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Hellzapoppin Circus Sideshow

2021-06-20

The Hellzapoppin Circus Sideshow is currently on their Face Your Fears tour! This tour in particular has 6 different performers all with their own unique performances!

Bryce “The Govna” Graves not only opens the show with his amazing fire acts, he also has a special trick with a power tool and a condom. Bryce acts as the Emcee throughout the show telling jokes and hyping up the sold out crowd between acts.

Willow Lauren (Sideshow Stuntwoman) not only fire work too, but she also swallows razor blades which is insane! She’s very flexible but on top of all of that.....
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By Alexandra Geshel

Joyous Wolf

2021-06-23

Joyous Wolf brought their tour to Illinois and made a stop at The Forge Live Music Venue on June 23rd, 2021. It was an energetic performance like no other! Now I have heard about Joyous Wolf for a while and about how amazing they were to see live but I kept missing their shows or they wouldn’t tour here until now!

Formed in Southern California in 2014, Joyous Wolf is a rock band who give me Led Zeppelin vibes with a little bit of post grudge! Performance wise, they were absolutely killer. For Starters, they actually wanted the crowd to have fun but also stay safe; Nick Reese, Front man of the band, was trying his best to get the crowd let loose and have fun!

I sometimes think people have forgotten to have fun at a concert since Covid
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By Alexandra Geshel

Chicago

2021-07-24

Formed in 1967, Chicago brought a new and distinct sound to the immerging Rock N' Roll genre. People loved it. It was upbeat and feel good music.

It was amazing to be able to Chicago in their home state. The crowd was wild and the band feed off that energy. Every member of Chicago just seemed to get more energy watching the their fans dance and listening the the crowd sing along. They covered all the classics and favorites making the crowd even more excited.

The venue was incredible. The lighting and sound were some of the best that I've ever experienced in a live show. You could hear every note.

By Alexandra Geshel

3 Doors Down

2021-08-05

It’s been a great 20 years since 3 Doors Down released their studio debut album”The Better Life”!

To mark this amazing anniversary, 3 Doors Down has embarked on a North American tour to celebrate with their fans!

The show kicked off with them taking the stage and performing one of my personal favorites “Kryptonite” which blended perfectly into “Loser”. The crowd was so excited! It was both a chance to see their favorite band play all the hits for the anniversary and it was also The Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre first show of 2021. Even the staff were excited to be working not just any show but to work a 3 Doors Down show!

Lighting for this tour was incredible and they even have a screen behind the drummer that plays videos to go along with whatever song they are playing!....

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By Alexandra Geshel

Lindsey Stirling

2021-08-20

Lindsey Stirling played at the Huntington Bank Pavilion on August 20th for an amazing night of music and fun. This was a rescheduled show as the original was delayed due to weather. It was totally worth the wait.

Lindsey isn't just an artist, she's a performer. She runs, jumps, and dances across the entire stage, all while playing her violin. Another really cool thing Lindsey Stirling did was play violin while in a harness and being lifted off of the stage.

Her 16 song set lasted just over an hour and a half and included songs from her new album "Artemis" as well as a selection from her previous albums and a little Disney medley. It was great!

Lindsey is a very well known, not just for her talents of playing the violin, but she also....

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By Alexandra Geshel

Pitbull

2021-08-22

Pitbull brought the I Feel Good tour to Chicago’s Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre on August 22nd and he didn’t fail to deliver. The crowd absolutely loved it and everyone definitely did Feel Good at the end of the night.

Pitbull opened up his set with Don’t Stop The Party, which is an all time party favorite! The tour’s namesake I Feel Good features Anthony Watts. Anthony is originally from Chicago and to everyone’s surprise Pitbull had him come out on stage to perform the song in front of his home town! No one seemed to be expecting this and the crowd went absolutely nuts.

Pitbull took small breaks between songs to shed some light on stuff that he has gone through as a Cuban American and at the end of the night gave a huge thank you to his band, dancers, Anthony Watts, and the crowd but mostly to Live Nation for helping put together this tour and making it happen!

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By Alexandra Geshel

Yam Haus

2021-09-17

Yam Haus is an open coming band from Hudson, Minnesota currently on opening for Blue October during this Fall/Winter (2021)!

Their stage presence is so much fun and full of energy. They really warm up the crowd and get you moving and feeling loose!

