Sound check: Raue honors Aretha, Joe Cocker with 'SoulBliss' concert
Crystal Lake soul
LaShera Moore and Derrick Procell celebrate the soulful, genre-blending legacies of two musical powerhouses — Aretha Franklin and Joe Cocker — as the “SoulBliss Tour” visits the Raue Center for the Arts Friday.
8 p.m. Friday, April 29, at the Raue Center for the Arts, 26 N. Williams St., Crystal Lake. $20-$30; $14-$21 for RaueNOW members. (815) 356-9212 or events.rauecenter.org.
Folk-rock at FitzGerald's
West suburban indie Americana-rock band The Darling Suns just released the new single “Modern Days,” out for purchase and streaming this week. But come Friday, fans can see the band play live when they set the stage for a performance by Michigan-based folk rockers Brother Elsey at FitzGerald's.
8 p.m. Friday, April 29, at FitzGerald's, 6615 Roosevelt Road, Berwyn. $15. (708) 788-2118 or fitzgeraldsnightclub.com.
Buckcherry on stage and the radio
Hard-rock band Buckcherry stops at the Des Plaines Theatre this week for a show with Blacktop Mojo and Sumo Cyco. Before the concert, you can check out lead singer Josh Todd's appearance last week on Huntley Radio's (WHRU) “It's Showtime With Rikki Lee” as he talks with Rikki Lee Travolta about music and Buckcherry's history; stream it at huntleyradio.com.
7 p.m. Friday, April 29, at the Des Plaines Theatre, 1476 Miner St., Des Plaines. $25. (630) 962-7000 or desplainestheatre.com.
Metro's anniversary with Patti Smith
Punk poet and Rock and Roll Hall of Fame honoree Patti Smith returns to Chicago to help celebrate the 40th anniversary of Metro, one of the city's best independent outposts for rock and punk shows. The four-time Grammy nominee will honor the venue and its history with a full-band performance.
8 p.m. Wednesday, May 4, at Metro, 3730 N. Clark St., Chicago. $70, $80 at the door. (773) 549-4140 or metrochicago.com.
Weezer joins the party
Brian, Ali and Justin of 101-WKXQ's morning radio show celebrate another year together with their annual Ahoy! party, this time around with a special performance from alternative pop band Weezer. The party will also feature games, prizes, drink specials and, of course, birthday cake.
7 p.m. Tuesday, May 3, at the Byline Bank Aragon Ballroom, 1106 W. Lawrence Ave., Chicago. $64. Get details and tickets at 101wkqx.com.
Save the rock
The twice-postponed Save the Rock 'n' Roll Festival is finally here! The fest — three nights of hard-shredding rock and punk bands diving deep into the city and suburban music scene — is the culmination of a plan originally organized in 2020 during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic by the owners of four Chicago outlets: LiveWire Lounge (3394 N. Milwaukee Ave., livewireloungechicago.com), Reggies (2105 S. State St., reggieslive.com), Cobra Lounge (235 N. Ashland Ave., cobralounge.com) and Liar's Club (1665 W. Fullerton Ave., facebook.com/liarsclubchicago). Fans can buy tickets for single shows or shuttle between venues for the weekend.
Shows start at 7 p.m. Friday through Sunday, April 29 through May 1. $15 for single tickets, $135 for a three-day pass. See venues for daily lineups and shuttle info.
In other news ...
• In anticipation of next Friday's Righteous Brothers' concert (7 p.m. Friday, May 6) at the Des Plaines Theatre, Bill Medley of the band will be interviewed on “It's Showtime With Rikki Lee” at 3 p.m. Friday, April 29, at WHRU-101.5. Listen live or stream it at huntleyradio.com.
• Lollapalooza announced its daily lineups this week, with single-day passes now on sale. Visit lollapalooza.com for details and to purchase tickets.
• Brian Shamie is a Daily Herald multiplatform editor and local music junkie. Email him at bshamie@dailyherald.com, find him on Facebook or follow him on Twitter (@thatshamieguy) or Instagram (@chicagosoundcheck). He also keeps tabs on the Chicago music scene at chicagosoundcheck.com.