HELP OUT: Porchlight Music Theatre Annual Fundraising Concert Tickets On Sale Tuesday, Jan. 17, 2023

ChiIL Live Shows On Our Radar

PORCHLIGHT MUSIC THEATRE ANNOUNCES 

CHICAGO SINGS BROADWAY POP, 

MONDAY, MARCH 27, 2023 AT HOUSE OF BLUES CHICAGO

Tickets for the Annual Fundraising Concert go on Sale 

Tuesday, Jan. 17, 2023 at 12 p.m.

Porchlight Music Theatre is proud to announce Chicago Sings Broadway Pop, its annual fundraising concert, Monday, March 27, 2023 at the House of Blues Chicago, 329 N Dearborn St, directed by Porchlight’s Artistic Director Michael Weber+. This concert includes live performances by Chicago music theatre’s best loved artists, the presentation of the 2023 Guy Adkins Award for Excellence in the Advancement of Music Theatre in Chicago and more. Chicago Sings Broadway Pop offers attendees two ways for patrons to participate in this unforgettable night: the “One Night Only” Experience, which includes seating on the main floor or in the boxes of the House of Blues and access to the VIP cocktail hour before the performance and the “Oh, What a Night” Experience, hosted by the Porchlight Young Professionals, which includes seating in the balconies of the venue. Tickets and sponsorships will be available for beginning Tuesday, Jan. 17, 2023 at 12 p.m. CST at PorchlightMusicTheatre.org. 

Since its earliest days, songs that have appeared on Broadway have crossed over to the music charts and popular songs heard on the radio have found their way to Broadway stages. In 2023, Chicago Sings Broadway Pop celebrates these Broadway musicals with an eclectic night of songs from such shows as Chess, Dreamgirls, Jersey Boys, Mamma Mia!, 9 to 5 and others. 

A performance from CHICAGO SINGS STEPHEN SONDHEIM presented by Porchlight Music Theatre, May 23, 2022 at the Museum of Contemporary Art. Photo by Chollette

 

ABOUT THE GUY ADKINS AWARD FOR EXCELLENCE IN THE ADVANCEMENT OF MUSIC THEATRE IN CHICAGO

For more than 10 years, Porchlight Music Theatre celebrates an individual who has made an exceptional and lasting contribution to the state of the art of Chicago music theatre, with the prestigious Guy Adkins Award. Guy Adkins was an award-winning Chicago actor who passed away in 2010. Among his significant stage credits were Oklahoma! Windy City and A Funny Thing Happened… at Marriott Theatre; The Taming of the Shrew at Chicago Shakespeare Theatre; Pericles, Twelfth Night, The Invention of Love and the title role in Hamlet at Court Theatre; The Time of Your Life at Steppenwolf and the world premieres of the musicals The Return of Martin Guerre and The Visit, both at The Goodman Theatre. The Chicago Sun-Timescalled Adkins, “…a smart and invariably graceful actor” and The New York Times called him “outrageously talented” for his turn at “Puck” in A Midsummer Night’s Dream' at the McCarter Theatre in New Jersey. Porchlight commemorates Adkins’ spirit and life with this annual award and celebrates the many gifts he shared with our theatre community and the world. 

Past recipients include:

Jim Corti+, 2022

Felicia P. Fields*, 2021

Gary Griffin+, 2019

Brenda Didier*, 2018

Rachel Rockwell*, 2017

E. Faye Butler*, 2016

Dominic Missimi+, 2015

Paula Scrofano*, 2014

Douglas Peck+, 2013

Hollis Resnik*, 2012 and

L. Walter Sterns+, 2011. 

Pronoun Key: + (he/him/his); * (she/her/hers); ^ (they, them, theirs). = (any with respect)

ABOUT PORCHLIGHT MUSIC THEATRE

Porchlight Music Theatre, now in its 28th season, is the award-winning center for music theatre in Chicago. Through live performance, youth education and community outreach, we impact thousands of lives each season, bringing the magic of musicals to our theatre home at the Ruth Page Center for the Arts in the Gold Coast and to neighborhoods across the city. Porchlight has built a national reputation for boldly reimagining classic musicals, supporting new works and young performers, and showcasing Chicago’s most notable music theatre artists, all through the intimate and powerful theatrical lens of the “Chicago Style.” 