Lars Pruitt (vocals/guitar), Seth Blum (electric guitar), Jake Felstow (drums), and Zach Beinlich (bass) all caming out in matching suits. It was absolutely adorable seeing this 4 member group all dressed alike!

One things that was truly endearing is that Yam Haus takes a small video at the beginning of every show so their families can see how great they are doing on tour. I kind of wish more artists would do this so their family know...

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By Alexandra Geshel

Blue October

2021-09-17

Blue October brought their “This is What I Live For” tour to the House of Blues - Chicago on September 17th, 2021. Show was incredible as a Blue October fan myself and was almost a sold out show!

The show opened with Daylight and then they continued with songs off their new album. Intermixed in the set, they played several of their older songs like Say it, Into the Ocean, and Hate Me and several other older hits to the enjoyment of the long time fans of their music.

Justin Furstenfeld always makes sure to tell the fans how thankful he is for everyone coming out and being here with him. It really means for the band and the fans to see the genuine aprreciation that each has to the other.

Covid protocols were in full effect with Ryan Delahoussaye even making sure to wear a mask on the stage...

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By Alexandra Geshel

Sebastián Yatra

2021-09-30

Sebastián Yatra is currently on tour with Ricky Martin and Enrique Igalsias as their opener and man oh man does he put on an energetic but amazing performance! He really got the crowd warmed up and ready for the co-headliners.

Sebastián performed 8 songs, opening with “Traicionera” and closed his set with “Pareja Del Año”.

He definitely blew my expectations out of the water with his performance! Sebastián had back up dancers to accompany him on stage and he just seemed to have fun up there making a connection to the audience. The crowd loved Sebastián's performance and just seemed to have fun during his set even getting up from their seats to dance.

The lighting started off quite dark which was a little disappointing, but it did improve a lot after...
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By Alexandra Geshel

Enrique Inglasis

2021-09-30

Enrique Inglasis and Ricky Martin played 2 nights at the Allstate Arena in Chicago for their 2021 fall tour and Enrique's set was glorious. Enrique played 10 songs. Then he came back out with a 4 song encore which featured his most popular songs! His performance ended with balloons, confetti and his 2010 hit single “I Like It”! Fans went nuts for it!

The set opened with “I’m a Freak”, “Chasing The Sun”, and “I like how it feels”.

Then midway through the set, he moved to a smaller stage to perform a few acoustic songs including “Cuando me enamoro” which fans really liked and sang along too.

Enrique is absolutely wonderful to see live! He doesn't stop moving the entire time and covers the entire stage. It's so much fun for the entire audience. The stage set up included a catwalk with a...
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By Alexandra Geshel

Ricky Martin

2021-09-30

Ricky Martin is currently on a co-headlining tour with Enrique Inglasias which had back to back nights at Chicago's Allstate Arena. I was lucky enough to attend the first night and watch Ricky Martin close out the show!

The setlist for his show was amazing and he opened with what is undoubtedly his biggest hit and one of my favorite songs, “Livin’ La Vida Loca”. With the lighting you got major Las Vegas vibes. His dancers even came out with giant feather fans. The lighting was really fantastic and there is a spotlight on him most of the time. It really makes him stand out from his dancers.

Covid protocols were of top concern and the dancers wore face masks during the entire set.

Ricky used entire stage, from the cat walk to the 2nd smaller stage. He was everywhere and...
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By Alexandra Geshel

Asking Alexandria

2021-10-09

Asking Alexandria, currently on tour with A Day To Remember put on an incredible show. Their light show alone was bright and amazing to watch. They sounded perfect and some fans said this has been one of the best shows they have ever seen them do. They played an 11 song setlist which included several songs from their new album “See What’s On The Inside” which was released this year.

Towards the end of their set, Danny Worsnop brought out his acoustic guitar and played a few songs on as the fans sang alone and waved their phone's flashlights.

At the very end of their set, Danny grabbed his phone to take a selfie with the crowd behind him because “I want to capture this.” Fans loved it and were happy to help.

Overall, I would see Asking Alexandria again. They were a ton of ...
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By Alexandra Geshel

A Day To Remember

2021-10-09

A Day To Remember brought their Re-Entry Tour to Chicago's Byline Bank Aragon Ballroom on October 9th, 2021 and blew the roof off the venue!

From the darkness, an arch lit up on the stage and the member of the band came out to “THX intro”. They then broke into “Right Back At It Again”. The lighting was a little darker then expected for an opening song. They shot out confetti and streamers right away which was exciting and no one was ready for so early in the show!

