Articles
Any Kind of Rock any Time You Want
They may not be full-time professional musicians by trade, but you can’t tell that judging from their performances. Big Caddy Daddy are a five-piece party rock band that has been […]
Townswomen Take to the Boards
The first comment I receive when people ask what’s coming up next at Arena Dinner Theatre is, “Wow! That’s a long title.” The next question is usually, “What’s a Townwomen’s […]
Odes to Billy Joel
It seemed like a simple suggestion at the time. Mike Santoro’s wife suggested that, since he could play and sing Billy Joel’s tunes, he should start a Billy Joel tribute […]
Transition Complete
Sometimes when you’re a chart-topping hard rock band, you have to be prepared for your frontman to leave to join the Christian music community. At least that’s what happened to […]
Forging a Cultural Community
It’s turning out to be a good summer for Stann Champion. On July 1, the Chicago-based musician took home a Lifetime Achievement Award at the 35th Chicago Music Awards. What […]
British Humor Takes Center Stage
Being willing to get up there and be awful on purpose takes courage and talent. Arena Theatre Director Brian Wagner’s cast has both, and in return, the audience is free […]
A Rare Tribute
It is not known how many tribute acts there are in the universe, but it is probably safe to say that there is no pressing need in the cosmos for […]
Just Plain Hit Songs
When the British band America debuted stateside in 1972 with the hit single, “A Horse with No Name,” a lot of people thought they sounded uncannily (or cannily) like Crosby, […]
Still Out There After All These Years
When the Happy Together show hit the Foellinger Theatre last summer, it may have been the greatest gathering of hit-making talent to ever take one stage in one evening in […]
Cooking Up a Musical Stew
When you think of bluegrass music, “Brooklyn” and “rap” don’t immediately spring to mind. But the more you think about what drives the venerable acoustic-based music form (most notably its […]