Porchlight's history over the last 27 years includes more than 70 mainstage works with 15 Chicago premieres and five world premieres. Porchlight’s commitment to the past, present and future of music theatre led the company to develop the Porchlight Revisits and New Faces Sing Broadway program series, both quickly becoming audience favorites. 

Porchlight's education and outreach programs serve schools, youth of all ages and skill levels and community organizations, most notably the ongoing collaboration with Chicago Youth Centers. Porchlight annually awards dozens of full scholarships and hundreds of free tickets to ensure accessibility and real engagement with this uniquely American art form. 

Students from Porchlight Music Theatre’s music classes (L to R) Mateo Martinez, Gabriel Lockhart and Celeste Kaplan join teaching artists (L to R) Becky Keeshin, Nik Kmiecik and Frankie Leo Bennett for a performance at CHICAGO SINGS STEPHEN SONDHEIM presented by Porchlight Music Theatre, May 23, 2022 at the Museum of Contemporary Art. Photo by Chollette

The company’s many honors include 178 Joseph Jefferson Award (Jeff) nominations and 49 Jeff awards, as well as 44 Black Theatre Alliance (BTA) nominations and 15 BTA awards. In 2019, Porchlight graduated to the Large Theatre tier of the Equity Jeff Awards and has been honored with seven awards in this tier to date including Best Ensemble for Duke Ellington’s Sophisticated Ladies (2019) and Best Production-Revue for Blues in the Night (2022). 

Through the global pandemic, Porchlight emerged as one of Chicago’s leaders in virtual programming, quickly launching a host of free offerings like Sondheim @ 90 Roundtables, Movie Musical Mondays, Porchlight by Request: Command Performances and WPMT: Classic Musicals from the Golden Age of Radio. In 2021, Porchlight launched its annual summer series, Broadway in your Backyard, performing at parks and venues throughout the city. 

 (L to R) Porchlight Young Professionals Chair Rosie Schultz and Emeritus Chair Cody Czmyr at CHICAGO SINGS STEPHEN SONDHEIM presented by Porchlight Music Theatre, May 23, 2022 at the Museum of Contemporary Art. Photo By Chollette

Porchlight Music Theatre is partially supported by generous contributions from Allstate; Michael Best & Friedrich LLP; Abe and Ida Cooper Foundation; Elegant Event Lighting; Glimpse Vision; James P. and Brenda S. Grusecki Family Foundation; Hearty Boys; A.L. and Jennie L. Luria Foundation; The MacArthur Fund for Culture, Equity and the Arts at Prince; the Pritzker Traubert Foundation; Ryan and Spaeth, Inc.; Daniel and Genevieve Ratner Foundation; The Saints and Dr. Scholl Foundation.

The season program is partially supported by a grant from the Illinois Arts Council Agency, a state agency, and by a CityArts Grant from the City of Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs & Special Events. 

Porchlight Music Theatre wishes to thank members of the Matching Gift Corporate Program including Abbvie; Allstate; Lloyd A. Fry Foundation; Peoples Gas; Pepsico; Polk Bros Foundation and The Saints.

(L to R) Mackenzie Maples, Eilish Morse-O'Rourke and Claire McConnell in the Color and Light Lounge at CHICAGO SINGS STEPHEN SONDHEIM presented by Porchlight Music Theatre, May 23 at the Museum of Contemporary Art. Photo by Chollette

PHOTO RECAP: CLUTCH at House of Blues Chicago 10/25/2016

Chi, IL LIVE Shows On Our Radar:

It was our great pleasure to catch an epic CLUTCH concert during their 2016 fall tour, on their annual Chicago stop. We got to celebrate a dual birthday night, with lead singer, Neil Fallon, and tour manager, Oscar, both born on October 25th! Direct support on this tour was Zakk Sabbath and Kyng. 









