Choir Concert

We went to my oldest son's last choir concert.

The Pink Floyd Experience

We went to The Pink Floyd Experience at The Center For Performing Arts at Governors State University in University Park. We almost didn't go because of the Turnabout Dance. We didn't want to miss the boy's pictures before the dance. We ended up getting home before both of the boys. The performance was excellent and the venue was very intimate. I have a new appreciation for Pink Floyd and their music. This group of musicians travels all over the United States putting on this show. We were in the balcony next to some of the speakers and the sound was excellent. They played all the ir most popular songs.

Holiday Concert

We went to my oldest son's Holiday Concert in the large gymnasium at Downers Grove South High School. The Wind Ensemble and Wind Symphony played "A Christmas Flourish" by James Curnow, "Fantasia in G" by Timothy Mahr, "Bridges" by Sam Hazo with a reading of a poem by Vince Walsh-Rock and finished with "Toccata" by Girolamo Frescobaldi. Then the District 99 Orchestra played "Concerto Grosso, Opus 6, No. 8" by Arcangelo Corelli, "Angel's Dance" by Stephen Amundson and "March of the Toys from Babes in Toyland" by Victor Herbert. The Combined Choirs finished with "Sleigh Ride" by Leroy Anderson, "Carol Of The Bells" by Mykola Leontovych, "Let It Snow" by Sammy Cahn & Julie Styne, "And The Glory" by Georg Frederick Handel, "Dancing Day" by John Rutter, "A La Nanita Nana" traditional Spanish lullaby arranged by Belford Hernandez, "Children Go Where I Send Thee" by Paul Caldwell & Sean Ivory. The concert finished with the traditional " Hallelujah Chorus" by Georg Fredrick Handel.
The concert seemed shorter than in the past.

Yes

We went to see "Yes" at the Chicago Theatre. Our seats were better then the seats we had for "The Smashing Pumpkins" and we parked right around the corner. The audience was filled with a lot of gray haired and bald guys. The concert was really good. The boys said it was the best concert they've been to. They definitely have their own unique sound and staying power. I saw them at Hawthorne Park in the 1970's and again at Assembly Hall in Champaign when I was in college. The finished with "Roundabout."

Smashing Pumpkins

We went to see the Smashing Pumpkins at the Chicago Theatre. We had a quick dinner right across the street at PotBellys. Our seats were in the upper balcony off to the right of the stage. We purchased them the minute they went on sale. We tried for the weekend shows and they were already sold out. It was a pretty mellow show and they played for about three hours. The boys each got a souvenir tee-shirt. My oldest son is a big fan.


Review from the Daily Herald:

"Oh, what a beautiful night," Billy Corgan sang in "Owata," one of several new songs that surfaced during Smashing Pumpkins' Wednesday, Nov. 19, concert. Beauty seemed to be the theme of the evening, dubbed "White Crosses" by Glendale Heights-bred alternative rock titan Corgan. The second of two consecutive sold-out shows at the Chicago Theatre, it focused on the sweeter, softer side of the band's repertoire. Compared with Tuesday's heavier, more experimental "Black Sunshine" set, which frequently devolved into a tuneless racket, "Crosses" was much more gratifying for its melodious heart. Many of the golden-age hits missing from Tuesday's show finally appeared. The celebratory sarcasm of "Cherub Rock" and the snarling goth metal swing of "Zero" both seemed rushed, as the Pumpkins' most popular songs tended to during these shows. Yet the potentially overblown "Disarm" was shockingly subdued (Corgan confessed to a cold before singing it) and the gently bouncing "1979" nestled in nostalgic melody like it was a warm, fuzzy pillow. Speaking of warm fuzzies, the vibrant "Cupid de Locke" introduced the five additional musicians touring with the quartet, augmenting its innocent fairyland twinkle while guitarist Jeff Schroeder provided slight friction to push it forward. Drummer Jimmy Chamberlin, the only remaining original member other than Corgan, pummeled dependably throughout an energized "Bodies," and was the best facet of "As Rome Burns," a clattering, confrontational, calamitous new track. Yes, Wednesday contained the first Chicago performance of six not-yet-unrecorded tunes, most of which drew mature radiance from vintage rock sounds. Corgan's wistful acoustic/harmonica intro on "99 Floors" expanded into a rootsy ballad once the band kicked in. The aforementioned "Owata" was pure dream pop, enlivened by Corgan and Jeff Schroeder's chiming, overlapping guitars. "A Song for a Son" started on a "Stairway to Heaven" track before swelling upon to a well-developed crescendo - a signature Pumpkins move also displayed Wednesday during "Soma" and "I of the Mourning." "The March Hare" offered an odd, low-key funk groove led by Chamberlin's tribal percussion and a top-hatted, hopping Corgan, morphing into oldie "Suffer" for a bit.Ginger Reyes' bass throb and Lisa Harriton's ominous organ ruled the epic "Gossamer," which incorporated shoegaze grace, metal precision and psychedelic noodling into the group's most ambitious recent tune. Yet, as pleasant as the "Crosses" set could be, even with the occasional energetic injection, something was missing, and it's the same thing that was missing from Tuesday's show. Fans love Smashing Pumpkins because Corgan and crew can be soft and loud, slow and fast, bewitching and annoying. By consciously splitting those personalities, they could only tell half of their story each night. For a Technicolor band, these were monochrome shows

The Scavengers

The Scavengers, a local Galena area indie/alternative rock band consisting of nine teenagers, are held a CD release party and a free concert at Chestnut Mountain Resort on Wednesday, June 25, at 7 p.m. The Scavengers debut album, "The Scavengers," contains 12 original songs completely composed and written by the band. "I like playing in general," guitarist Andrew Bockelman said. "But I think creating a song, especially with your band mates, and using your creativity to get overall sound that you're looking for is the best." With nine members, the Scavengers have plenty of options and versatility when it comes to their sound and song writing. But to become acquainted with the members, you must know a brief history of the band. The band's first gig, and consequently their beginning reason to start practicing and actually be a band, was the fourth of July, two years ago. The Kiwanis club, the organization in charge of the fourth of July festivities contacted Vinny Newton to see if he would be willing to put about an hour's worth of music together for a pre-fireworks show. Newton obliged and informed his other band mates, Clayton Buss, guitar, Curtis Cole, drums/vocals, Spencer Harris, guitar, and Kyle Holder, drums/vocals, and Newton on keyboard. The band then prepared their set and played their first original song, "You Were Mine." With the absence of a bassist to round out the band's overall sound, Megan Ault joined The Scavengers in late 2006. Ault, already in another local band, Eightfold, was pulling double duty, until Eightfold Path disbanded in early 2007. This disbandment brought Bockelman and drummer Daniel Martinson into the Scavengers. The number stayed at an even eight for months until, because of a new song, and want of a different element, saxophonist Brian Peters came in and finished the band count at a large nine. The Scavengers started recording for their album in mid fall with Jimmy Berg at Heartland Studios.

We were there. Maybe they will become famous.

Cheap Trick

We got to go the VIP Grand Re-opening of the Hard Rock Cafe in Chicago with a special performance by Cheap Trick. We made it downtown about 7:00 p.m. and we had to line up outside until 8:00 p.m. when they started letting us in. It rained for a while and I went back and got the umbrella from the car. It was a good thing or we would have been soaked. We stood five feet from the stage the whole concert. It was great seeing them from so close. We were able to get a few good pictures and we made it home before 11:30 p.m.