If Walter Becker and Donald Fagen know one thing, it is how to hire musicians. The two-man songwriting brain trust that is Steely Dan has built a legacy on a revolving door of top-flight studio players dating back to the early 1970s, a decade that saw the band dominate airwaves and endure, with the first […]
Music
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Boston plays Springfield
Lead singer Tommy DeCarlo, right, entertains the crowd while Boston founder Tom Scholz, left, sings backup. PHOTO BY BRUCE RUSHTON Those – and there were a substantial number in attendance – who saw Boston at the Illinois State Fair on Tuesday will, I suppose, have one of two reactions. It was really cool! They played […]
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Wave the flag
Despite a revolving door of members, Black Flag still has it going on after all these years. PHOTO BY RICHIE FALZONE After nearly 40 years, Black Flag is still a whole lot of fun. With just one original member, the legendary hardcore punk band from California is, in at least one respect, a shadow of […]
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Lyle Lovett delights
Backed by a small acoustic band, Lyle Lovett captivated a small crowd last Saturday at UIS. PHOTO BY BRUCE RUSHTON The lack of artistic taste in towns the size of Springfield can never be underestimated. You didn’t have to look further than the empty seats in Sangamon Auditorium at the University of Illinois Springfield last […]
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Music from the heart
The Springfield Choral Society has performed Handel’s “Messiah” in each of the last three years. Photo BY MARK SMITH Non-professional choirs and community choruses often write to world-famous venues hoping for a chance to sing inside. Cathedrals, castles, museums and other sites will appease amateur groups by allowing them to perform on the steps. Earlier […]
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Telling their stories
Springfield photographer Adam Smith, left, is producing a documentary film about the homeless people with whom he spent the past three months. Bill Guyer, right, is one of Smith’s subjects in the film. PHOTO BY PATRICK YEAGLE In the middle of the gazebo at Washington Park in Springfield sits a homeless man named Bill Guyer. […]
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Paisley delivers gem
Brad Paisley is not the greatest singer in country music. His range is narrow, and his voice can sometimes be overwhelmed by his band. That was occasionally the case during Thursday’s performance at the Prairie Capital Convention Center, particularly early in the show during “Southern Comfort Zone” and “Mud on the Tires.” It did not […]
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The thrill is gone
B.B. King stayed late after Sunday’s show to chat with fans and sign autographs. PHOTO BY BRUCE RUSHTON The best concert I ever saw was Ella Fitzgerald on May 12, 1985 at the Seattle Center Opera House. It was Mother’s Day and my date was my grandmother, a hopeless jazz addict who made sure that […]
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ZZ Top rocks Springfield
PHOTO COURTESY WWW.ZZTOP.COM The problem with reviewing a ZZ Top show is that somebody has already written practically everything that could be written about the trio from Texas that’s been touring since Nixon was in the White House. The essentials: Inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2004, it’s been, as guitarist […]
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Maestro Willis: ‘A great season’
In its opening concert, the Illinois Symphony Orchestra performs Igor Stravinsky’s Rite of Spring, which caused a sensation when it debuted in Paris 100 years ago. PHOTO COURTESY ILLINOIS SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA This week marks the start of Alastair Willis’ second season as music director of the Illinois Symphony Orchestra. The energetic maestro is nearly bursting […]
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Friday at Donnie’s: Springfield Renaissance
This Friday July 5th marks the first of several events under the Springfield Renaissance umbrella. Presented by the not-for-profit Illinois Independent Arts Association, the shows have been created with an eye toward “supporting the young music community through arts and entertainment,” according to IIAA board member Eric Heyen, who hopes that this will be the […]
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Symphony season goes out on a high note
This past weekend marked the end of the Illinois Symphony Orchestra’s 20th anniversary season, which was the first under the musical direction of Maestro Alastair Willis. Willis did not conduct Saturday’s program, however, handing the baton to renowned conductor Stefan Sanderling of the Toledo Symphony Orchestra. The deliberately paced concert began with the atmospheric, nearly […]