Some of the crowd in the know broke into a spontaneous rendition of "happy birthday" as the band returned from set break, and the enthusiasm was contagious. We were all treated to a high energy set with plenty of old CLUTCH classics and quite a few songs in rare rotation, along with requisite favorites from their latest release. 



HOB Chicago 10/25/16 set list (This is the only photo here that's not mine. It was publicly posted by Tim Sult, guitarist for CLUTCH, who makes a point of sharing most, if not all, set lists on his Facebook page, as the band tours.)

We love that the band members trade off writing the set list for the night, so this show left me wondering if we were along for a ride through Neil Fallon's favorites for his birthday. 



Check out our full set of CLUTCH shots in the slideshow here:
More favorites are embedded below.



This meteoric metal band keeps getting better with age, and their last 2 albums were the most commercially successful, yet they're no sell outs. CLUTCH, often called stoner metal, defies easy categorization, with intelligent, intelligible lyrics of mythic proportion and riffs that cross metal, rock, funk, blues, folk and then some. Unlike many bands who have been touring together 25 years, CLUTCH is no washed up nostalgia act. We've been enjoying their quirky brand of genius since the early 90's an have even road tripped to 3 neighboring states to see them, in addition to catching every Chicago regional show we could. Check out these Maryland badasses. CLUTCH is the real deal and always a good time live.

A bit of CUBS luck must have rubbed off on this long time Clutch fan who caught not only a guitar pick, but a drumstick too! 

Clutch fans are the best! Unlike most metal bands, Clutch manages to cross gender, age, race and socioeconomic factors to reach a unique and varied fan base of loyal rockers.  We've even met 2 and sometimes 3 generations of families at shows together!





Neil has the steely eyed stare of an old time preacher on the tent revival circuit. 

With Tim Sult laying down tight and tasty lead guitar riffs, Neil's hands are free for intense gestures of conviction, and he can focus all his energy on his distinct, growling vocals so many fans have come to love, with an occasional foray into cow bell or guitar.

With JP (Jean-Paul Gaster) and Dan Maines on drums and bass respectively, this band is a force to reckon with. These 4 have a long history and chemistry that can not be denied.

More Favorite CLUTCH Show Shots 10/25/16:

INCOMING: Clutch at House of Blues Chicago

ChiIL Live Shows On Our Radar:

Hey Chicago. Clutch is coming back through for another smokin' show at House of Blues Chicago! Don't miss this. Here at ChiIL Live Shows, Clutch has been a favorite of ours for decades. In fact, we've run over 26 features on the band over the years, interviewed frontman Neil Fallon, and shot stills from the photo pit numerous times. We've even road tripped to other states to see them 4 times. We've covered them at music fests, tiny hole in the wall dives, and large auditorium shows. And we welcomed in 2016 with them at Bogarts in Cincinnati with a stellar New Years Eve show.

**Click here and scroll down for loads of our Clutch related photo & video features (26+).**

Whether you're just discovering Clutch or you've been a fan since 1991, they're a must see for rock and metal fans. They're hard to pin into a genre, with notes of funk, punk and blues rolled into the mix and literate lyrics, but they shine live, and always dig deep into their archives for set lists full of old favorites and new stuff that just keeps getting better. We love that the band members take turns writing the set lists! 

