Get Yer Na Na Na Na Na Na Nas Out

On any given night of Paul McCartney’s current tour, a number of audience members are fulfilling a long-time (almost lifelong) desire to see Beatles songs performed by an actual Beatle. Scanning the crowd at the Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre in Tinley Park this past July 25, it was easy to spot girls-night-out friends hugging and laughing in disbelief that they were about to see Paul McCartney in person. A pair of guys behind where my wife Pam and I were sitting swapped predictions of which songs McCartney had to play, and there were plenty of parents who brought young kids with them.

McCartney and (from what I’ve read) Ringo Starr approach this mammoth responsibility with a bemused expression and an old-fashioned work ethic. McCartney played three hours of classic material augmented by dazzling technical effects, but consistently addressed the crowd as though he was chatting with some mates at the corner pub. His tales centered on encounters with other famous musicians, as well as the simple events that sometimes provide inspiration for a song.

“We’re going to take you back in time,” he announced before harmonizing perfectly with members of his first-rate backup band on the pre-Beatles Quarrymen song “In Spite Of All The Danger.” The concert also included the engaging “Queenie Eye” and “New” from his most recent release, New. McCartney’s days with Wings were well represented with rousing versions of “Nineteen Hundred And Eighty Five,” “Letting Go,” and “Band On The Run.” An extended jam at the end of “Let Me Roll It” honored Jimi Hendrix and led to a funny anecdote about the iconic musician playing to a star-studded audience that included McCartney and Eric Clapton. After realizing his guitar was out of tune, Hendrix reportedly spotted Clapton and asked if he’d come on stage to tune it for him. According to McCartney, Clapton refused.

While introducing the rollicking “I Wanna Be Your Man,” McCartney related how he and John Lennon decided to give the song to The Rolling Stones so they could have a hit single with it. “Here Today,” served as a knowing and heartfelt tribute to Lennon, and later in the show, McCartney quietly strummed “Something” on a ukulele before the full band joined in and photos of George Harrison spread across the big screens surrounding the stage. McCartney also took a moment to honor producer George Martin, suggesting there wouldn’t have been a Beatles without his guidance.

Throughout the show, he seamlessly blended highlights from his solo career—“Maybe I’m Amazed,” “Temporary Secretary,” an eye-popping “Live And Let Die”—with Beatles classics. “Blackbird,” which he explained was inspired by the civil rights movement in America, “And I Love Her,” “Fool On The Hill,” and “Let It Be” were pure magic, while “Back In The U.S.S.R.,” “Can’t Buy Me Love,” and “Lady Madonna” were performed at full power by McCartney and his band. He dedicated “Birthday” to everyone in the crowd who was celebrating their birthday that night (which included me), and in honor of the 50th anniversary of Sgt. Pepper, played “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band (Reprise)” and “Being For The Benefit Of Mr. Kite!”

As “Hey Jude” sparked its customary audience sing-along on the “Na na na na na na na” coda, it was amazing to glance around the stadium, as well as back across the lawn area, and see so many exuberant people joining together.

Saturday Night Slumgullion

An Evening Of John Lennon is coming to City Winery Chicago tomorrow night, August 6, featuring Phil Angotti, Tommi Zender, Casey McDonough, Joe Camarillo, and Dick Schmidt. These guys are veterans of the local music scene and have successfully staged this retrospective before. Tickets are $15; the music starts at 7:30 p.m.

The 23rd Annual Black Harvest Film Festival opened today at the Gene Siskel Center in downtown Chicago and runs through the end of the month.

The Chicago Art Book Fair, an international showcase of “zine-makers, book artists, comic makers, photo book creators RISOgraph printers, and self-publishers,” makes its debut November 16 through 19 at the Chicago Athletic Association Hotel at 12 S. Michigan Avenue. It will be free and open to the public.

