Journalist, Author & Syndicated Columnist
The death of Pattie’s Heart Healthy has been greatly exaggerated. After closing at 520 N. Michigan in February 1997 – thanks to the Nordstrom project – the health-conscious eatery moved two months later to a snazzier location on Michigan Avenue.
You’ve heard of a training bra? Well, Nickelodeon’s All That Music & More Festival, which rolled into town Sunday night, was a training concert, starring that red-hot boy band 98°. Never been to a live show before? No problem. Someone was on hand to tell the youngsters when to scream, stand up and dance. But the kids didn’t always cooperate.
“Turn to me with frozen lips; Your hands are icy cold.” No, Jewel wasn’t describing the chilly conditions Friday night at the New World Music Theatre. Rather, she was singing a verse from “What’s Simple is True.” What’s true is simply this: With two hit albums (“Pieces of You” and “Spirit”), a best-selling poetry book (A Night Without Armor) and a leading role in Ang Lee’s coming film “Ride with the Devil,” Jewel’s ingenue days are over. Talented and lovely, she oozes telegenic charm in her music videos.
“It’s weird to play in front of tons of people,” John Rzeznik said backstage at the New World Music Theatre prior to the Goo Goo Dolls’ set Saturday night. “We’re more adept at working a smaller crowd.”
That may be. But I can think of few current bands that’s music is as tailor made for arenas than the Goo Goo Dolls. The group knows how to do a rock show right. Fronted by singer-guitarist Rzeznik and bassist-backup vocalist Robby Takac, the group from Buffalo, N.Y., charged into a fast-paced set, mixing the punk-influenced rockers with their better known ballads.
A good sequel is like money in the bank. But is it also an oxymoron? Not necessarily, as proven by a couple of this summer’s biggest followups. During its first three days of release, “Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me” made $1 million more than the original “Powers” grossed during its entire theatrical run.
“This is my first major singing . . . tour thing,” Brandy said midway through her set Tuesday night at the Rosemont Theatre. “It’s also the last night of my tour . . . and all my dreams have come true.” And what a fun way to end the tour. Backed by seven dancers, a six-piece band and four backup singers, the 20-year-old singer/actress strutted on stage in a pink jumpsuit. With all the perfectly timed explosions going off onstage, it almost seemed like the Fourth of July celebration hadn’t actually ended on Sunday.
Whitney Houston is a lot of things – mother, wife, movie star, glamor queen, diva and all-around superstar. But she’s not “every woman,” as she sang Tuesday night at the Arie Crown Theatre. Every woman hasn’t sold 100 million records, as Houston has since releasing her debut album in 1985. Nor can they sing the way she does, as evidenced by a fan who gamely tried to man the mike while Houston good-naturedly stood by.
If it looks like Hanson and sounds like Hanson – but it’s not – then it must be the Moffatts, who headlined a show Wednesday night at the House of Blues. Think of cloned, Canadian cuties and you can visualize the Moffatts.
As a child, director Mike Figgis was fat. One day in gym class, as a way to “encourage” him to lose weight, his teacher ordered Figgis to strip down to his boxer shorts and run through the gymnasium while his classmates swatted away at him. That cruel memory is poignantly re-created in Figgis’ latest film, “The Loss of Sexual Innocence,” which opens Friday at the Music Box Theatre. “I was so ashamed of what happened that I didn’t even tell my parents,” said Figgis.
Finding a good Thai restaurant in the suburbs isn’t an easy feat. So when you find one that you like, you want to share the news. Frankly, I never knew that the Bangkok Cafe of Arlington Heights existed, even though it’s located just a couple miles east of Woodfield Shopping Center (which I know very well). But there it lies, tucked away in a small strip shopping center at the corner of Golf and Arlington Heights in the northwest suburbs.
“In an America where the Chinese were still stereotyped as meek house servants and railroad workers, Bruce Lee was all steely sinew, threatening stare and cocky, pointed finger – a Clark Kent who didn’t need to change outfits. He was the redeemer, not only for the Chinese but for all the geeks and dorks and pimpled teenage masses that washed up at the theaters to see his action movies. He was David, with spin-kicks and flying leaps more captivating than any slingshot. He was the patron saint of the cult of the body.”
Bassist Ted Ansani never wanted a solo career. As one-third of the Chicago-based power pop band Material Issue, Ansani was content to leave the spotlight to extroverted singer-guitarist Jim Ellison. But after Ellison committed suicide three years ago, Ansani and drummer Mike Zelenko found themselves in a predicament. Ellison had been their singer, songwriter and spokesman.
You’ve got to hand it to Dogstar. It’s not easy being taken seriously when the media-and even some fans-don’t really want you to be. But the trio-which includes movie star Keanu Reeves on bass-was well-prepared for its one-hour concert Wednesday night at the Park West. Debuting 15 songs from their upcoming album, “Happy Ending,” the musicians’ aggressive set was a vast improvement over their 1995 Chicago debut at the same venue. Back then, Dogstar appeared tentative and somewhat cowed by the adulation aimed at their famous bassist. This time around, they confidently served up catchy songs with muscular rhythms and strong hooks.
Robbie Williams wants to entertain you. In the first five minutes of his sold-out show Friday night at Metro, the British export danced, glad-handed, grabbed his naughty bits, bared his bum and stuffed a fan’s mash note down his pants.
And then he lost his inhibition.
Ben Folds Five plays “The Unauthorized Biography of Reinhold Messner.” Sounds like some weird concept piece at an arthouse, right? But it was actually a sold-out rock ‘n’ roll show Monday night at the Park West. You wouldn’t know it from “Brick” – the band’s breakthrough, bittersweet single in which Folds sang about an abortion his high school girlfriend had – but the group has a wry sense of humor.
In 1977, Meco Monardo scored a No. 1 hit with ” `Star Wars’ Theme/Cantina Band,” which he was moved to write after seeing the movie . . . 11 times. Backed by 75 musicians, Meco incorporated R2-D2 sound effects and created a kitschy disco number.
Vanity Fair’s May cover girl is Natalie Portman, 17, who stars as Queen Amidala in the “Star Wars” prequel “The Phantom Menace.” Leslie Bennetts’ story presents Portman as a serious high school senior with a grade-point average of 99 (out of 100). The actress excels in her advanced placement classes (which include calculus), takes Japanese lessons and has been accepted for early enrollment at Harvard and Yale universities.
As long as there are girls, boy bands such as 98°, which performed Tuesday at the Rosemont Theatre, will fare just fine. And when you think about it, that’s not such a bad thing. Whose concert would you rather have your 12-year-old attend? The one by nice young men in 98°, who sing about eternal love, or a show by wacky Marilyn Manson, who likes to pick fights with Kurt Cobain’s widow?
Drew Lachey’s got a little something to say about the boy band phenomenon – or, depending on how you look at it, stigma.
In her first book, rap star-turned-actress Queen Latifah, candidly writes about her steady rise to fame, her close-knit family and and how she treated her grief with alcohol and drugs after her brother died in a motorcycle accident. At 173 very short pages (the type is huge and the margins generous), readers are entertained and, to a certain extent, enlightened. But they never get the feeling that they have gotten to know the artist.