Clutch - Psychic Warfare World Tour 2016

House of Blues Chicago

• 10/25/2016

FIND TICKETS AT LIVENATION.COM

UPGRADE TO VIP

FOUNDATION ROOM VIP DINING

DINING RESERVATION

• Show Starts: 6:30 PM
• Prices: $35.00

Artist(s) At This Event: Clutch, Zakk Sabbath, Kyng, Clutch - Psychic Warfare World Tour 2016

Event Info:
Doors @ 6:30PM. Performance begins at 8PM. This show is for AGES 17 AND OLDER. Valid Photo ID is required for age restricted shows. Forms of valid ID are current and non-expired Driver's License, State ID or Passport. House of Blues Chicago is a standing room only venue, all tickets are General Admission unless otherwise stated. Please contact the House of Blues Box Office 312.923.2000 to inquire about Dinner Package Seating and/or Disability Seating. Those in need of Accessible seating need to first purchase a General Admission ticket, then contact the venue Box Office at 312.923.2000 to reserve accommodations. House of Blues Chicago is Smoke Free. There is no re-entry.

Notes:

All tickets subject to all applicable facility fees and service charges. No refunds, exchanges, cancelations.

Click HERE for their full Fall 2016 Tour Dates

Artist Info:

It's the parabolic motion of projectiles. Or, as Isaac Newton stated, what goes up must come down - that is, everything except Clutch. Earth Rocker created an insurmountable peak. But Psychic Warfare has altered laws of physics by elevating the smart songwriting and impressive performances of that last album, setting an even higher benchmark as their now-definitive album to date. The eleventh Clutch studio album Psychic Warfare goes straight for the throat with “X-Ray Visions” and never lets go. Working again with acclaimed producer Machine, this time in Texas, the concise arrangements that made Earth Rocker so assertive is the same harness for the combustible musical energy on Psychic Warfare. Harder, faster... let the rhythm hit ‘em. 

Formed in 1991, the Maryland-based band's ability to absorb different musical styles and fabricate them into a distinct Clutch sound continues to be their forté. “A Quick Death In Texas,” overstocked with signature “Clutch heavy” Tim Sult riffs and lonesome guitar licks, and the funk undercurrent of “Your Love Is Incarceration,” color Psychic Warfare with articulate musicality and comfortable familiarity. 

The overall intensity of Psychic Warfare would be self-consuming without the pressure valve of a canny rhythm section. Drummer Jean-Paul Gaster and bassist Dan Maines have an intuitive sense of dynamics that gives weight and contrast to the forcefulness of the vocals, steering Clutch into the straightaway out of tight, exhilarating corners. “I listened closely to the rhythm of Neil’s vocals this time around.” Gaster explains. “The rhythms he sings, are very syncopated. It was my goal to articulate these rhythms on the drums while keeping the pulse of the music strong.” 

Psychic Warfare is cinematic, a soundtrack to the plot of singer Neil Fallon's imagination. The narrative of “ The Affidavit” sets the scene for an album of gunslingers, energy weapons, paranoid neurosis, and the occasional three-legged mule. It's an episodic lyrical landscape populated by abstract characterization, nuance, and clever peculiarity. “I spent a lot of time doting over the lyrics,” Fallon says. “It was fun because I have a great luxury that I'm a professional liar—that's what a storyteller is. Or at least that’s what I try to be. It's the one socially acceptable way to completely deceive people, and that's what they want. If you sing it with enough conviction, people won't question it. I just love that escapism, the fantasy aspect of it. And fantasy doesn’t necessarily equate to dragons and wizards. It can be seedy hotel rooms and sketchy hitchhikers.” 

Gaster says the band knowing Earth Rocker was such a high water mark put them in a position of needing to follow up with an exceptional album. “Looking back on the process, one thing that sticks out in my mind is the amount of rehearsal the band put in. We started each pre-production day by writing out a new album sequence and then playing that sequence straight thru as if it were a set list. I think this allowed us to get inside the songs in a way we had not done before. When it came time to record drum tracks, I had a clear idea of how I wanted to play each song.” 

In the past, Clutch consciously made each album conspicuously different from the last one. “We had a sadistic fear of repeating ourselves,” Fallon admits. “But over the last few years, we've realized our strengths and what it is that people like about us. Why deny it? Clutch is Clutch, embrace what you are.”  The bar is set higher, laws of physics be damned. Psychic Warfare is the new adventure, and it has no limit.