That new video Derrick Anderson talked about filming a while back for his impossibly catchy song “When I Was Your Man” is now available. Taken from his recent solo album A World Of My Own, the stark but fun clip features him on bass, along with Debbi and Vicki Peterson of The Bangles, and Kim Shattuck from The Muffs. Anderson has been performing with The Bangles as their bass player for some time now, and he got them, along Shattuck, Matthew Sweet, The Smithereens, and other power pop stars to help out on the album. As I said here before, I’d love to see Anderson go on tour with that all-star band, and come to Chicago.

In other Bangles news, the band’s 1984 album All Over The Place, was named as one of National Public Radio’s The 150 Greatest Albums Made By Women. Join Mitchell’s Blue came in at Number One. Vicki Peterson has formed a new band called Action Skulls with John Cowsill and Bill Mumy. “Mainstream,” a satiric and jangling tune from their upcoming album Angels Hear, can be heard on The Bangles Facebook page.

The always essential website The Second Disc recently reported on Leave Home: 40th Anniversary Deluxe Edition of The Ramones’ second album. Writer Joe Marchese stated that the three-CD/one-LP box set comes with a remastered version of the album, a new mix on CD and vinyl, and a bonus disc with 33 rare tracks. In another Second Disc post, Marchese covered The Who’s upcoming Maximum As and Bs: The Complete Singles five-CD box set. It comes with a 48-page booklet.

Chicago venue The Elbo Room is sponsoring the ninth annual I Am Fest – International Art and Music Festival on August 19. The day-long event will actually be held at the more spacious The House Of Blues and feature music acts, art, and photography. The Smoking Popes, Sin Anestesia, and Littlebirds are scheduled to perform.

The American Ska-Thic festival will celebrate its 25th Anniversary on August 19 at Metro. MU330, Coolidge, The Eclectics, Detroit Rude Boy Society, Skapone, Tango Wedding Band, and DJ Chuck Wren will be performing.

Carlos Santana’s Transmogrify Tour comes to Ravinia next Friday, August 11 and Saturday, August 12.

Lollagullion

A hearty Broken Hearted Toy welcome to all the music acts and fans that have arrived in Chicago for Lollapalooza, which opened yesterday and continues through Sunday. You’ll find recommendations on which performances to check out in the daily Chicago Tribune and Chicago Sun-Times; weekly Chicago Reader and Redeye; and Innerview, a publication that shows up in record stores whenever a major festival is about to happen in town. The Lollapalooza Facebook page offers updates, and is sharing live performance videos from Red Bull TV.

In yesterday’s Chicago Tribune, writer Tracy Swartz offered extensive tips on tickets, transportation parking, items that are allowed and those that aren’t, and what food vendors will be at the fest. WXRT 93.1 FM has two of its DJs—Marty Lennartz and Jason Thomas—doing live reports from Lollapalooza throughout its four-day run.

So far, the weather has caused some problems for this year’s Lollapalooza, with Lorde’s show being cut short last night due to stormy weather. Today’s temperature barely made it out of the 50s, which is unusual for Chicago this time of year. Major acts coming up in the next few days include Tegan And Sara; Ryan Adams; Run The Jewels; Foster The People; The Killers; Blink-182; Vance Joy; Banks; The Head And The Heart; Chance The Rapper; The XX; Charli XCX; Milky Chance; and The Shins.

Well, I’ve never been to Lolla, but I kind of like the pictures. Those who weren’t able to get Lollapalooza tickets or are just curious about what it looks like can check out the Rock ’n’ Roll Summer pop-up Lollapalooza concert photography retrospective at the Elephant Room Gallery at 704 S. Wabash. It’s right next to the Buddy Guy’s Legends venue and runs through August 9. Chicago-based photographers Barry Brecheisen, Andy Argyrakis, Lyle A Waisman, and Curt Baran will be displaying their work.

