoria in New York. The show will be broadcast on Fuse.

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Comic book cover art taken from Jane Wiedlin's Facebook page.

Congratulations to The Go-Go’s for being honored with a star on Hollywood’s Walk Of Fame. Now if only this would keep them from breaking up. Meanwhile, Jane Wiedlin, whose recent injury caused the Go-Go’s to cancel their tour, is sure to be much more durable in her comic book persona, Lady Robotika. The musician is telling fans on Facebook that they need to pre-order Issue #1, which will be published by Image comics, at their local comic shops by June 24th. Maybe if the comic book-loving nerds on Big Bang hear of Wiedlin’s alter ego, it will result in a guest spot on the show for her.

Bangles guitarist-vocalist Vicki Peterson has extended her congratulations to The Go-Go’s on their Walk of Fame honor. In a separate tweet, she noted that she, sister Debbi, and Susanna Hoffs just finished a new Bangles song that will be a tribute to famed songwriter Toni Stern.

Indie rock for a good cause: The Handcuffs will be performing at a benefit for the Chicago Abused Women Coalition at The Viaduct on Saturday, June 19th. The show starts at 10PM and admission is $10. The Handcuffs will also be part of an impressive double bill when they and Phil Angotti perform in Millennium Park on Thursday, June 24th. Angotti kicks things off at 4PM, followed by The Handcuffs at 5:30PM.

Avant garde indie rockers WhiteWolfSonicPrincess are coming off a successful gig at Goose Island on north Clark Street, and will be playing from 1PM to 2:30PM Saturday afternoon at the Custer’s Art Fest in Evanston. The stage will be located at Chicago and Main Street. Leave it to radical guitarist-vocalist James Moeller to make a crack about Sitting Bull on his Facebook post.

Yesterday, I did a post about Paul Collins, and wondered if he would be coming to the Chicago area soon. I’ve just heard from Martha Westbrook, the Midwest Commander for The Beat Army, that Paul Collins will be performing at The Empty Bottle on August 25th.

Hollus, a Chicago band that exudes the look and sound of classic 1970s rock bands like The Faces and The Who, has just released its first official video. Their well-produced clip for “Songs That You Love” features the musicians and friends frolicking at various locations, and finds Hollus working in a lighter, jangling pop mode. Maybe those appearances at International Pop Overthrow are rubbing off on them. At any rate, it’s a good song and a good video.

Happy birthday to Paul McCartney. Nice to see so many contemporary musicians and groups saluting him on Facebook.

Anyone familiar with the anecdote about how Paul’s original working title for “Yesterday” was “Scrambled Eggs” will hopefully get a kick out of a running gag my wife and I have going on our comedy series, Manchester Gallery. And when I say ‘comedy series,’ I mean some short clips that can be seen on the Sunday Morning Coffee With Jeff Internet program. I play an inept and untrustworthy curator of a pop culture museum. On one episode, I displayed the scrambled eggs Paul was eating when he came up with up with “Yesterday,” and explained that they were on loan from the Treasures Room at the British Museum in London. Unfortunately, I didn’t keep a close enough eye on the eggs, and the episode ended with the Gallery’s feline mascots eating them. In a more recent clip, a private dick hired by the British Museum came by to inquire about the eggs. All of this is fictional of course, but if you’re looking to celebrate Paul’s birth in a wacky kind of way, you can check out the episode at Jeff’s blog.

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The latest issue of Time Out Chicago magazine has a feature on The Like, a four-woman band that draws its inspiration from the original British Invasion. They’re in Chicago tomorrow night, as part of a triple bill that includes The Static Jacks and headliners The Futureheads at Lincoln Hall. I can’t say that I had heard of The Like before, although they’ve been around a few years. The article made them sound pretty interesting, and the catchy and clever songs on their MySpace page have me eager to buy their latest CD, Release Me, which comes out next Tuesday.

Singer-guitarist Jeff Lescher will unveil the new line-up for his critically acclaimed power pop band Green, tonight at Martyrs, on Lincoln Avenue. The band now includes veteran musicians drummer Mike Zelenko of Material Issue, bassist Eddy Ulm, and guitarist Tommi Zender.

Happy Birthday wishes go out today to singer-guitarist Chloe F. Orwell, who along with her husband, drummer Brad Elvis, has fronted Big Hello, as well as their current band, The Handcuffs. Orwell is a charismatic performer who never shies away from expressing her opinions. The Handcuffs are currently working on the their third CD, and have just announced their summer schedule, which includes outdoor gigs at Millennium Park, Taste Of Lincoln Avenue, and North Halsted Street Market Days.

The Old Town Art Fair, which takes place this Saturday and Sunday, is always worth checking out (along with its sibling event, The Wells Street Art Fair) and this year it will be even more fun thanks to The Bon Mots. The highly melodic Chicago power pop band will be performing at the corner of Orleans and Wisconsin Streets at 3:30 PM.

Congratulations to Braam, the Chicago-based rock band comprised of 17 brothers. Actually, three brothers and a non-related drummer. Their “Burlington Northern” has snagged World Music and Independent Film Festival nominations in the Music Videos category for Best Cinematography and Best Director (Jerry Vasilatos). The band is also asking its fans to vote for “Burlington Northern” in the WMIFF People’s Choice category.

