The UniverSoul Circus returned to Washington Park this year after a break during the initial COVID-19 pandemic lockdown in 2020, to the delight of families looking for a fun excursion. The organization features many BIPOC performers and offers clowns, motorcyclists, dance troupes, contortionists, aerial ballerinas, and plenty of interactive moments with the audience members so […]
Tag: Prince
Posted inMusic
Death-metal warhorses Bones drop a new album just in time for Devil’s Night
Gossip Wolf can be a little fuzzy when it comes to math, but bassist and vocalist Jon “Necromancer” Woodring, guitarist “Carcass” Chris Svoboda, and drummer Joe “Apocalyptic Warlord” Schaeffer of local death-metal trio Bones have been raising an unholy ruckus together for decades. (Bones formed in 2011, and in the aughts they all played together […]
Posted inStaff notes
A note from an editor 2022
This is the first time we’ve done a summer theater and arts issue, and judging by the full-to-bursting content, that’s surprising—especially given how much Chicagoans love getting outdoors in the summer. You can read about some theater and dance programs that specialize in bringing performances to public parks, or, if you prefer indoor immersive experiences, […]
Posted inArts & Culture
Prince of the Mag Mile
“Prince: the Immersive Experience” begins with purple light through stained glass. Guests in groups of ten to 15 are led through double doors to a replica of the “When Doves Cry” music video set: portraits hung on purple walls, bouquets scattered on the floor, and a white claw-foot tub to pose behind. The only thing […]
Posted inMusic
Archive dive: On house music
Between Drake’s sleepy Honestly, Nevermind and Beyoncé’s “Break My Soul,” a lot of people have something to say about house music lately. (And while I can’t say I have thoroughly read every discourse posting, I’ve seen almost no instances of anyone mentioning the fact that several music sites reported rumors of Beyoncé working with house […]
Posted inMusic
Jill Hopkins, new media and civic events producer for the Metro venues
Jill Hopkins is a Chicago broadcaster, DJ, writer, musician, and storyteller. After an eight-year stint at Vocalo Radio, Hopkins kicked off 2022 by joining the Metro family of venues (which also includes Smart Bar and GMan) as their new media and civic events producer. As told to Jamie Ludwig I was always a big radio […]
Posted inMusic
Showcasing gig posters in a year short on gigs
The Reader got creative to find ways to keep uplifting Chicago gig-poster artists in 2020.
Posted inMusic
His Royal Bikeness on the gig poster of the week
This week’s featured gig poster was created by Chicago artist and educator Andrea Hill Fitzgerald.
Posted inMusic
Life was just a party: Prince’s 1999 and Chicago house music
Prince could hardly have avoided influencing Chicago house, whose earliest, most ardent fans were queer Black and Brown kids.
Posted inFilm
Movie Tuesday: Movies directed by and/or starring musicians
Five films with turns in front of and behind the camera by Frank Zappa, Prince, Diana Ross, and more.
Posted inMusic
Hip-hop duo Glitter Moneyyy on a rapper who’s demanding respect, not asking for it
Current musical obsessions of Slumpgang777 rapper Vagabond Maurice, hip-hop duo Glitter Moneyyy, and Reader digital managing editor Karen Hawkins
Posted inFilm
Not even the soundtrack can save Under the Cherry Moon
When Prince was not so charming.
Posted inMusic
Chicago producer Larry Sturm worked with Steve ‘Silk’ Hurley and Naked Raygun—just for starters
His influential career took him from house and punk to gigs for the likes of Prince, Destiny’s Child, and Michael Jackson.
Posted inMusic
Oldest black-owned nightclub in city faces uncertain future
Harold Washington, Muhammad Ali, and Rick James all dropped in at Taste, the oldest black-owned nightclub in the city.
Posted inMusic
Remembering the Taste Entertainment Center, the hottest south side nightclub in TKTK
Harold Washington, Muhammad Ali, and Rick James all dropped in at the oldest black-owned club in the city.