Lollapalooza fans old enough to drink can purchase a festival souvenir in the form of an IPA beer bottle. According to Josh Noel in the Chicago Tribune, Stay Gold, a joint effort from Pipeworks Brewing, Interboro Spirits, and the band Run The Jewels, will be available on draft or for $10 in 22-ounce bottles at a pop-up store at 2363 N. Milwaukee Avenue through Sunday. Call 773-360-8774 for more information.

Slumgullion

A hearty welcome to Graham Nash, who returns to Chicago for trio of shows, tonight, tomorrow, and Sunday night at The Old Town School Of Folk Music. It’s a mid-sized venue with good acoustics and a decades-long history of presenting well-known performers. A perfect match for Mr. Nash. He was a guest on Chicago Tonight yesterday, talking about the political values that have long informed his work; the on-and-off partnership of Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young, and his early days with The Hollies.

Also, a warm greeting to Roger Waters, whose current series of Us And Them Live Chicago gigs concludes tonight at the United Center. He is not doing on show there this Sunday, as I reported earlier here on BHT. He was at the United Center last Saturday and Sunday, July 22 and 23. I apologize for the error.

Tickets went on sale today for Pete Townshend’s Classic Quadrophenia Chicago  performance at The Rosemont Theatre on September 13. The event features Townshend, Billy Idol, Eddie Vedder, and Alfie Boe as the troubled teen Jimmy. Proceeds from the concert will benefit Teen Cancer America. WXRT morning DJ Lin Brehmer had a few brief telephone interviews with Townshend this morning and yesterday morning.

There are only a few more days left to catch The Rolling Stones Exhibitionism exhibit before it closes on Navy Pier July 30. It’s a very impressive multimedia presentation of the memorabilia, photos, and videos of the iconic band.

According to the Official Hollies Facebook page, The Rolling Stones made their live performance debut as the opening act for The Hollies on July 13, 1963.

Cliff Johnson and The Raine’s perform tomorrow night, Saturday, July 29 at Reggies Music Joint on State Street just south of downtown in Chicago. The Jay Goeppner Band is also on the bill.

Congratulations to Metro owner Joe Shanahan on celebrating 35 years of keeping his Wrigleyville club at the forefront of Chicago’s live music scene.

Cheap Trick – We’re All Alright!

It’s been a little over a year since Cheap Trick’s Bang Zoom Crazy . . . Hello dovetailed so nicely with the band’s overdue induction into The Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame. We’re All Alright! follows quickly on the heels of that success and the initial impact, at least for some fans, has been this effort strays too far into hard rock territory. Still, this is Cheap Trick, so even on the Kiss or AC/DC style arrangements, it’s possible to join in the fun.

On “Long Time Coming,” Rick Nielsen borrows a well-known riff from The Kinks and the always inventive Robin Zander playfully rolls the ‘r’ in ‘real’ when he sings, “A real pole grinder.” Songs like “Radio Lover,” “You Got It Going On,” and “Nowhere,” put an emphasis on hot-looking women and the joys and frustrations of relationships. All the while, Nielsen, Zander, Tom Petersson, and Daxx Nielsen unleash a big and well-crafted sound.

The above-mentioned meat-and-potatoes material has enough flavor to succeed, but the real highlights on the album are the more nuanced tracks like “Lolita,” “Listen To Me,” and “If You Still Want My Love.” “She’s Alright” flows a series of double entendres through an irresistible shuffling beat. Cheap Trick once again strikes gold with a cover of The Move; giving “Blackberry Way” such a gorgeous 1960s British pop feel, it makes the album’s title We’re All Alright! seem like an understatement.

Sunday Papers

Three days of working overtime and one night of freelance work, plus getting a new chapter of my novel ready for my writers meeting wiped out a whole week of blogging. All worthy distractions, but I wanted to explain my absence lest anyone think I’m losing interest in Broken Hearted Toy. I’m not.

