Rick Springfield - Chicago, IL

06/22/2007
Rick Springfield
House of Blues
Chicago, IL

Opening Band: The Squirts

Rolling Stone magazine called this one of the "don't miss" shows for the weekend (link here). We didn't need them to tell us that :)

The House of Blues is a cool venue. It is very small, which means that you are never very far from the stage. One of the things that I don't like is that it is general admission. Since we were already at the HOB for the Roe Conn show, we ate dinner there and got to go in a bit earlier. We actually wound up with actual seats up in the second level...opting for that rather than hanging out in the pit up front.

The Squirts are actually Rick's band minus him. I had seen them open for him once before, but must admit that I didn't pay that good of attention. They were actually very good, and Matt Bissonette has an excellent voice.

The Rick show was pretty good...although it was very much like the shows that we have seen before...and we did have a difficult time seeing the stage for much of the show. On the plus side, we didn't have to fight the crowds below. Throughout the whole show, Rick was paranoid that he had split out the seat of his pants and kept asking people if he was okay.

My pics didn't turn out very good...but here they are...

How about that for a guy who is almost 60?!?!?

My biggest complaints about the HOB as a venue: 1) It cost $26 to park downtown (and the Chicago city council, in all of their wisdom, is contemplating a new toll to drive into the city!!) 2) A can of domestic beer cost the price of a six-pack 3) Absolutely poor communication regarding the camera policy (rant below)!!

When we arrived for the radio show, we were told that cameras were absolutely not allowed and had to check them (for a fee, of course). We were told that artists in general don't allow cameras, so it was their overall policy. This was in direct contradiction to what we had been told when we called. After the radio broadcast, and before the concert, we asked about it again. We were told that cameras weren't allowed because Rick specifically forbid them. I have only been to ONE Rick Springfield show (in 1982!!!!!) where cameras were not allowed. We were told that they had "brand new, really good security wands" and that if we had cameras, we had better check them right away. We asked how all of the people who had cameras during the radio broadcast (never mind all of the camera phones) had managed to get them in...and they said they were just lucky. You would think that the major security concern would be weapons rather than cameras and bottled water. Twenty minutes before showtime, they made an announcement and said that if you had checked your camera that you could go pick it up and that cameras were indeed allowed. How messed up is that!?!?!?

Roe Conn Show Live Broadcast - Chicago, IL

06/22/2007
The Roe Conn Show with Special Guest Rick Springfield
House of Blues
Chicago, IL

Musical Guest: Kimi Hayes & The Play Doctors

I love listening to the Roe Conn show on WLS Chicago during the drive home every day! We already had tix for the Rick Springfield concert...and when I heard that Roe was doing a live remote from the House of Blues that same day with Rick as the special guest, I was so excited! After much dialing and redialing over several days, I finally got through and won an invitation to the broadcast.

I rarely have the chance to listen to an entire show, so it was great to have the chance to do that! It was definitely very entertaining :) The Play Doctors were great...we have seen Kimi Hayes at World Stage before, and she's great. Steve Carell called in during the show, and they did an interview with him. And, of course, Rick made an appearance. The coolest part was when they were talking about musicians turning into actors and vice versa...and Roe brought up Jon Bon Jovi as an example and asked his opinion.

Here are pics of my autographed copy of the invitation...so cool how it looks like an old 45 recore :)

Jim Peterik & World Stage - Elgin, IL

05/18/2007
Jim Peterik & World Stage
Hemmens Center
Elgin, IL

Opening Band: None

We look forward to this show every year! This year, the show was a bit later than usual and in a different venue. But it was just as incredible as all of the previous versions. The concert started at 8:00 PM, and concluded at right around midnight (with a short intermission). Wow! What a lineup! Special guests this year included Kelly Keagy (Night Ranger), Anthony Gomes, Kevin Chalfant (The Storm), Kip Winger (Winger), Rik Emmett (Triumph), Lobster Newberg, Toby Hitchcock (Pride of Lions), and of course, the Ides of March...and the ringmaster, Jim Peterik.

All of this was backed up by the most incredible band...Mike Aquino and Joel Hoekstra on guitars, Christian Cullen on keyboards, Klem Hayes on bass, and Ed Breckenfeld on drums. Backup singers were Lisa McClowry and Thom Griffin (as well as some of the special guests such as Kevin Chalfant and Kip Winger jumping in from time to time). Every song that was played was so incredibly on par or better than the original. Most of the time, there were between 12 and 20 people on stage at one time.

On the way home, we tried to figure out what our favorite part was, but it was all so good. One of my favorite parts was the encore, when Kelly Keagy and Ed Breckenfeld came out before the others and played an incredible drum duet before everyone joined them for a 38 Special song. We are so incredibly lucky to have such an event here in our backyard every year!

I don't have a lot of pics, because we took Bryon's camera and weren't too familiar with it. Needless to say, most of the pics turned out blurry. Here's one of the only ones that turned out...left to right...Jim Peterik, Kevin Chalfant, Joel Hoekstra, and Scott May (Ides of March).

Rick Springfield - Milwaukee, WI

05/12/2007
Rick Springfield
Potawatomi Bingo Casino
Milwaukee, WI

Opening Band: None

We made the trip up to Milwaukee for the last night of Rick's 5 night gig at Potowatomi. As much as I like Rick, there is absolutely no way I could handle 5 nights in a row! Plus, my vacation time is too valuable :)

It was a lot of driving (and a very long night). I left home at 3:30 PM, and didn't get home until 2:00 AM.

Potawatomi is a great place to see a show. It is a very small venue, which is always the best kind. The last time that we saw him there in 2003, we were in the balcony. It is definitely better on the main floor!

