Fantastic Negrito at Reva and David Logan Center For The Arts April 11, 2026

ChiIL Live Shows On Our Radar: 

Fantastic Negrito 

Performing at Reva and David Logan Center For The Arts

April 11, 2026  

“Reimagining the blues for a new age — and audience.” - LA Times

TOP WEEKEND PICKS: TONIGHT 4/11 Fantastic Negrito at Reva and David Logan Center for the Arts! We'll be there covering the concert for ChiIL Live Shows. Can't wait to catch this incredibly talented performer live. 

Limited tickets still available: 

General 

$37.00 ($33.00 ticket price + $4.00 fees)

UChicago Faculty/Staff

$30.00 ($26.00 ticket price + $4.00 fees)

Limit 1 per valid ID

Free Youth

$0.00 (NO Ticket Fee)

Limit 1 per adult ticket. Must be under 12 years-old.

“It’s the truest testament in believing not only is change gonna come, but it is here.” - Rolling Stone

Blending grit, soul, funk, rock, and blues, Fantastic Negrito has built a global following with performances that transcend genre and are communal between artist and audience. Since winning the inaugural NPR Tiny Desk Contest, he’s continued to reshape contemporary roots music, earning acclaim at major festivals worldwide and collaborating with artists like Sting, E-40, and Tank and the Bangas -- all a testament to the breadth and power of his artistry.

“Ripping up any blueprint for how a blues album should sound.” - American Songwriter

3x GRAMMY® Award-winner Fantastic Negrito released his highly anticipated album, Son of a Broken Man, on October 18, 2024 via his own Storefront Records. This album sees Fantastic Negrito encapsulating his inimitable style, from hard-hitting guitar riffs to expressive ballads, with the unexpected twists that have become his trademark. It stands as one of his most personal works to date, exploring family, deception, and the human desire to hide the true self as he dives deep into the struggle between father and son. 

“Something like Led Zeppelin’s debut, Negrito is too weird and wired to stay in the blues channel, though he is unlikely to head off toward hobbits. He is headed somewhere, that’s for sure.” - Pitchfork

Born Xavier Amin Dphrepaulezz, Fantastic Negrito's story is a testament to resilience and the transformative power of music. By now much has been made of Negrito’s unique story – growing up in an orthodox Muslim household, a doomed major label deal, the near-fatal car crash that permanently damaged his guitar playing hand—as well as the remarkable redemption arc that began in 2015, when he won the first-ever NPR Tiny Desk Contest. He has since earned three GRAMMY® Awards for “Best Contemporary Blues Album," and shared stages with everyone from Sturgill Simpson to Chris Cornell to Bruce Springsteen. He's collaborated in the studio with the likes of Sting, E-40, and Tank and The Bangas, performed on countless headline world tours and at festivals such as Lollapalooza, Glastonbury, Newport Folk, and WOMAD, and founded the Revolution Plantation, an urban farm aimed at youth education and empowerment.

“You’ll see that newly rediscovered purpose in his eyes and hear it in his voice.” - NPR

Listen to his album here: Son of a Broken Man

For full tour dates and information check out his site HERE.

League of Chicago Theatres' Deal Hunt Is Back April 14-22, 2026

 League of Chicago Theatres welcomes Spring with the return of Deal Hunt

 Dozens of participating shows are offering an additional $5 off

already discounted tickets on Hot Tix

The League of Chicago Theatres announces the popular spring theatre promotion Deal Hunt, bringing audiences the best of Chicago theatre at unbeatable prices.

 

Redeemable from April 14-22, 2026, Hot Tix patrons receive an extra $5 off already-discounted theater tickets for participating performances throughout the Spring season by using the code “Deal Hunt” at www.HotTix.org.

 

Marissa Lynn Jones, Executive Director of the League of Chicago Theatres, comments, “We are so excited about Spring’s arrival, bringing with it an abundance of new productions to Chicago stages. To kick-start the season, we are proud to bring back Deal Hunt to Hot Tix, making theatre even more accessible and affordable than ever.”

 

To date, 36 productions are participating, including: A Streetcar Named Desire, MadKap Productions at Skokie Theatre; Amplify Queer Joy, Chicago Playback Theatre Ensemble at Center on Halsted; Birthday Candles, Buffalo Theatre Ensemble at McAninch Arts Center; Building American Pop, Chicago a cappella  at Nichols Concert Hall; Chamber Music Series: Saint-Saëns, Vieuxtemps, and Fauré, Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center at Harris Theater for Music and Dance; Comedy Pageant, Stars & Garters Theater; Cosmic Comedy Hour and The Cosmic Underground Show, Cosmic Underground Theater; Deep Schwa, Doing Our Moms, Improvised Jane Austen, The Armando Diaz Experience, Whirled News Tonight and Devil’s Daughter at iO Theater; DIVIDED, The Center for Performing Arts at Governors State University; Do Something Pretty, Rivendell Theatre Company; Eelpout!, Shattered Globe Theatre at Theater Wit; Father of the Bride, Drury Lane Theatre; FreakShow & Tell, Stars & Garters Theater; Heartbreak Hotel, Marriott Theatre; I Hate Hamlet, Saint Sebastian Players at St. Bonaventure; Jetlag, Physical Theater Festival at The Dance Center at Columbia College Chicago; Lizzy & The Triggermen, The Center for Performing Arts at Governors State University; LOKI-The End of the World Tour, Lifeline Theatre; M.A.S.T.E.R.M.I.N.D.S., Stars & Garters Theater; Modern Gentleman, About Face Theatre at Raven Theatre; moonwatchers, Lazy Susan Theatre Co.at Greenhouse Theater Center; Nomad by Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui, Eastman, Harris Theater for Music and Dance; Octet,Raven Theatre; Out Here, Court Theatre; Rising Stars Burlesque Revue, Stars & Garters Theater; Ruthless! The Musical, Citadel Theatre Company; The Cuttlefish, or the Hyrcanian Worldview, Trap Door Theatre; The Sugar Wife, The Artistic Home at Theater Wit; The Trojan Women, Eos Theatre Company at Bramble Arts Loft; and Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!, at Studebaker Theater.

 

About Chicago theatre 

Chicago theatre is the leader in the U.S. with more than 250 theatres throughout Chicagoland, comprising a rich and varied community ranging from storefront, non-union theatres to the most renowned resident theatres in the country, including 7 which have been honored with Regional Tony Awards, and the largest touring Broadway organization in the nation. Chicago’s theatres serve 5 million audience members annually and have a combined budget of more than $250 million. Chicago produces and/or presents more world premieres annually than any other city in the nation. Each year Chicago theatres send new work to resident theatres across the country, to Broadway, and around the world. For more information, visit www.chicagoplays.com.

 

The League of Chicago Theatres’ Mission Statement

Theatre is essential to the life of a great city and to its citizens. The League of Chicago Theatres is an alliance of theatres, which leverages its collective strength to support, promote and advocate for Chicago’s theatre industry. Through our work, we ensure that theatre continues to thrive in our city.