Your Superhero Brother, G. Love took the stage Monday Night in front of some lucky XRT listeners for a memorable Live from Studio X performance at The Abbey Pub.  This was one of the last stops on G. Love’s fall tour and he didn’t disappoint. The stage was set with just Mr. Love, his harmonica and guitar! 

G. played a bunch of crowd favorites and peppered in new songs from this latest album. One of the his newest songs was written for his expecting girlfriend, which he says kept him out of trouble with her for a few days at least! G. Love gave some big shouts out on his website to everyone that came and rocked with him at the Live from Studio X show.     

If you were there, tell us what you thought of the show!  If you missed this performance, what artist would you like to see play a future Studio X show?

As Soul Asylum has come back down to earth over the past decade, they have remained committed to putting on a great rock show time and again regardless of their surroundings. Friday at the zoo was no exception, despite the sparse crowd. Starting promptly at 9pm, the band ripped through an expertly selected hour and a half set list featuring the hits (“Runaway Train”, “Somebody to Shove”, “Black Gold”, “Misery”), rarities (including “See You Later” from 1998’s unfairly overlooked Candy from a Stranger) and a fair selection of songs from their last studio album, 2006’s The Silver Lining. An infectious cover of Wyclef Jean’s “Gone Til November” elicited confusion from some and delight from others. Delight, was, of course, the appropriate response. While Dave Pirner and Dan Murphy have always put forth their best rock effort, earlier incarnations of the band featured competent, yet uninspired drumming from the likes of studio cats Sterling Campbell and Ian Mussington. The addition of Michael Bland in 2006 has reinvigorated the live shows and made the group seem more like, well, a band. As far as Soul Asylum goes, if you like rock music and you are not into this band, you are missing out on one of the better acts of the past 20 years. Deftly walking the line between delivering hits from the mid-90s and continuing to make good new music is a rarity for bands in their situation. And while the studio albums have always been hit or miss, seeing them perform live (especially with Bland and Stinson) is a joy that every fan of the rock should experience at least once. Set list:1. All Is Well2. Bittersweetheart3. See You Later4. Misery5. Lately6. Without a Trace7. Black Gold 8.New World 9. Easy Street10. Oxygen11. Cartoon12. Gone Til November (Wyclef Jean cover)13. Whatcha Need14. Never Really Been15. Runaway Train16. Closer to the Stars17. Just Like Anyone18. Somebody to Shove E1:19. Stand Up and Be Strong

Last night Eddie Vedder appeared at the Auditorium Theatre for the first of 2 nights. Not sure what to expect from a solo Mr. Vedder, it was one of the most amazing shows. Everything from the set to Vedder’s demeanor was totally unpredictable and thoroughly appreciated by the crowd. Vedder sat on a stool at center stage flanked by guitars and a few other props. He played an eclectic set including some Pearl Jam favorites but mostly obscure covers with a somewhat singer-songwriter overtone. His cover of Cat Steven’s “Trouble” was almost unrecognizable, but rang true to the original sentiment of the song. He interacted with the audience consistently throughout the show allowing a glimpse into the person behind the rock star.To say there was a highlight of this show is almost unfair to the myriad of what went on, but when Vedder brought Iraqi war vet, Thomas Young onto the stage, he made a direct and moving statement. Vedder’s views on war and our current state have certainly been voiced before, but this was more about a soldier, a person directly affected by the facts of war. It was visual and a sobering moment within the show, but a dose of reality is good for everyone once in a while.

How many concerts have you been to where you had no idea who the opening act was but ended up leaving the show with their new album? Fill us in on what amazing opening act inspired you to go and look up their catalogue the instant you got home!

Last weekend, two great acts hit the Chicagoland area: Dave Matthew’s Band at Alpine Valley, and Smashing Pumpkins at the new Venue in Hammond, Indiana. Despite gas prices these days, tons of listeners made the trek to see these two artists, both of whom are notorious for awesome live performances. We’re already starting to hear some feedback. One XRT listener at Northhalsted Market Days described the Dave show as “The most crowded I’ve ever seen Alpine Valley” and the XRT office is buzzing about the Pumpkins’ unusual encore, complete with kazoos!  Now, we want to hear from those of you who road tripped to neighboring states last weekend… Was it worth the journey?  How does this Dave crowd compare with past shows you have seen? Can Billy Corgan still rock?  Let us know what you thought!
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