Even with Covid and all the protocols in place for that, no ADTR show would be complete without crowd surfers. And they start almost as soon as the first song began.

About 7 songs in was “Have Faith in Me” and Jeremy asked for the ladies to get on top of the guys shoulders and to sing along. It was incredible see so many people...
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By Alexandra Geshel

Walk The Moon

2021-10-27

Walk The Moon brought their “Dream Plane Tour” to Chicago and unlike a regular tour stop fans could live stream the show from home. Many people still feel uncomfortable going to live events, or are prohibited due to their vaccination status, so this gave all fans an opportunity to watch Walk The Moon live. It was great to see them try to accommodate all their fans.

This was my third time seeing Walk The Moon and, as usual, they did not disappoint. It was a stellar performance!

They have come so far as a band and they are just so much fun to see live!

The lighting was very vibrant and had lots of fun colors giving a rainbow feel, especially during “Different Colors”.

It was a great set. They played 14 songs and then...
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By Alexandra Geshel

Bleachers

2021-10-28

Having seen Bleachers several times I can honstely say that they never ever disappoint. They have so much energy on stage it just makes the audience want to sing and dance along with every song.

They opened the night with “91”, starting with a single spot light on Jack Antonoff as he sat alone at the Piano singing.

Bleachers then started playing “Let’s Get Married” and the crowd went wild! Everyone was singing along.

They played a massive 23 song setlist which included two covers. One was “Carry On” by Fun and the other was “Bullet” from Steel Train.

As many fan will know, Jack Antonoff used to be...

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By Alexandra Geshel

Ashnikko

2021-11-05

Ashnikko is taking the music scene by storm with her catchy songs going viral on tik tok, especially during the pandemic!

Her cross genre sound could be described as edm mixed with pop and rap.

Having never seen Ashnikko live and I had no idea what to expect from this powerful female artist or how the crowd would react to her performance. Knowing that I was about to see her at the first of two consecutive sold-out nights I was very excited to see what was instore!

Before Ashnikko comes out, she has a DJ on stage getting the crowd pumped up and excited. I was very confused at first thinking it was part of her set.

As the Dj was playing, the stage crew was getting the ...

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By Alexandra Geshel

Audriix

2021-11-12

Audriix was the opening support for Madison Beer on her “Life Support Tour” and she was incredible! Not only did Audriix sound amazing live but she also has a lot of energy and loves having fun on stage and watching the crowd sing along!

Something that I really fun to watch was that during her third song, which was about her ex fiance, not only did she have a light up ring but also so did a lot of her fans in the crowd. Their participation was really great to see during her set!

Towards the end of her set, she took a selfie with the sold out crowd behind her. I love seeing artists do because it’s a fun memory for them to have!

Overall Audriix was a ton of fun to see live! I absolutely loved...
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By Alexandra Geshel

Maggie Lindemann

2021-11-12

Maggie is someone I would love to see again. Her show was so good! Maggie Lindemann musical style can only be described as a "pop star goes rocker girl". She is just badass and sounds amazing live.

Even though she wasn't the headliner, it was obvious that she had strong support in the crowd. There was a general excitement when she took the stage. Her fans were well versed in her songs and so excited to see her perform, singing along to most of her set.

During her 3rd song “Crash and Burn”, a fan gave Maggie a bisexual flag and Maggie was so excited that she took it and danced with it on stage. The crowd loved seeing it, especially since the release of her recent single “She Knows it”. Overall, her set was a ton of fun and I loved the fact that...
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By Alexandra Geshel

Madison Beer

2021-11-12

Madison Beer is taking the pop scene by storm. Currently on The Life Support Tour, which has been selling out most venues in North America. She recently came to House of Blues Chicago for a sold out show and killed it!

Her fans absolutely loved her you can feel that this love is reciprocated. Throught the show, she changed into several different fun outfits which can be a challenge while performing on stage! I absolutely loved them all and wish I could have shot all of them, she just looked stunning on stage.

Madison had two backup dancers on stage with her which added to the fun of the show, especially when she was in her box because her dancers would either dance around it or they would push it from side to side on the stage.

For this show, Madison did step off the stage a few times and did shake...
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By Alexandra Geshel

Dylan

2021-11-14

Fresh off two sold out headline shows at the Camden Assembly, Dylan was back in London on November 14, 2021 supporting Thomas Headon at Heaven.

