Every town has their favorite hometown band, but in Chicago there is such a deep musical legacy that we’ve definitely earned out bragging rights. Come on, we walk every day in the hometown of Buddy Guy! Through the years, XRT had helped so many upstart bands to make their name in the national scene. So now we want to hear from you- which are your favorite Chicago bands…. Wilco? Poi Dog Pondering? Kanye West? Smashing Pumpkins? Cheap Trick? Fall Out Boy?  Any new up-and-comers you think we’ll be seeing in a few years at the Grammy’s or onstage at Lollapalooza?

Coldplay were in town this Tuesday and Wednesday playing a couple of excellent shows at the United Center. The fans at the sold-out Tuesday show were treated to an extra surprise- Coldplay were filming the show for the video to their new song “Lost!”. Now they all can tell their grand-children someday that they were in a video on TRL. (That show will definitely still be on then, trust us)

It got us to thinking, what are the coolest random things that can happen at a concert to make it more memorable? Sorry Coldplay, the video thing was cool, but it doesn’t make the cut.

#5. A Surprise Special Guest - We’re not talking about the avalanche of guests that Dave Matthews often features. This is for the more off-the-cuff partnerships like John Mayer joining Buddy Guy on stage at legends. Or even Jay-Z performing “Big Pimpin” with Phish in Brooklyn. Those are the kind of moments that create one-of-a-kind musical creations.

#4. Equipment Malfunction - If Janet Jackson accidentally exposes herself to millions of people at the Super Bowl that’s one thing, but anytime something goes wrong onstage you get the chance to see whether you’re favorite band is cool under pressure. Wouldn’t it be hilarious to see something like this http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CukuwxkMk5A at a real show?

#3. Someone Gets Arrested Onstage - Nothing says Rock ‘n Roll like trouble with the law, and sometimes a rock star can be so hard to get that onstage is the only place the cops can get him. It would be pretty cool to see a guy get taken off the stage in handcuffs, and you know the band would play an extra-long set to hold off the cops Blues Brothers-style. Bonus points if the arrest doesn’t involve Jim Morrison exposing himself onstage.

#2. The Show Becomes A Live Album - Whether you’re seeing the Who in Leeds, Cheap Trick in Japan, or Johnny Cash in prison, if your show gets recorded and sold to millions of people, you know it was a special performance.

#1. It’s The Last Performance Ever - Sometimes a band will announce ahead of time that a show will be their last, but its more exciting to see a band self-destruct and storm offstage like the Sex Pistols did at their last show. Or the end could be more tragic like Stevie Ray Vaughan’s death in a helicopter crash as he left Alpine Valley immediately after a concert. Either way, a band’s unexpected last show is guaranteed to attain legendary status.

With both the Cubs and White Sox leading their divisions, there’s really not much to complain about in Chicago baseball this summer. We’ve even spotted Cubs and Sox fans peacefully coexisting around town. The All Star break this week gives us some free time, which led us to contemplate our ideal concerts at the Friendly Confines and the Cell. There’s something to be said when the stadiums in which we have cheered and jeered are transformed into the ideal venue for our favorite artists. We’re thinking back to the Police at Wrigley last summer and the Rolling Stones 40 Licks Tour on the South Side a few years back. Who would you most love to see in the hallowed home of your favorite team?

A debate has been raging internally over the influence of the music on iTunes commercials on the mass population. If you recall and look past the U2 and Coldplay commercials of the recent past, you’ll recall how one commercial helped launch the career of a band called Jet, propelled Feist into a different atmosphere where she is now headlining Ravinia Festival for over 20,000 people this coming Friday night, and more recently exposed us to The Ting Tings. You can’t honestly tell us that “1,2,3,4” never stuck in your mind, or that the catchy “Shut Up and Let Me Go” currently on the commercial didn’t get your attention. What other songs that you remember took off because of use at the right time in a particular commercial, movie scene, or television show?

July, already? Summer tends to fly by real quick here in Chicago, especially when our baseball teams are winning, and when there are plenty of music acts coming thru town. The first week of July hits town with a bang, and Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers team up with Steve Winwood to tackle the United Center. If you’ve never seen Petty, you need to do it now whether you are a fan or just on the fence with him. Constantly bringing a great energy and show to every performance, we recall 2003 when Tom and the Heartbreakers tore through 5 nights at The Vic Theatre in Chicago as something we will never forget. Best Petty song? We have our favorites, but let us know what yours are right here.

Fast forward two days to our annual shin-dig in Grant Park at Taste of Chicago. The show is free to all who come and this year’s lineup is solid with Gomez, Old 97’s, and Alejandro Escovedo for yearly tradition. Plus, the city is launching fireworks off later that night at 9:30pm on the lakefront so make sure to stick around! Past years shows have included John Mayer, Matthew Sweet, Wilco, Counting Crows, Buddy Guy, The Replacements, and many more. Let us know what your favorites were and who we should be putting on the bill in 2009!