Live Wire

If you’re down to check out a cool band at a cool venue, hurry up and take advantage of this offer. Click here to get two free tickets to see No Age perform Tuesday, Nov. 18 at Reggie’s. Tickets for the show in New York are already gone. Titus Andronicus will open.

No Age, an up-and-coming punk rock duo, last played Chicago this summer at the Pitchfork Music Festival. Their two albums Weirdo Rippers and Nouns earned rave reviews from P4K, with 8.0 and 9.2 ratings, respectively.

And if the music weren’t reason enough, this freebie also offers a great excuse to check out Reggie’s. It’s a really great music venue in the South Loop. For a peek at the place, here's a link to a video story I did about Reggie's last year (for a video storytelling class).

So going to a concert may not seem like the most festive way to celebrate Halloween. But with bands like Cealed Kasket (at Martyrs') and Rabid Rabbit (at Hideout) playing Chicago this Halloween, some live music just might be the perfect way to get your creep on.

If Cealed Kasket isn’t your thing, there’s also a handful of big name acts cruising through town on Friday.

Lupe Fiasco @ Congress Theater

Apparently, the Chicago rapper played a hometown Halloween show last year as well. Check out this snippet of “Superstar” from the House of Blues show.

Kings of Leon @ Aragon

This show is sold out, but there’s always a chance you can score tickets outside. With the release of a new album in September, these Southern boys continue their ascent to rock stardom. Here’s a clip of them performing the brilliantly titled, new single “Sex on Fire.”

The Decemberists @ Edman Chapel, Wheaton College

These Portland indie rockers have been active Obama backers this year. The clip below is from an Obama rally in Portland this May. Friday’s show is in the burbs, but it should be worth the trip.

Conor Oberst & the Mystic Valley Band @ the Vic Theatre

The Bright Eyes leadman is already a legend among singer/songwriters at the ripe old age of 28. Check out the band a few days ago in Minneapolis.

Some more Halloween concert fun:

Urge Overkill, DJ Druzzi of the Rapture @ Debonair Social Club

The Sleepers play as Aerosmith and Blackbox plays Michael Jackson @ Double Door’s Halloween Bash

Fringe Benefits play as the Cars and the Nicholas Tremulis Orchestra plays as the New York Dolls @ Abbey Pub’s Halloweekend.

Broken Social Scene is a band I didn't fully appreciate until I saw them play live. I had their self-titled album sitting on my iPod for years, but it was getting much play. In early July, I caught them at a free city festival in Detroit. Since then I’ve been a bonafide fan.

Andrew Whiteman, Brendan Canning and Kevin Drew (from left) are a few of the mainstays in Broken Social Scene's ever rotating lineup.

Just a few months after playing Lollapalooza and a Lolla after show at the Metro, BSS returned to Chicago for a sold out show Thursday at the Vic Theater. The Canadian indie rockers put on a crowd pleaser by playing some of their biggest hits from over the years. There was “Cause = Time” and “Anthems For a 17-Year-Old Girl” from their 2003 breakthrough record You Forgot It In People; “7/4 (Shoreline),” “Fire Eye’d Boy,” and “Superconnected,” from 2005’s self-titled follow up; “F-ked Up Kid” and “Safety Bricks” from Kevin Drew’s Spirit If…; and “Hit the Wall,” “Love is New” and “Churches Under the Stairs” from Brendan Canning’s Something for All of Us. With the exception of a few missing songs, these are the tunes that have made Broken Social Scene stars with the indie crowd.

Here's some more snapshots from the show.

Liz Powell (from opening band Land of Talk) provided the female vocals.

Less than a week since cancelling a sold-out two-night run at the Chicago Theatre due to an on-stage injury, My Morning Jacket has announced the make-up dates. The band will return to the venue for a two-banger on Dec. 27-28.

It's smack dab in the middle of the holiday week and just before their NYE gig at Madison Square Garden, so I'm betting these southern indie rockers will make this a visit to remember. If you don't have tickets already, be on watch for those ticketholders who can't make the show. Here's the message posted on MMJ's MySpace page:

The postponed October 9th and 10th shows at the Chicago Theater have been rescheduled for December 27th and 28th of this year. Tickets purchased for the October 9th show will be honored on December 27th, and tickets purchased for the October 10th show will be honored on December 28th. For those unable to make the show, refunds will be given at the point of purchase.

