Music notes: Bieber fever at Allstate Oct. 23-24
Bieber times 2
Wildly popular teen-pop idol Justin Bieber will bring his boyish smile and smooth, crooning voice to Rosemont next week for two shows. Brace yourself for the sound of high-pitched screaming.
7 p.m. Tuesday and Wednesday, Oct. 23-24, at the Allstate Arena, 6920 N. Mannheim Road, Rosemont. $39.50-$89.50. Go to ticketmaster.com.
Still smashing
Chicago's Smashing Pumpkins was arguably one of the top three bands of the alternative era, both artistically and commercially. (Nirvana and Pearl Jam being the other two.) Suburban native Billy Corgan and Co. combined the whimsy of psychedelia, the grandiosity of progressive rock and the hard edge of punk into a sound that was a huge hit on 1990s rock radio and in stadiums all over the world. The band's glory years are currently being examined via reissues of its classic albums, but don't think that the Pumpkins are resting on past laurels. Corgan has assembled a new version of the band, which released the album “Oceania” earlier this year, resulting in some of the best reviews the band has gotten since its Clinton-era heyday. See the new incarnation of the Pumpkins in Rosemont this weekend.
7:30 p.m. Friday, Oct. 19, at the Allstate Arena, 6920 N. Mannheim Road, Rosemont. $50. Go to ticketmaster.com.
‘Born' again
Suburban rock band the Smoking Popes will perform one of its best-known albums “Born to Quit” in its entirety during a special show in Chicago. The performance will take place just days before the Tuesday, Oct. 23, reissue of “Born to Quit” via SideOneDummy Records. The reissue will include bonus tracks, new liner notes and remastered sound. It's one of the alternative era's most infectious rock records.
9 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 20, at the Double Door, 1572 N. Milwaukee Ave., Chicago. $15. Go to doubledoor.com.