Original News, Features & Opinion on Chicago, Illinois and America
‘Weird Al’ vanity tour a smash Focuses on his own music, puts parodies on hold By Steve Metsch About two-thirds of the way through his longest song, “Weird Al” Yankovic stopped the music and said he forgot where he was. He decided, much to the amusement of the faithful gathered in Uihlein Hall in Milwaukee’s…
La Grange Pet Parade returns to roots First time in three years, parade held on usual day By Steve Metsch For the first time in three years, the La Grange Pet Parade will be held live on the first Saturday after Memorial Day. That’s the traditional date for an annual event that began in 1947….
‘Oui’ to a Paris vacation Eiffel Tower, Versailles, Moulin Rouge are highlights By Steve Metsch Four weeks after a vacation in Paris, I’m still thinking about it. That’s the impact France can have on a visitor. In April, my wife and I visited our daughter, Natalie, who was winding down the spring semester of her…
All in the family The Nielsen Trust gives Cheap Trick songs new sounds By Steve Metsch Rick Nielsen and his family rewarded the few fans who attended their concert at the Genessee Theatre in Waukegan with plenty of Cheap Tricks songs that were given fresh life. Nielsen, 73, is the lead guitarist, backup singer and…
Forest View woman missing Charisma Ehresman, 20, was last seen Sunday By Steve Metsch Charisma Ehresman, of Forest View, has not been seen since Sunday and her family is very worried, her uncle said Wednesday evening. “It’s definitely not normal for her not to come home,” Mike Pantelin said of his niece, who was last…
Mount Kilimanjaro is calling Lyons man climbs Africa’s tallest peak this week By Steve Metsch While you’re reading this story, Lyons resident Stephan Alheim will be busy climbing the tallest mountain in Africa. Alheim is in a group of 10 adventurers who this week are climbing to the top of Mount Kilimanjaro which is 19,341…
Willow Springs to hire Lyons official Public Works’ Grace to become village administrator By Steve Metsch Ryan Grace, public works director in Lyons the past four years, is expected to be hired as the Willow Springs Village Administrator this week. The village board is expected to approve his hiring at its 7 p.m. Jan. 27…
Village of Lyons dedicates new Firefighter memorial New memorial pays tribute to Lyons’ firefighters By Steve Metsch The more than 500 men and women – many of them volunteers – who have worked for the Lyons Fire Department over the past 125 years will not be forgotten, officials of the Village of Lyons said Nov….
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Fenwick ends Nazareth’s season, 28-17 Road Runners optimistic for 2022; Friars in semifinal By Steve Metsch Nazareth made it the Class 5A football quarterfinals with a solid defense and an impressive freshman quarterback. In the end, however, that defense buckled and that quarterback looked like a freshman against a Fenwick team with 30 seniors on…
Genesis delivers impressive concert Plenty of hits and old treasures in the setlist By Steve Metsch If you have no plans for 8 o’clock tonight, you may want to look into buying tickets for the Genesis concert at United Center. I took a quick peek at Vivid Seats this morning. Tickets upstairs are selling for…
Nazareth rallies, advances in Class 5A Taylor and Harris lead the way for Road Runners By Steve Metsch Powered by faith and trust – two words heard often after the team’s latest win – there’s no telling how far Nazareth can go in the Class 5A playoffs. Nazareth (7-4) will host Fenwick (9-2) in a…
Jason Bonham’s band brings new life to Led Zep Rock ‘n ‘ roll classics sound great with faithful renditions By Steve Metsch Midway through his band’s concert at the Rialto Square Theatre in Joliet, Jason Bonham paused Monday night and said playing Led Zeppelin’s music “makes me feel so close to my father.” It was…
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Pope has Lyons needing win for playoffs Scores three TDs as Glenbard West rolls, 35-3 By Steve Metsch Friday night’s game at Downers Grove North may be the regular-season finale, but Lyons Township senior Joey Antonietti knows better. “We’ve got a playoff game,” he said after the Lions lost a must-win game, 35-3, at home…
75th Pet Parade on Saturday Returns after a year away because of pandemic By Steve Metsch After a year not seeing folks march with their dogs, cats and other creatures down the streets, anticipation is high for this year’s La Grange Pet Parade. Last year, the parade was held virtually and people watched on their…
Chickens in Bridgeview? Residents asks for permission; village to study idea By Steve Metsch Bridgeview has been home to the Fire, the Red Stars and thousands of Parrot Heads. Who’s ready for some chickens? Alex Whitehead, a six-year resident of Bridgeview, has proposed that residents be permitted to raise chickens in their yards. “I think…
Illinois Rock Hall of Fame’s first class Eleven inductees honored at Rialto Square Theatre By Steve Metsch When Kevin Cronin heard the Ides of March song “You Wouldn’t Listen” playing on the radio – most likely WLS AM 890 back in 1966 – he had a revelation. “I knew you didn’t have to be from…
Making the old sound new Hall & Oates tweak hit songs with good results By Steve Metsch When you have as many well-known hit songs as do Hall & Oates, it’s difficult to tour without sounding like a greatest hits album. You’ve got to tweak some of the songs to keep things fresh, not only…
533 quiet days Dwight Yoakam ends Rialto’s live music drought By Steve Metsch The celebration went long into the night Sunday when – after 533 days without live music – the beautiful Rialto Square Theatre in downtown Joliet welcomed back bands and fans. Headliner Dwight Yoakam, with his incredibly tight and talented band, strode onto…