Unfortunately, there’ll be no My Morning Jacket in Chicago this weekend. Band leader Jim James took a nasty spill off the stage last night in Iowa City, forcing them to stop the show and postpone the tour’s two remaining sold-out shows at The Chicago Theatre. James was rushed to the hospital, but has since been released. The singer also had to cancel an Obama benefit show tonight at Schuba’s.

The following message posted on the band’s MySpace page explains what happened.

As some of you may have heard we had to cancel our show last evening in Iowa City. We were finishing up the last few bars of "Off The Record", and just like any other night we were all having a great time. Jim went to get closer to the audience on his side of the stage, and as he moved forward to step onto the sub-woofer the lights darkened, and he inadvertently stepped off the stage. Upon falling, he suffered traumatic injuries to his torso, and was immediately taken to the hospital. Per the doctor's orders, Jim will be off the road and recovering from his injuries for the next two to three weeks. Sadly, we must postpone the two shows in Chicago on Thursday and Friday until further notice.

With Love,
My Morning Jacket

And here’s a YouTube video of drummer Patrick Hallahan and bandmates telling the crowd about last night’s cancellation.

When Beck opened his sold-out, two-night stand at the Aragon with “Loser,” it was clear Thursday’s show was going to be crowd pleaser. This was my first live Beck experience, so I had no idea what to expect. Well, the alt-rock legend exceeded expectations as he plowed through song after song en route to a 90-minute set that played like a greatest hits album (see setlist below).

But first, opening band MGMT set the table with a quick set showcasing their promise as up-and-comers on the indie scene. Their inclusion on the bill was a major selling point for me.

I caught them a few months ago at Lollapalooza, but since I was about a mile from the stage, it didn’t really count. When they went on at 7:40 p.m., the Aragon was probably only half full, proving that most ticket holders shelled out $50 solely for the headliner. Like their show at Lollapalooza, MGMT brought the most heat with their biggest hits – “Time to Pretend,” “Electric Feel” and “Kids.”

Though they’ve only been around for a few years, MGMT has shown a knack for creating catchy electro-pop songs. Another album or two and this band could soon be playing the Aragon all on their own (it’s kind of hard to believe they played Schuba’s earlier this year).

But this was Beck’s night. Since the mainstream success of “Loser” in 1994, the 38-year-old has consistently wowed critics and fans alike, cementing himself as one of the most creative and influential musicians of our time.

With the release of the underrated Modern Guilt this summer, he now has eight quality albums to pull from. Throughout the night, Beck went deep into the catalog to play some favorites from almost all of the albums (but nothing from Mutations). From “Girl” and “Mixed Bizness” to “Devil’s Haircut” and “Que Onda Guero,” almost every song was a highlight. And the new tunes - "Orphans,” “Chemtrails,” “Gamma Ray” - also proved to be nice additions to Beck's repertoire.

Beck and his backing band slowed things down briefly to play a few acoustic tracks from Sea Change, but then got right back to raging with set closer “Where It’s At.” The band then came back out for a five-song encore that ended with the crowd chanting along to the chorus of show finale, “E-Pro.” I initially had reservations about dropping $50 on the show, but Beck left me with no regrets and a desire to catch him again next time around. Perhaps the show of the year for me.

Here's a setlist, courtesy of Greg Kot's Turn It Up blog:

1. Loser
2. Nausea
3. Girl
4. Timebomb
5. Minus
6. Mixed Bizness
7. Nicotine and Gravy
8. Que Onda Guero
9. Hell Yes
10. Black Tambourine
11. Devil’s Haircut
12. Soul of a Man
13. Orphans
14. Think I’m In Love
15. Walls
16. Missing
17. Chemtrails
18. The Golden Age
19. Lost Cause
20. I Heard That Lonesome Whistle Blow (Hank Williams cover)
21. Where It’s At

Encore

22. Gamma Ray
23. Leopard-Skin Pill-Box Hat (Bob Dylan cover)
24. Novacane
25. Profanity Prayers
26. E-Pro

The members of Chicago’s Umphrey's Mcgee are big sports fans. They often talk sports on stage, don jerseys of their favorite teams and they’ve even sang the national anthem at Cubs and Sox games. The band has an obvious rooting interest in Chicago sports teams, but their biggest allegiance seems to be with the Fighting Irish of South Bend, where the band got their start (a few of the members are Notre Dame grads).

