Music notes: Bonnie Raitt plays Rosemont
Heartland heroes
The BoDeans, a roots-rock band that emerged from Wisconsin in the mid-1980s with the classic album “Love & Hope & Sex & Dreams,” is still going strong nearly three decades later. Singer-guitarist-songwriter Kurt Neumann and co. will play in St. Charles this weekend.
8 p.m. Friday, Oct. 18, at the Arcada Theatre, 105 E. Main St., St. Charles. Tickets start at $39. Go to oshows.com.
Celtic punk
There's something that just sounds right when you mix punk-rock energy with traditional Celtic rhythms and instrumentation (fiddle, mandolin, etc.). “Celtic punk” has been enjoying a wave of success around the country, with bands like Boston's Dropkick Murphys and Los Angeles' Flogging Molly entering the mainstream consciousness. Here at home, the Celtic punk scene is particularly vital, and one of its key bands, Flatfoot 56, will perform this weekend in the suburbs. Flatfoot 56, which includes Highland bagpipes in its sound, is touring behind its latest album, “Toil.”
9 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 19, at the Brauerhouse, 1000 N. Rohlwing Road, Lombard. (The Tosspints, Hex Bombs, the Killigans and In Exile will also perform.) $7. Go to brauerhouse.com.
Music legend
Bonnie Raitt, who has been writing and performing gritty, bluesy music for nearly 40 years, is making a stop this weekend in the suburbs. Raitt, a multiple Grammy winner, is a legitimate legend, renowned for her husky singing and her energetic guitar-playing. Opening for Raitt will be gospel-soul icon Mavis Staples, making this one of the strongest double-bills you'll find anywhere.
7:30 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 20, at the Rosemont Theatre, 5400 N. River Road, Rosemont. Tickets start at $70.50. Go to ticketmaster.com.