Journalist, Author & Syndicated Columnist
Starting the show with his current single, “Too Late to Say Goodbye,” Richard Marx seemed a little uncomfortable. But halfway through the song, he got the feel for the cavernous venue. He loosened up and exhibited a bit of fancy footwork he may have picked up from his wife, dancer-actress-singer Cynthia Rhodes.
Rap sensations D. J. Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince are famous for hits such as “Parents Just Don’t Understand” and “I Think I Can Beat Mike Tyson.” But fans will see another side of them when the duo sings an unusual version of “Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious” on a Disney special.
From the screeching that erupted when Barry Manilow stepped onstage Friday night at the Chicago Theatre, you would’ve thought he was one of the New Kids on the Block, and that the predominantly fortysomething audience was filled with love-crazed schoolgirls.
There are a lot of disc jockeys that listeners automatically will tune away from. And then there’s Jonathon Brandmeier, the multitalented WLUP radio personality who has fans willing to pay to watch him perform. Saturday night, in the first of two concerts at Poplar Creek, Brandmeier had Chicagoans eating out of his hands.
One of Matthew Sweet’s most appealing aspects is that while he is making a niche for himself as one of today’s hippest singers, his songwriting has maintained a sweet innocence that betrays his ultra-cool musician image.
Charlie Sexton’s self-titled debut album doesn’t make as strong an impact as his debut “Pictures for Pleasure.” But just when you’re ready to accuse him of suffering from the sophomore slump, Sexton’s skillful guitarwork and deep, emoting voice convince you he’s worth believing in.
In the first of two Poplar Creek shows, Linda Ronstadt played to an enthusiastic, predominantly adult audience, of many of whom sang along with the Mexican lyrics she belted out in her inimitable, guttoral soprano. I got the impression that if she needed to, she could do just as well without the microphone. The tour is in support of her latest album, “Canciones de Mi Padre” (Songs of My Father). Subtitled “A Romantic Evening in Old Mexico,” the Poplar Creek show was the same production that played for three weeks on Broadway. The two-act revue was as much theater as it was a concert.
Tonio K.’s latest album, “Notes From The Lost Civilization,” is a cohesive collection of songs. Utilizing the talents of his friends Sexton, Peter Case, Billy Vera, Booker T. Jones and T Bone Burnett, Tonio K. takes his music less seriously than critics who’ve at turns dubbed him a poet and a jester. K.’s music falls into a happy medium somewhere between serious art and giddy pop.
Many pop stars say music is the most important thing in their lives, but Rick Springfield put his beliefs and his career on the line when he took a self-imposed two-year break from the recording business
to reassess his priorities. “I think that of anything success has given me, alleviating the day-to-day money worries has got to be the greatest thing,” Springfield said. “I’ve been in the situation where I’ve had to scrimp to get together the rent and utility money. I know how hard it is, and I know how lucky I am now.”
“Somebody was saying that I was too tall to be a rock singer,” Grahame “Skin” Skinner said. “Actually, I didn’t sing in most of the groups I was in before because I didn’t think I had a good voice. I played a little guitar — very little. The theory goes that a baritone doesn’t reach his potential until he’s 35, so I’ve still got several years to ago. Then I can make my comeback.”