I’ve complained here before about the lack of Hollies souvenirs being offered to fans, but there are now some pretty cool things for sale on the band’s official website. In addition to the various tour books which have been available for quite a while, there’s a new book, titled Through The Ages. It features photographs of The Hollies from drummer Bobby Elliot’s personal collection, and many of them are previously unpublished. Fans will also find shirts and a baseball style cap bearing the Hollies logo for sale. I’ve already added some of these items to my birthday wish list, but I’d still like to see The Hollies create their own Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame t shirt.

Crystal’s Blue Line Persuasion. Now that American Idol runner-up Crystal Bowersox has told Mike Thomas at the Sun-Times that she’s considering a “guerrilla subway tour” in Chicago, I wonder if we’ll start seeing a number of pretenders donning blond dreadlock wigs, hoping to cash in on her idea. According to Bowersox, she used to earn enough money to eat and pay rent by performing at L stops in Chicago back in the days before she became famous.

Glenn Tilbrook has just posted on his Facebook page that Squeeze will be releasing a CD in August. The band will be part of a dream double bill with Cheap Trick at Ravinia in Illinois on July 10th.

It was great to read in the news today that Natasha McShane, the Irish exchange student who was severely injured by a man wielding a baseball bat this past April in Chicago, is starting to walk, eat, and talk again. Her recovery is taking time, but her parents are encouraged. There will be two benefits for McShane in the Chicago area this Sunday, June 13th. Gaelic Park, in suburban Oak Forest, has a full line-up of entertainment scheduled for its Tara Room and Carraig Pub. The Orland Park-based band Bohola kicks things off at 3:00PM, and the live music continues until 7:45PM. Other acts include the Katie Sullivan Band, Gavin Coyle, and Three Men In Kilts. The performances at the Irish American Heritage Center, on the city’s north side, will start at 1:00PM with the Pauline Conneely Ceili Band in the Erin Ballroom and the Johnny Gleason Duo in Fifth Province. The fundraiser concludes with the Joe McShane Band and Seamus Kennedy, who start their shows at 8:00. Other acts include students from the Academy of Irish Music featuring Trinity Irish Dance, Baal Tinne, who will also feature Trinity Irish Dance, and Avondale Ramblers. The full schedule for both of these fundraisers can be seen at each location’s website. Here’s wishing McShane a full recovery.

Rock N Load is reporting on Facebook that The Go-Go’s have canceled their Happily Ever After farewell tour, which was scheduled to start at Lilith Fair in San Diego, on July 27th. Guitarist-vocalist Jane Wiedlin injured her knee while hiking, and will need surgery to repair it. Her recovery is expected to take up to a year. No word as to whether the band will try another farewell tour at that time. Wiedlin has posted a message on her Facebook page that she’s currently writing and recording songs.

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Photo from Paul McCartney’s MySpace page.

Longtime listeners of WXRT in Chicago know how fanatical on-air personality Terri Hemmert is about The Beatles. So we all shared in her excitement this week when she was one of the chosen few invited to watch Sir Paul McCartney receive the Gershwin Prize at the White House. Hemmert called in to Lin Brehmer’s show from Washington, D.C. the next morning to describe her adventure, and her genuine excitement was touching. Congratulations, Terri! And of course, congratulations to Paul.

Speaking of WXRT, Saturday Morning Flashback, the program that each week examines a different year via songs, sound bites, and host Wendy Rice’s charming commentary, celebrates its 25th Anniversary tomorrow. It will feature the year when Flashback began, 1985.

A few months back, Puerto Muerto, the Chicago-based indie rock duo comprised of vocalist-percussionist Christa Meyer and vocalist-guitarist Tim Kelley shocked its fans by breaking up shortly after the release of its critically acclaimed CD, Dueling For Pistols. Meyer has since formed a new project called Man Is Man with cello player Ben Kulp. True to Meyer’s eclectic background, the name is a reference to play by Bertolt Brecht. Man Is Man’s stark but enchanting first song, “The Disease” can be heard on its MySpace page.

Galileo Players have a long history of successfully mining humor from intellectual material. The Chicago-based improv troupe, whose founding member Matt Hovde has become a highly successful director in town, is now making episodes of its ambitious Science Digest web video series, including the 1981 pilot episode “The Astronaut,” available on YouTube.

Anyone who has seen The Bangles play live in recent years has surely noticed their exuberant keyboards player “Harpo” Hilfman. Now the band is coming to the aid of his wife, who needs a kidney transplant. They’ll be performing a Benefit Concert For Cindi Hilfman, which will be held just outside of Los Angeles on July 30th at Theatricum Botanicum. Fans can also support Ms. Hilfman by bidding on Bangles items, such as a skirt donated by Susanna Hoffs, on eBay. Best wishes to Mrs. Harpo.

While its sad to see The Go-Go’s breaking up, at least their farewell tour has given a number of fans a chance to express their creativity. The band and the Rock ‘n Load entertainment agency are sponsoring a contest to design a t-shirt that will become part of the tour’s official merchandise. The deadline is June 17th, and several of the entries can already be viewed on Rock ‘n Load’s Facebook page.