The concert itself was fairly short (just over 1.5 hours), and pretty standard. It was a fun time, though :)

Rick was on the Roe Conn Show on WLS (Chicago) on Friday night, and it was soooooo cool!

Set list:
Who Killed Rock N Roll
Will I?
Affair of the Heart
Alyson
I've Done Everything For You
Rock of Life
Living In Oz
Christmas Song
Red House
Don't Talk to Strangers
Medley
The American Girl
Love Somebody
Jesus Saves
My Generation
Wild Thing
Human Touch
Jessie's Girl
Love is Alright Tonite

B.B. King - Merrillville, IN

04/07/2007
B.B. King
Star Plaza
Merrillville, IN

We wound up having very good seats...4th row, right next to the stage. It was a very good show!

Dave Matthews Band - Las Vegas, NV

03/24/2007
Dave Matthews Band
MGM Grand Garden Arena
Las Vegas, NV

Opening Band: The Fray

We're absolutely exhausted, but had a blast. It was Bryon's birthday last week, and when we heard that Dave Matthews Band was going to be playing in Las Vegas the weekend of his birthday, we decided to enter the fan club lottery for tickets. We got great seats, so off we went!

After working all day on Thursday, we had a 9:00 PM flight out of Chicago Midway. Thunderstorms to the west shut down all westbound departures, so we had to sit in the plane at the gate for an hour until they re-routed us around the storms. By 2:00 AM CST, we were in Vegas and finally got to the hotel around 3:00 AM. The weather was great, and the shows were incredible...and another two very late nights by the time the shows were over and we made it back to the hotel! It was back to Chicago yesterday, and back to work today. It was a whirlwind trip, but a lot of fun!

Summary of the shows from the DMB website:
"Not having played a show since October, DMB just pulled off a couple amazing evenings in Vegas. Last night, Dave described a time many years ago when he worked in bar where many musicians performed on a small stage in the window. He prepared a tape of songs he'd written and passed it on to Carter and LeRoi, eluding to the forming of the band. The tape included the song I'll Back You Up, which the band proceeded to play for the first time in years. The shows here saw the return of some of the best cover tunes the band has played, including The Maker, Down By The River, Time Of The Season and Sweet Caroline. Dave also sang the lyrics to Lanois' Still Water over the intro to Don't Drink The Water. A very cool moment. We now have about a month off before we head to Australia for a short, four city tour. See y'all down under.

The DMB Crew
Sunday, March 25
1:33 AM PDT"

Saturday night set list:

Crash Into Me
You Might Die Trying *
Grey Street *
Sweet Caroline *
What Would You Say *
The Idea Of You *
Seek Up *
Still Water ...> *
Don’t Drink the Water *
Dancing Nancies *
Where Are You Going
The Maker *
Louisiana Bayou *
Stolen Away On 55th & 3rd *
Down By The River *
Too Much *
Tripping Billies *

Encore:
Gravedigger +
American Baby Intro *
Halloween *

Notes:
* Rashawn Ross
+ Dave Solo

It was announced shortly after the show that both Las Vegas shows will be released (in their entirety) as Live Trax 9!!

Dave Matthews Band - Las Vegas, NV

03/23/2007
Dave Matthews Band
MGM Grand Garden Arena
Las Vegas, NV

Opening Band: The Fray

Friday night set list:

Pantala Naga Pampa
Rapunzel
Satellite
When The World Ends
Time Of The Season
Hunger For The Great Light
Dream Girl
Say Goodbye
The Idea Of You
Louisiana Bayou
I’ll Back You Up +
Down By The River
Crush
The Maker
Jimi Thing
Stay [Wasting Time]

Encore:
Sister *
Everyday
What You Are


Show Notes:
* Dave Solo
+ Dave, Carter, Stefan, Rashawn

Buddy Guy - Joliet, IL

03/10/2007
Buddy Guy
Rialto Square Theatre
Joliet, IL

Opening Band: Koko Taylor

It is always so cool when you can see legends like this in concert!

Rick Springfield - Joliet, IL

10/21/2006
Rick Springfield
Rialto Square Theatre
Joliet, IL

Opening Band: None

The ticket says October 14th, because that was the date that the show was originally scheduled for. About a month ago, they announced a reschedule for some reason.

Rick really was rocking last night, starting off with a new song...I can't remember the name, but I really liked it! He played a really great mix of old and newer songs, and it was awesome!

Here are a few pics from the show. Overall, I wasn't too pleased with how my pics turned out. We were just outside the optical zoom range of my camera, and most of the pics turned out grainy. So, these are the best of the bunch...

Pride of Lions - Palos Hills, IL

10/07/2006
Pride of Lions
Moraine Valley Community College
Palos Hills, IL

The genius behind the songs is Jim Peterik (from Ides of March and Survivor), and the incredible vocals are provided by Toby Hitchcock. We're lucky enough to claim both of them as being "from the area".

We first saw this duo perform a few years back as part of the annual World Stage extravaganza that we are so priviledged to have in the Chicago area. After performing extensively in Europe, this was their first U.S. performance. Duo is probably a serious misstatement, because they are backed by an awesomely tight band!

Let me tell you, I have never seen so much talent and raw emotion up for grabs on a stage. And, these guys are as humble and down to earth as they come. You really had to be there to experience it, and it was something special.

The song "Gone" has given me chills every time I have heard it, and it definately did not disappoint this time!

Set List was:

It's Criminal
Gone
Sound of Home
Man Behind the Mask
The Search is Over
Music and Me
Burning Heart
Above the Storm (Jim & Chuck)
Live Life (with Lisa McClowry)
In the Days We Have (with Lisa McClowry)
Heaven on Earth
Unbreakable
I Can't Hold Back
Gift of Song
Eye of The Tiger
Heavy Metal