Just four nights into her first proper tour, this 22-year-old Australian singer-songwriter’s stage presence didn’t give her novelty away. She warmed up the crowd with her high energy, jumping between the levels of the stage and acting out her “entire childhood dream” of being a rockstar.

Her 8 song set included You're Not Harry Styles (due out November 26), a partial cover of Guns and Roses' Paradise City, unreleased songs including No Romeo, and her single You Love Somebody Else. The night finshed out with Dylan performing Nineteen, her first single that amassed hundreds of thousands of views on TikTok during its promo period and more than 3 million streams on Spotify...
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By Kendall Vowels

Thomas Headon

2021-11-14

From behind a screen during the pandemic, TikTok breakout star Thomas Headon has built a massive fan following around his charming personality and catalog of self-written and produced music. He took that connection to a sold out show on Sunday, November 14, 2021 at Heaven in London.

His 15 song set included a blend of crowd-pleasing singles like Focus and Grace, new releases from his upcoming EP Victoria, and a cover of Blur’s Song 2. With almost everyone else in the world celebrating Taylor Swift’s re-recording of RED, Thomas covered We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together.

The crowd support really seemed to inspire Headon. He appeared to be having just as much fun as his fans. Everyone was dancing around all night. He interacted with some of his fans directly, singing Happy Birthday to one and creating a TikTok with another from the stage. Between the balloon drop during Strawberry Kisses and the confetti ending of UrbanAngel1999, it would be impossible for fans who waited almost...
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By Kendall Vowels

The Backseat Lovers

2021-11-16

The Backseat Lovers couldn’t have seemed happier on November 16th, 2021 in London. Making their international debut, this show marked a huge milestone in the band’s career and the sold-out crowd offered a roaring welcome to the UK. Under the glittering gold ceiling of the Moth Club, the band shone.

Entering the stage, the four Utah natives immediately started with a long instrumental intro before launching into Just a Boy. The intensity with which they began the show was juxtaposed almost immediately after with huge smiles from the bandmates. Lead vocalist Josh Harmon was visibly overwhelmed by the reception as he remarked that “We are losing our marbles. This is crazy!”. There was a clash as he performed with piercing stares and then broke into giddy smiles all night that somehow just worked.

It was a hot and sweaty night in the 350-cap room, with two band members choosing to go shirtless and having to bring a fan and towels on-stage to keep them cool. The audience certainly felt...
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By Kendall Vowels

Dizzy

2021-11-18

Live music is back! And Juno Award Winner, Dizzy, is taking the show on the road for a limited 6 show tour across New York and Ontario.

Catching up with them mid-tour at London's Rum Runners, there was a small but very appreciative and vocal crowd of die hard fans that braved the cold night to see their "favourite band ever!" at an intimate setting.

As Dizzy took the stage for this stop in the "Spill My Guts Tour", brothers Alex, Mackenzie, and Charlie Spencer could be seen wearing matching outfits. Vocalist, Katie Munshaw joined them moments later and gave a little dance around the stage before taking her place at the microphone up front. You could tell from her smile that she was happy to be back on stage and able to perform for the bands fans that came to show their support.

The 17 song set contained a mix of songs from thier 2019...
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By Ken Kohlmeier

Glass Animals

2021-11-19

Wavey Davey (Dave Bayley) was certainly on fire as Glass Animals headlined a solde-out show at the Alexandra Palace in London on November 19, 2021. Returning home to the UK following a successful US run, Glass Animals celebrated with over 10,000 screaming fans.

Before the show even started, concert-goers were launched into nostalgia through the set design. There were palm trees, a basketball hoop, diving board, neon signs, balloons, and one lovingly placed pineapple on the side of the stage. Massive screens laid out around the stage were lined with neon, with their shape suggesting old CRT TV's or similar computer monitor. Over the night, their graphics mimicked the 90s internet era, a symbolism found heavily throughout their 3rd studio album, Dreamland. As their set time approached, the computer screen counted down the remaining “download time”, with a glitch of the screen finally bringing the four bandmates onto the stage.

The audience was treated to a high energy opener with Life Itself...

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By Kendall Vowels

olivia o'brien

2021-11-21

Olivia O’brien put on an amazingly successful show. It sold out the House of Blues Chicago which is something that she's been doing often on this current tour.

