The Boss Is Back

One of the greatest recording artists of all time will be gracing Chicago will his presence once again in just a couple weeks. That’s right, Bruce Springsteen is bringing his beloved live show to the United Center on Tuesday May 12^th. The show is part of a four and a half month world tour in support of Springsteen’s latest album “Working on a Dream” which was released in January, and is his sixteenth studio album since his first in 1973. The show will be the twenty-third of the massive sixty plus shows currently planned for the tour, which will take The Boss and his E Street band all the way from New Jersey to Spain and just about everywhere in between. Springsteen’s reputation for spectacular live performances landed him a spot doing this year’s Super Bowl halftime where he did not disappoint. He’s sure to wow the sold out crowd at the United Center with his massive catalogue of classic material and world famous stage presence. Set lists from the tour so far have included unassailable classics like “Darkness On the Edge of Town,” Born To Run,” and “Johnny 99” among many, many others, so there shouldn’t be too many lulls in the set. If you’re interested in tickets, at this point it’s pretty much eBay, Craigslist, or scalpers, but of course, be prepared to throw down for them.

Pitchfork Invades Union Park Once More

Now in its fourth year, the Pitchfork Music Festival is set to once again give independent music lovers something to look forward to this summer. Offering a large number of indie music’s best and brightest acts at a great price, Pitchfork Fest seeks to give fans an affordable and positive experience for a few days in July in Chicago’s Union Park. Having gone to the previous two year’s events, I can say from experience that the festival is some of the most fun one can have in Chicago during the summer. The food is cheap, the music is great, and the atmosphere is quintessentially summer. In 2007, the festival expanded to three days, and featured legendary acts performing their classic albums in their entirety on the first night, and then two days of bands playing non-stop from noon until late in the evening. The same format was used for last year’s festival, but this year, the first night will instead feature classic acts performing set lists voted on by attendees. Anyone who buys a ticket receives a link to vote for what they want to opening bands to play. Want Built to Spill to play “Car?” Are you dying to hear The Jesus Lizard do “Mouth Breather”? Well now you have a say in the matter. Tortoise and Yo La Tengo are also playing the opening night. The other two days will stick to the tried and true non-stop format of previous years, and even in its partial (but slowly growing) form, the list is looking awesome. With heavy-hitters from recent years like M83, Grizzly Bear, and The National, and excellent up and comers from the past few months like Wavves, The Very Best, and The Pains of Being Pure at Heart, among many others, both days promise to be fantastic. Plus, The Flaming Lips are closing the festival on Sunday night, which as anyone who has seen them will testify, is worth the festival’s $75 three day admission price alone. This year’s festival takes place from July 17^th to the 19^th, and tickets can be purchased on TicketWeb.

Straight Outta’ Baltimore

If you’re like me, you have different music you prefer for different moods. I personally keep a wide variety of tunes on my hard drive to suit however I may be feeling at a particular time. Some music just sounds better when you’re in the right mood. If this is indeed the case, then I must be some shade of insane when I put on the music of Baltimore’s weirdo genius, Dan Deacon. Deacon deals in a form of electronic music that could be described as “annoying” at worst and “genius” at best, depending on whom you ask. He utilizes a litany of instruments to create synthesized, fuzzed-out, and downright wacky (which I mean in the nicest way possible) tunes, ranging from the energetic and catchy “Crystal Cat” to the slower and more mournful “Wet Wings.” Some songs feature chanting choruses and Alvin and the Chipmunk-style vocals, while others let the instruments do the talking. He specializes in layering many instruments over one another, often adding and overlapping them one by one until a giant cacophonous chorus of sound is formed. The sometimes noisy and relentless songs Deacon creates are surely not for everyone, but those looking for some music for the wackiest and carefree of moods could do a lot worse. If you’re really looking for a good time, check out his live show, which I can say from personal experience, is an absolute blast. Deacon plays not on stage, but down in the audience, hovering over a table of near unrecognizable knobs, sliders, and gadgets, which he manipulates at a manic pace as the crowd around him dances wildly. Deacon is known for getting the crowd involved often during his sets, often having attendees form a circle and dance, or make a human tunnel that audience members run through. If that sounds like fun, you’re in luck because Deacon is playing at the Metro, located at 3730 N. Clark St. in support of his recently released (and totally awesome) new album Bromst, and tickets are only $10. I’ll see you there.

Gangster’s Paradise

Spring is always a tough time for movie lovers such as myself. The Oscars have long since passed, and I’ve been caught up on all the great movies from the end of 2008 for awhile. What’s worse is that it’s still a substantial wait until some of the better looking summer films drop, so this time of year can be pretty boring at the theater. Luckily, Chicago’s Music Box Theater is carrying a hidden gem from the very end of 2008, that’s just getting a wide release in the past few weeks, and is garnering plenty of acclaim. I’m talking about Gomorra, a brilliant crime drama detailing the lives of gangsters in Naples and Caserta in Italy. The film follows six people mixed up in gang life in these regions, and the trials they must go through because of the rigid system set in place by the Camorra mafia that controls the region. The film is gritty and riveting in it’s portrayals of life under such a system, and it features strong performances from the six leads, as the characters try to make their way and stay alive in spite of the cruelty and indifference of their surroundings. While the exact events of the film are fictional, they closely mirror actual events involving the Camorra gangs violent feuding in 2004 and 2005 in the Scampia region, which is also where part of the movie was filmed. Having seen the film myself, I can say that it’s fantastic, and anyone uninterested with the current slate of films, should check it out, especially fans of gangster films. The film is currently playing at the Music Box Theater, at 3733 N. Southport Ave.