Live Show: Sufjan Stevens Christmas

Ok, well the office title of the show was "The Surfjohn Stevens Christmas Sing-A-Long, with Seasonal Affective Disorder Yuletide Disaster Pageant On Ice", but I digress. If you haven't been spinning the Sufjan Stevens Christmas albums, I highly recommend it. There's only so many times I can listen to "White Christmas"...sorry Bing. So last night, he and the band came to town in a Flaming Lips- meet- Yo Gabba Gabba style interactive experience at Turner Hall. Yes, there was kitsch and ugly Christmas sweaters, but a few very notable sentimental moments as well. I tried to take a few pictures on my iPhone but then I realized that my friend CJ will always, ALWAYS take better pictures than me (um, did you see my post yesterday?). So here are his photos from last night's show.

Live Show: Arcade Fire + The National at UIC

After we did the Easter rounds yesterday we drove down to the UIC Pavilion in Chicago to see not one but two great bands, The National followed by Arcade Fire. The National was great, as always. The lead singer from the Arcade Fire, Win Butler, came out and sang backup for a song. The Arcade Fire came out with a bang. Then during the second song this (below) happened. Win practically stepped on my feet. Talk about an Easter miracle.

Live Show: Belle & Sebastian

We ventured down to the Chicago Theatre a couple nights ago to see Belle & Sebastian. What an amazing show.
I had no idea how amazing the theatre's interior was. I had never been there before. Everything--the railings, the ceilings, the moldings--is ornate. The best was the huge chandelier in the lobby. The ceiling changes colors, see?

Looks kind of like the Pabst theater's chandelier, right?

Live Show: Janelle Monáe

This little chic has got some pipes! Janelle Monae is quite possibly the reincarnation of James Brown circa cape and funk years. She was was at the Pabst last week opening up for Of Montreal, but in my opinion, she stole the show. And if you've ever seen Of Montreal, you know it's hard to steal the show from what can only be described as a circus crossed with a drag-show. Janelle's song Cold War was probably my favorite of the night. She hit some high notes that I don't even think my dog could hear. Here's Janelle Monae's tour schedule. If she's in your area, I think you should go.




{Photos: CJ Foeckler}

Live Show: The National

Wednesday night was The National show at the Riverside theater. Oh, what a good show. They brought their A game. I saw a lot of twitter and facebook feeds talking about the show. So, if you were one of the 2,500 in that sold out theater, did you hear that reference about "Matt Beringer", made by Matt Berninger, the lead singer. I thought that was cute. My husband thought it was cute, too :)






...and for one gem of a concert photo taken by CJ Foeckler, go HERE

Ok, now I'm off to Fish Fry and a Flick. Have a good weekend!

Live Show: The Flaming Lips

Photos: CJ Foeckler
The Flaming Lips were at the Pabst last night and put on an amazing show like always. There was confetti, balloons, fog, lasers, and bubbles--just another typical show for these guys. "Do You Realize" at the end of the night was magical (I saw girls crying). If they ever come to your city, I would definitely go.