Some big names in rock will be in the Chicago area this week; with Paul McCartney playing at the Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre in Tinley Park on Tuesday and Wednesday; Stephen Stills and Judy Collins at Ravinia on Wednesday; Graham Nash at The Old Town School Of Folk Music on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday; and Roger Waters on Sunday at the United Center. I’m leaving my schedule open in case any or all these musicians want to get together for my birthday.

Longtime rock critic Greg Kot’s interview with Roger Waters in this past Friday’s Chicago Tribune included this quote from the Pink Floyd veteran about performing “The Wall” on his current tour: “It’s interesting the way it finishes onstage after all the bricks have tumbled down, a symbolic demonstration of what good can come out of a wall coming down as opposed to building one. We’d all stand and grin and bathe in connection, a deeply felt connection with the audience.”

Cliff Johnson and The Raine’s next gig is on Saturday, July 29 at Reggies Music Joint on State Street just south of downtown in Chicago. The Jay Goeppner Band is also on the bill that night.

Tickets went on sale today for The Church and Helio Sequence at Park West on October 6; Flamin’ Groovies at SPACE on October 19; LCD Soundsystem at the Aragon Ballroom on November 6; and James McMurtry at SPACE on November 10.

My wife Pam has embarked on a mission to help save the monarch butterfly population. She brings in eggs she finds on the bottom side of leaves on the milkweed plants in our garden, waits until the caterpillars hatch, and then provides fresh leaves for them to feed on. We now have four butterflies-to-be in the chrysalis stage, and six caterpillars in various sizes.

Two Chicago-based festivals are in the chrysalis stage, and I’ve been tracking their development in the hopes of helping them in my own small way to take flight.

YippieFest, a three-day celebration of theatre, comedy, music, puppets, and other forms of entertainment set for the weekend of August 18 – 21 at Prop Thtr, just extended the deadline for participants to sign up. The cutoff is now Monday, July 24. If the concept sounds like the Abbie Hoffman Died For Our Sins festival Mary-Arrchie Theatre hosted for 30 years, it’s because the people behind YippieFest are vets of The Abbie.

The Kaleidoscope Eye psychedelic music festival is now selling advanced tickets for its debut on September 8 and 9 at the Live Wire Club on. Organizers Tim Ferguson of The Red Plastic Buddha, Gregory Curvey of The Luck Of Eden Hall, and photographer/writer Lee Klawans have lined up several bands to participate.

Here’s hoping YippieFest and Kaleidoscope Eye both become annual events on the Chicago scene.

The second Power Pop Shoppe Showcase will take place on October 20 at The Elbo Room on Lincoln Avenue. That’s the same venue where radio host Kirk Fox hosted the first PPSS, a major success that featured The Bishop’s Daredevil Stunt Club, The Sunshine Boys, and Phil Angotti. The Bishop’s Daredevil Stunt Club will once again be part of the lineup, along with The Addison, The Peeves, and Mark Watson Band.

Slumgulllion

A Broken Hearted Toy welcome to all those who have arrived in Chicago for the Pitchfork music festival running this weekend. Over 40 bands will perform on three stages in Union Park and several big names are involved. LCD Soundsystem, Thurston Moore Group, A Tribe Called Quest, PJ Harvey, The Feelies, Solange, and Ride are among the headliners. The Chicago-based band Ne-Hi will be performing songs from their impressive new effort at 2:30 p.m. on Sunday.

For those who aren’t sure which bands to check out at Pitchfork, local publications The Reader, Red Eye, Chicago Sun-Times and Chicago Tribune are offering their top picks. You can also find the complete schedule, as well as thumbnail bios of the participants, in the current issue of Innerview Magazine. It came out a while ago, but there may still be some copies left at stores like Reckless Records.

Secret Colours, a major power on Chicago’s psychedelic music scene, will bring its new lineup to Martyrs’ on Lincoln Avenue tomorrow night to celebrate the release party of its new Dream Dream album. Yoko And The Oh No’s and Soft Candy are also on the bill.