Guitarist Brendan Bayliss, one of the ND grads, sported an Irish jersey and took a jab or two at their opponent San Diego State.

Last Friday, the band made their third consecutive trip to South Bend to play a show the night before the Notre Dame football home opener. Notre Dame ended up pulling out a victory Saturday, but Friday was all about the music.

Each year, the South Bend show has taken place out in the boonies at Robert J. Fischgrund Center for the Performing Arts in St. Patrick’s County Park.

This was my first trip to the venue, and what a great outdoor venue it is. The stage is carved out of the side of a giant barn. And its sloping lawn results in great vantage points for all. It even sounded great.

Prior to the concert, fans were doing a little pre-show partying in the grass parking lot. However, park employees quickly put the kibosh on tailgating as they patrolled the lot telling fans to dispose of their alcohol and put out their smokes. But once inside the gates, beer was for sale and the smoking ban was not actively enforced.

Umphrey's treated the crowd to two sets compromised of some old and new favorites.

The return to South Bend was not just a nostalgic trip for the band. There was also a bit of nostalgia for the fans, as Umphrey’s went deep into their catalog to pull out some of their oldest tunes. These selections included “2x2,” “Much Obliged,” “Hajimemashite,” “FF,” “Kimble” and “All in Time” – all songs they perfected back in their early days (late 1990s) in the Bend. Umphrey’s also treated the crowd to some of their more recent fan favorites including “Triple Wide,” a monstrous dance instrumental, and “Partyin’ Peeps,” a catchy party song with a reggae vibe. And of course, they threw in a few covers - Toto’s “Africa” and a dub version of Pink Floyd’s “Breathe.”

It was around 2000 when they band decided to migrate from South Bend to the Midwest’s biggest market, Chicago. And they haven’t looked back since. They have put out numerous successful albums and live DVDs, they play 100+ shows a year at sold out venues across the country and overseas. They’ve played Bonnaroo, Summercamp and Lollapalooza. They’ve opened for Dave Matthews and Phil Lesh and Friends; Galatic, Tortoise and Taj Mahal have opened for them.

Umphrey's next appearance in Chicago will be their annual New Year's Eve run.

To get an idea of the upward trajectory of Umphrey’s popularity, take a look at the venues they’ve played for their New Year’s Eve runs in Chi-town. They went from the Cubby Bear in 2000 to the Vic (2001-2003) to the Riv (2004) to selling out the Aragon (2005-2007). This year, it’s been rumored that the band will add another Chicago venue to their NYE resume with three shows at the more intimate Auditorium Theatre. If you need an Umphrey’s fix prior to that, your best bets are the Peoria Ribfest on Oct. 4 and Milwaukee’s Eagle Ballroom on Nov. 14.

If you get a chance to see a show at this venue, go - it's awesome!

So you missed Lollapalooza and Pitchfork this summer? No need to fret. Many of the artists that played Chicago’s two big music fests are already plotting a return this fall. And this time around you won’t have to worry about getting sunburned, maneuvering between multiple stages or holding your breath in that nasty porta-potty.

Girl Talk is one of the many Lollapalooza acts returning to Chicago this fall.

Girl Talk will be much more at home in the cover of night than he was in the afternoon sun at Lollapalooza. On Nov. 8, the mash-up mastermind will play the Congress Theater (a surprisingly big venue for a guy on a laptop). Cut Copy will get the chance to make up for their abbreviated set at Pitchfork (airport woes caused them to arrive late). The Australian dance-rock band will headline the Metro on Sept. 17.

Summer festivus was fun while it lasted, but it’s now time to start gearing up for the busy
fall tour season. Smaller, more intimate venues and late-night ragers will take the place of street festivals and evening concerts in the park. Devoted fans will replace the curious hordes of people at this summer’s overcrowded fests. Fall may just be the best time of year for live music. Here's several reasons why.

