Live music for summer 2025: 10 must-see concerts in Chicago beyond the fests and arena shows
On our list, Alison Krauss, FKA Twigs and a Salt Shed concert by MJ Lenderman.
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AC/DC at Soldier Field: They’re still at the top if you wanna rock ‘n’ roll
After a bit of a slow start, and with a lineup a touch past their prime, their stadium-geared "Power Up" concert still threw one punch to the solar plexus after...
Review: Post Malone goes all-in on country in a celebratory Wrigley Field concert
Malone’s finest strengths are personality and cordiality, and both were amplified on stage. But some of his songs have a ways to go before they equal his magnetism.
Review: Paul Simon’s ‘Quiet Celebration’ is a night to lean into his music
The first set of his concert on Wednesday at Symphony Center was devoted to his 2023 album “Seven Psalms,” the second to his decades-long career. It felt like a spiritual...
Review: After weather clears, Beyoncé kicks up joyous ‘Cowboy Carter’ storm
The first of Beyoncé's three concerts at Soldier Field started late but proved well worth the wait, showing that she has more or less reinvented country music.
Lucy Dacus concert at the Chicago Theatre was understated and personal to the point of feeling muted
The Boygenius singer had the audience quietly rapt for her 90-minute concert but rarely raised the temperature.
Review: Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds at Salt Shed: Less outlaw, more spiritualist
“We’ve all had too much sorrow,” Nick Cave sang Monday at the first of a two-night stand at Salt Shed. “Now is the time for joy.” And so it was....
Review: For Jack White’s set at the Salt Shed, rock ‘n’ roll was alive and well
Jack White exaggerated only a little when he sang that a seven-nation army couldn’t hold him back Thursday at the Salt Shed. Performing the first of a sold-out two-night stand,...
For this year’s Record Store Day, our definitive guide to Chicago record stores
Here's our list of the 15 finest, plus another half dozen honorable mentions. In an age of music streaming, these places have never mattered more.
Review: Kraftwerk creates visions of a very ’80s future at the Auditorium Theatre
This being Kraftwerk, the two-hour concert gave each song its own, unique visual treatment — and took full advantage of the Auditorium's excellent acoustics.