We did the homework so you don’t have to. Check back each week for the scoop on bands you can’t miss at some of Chicago’s hottest music venues.
John Mayer
April 11
Fresh off the release of his seventh studio album “The Search for Everything,” John Mayer returns to the United Center this month, bringing his pop-rock and blues sound to Chicago. The concert is said to be split into three distinct sets throughout the evening: one with his full band, one solo and another as part of his blues rock trio.
If ticket prices are too steep for this April concert, Mayer will be playing at Wrigley Field this summer with Dead and Company — a band consisting of Mayer and the surviving members of the American rock band The Grateful Dead. Whether you’re seeing him in April or sometime this summer, it would be a shame to miss out on any of Mayer’s Chicago stops.
The Cool Kids
April 14
The Cool Kids, the American alternative hip hop duo composed of Antoine “Sir Michael Rocks” Reed and Evan “Chuck Inglish” Ingersoll, are making a pit stop in Chicago this month at The Empty Bottle located in Ukrainian Village.
The duo unexpectedly broke up in 2012, and while rumors of reunion surfaced over the years, Inglish and Rocks were quick to deny that they were getting back together until this year. Announcing a string of several concerts for the first half of 2017, The Cool Kids reunion might be one of the most anticipated concerts this month in Chicago.
Jeff Tweedy
April 21-22
For any devoted Jeff Tweedy fan, it comes as no surprise that he’ll be hosting a pair of shows this month at the Vic Theatre, as the artist has done so annually as an effort to raise scholarship money for the Montessori school that both of his children attend.
The first 30 people in line at the show get to determine Tweedy’s set list, as Wilco frontman takes all song requests from his b-sides to his Uncle Tupelo tracks and everything in between.
This once-a-year concert offers an intimate experience with the alternative rock singer and a chance to hear lesser-known songs that rarely get played at Wilco concerts.