Pitchfork artists returning to Chicago this fall:

Spiritualized – Monday, Sept. 8 @ Metro
Icy Demons – Friday, Sept. 12 @ Empty Bottle
Cut Copy – Wednesday, Sept. 17 @ Metro
High Places – Tuesday, Sept. 23 @ Av-Aerie
Mogwai and Fuck Buttons – Friday, Sept. 26 @ Congress Theater
The Dodos – Wednesday, Oct. 6 @ The Bottom Lounge
Fleet Foxes – Sunday, Oct. 12 @ Metro
Jay Reatard (Riot Fest) – Sunday, Oct. 12 @ Congress Theater
Times New Viking and Deerhunter – Saturday, Nov. 15 @ Metro

The Lollapalooza bands who couldn’t wait to get back to the Windy City:

Does It Offend You, Yeah? – Wednesday, Sept. 10 @ Subterranean
Holy Fuck – Friday, Sept. 12 @ Subterranean
Black Kids – Monday, Oct. 6 @ Metro
Jamie Lidell – Wednesday, Oct. 6 @ Metro
Broken Social Scene – Thursday, Oct. 9 @ Vic Theatre
Okkervil River – Tuesday, Oct. 14 @ Metro
Yeasayer – Tuesday, Oct. 28 @ Bottom Lounge
Girl Talk – Saturday, Nov. 8 @ Congress Theater

Some other shows that should be on your radar:

Nas – Sunday, Aug. 31 @ House of Blues
Andrew Bird – Wednesday, Sept. 3 @ Millennium Park
Mike Gordon – Thursday, Sept. 4 @ Park West
The Juan Maclean – Friday, Sept. 5 @ Empty Bottle
GZA (performing Liquid Swords) – Sunday, Sept. 7 @ House of Blues
Benevento/Russo Duo – Sunday, Sept. 7 @ Martyrs
Ice Cube – Saturday, Sept. 13 @ House of Blues
Hideout Block Party – Saturday, Sept. 20-Sunday, Sept. 21 @ The Hideout
A Place to Bury Strangers – Sunday, Sept. 21 @ Empty Bottle
Sigur Ros – Wednesday, Sept. 24 @ The Chicago Theatre
The Omega Moos – Saturday, Sept. 27 @ Metro
Common, The Roots, Talib Kwali – Saturday, Sept. 27 @ House of Blues
My Bloody Valentine – Saturday, Sept. 27 @ Aragon Ballroom
Hot Chip – Sunday, Sept. 28 @ Metro
Beck w/ MGMT – Thursday, Oct. 2-Friday, Oct. 3 @ Aragon Ballroom
Weezer w/ Tokyo Police Club – Thursday, Oct. 2 @ Allstate Arena
My Morning Jacket – Thursday, Oct. 9 – Friday, Oct. 10 @ The Chicago Theatre
Man Man – Saturday, Oct. 18 @ Bottom Lounge
Yonder Mountain String Band – Saturday, Oct. 18 @ Congress Theater
TV On The Radio – Wednesday, Oct. 22 @ Riveria Theatre
Redman and Method Man – Friday, Oct. 24 @ House of Blues
Lotus – Saturday, Oct. 25 @ Park West
David Byrne – Sunday, Oct. 26 @ Civic Opera House
Of Montreal – Monday, Oct. 27 @ Riveria Theatre
Kings of Leon – Friday, Oct. 31 @ Aragon Ballroom
M83 – Friday, Nov. 21 @ Bottom Lounge

Lollapalooza pulled it off again this year -- another fun summer music festival in the heart of downtown Chicago. Grant Park is such a cool and unique place for a gathering like this. It’s surrounded by skyscrapers, Lake Michigan and busy Lake Shore Drive are directly to the east and the beautiful Buckingham Fountain is smack dab in the center of it all. And year after year, Lollapalooza has brought in a wide variety of both mainstream acts and up-and-comers. But this year, they may have overdone it with the mainstream. Radiohead, Rage Against the Machine, Wilco, Nine Inch Nails and Kanye West proved to be quite the draw. For the first time since calling Grant Park home, Lollapalooza sold out, and did so all three nights. It was a good time, but the 75,000 people a day was a bit much, especially when it came time for the headliners.

Friday, Aug. 1

The Radiohead show was jam-packed, but the band still impressed musically and visually. (Photo by Jay Otto)

I went into this year's Lollapalooza most excited about the prospect of finally seeing Radiohead live. Guess what -- I still want to see Radiohead live. That’s not to say it wasn't a great show. Thom Yorke and the gang cranked out an amazing setlist of old and new, but the park was so jam-packed it got annoying at times. Constant yakking and non-stop pedestrian traffic made my first Radiohead experience a little more detached than I had hoped for. But on the bright side, hearing songs like "National Anthem" and "All I Need" live was still an amazing experience. And despite the less than ideal atmosphere, it was still the highlight of the weekend. Here's a clip from one their newer classics "Jigsaw Falling Into Place."

