Mr. Spears is first up, bringing his white-boy rap to the House of Blues on the 8th. That’s right, K-Fed is running amok on his own trying to disprove all the haters out there and let us all know that he is for real and here to stay. Time will tell if he’s just another Vanilla Ice wannabe or the next Eminem. Although, I think we already know that answer.
Everyone’s favorite Chicago band and You Tube artist, Ok Go, is coming to Logan Square. I hear they really do all those moves in concert so study the choreography and join in on the fun on the 9th.
Of course you could always see Barbra at the United Center that night instead. I’m guessing this is yet another farewell tour for Streisand so if this is your thing you better see her while you can. The tour’s been making news lately because of her anti-Bush references so Barbra may have a little bite left in her after all. She’s a legend, so you've got to give her respect.
Thanksgiving weekend is bringing a lot of great artists to our city including Wilco, Lupe Fiasco, Tenacious D and Wolfmother. It’s going to be hard to decide which to pick but I’m probably going to have to go with the “D”! You can never go wrong with Jack Black.
One other show worth mentioning is the only U.S. appearance of Morrissey this year. Not sure why he’s only doing Chicago but who cares, glad to have him even if he’s playing the Aragon Ballroom. Morrissey is a great showman, so let’s hope he can triumph over the crappy sound.
On the CD front we have a nice mixture that will fit any family gathering. This month seems to be the return of many of hip-hop's finest as Jay-Z and Snoop Dogg both drop new CDs this month.
It appears his retirement announcement was a bit premature, although this is Jay-Z’s first since “The Black Album” released back in 2002. With lyrics from the title track like "Take off the blazer/Loosen up the tie/Step inside the booth/Superman is alive!", it appears Jay-Z too is alive and ready to take over the world once again. Even if his retrirement was just a marketing ploy, it’s nice to have him back.
The DoggFather is also back, reunited with producer Dr. Dre to bring back the shizzle with “The Blue Carpet Treatment” on the 21st. With his eighth studio album, Snoop is joined by the likes of Pharrell, Ice Cube, Usher and even a couple surprise appearances by the late great 2Pac and Notorious B.I.G.
If hip-hop isn’t your thing, never fear, the rumored Guns N’ Roses long awaited “Chinese Democracy” album is finally supposed to surface at the end of the month. I’ll believe this when I see it but it’s about fucking time. This has got to be the longest break between albums ever. Their last studio albums, "Use Your Illusion" I and II, came out back in 1991 so it’s beyond overdue, and let’s face it, there’s no way it’s going to be as amazing as it should be after all that time. At this point I’m sure their record label would just like to finally get it out there and move on.
Speaking of amazing, the best band ever is back with a new movie and a new CD as Tenacious D have arrived with the “Pick of Destiny.” Jack Black with cohort Kyle Gass bring their story of how it all began to the big screen with a sound track produced by The Dust Brothers and has special appearances by Dio, Dave Grohl and many many more. The first one was amazing so I have high hopes for this one.
One last CD to note is the Austin band with a really long name but is best known as …And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead. They are back with their third Interscope album titled, “So Divided”. The band are critical darlings but seem to have an up-and-down commercial appeal. Let’s hope this album will finally break that and bring them to the front of the class where they belong.
So pass the cranberry sauce and stuff one of these great CDs in your player or get away from your crazy uncle and rock out to your favorite band at a venue near you.
• Random Noise appears on the second Tuesday of every month, exclusively in Lumino Magazine.
Powered by AkoComment 2.0!