It will be Six Degrees Of Susanna Hoffs when the Chicago-based indie band The Handcuffs joins Matthew Sweet in downtown Springfield, IL tomorrow at the Amaranth Apple Fest. Sweet has worked with The Bangles as a producer, and recorded three albums of well-chosen cover tunes with Hoffs. Handcuffs drummer Brad Elvis (previously with Big Hello, The Elvis Brothers, and Screams) helped out on drums for a few songs when The Bangles played City Winery Chicago a few years ago. Captain Ivory, The Starter Jackets, and Bruiser Queen are also performing tomorrow at the Amaranth Apple Fest.

The people of Park Ridge, IL must really get into their outdoor festivals. I went past the downtown area this morning while taking the Metra to work, and there was already a crowd of people in the street at 7:00 a.m. for Taste Of Park Ridge. They were drinking coffee from a Dunkin’ Donuts truck rather than beer, but that still counts as partying.

Former WXRT and WLUP air personality Rob Skafish will be at the Chicagoland Record And CD Collectors Show in Hillside from 8:45 a.m. this Sunday, July 16, to sell and sign copies of his book We Have Company: Four Decades Of Rock And Roll Encounters.

You can wear your love like heaven to Wishbone North at 3300 N. Lincoln Avenue next Thursday, July 20 for Tommi Zender And John San Juan: An Evening Of Donovan. The music starts at 7:00 p.m. Zender and San Juan are veterans of the local music scene and have played major roles in other tribute shows.

Author Roger Steffens has a new book out titled So Much Things To Say: The Oral History Of Bob Marley that offers fond memories and reflections from friends and fellow musicians.

My wife Pam and I had a great time watching spirited performances by Gaelic Storm, Tupelo, Makem And Spain, Baal Tinne, and The Academy Of Irish Music last Sunday at the Irish American Heritage Center’s annual Irish Fest. We also caught an entertaining production of George Bernard Shaw’s one-act play How He Lied To Her Husband by Shapeshifters Theatre at Irish Fest.

Roger Waters’ Us + Them Tour hits Chicago next Sunday, July 23 for a concert at the United Center.

Several artists will be displaying their work when Artfest Michigan Avenue takes place next weekend, July 21- 23, just north of the river, near the Chicago Tribune building.

Over 20 bands will be performing at Taste Of River North next weekend, July 21 - 23. The fest takes place at Kingsbury and Erie.

Power pop fans in the Los Angeles area are no doubt familiar with the all-star benefits staged by the Wild Honey Foundation. The events are often tributes to famous bands, particularly The Beatles and Big Star, and the profits go to charitable organizations like the Autism Think Tank. The Wild Honey Foundation is currently seeking donations so it can build its own in-house sound system for future shows rather renting speakers, etc. Anyone interested in helping out can send money to the Wild Honey paypal account. For those in L.A., Wild Honey has a benefit for the Autism Think Tank coming up on July 23 with Marianne, Kristian Hoffman, and special guest Eleni Mandell.

The Rage And Rapture Tour, featuring Blondie and Garbage with special guests John Doe and Exene Cervenka from X, will invade Ravinia next Saturday, July 22.

YippieFest, the newborn love child of the Abbie Hoffman Died For Our Sins Festival, is seeking a “social media guru” to help spread the word about its debut at Prop Thtr on the weekend of August 18 – 20. Much like Abbie Fest, which ran for 30 years at the Mary-Arrchie Theatre, YippieFest hopes to stage three days of theatre, comedy, performance art, and music. Some Abbie Fest vets, like Frank Carr and Desiree Burcum from Famous In The Future; and Carla Hayden and James Moeller from Black Forest Theatre, are among the planners. They’re also still looking for more participants, so anyone interested in performing should check out the official YippeFest website.

Today is Collector Car Appreciation Day, according to a recent blurb in Parade magazine. As soon as I’ve finished posting this blog, I’m going up to my man cave to play with my Matchbox Mustang, Stingray, and Jaguar.