I also enjoyed sets by The Black Keys and Black Lips on Friday, but the other band that impressed me most was Yeasayer in the 2:15 p.m. slot.

With a mix of tribal-infused world music and indie rock, Yeasayer has created a sound that’s all their own. Not to mention, a sound that’s perfect for summer festivals. (Photo by Jim Collins)

Tunes like "Wait for the Summer" and "Sunrise" were crowd pleasers, but the high point came mid-set when they unleashed their most popular song "2080." Check it out below.

Saturday, Aug. 2

From top to bottom, Saturday was the best day for music (and weather too). My day began with British electro-rockers Does It Offend You, Yeah? (pretty bad name for a band, yeah?). This raucous quartet was jumping genres like you wouldn’t believe. They played some electronic jams, some hard rockin’ instrumentals, some punk and even some pop. It was entertaining show to say the least.

When not sporting his Flying V guitar, Morgan Quaintance jumped into the crowd to spark some excitement. (Photo by Jim Collins)

And at one point, keyboardist Dan Coop apparently puked on stage, probably due to the afternoon sun beating down on the Bud Light stage.

Up next, another British band, the Foals, provided the most pleasant surprise of the weekend. I knew nothing about these guys going in, but I did like what I was reading about them in all of the Lollapalooza previews. They were often described as math rock, but their punk-inflected vocals and dance-driven grooves reminded me a lot of The Rapture.

And for the second consecutive show, a band member, leadman Yannis Philippakis, left the stage to join us in the crowd with his guitar. (Photo by Jim Collins)

Also, for the second consecutive show, the heat got to one of the band members.

After an intense guitar solo, Jimmy Smith hit the floor in exhaustion. But with a quick pat on the back and a schwill of water, he was good to go for the next song. (Photo by Jim Collins)

Going into Lollapalooza, MGMT was one of the bands I was looking forward to seeing most. But by the time we made it over to the MySpace stage, it was already a zoo. We made an attempt to get close enough to see the stage, but decided to fall back after hitting dead end after dead end.

We ended up being so far away for MGMT, we could barely see the video screen. (Photo by Jim Collins)

So needless to say the audio wasn’t too great either. Booka Shade’s dance-fest next door was creeping in on us, so we had to head further south to escape the temptation to flee to the Citi stage. It was nice to hear MGMT’s hits – “Time To Pretend,” “Kids” and “Electric Feel” –  but we were too far from the stage to fully enjoy it. So I’m really looking forward to seeing these guys at the Aragon when they open for Beck in October.

Aside from the Foals, the weekend’s next best surprise was Spank Rock, a party rap duo from Baltimore comprised of rapper Naeem Juwan and DJ Alex Epton. Juwan’s sex-tinged lyrics are so dirty they’d even make 2 Live Crew blush.

But Spank Rock has also gained critical acclaim with their hybrid of hip-hop and electronic music. (Photo by Jim Collins)

The dirty lyrics kept the crowd chuckling, but the music also kept everybody moving. Early in the set, Juwan took a back seat and handed the reigns over to a scantily clad Amanda Blank.

Blank (far right) was not only nice on the eyes, but also nice on the ears. (Photo by Jim Collins)

Blank appears on Spank Rock’s YoYoYoYoYo album. She is equally as dirty with her lyrics and perhaps even more gifted with the mic. After wrapping up their set, Juwan proclaimed “you ain’t never seen a bitch like this before.” I guess that’s supposed to be a compliment. And judging by Blank’s nasty raps, I’m sure she was flattered. All in all, Spank Rock ended up being one of the best hip-hop shows I’ve seen.

From there, I caught the end of an inspired Okkervil River set.

A devoted fan base sang along as frontman Will Sheff led them through Okkervil River's popular "Unless It's Kicks." (Photo by Jim Collins)

After the last few Okkervil tunes, I headed over to the Bud Light stage for Broken Social Scene. I caught Broken Social Scene earlier this summer at a free show in Detroit, thinking it would allow me to see another act during this highly conflicted time slot (Lupe Fiasco or the Battles). But seeing them in Detroit only made me want to see them again. And Kevin Drew and the large Canadian crew did not disappoint.

The stage is loaded with musicians and instruments, but somehow they make it work. (Photo by Jim Collins)

“Frightening Lives” and “Cause Equal Time” were awesome. Check out the latter below.