I was excited to find out not only how she would sound live, but also too see what she would do on stage. She is the first artist I have ever seen do a show that made it feel like a tv show was being filmed in front of a live audience. It gave Hairspray the musical vibes!

The show doesn't start with your typical intro. Insteads Olivia does a little infomercials directed to some of the songs from her new album, with small graphics to match. I absolutely loved it and found it hilarious. I never would have thought of this amazing and creative idea!

Following that, a man's voice came over the P.A. system booming “And now...

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By Alexandra Geshel

Joan Jett

2021-12-02

Legend and Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Superstar Joan Jett performed at NYC's Sony Hall for a private benefit supporting Help For Children. Help For Children (HFC) is a global foundation dedicated to fighting child abuse. Over the past 23 years, HFC has helped to make the wolrd a safer place for more than 1.1 million children and their families. Through both prevention and treatment of child abuse, HFC wants to break the cycle for the 40 million children worldwide that are subjected to abuse each year.

ABOUT SONY HALL:
Owned and operated by Blue Note Entertainment Group, Sony Hall presents world-renowned performing artists across all music genres at capacities of 1,000 standing and 500 seated, with a full-service restaurant and bar.

Photos Courtesy of Mikaela Duhs / Shore Fire Media

Sawyer

2021-12-04

Opening a show is never easy. The crowd slowly drizzles in since most of them only purchase a ticket to see “the main act". Yet, the opener needs to give their full energy to get those who are there amped up for the headline. It doesn’t always work. However, when the opening act has as much energy and stage presence as Sawyer does, it makes those early attendees thankful that the were there to see the entire show.

Their short seven song set may have only lasted 30 minutes, but it gave a great sampling of their sound and left you wanting to hear more.

With mostly originals (and one cover of Cable Car (over my head) by The Fray it was a great sampling of what they have to offer. Every song just seemed to resonate on some level. My personal favourite came towards the end of the set with one of their latest offerings, “This Might be a Mistake (but it feels good)”. Everyone alive has clearly experienced that feeling at some point...
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By Ken Kohlmeier

The Beaches

2021-12-04

Toronto's The Beaches brought their international show to Detroit. Supporting their latest EP, Future Lovers these Pop Alt Rockers brought an amazing energy to the stage and got the crowd screaming. It's easy to see why The Beaches won 2018's Juno Award for Breakthrough Group of the Year.

Their strong 9 song set included the best of each of their previous EP's and Studio Album.

Kylie Miller (Guitar) dominated the stage and constantly grabbed your attention with her strong performance and dynamic hair waving, while Leandra Earl (Keyboards/Guitar) likewise had you watching the opposite side of the stage. It was almost like being at a tennis match going back and forward trying to focus on both of them. Meanwhile Jordan Miller (Vocals/Bass) sounded as solid live as on their recordings...
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By Ken Kohlmeier

The Aces

2021-12-04

The Aces brought their appropriately named "Under My Influence" tour to Detroit and everyone in the crowd was definitely under their influence. The crowd sang along and cheered practically non-stop through the 17 song set plus two encore songs. It covered an assortment of favourite songs and finished the encore with their most successful single to date: Stuck

Often described as an "alternative pop band", their sound encompasses much more than that. It also has a huge 70's soul sound with influences of funk. It just makes you want to dance along.

These four friends from Provo, Utah have been making music together for nearly 10 years, and it's obvious from their stage presence that they love what they are doing. Bassist McKenna Petty was mostly smiles the entire time she was playing aside from a few moments of deep focus. Likewise, guitarist Katie Henderson truly seems to enjoy playing live to the nearly sold-out crowd. Rounded out with sisters Alisa...
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By Ken Kohlmeier

Smith & Myers

2021-12-16

If you like Shinedown, you'll love Smith & Myers! Why? Well, Smith & Myers is Shinedown, but stripped down and acoustic. They also play "covers" by letting the audience pick what songs they perform! This make every single Smith & Myers show unique to that date.

Their 2 albums simply act as a basis for their show. It's fantastic.

When performing as Smith & Myers, it's definitely a different experience then when they hit the stage as Shinedown. The lighting was a lot darker. Brent Smith (singer) sounds absolutely phenomenal live and these acoustic shows really highlight his beautiful vocal range. Zach Myers (guitar) also sings, which is something I never realized until seeing them live. His vocal skills really surprised me!

They opened with “Coast to Coast”, off their...
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By Alexandra Geshel