And finally, it was Rage Against the Machine. I was torn between seeing Wilco and Rage, but eventually came to the realization that I’d probably never get a chance to see Rage again. It was a good decision.

Aside from the pandemonium that broke out, their angry, hard rockin’ set was a great capper to a day loaded with good music. (Photo by Jay Otto)

My only gripe is that, just like Radiohead, it was way too packed (only Friday’s crowd was much more subdued).

Sunday, Aug. 3

Overall, I thought Sunday was kinda weak. But then again, I was also kinda weak by that point. So my energy level did have a big effect on my enjoyment level.

Brazilian Girls' lead singer Sabina Sciubba was on fire when the band played popular dance songs like "Jique" and "Don't Stop."

I caught some of the Brazilian Girls, who were hit or miss, and then went to the Citi stage for the Black Kids.

The Black Kids created a huge buzz on the Internet with the free release of their debut EP, Wizard of Ahhhs. (Photo by Jim Collins)

I really enjoyed hearing the four songs from their breakout EP. But the rest of the songs, presumably from their new album Partie Traumatic, didn’t knock my socks off. Here’s a clip of the Black Kids performing one of their best songs “Hurricane Jane.”

The next set I was planning for was Girl Talk at 6:30 p.m.. Normally, a laptop DJ like Girl Talk (Greg Gillis) would find himself performing at a smaller stage like Perry’s. But over the past year or so, Girl Talk has established himself as a legit draw, known for inciting a party wherever he goes.

In typical Girl Talk fashion, he surrounded himself on stage with several dancing fans. (Photo by Jim Collins)

The DJ tore through mash-ups that included everything from Notorious B.I.G. and Elton John to Tag Team and Weezer.

Girl Talk ended the show by surfing across the crowd in an inflatable raft. (Photo by Jay Otto)

To cap the weekend off, fans had to choose between Kanye to the south and Trent Reznor to the north. I started with Nine Inch Nails, and was excited to hear “Closer” near the beginning of the set. I’m not as familiar with their new stuff, so it was also great to get a “March of the Pigs” early on. But my legs were dead, so we decided 30 minutes was enough and headed south to Kanye for a quick listen before departing the fest early. Both shows seemed way less crowded than Radiohead and Rage. Maybe there was more of an even split, or maybe more people decided to cut out a little early like me. Check out a clip of “Closer” below.

Saturday, July 19, is perhaps Chicago’s best concert day of the year. My ticket’s already punched for Pitchfork, but there are two other shows I’d be attending if it wasn’t for the conflict. At Charter One Pavilion, STUMS9 brings together two of the country’s best jambands – Umphrey’s McGee and Sound Tribe Sector 9 – for a co-headlining tour. And over in Tinley Park, there’s Rock the Bells, which boasts the finest hip-hop lineup I’ve ever seen. Damn you July 19 – why must you be so greedy?

• The STUMS9 tour is named for the two popular bands’ oft-used acronyms: UM and STS9. I have a special affinity for Umphrey’s McGee, having seen their rise from small South Bend, Ind. bar band to a jamband powerhouse that sells out the Aragon Ballroom every year for New Year’s Eve (they're now based in Chicago). Umphrey's is a genre-jumping, prog rock group that will fly through metal, electronica, funk and good old-fashioned rock in the matter of a few songs. They have an extensive and diverse catalog of originals, but don’t be surprised if a cover of Steely Dan, Talking Heads, Bob Marley or Snoop Dogg pops up at one of their shows. STS9, on the other hand, won’t be playing any covers. In fact, you’re not gonna get any vocals (unless it’s a sample) from these California electro-rockers. In my opinion, this is the best all-instrumental band playing today, with one of the better drummers (Zach Velmer) I’ve seen. Their music is fast and up-tempo, yet smooth and chill. Think elevator music on ecstasy.

• This year’s Rock the Bells tour offers a great collection of rap stars from yesterday and today. Representing the old school, it’s Tribe Called Quest, De La Soul, The Pharcyde and Rakim. Representing the now, it’s Nas, Mos Def, Method Man and Redman and Kidz in the Hall. Going to this concert will be like getting a little lesson in rap history. And since the Lollapalooza lineup came up short on hip-hop artists once again, here’s a perfect chance to get a proper dose of quality rap.

And if Pitchfork, STUMS9 and Rock the Bells don't wet your musical appetite, maybe the American Idol tour will. That's also going on this Saturday at the All State Arena.