Review: Denzel Curry at Salt Shed: This one's for the fans
Curry delivers, again and again, never letting up. It makes for a raucous night. Clad in a neon green tee, long-sleeve undershirt and a hat, Curry makes for an unassuming figure. Yet when the first notes of the apropos track 'Act a Damn Fool' begin to play through the Salt Shed's speakers, Curry unfurls an alter ego that's all parts fiery and spirited.
That energy never lets up through the night, whether the audience is rapping along to the track 'Ricky' or perhaps getting ready to mosh during 'Still in the Paint.' At one point, he joked and asked if the paramedics were ready and insisted on not starting to perform again until the audience was primed and ready to go. It is that energy, that heart, that devotion to the fans that kept the show moving through the hour-long set.
At one point, a woman threw a bra on the stage and Curry wore it on his head. Later, a young fan named Cynthia joined him on stage to rap along to 'Hot One.' It seemed like she knew about half of the lyrics, or maybe she was just a little nervous to be in a packed room of a few thousand folks. Yet the crowd and Curry alike were encouraging, a testament to the solid attitude and enthusiasm of the community he's curated.
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A capacity audience watches Denzel Curry perform at the Salt Shed Friday, April 25, 2025, in Chicago. (John J. Kim/Chicago Tribune)
Interspersed throughout the set were a number of covers and additional surprises. On 'Diet,' which samples Kendrick Lamar's 'tv off,' Curry glided atop the beat with ease. He also covered 'First Night,' a Lyrical Lemonade track. And he was even joined on stage by Kenny Mason, one of his openers, for a rowdy performance of 'Sked.'
In the end, it was a rap show, but also something more frenetic and wild. Curry takes his audience through a journey, one that's musical as much as it is physical. It's a riotous punk spirit that pushes the crowd to not stay so wrapped up in their phones and live firmly in the moment. Jump up. Dance. Mosh. Shout. Be free. Stop worrying so much about everyone around you and just have some fun.
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Chicago Tribune
2 hours ago
- Chicago Tribune
Lake Forest friends and neighbors share positive memories of Jim Lovell
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While Lovell walked his beloved golden retriever, Rummel brought a 'mutt', capable of getting fidgety. After the parade started, Rummel was soon cringing as he watched his dog charge over and put his nose between the legs of one bagpiper, who then let out a huge scream. Lovell observed the incident and then used a line closely resembling the iconic phrase now associated with the movie. 'Jim turns to me and said 'we got a problem',' Rummel happily reminisced. 'Just getting the words we got a problem out of Jim was a great time.' Rummel also recalled how Lovell was a guest for a presentation of the Lt. Dan cover band, which supports disabled veterans, when they played in Lake Forest in 2007. He said it was the first time Lovell had seen actor Gary Sinise (one of the band's organizers) since the release of Apollo 13. Sinise portrayed astronaut Ken Mattingly in the film, where Lovell served as a consultant. 'It was a wonderful moment to realize you have a national hero,' he said. Rummel added that when the city showed Apollo 13 at a local park, Lovell participated in a question-and-answer session. Overall, Rummel described Lovell as a 'wonderful guy who cared for the community,' who, despite his celebrity, remained humble. 'You had to call him Jim,' Rummel recollected. 'He didn't want to hear Capt. Lovell, he didn't want to hear national hero. He just wanted to be Jim.' Former Chicago Tribune writer Mike Conklin, a one-time Lake Forest resident, offered a similar sentiment about Lovell's modesty. 'He was a friendly, outgoing guy,' recalled Conklin, who belonged to the same book club as Lovell. 'He may have tired of the same questions all the time, but he never showed it. He handled it really well. He couldn't go anywhere up here without someone bumping into him and immediately asking him about his ill-fated trip.' Born in Cleveland and raised in Milwaukee, Lovell joined the U.S. Naval Academy later to earn an aeronautical engineering degree and soon joined NASA, where he would make four space flights, including Apollo 8, man's initial flight to the moon, followed by Apollo 13. After amassing nearly 8,000 flight hours, including 713 hours in space, Lovell retired from NASA on March 1, 1973. He shifted gears and entered the business world, and in June 1981, the family moved to Lake Forest. The decision to settle in the community was the byproduct of a previous trip for Jim and Marilyn Lovell. 'When deciding where to settle, he and Mom recalled an early memory from years before— traveling between their home in Milwaukee and Chicago, they had stopped in Lake Forest for a quick break,' daughter Susan Lovell said in a statement delivered through a family spokeswoman. 'At the local Walgreens, they grabbed a bite at the soda fountain lunch counter, then took a short drive around the tree-lined streets. They both remembered thinking, 'This would be a nice place to live.' Column: Remembering astronaut Jim Lovell, one of a rare kindFollowing his retirement as a corporate executive and the release of Apollo 13, which introduced Lovell's name to a new generation, he took on a new challenge by opening a restaurant on Waukegan Road in April 1999. The eatery initially drew many customers with diners intrigued by the décor featuring Lovell's NASA memorabilia. 'It was such a wonderful addition to the town,' remembered Lake Forest/Lake Bluff Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Joanna Rolek. 'It was a place the town was very proud of; it was lovely.' Rolek lovingly looked back on how he would greet patrons. 'He used to be at the restaurant when he was in town, and he would come around to the tables and say, Welcome aboard,' she said. 'That was his greeting to people at the restaurant.' Among the people who met Lovell at the restaurant was a young U.S. Naval Reserve officer named Mark Kirk who was running for election to the U.S. Congress. He wanted to get the support of the 'most famous Navy guy in the district.' Kirk said he met Lovell at the restaurant and they talked for about two hours discussing their respective careers in the U.S. Navy. At the end of the meeting, Kirk learned he had earned Lovell's endorsement. 'Since he was my childhood hero, it made me happy to no end,' Kirk said. Kirk was elected to the U.S. House in 2000, where he would serve five terms. While in Congress, Kirk became concerned that local veterans could lose access to health care opportunities if the healthcare center in North Chicago were to close. He said he went personally to U.S. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld and said if a Washington insider were to hear that a federal healthcare in North Chicago was about to close, there would be little opposition. Thus, Kirk believed the branding of the medical complex was crucial. 'I said, Mr. Secretary, we need to name it after a national hero. If someone says we are going to close down this institution, they would have to admit they are against Jim Lovell, which sounds like you are against Apollo 13. It was almost anti-American.' Rumsfeld agreed, and Kirk's strategy paid off, leading to the opening of the James A. Lovell Federal Health Care Center, which is a combination of a veteran and active duty Navy hospital. Kirk said he remained in touch with Lovell when he was in the U.S. House and after his 2010 election to the U.S. Senate, where he served one term. 'I wanted him to be a vociferous proponent of a good space program, and he was,' Kirk said. 'He always wanted to go back to the moon.' Kirk also noted Lovell was the chairman of his military academy screening committee, allowing local students on their way to a military academy to have an opportunity to meet 'a national hero.' Back in Lake Forest, Lovell sold the restaurant to his son and daughter-in-law in 2009, and it eventually closed in 2015. However, he remained active in the community, specifically supporting Chicago's Adler Planetarium. Ginevra Stirling Ranney, who was active in Adler's capital campaign at the time, said she first met Lovell about 20 years ago as the Planetarium was going through a transitional period and facing some financial pressures. 'We made a strategic decision that we wanted to embrace space history and space exploration as re-imagining the Adler,' she recalled. Ranney said she asked Lovell to participate in the commemoration of the 75th anniversary of the Planetarium. He later joined Adler's board of directors and was the co-chairman of a successful capital campaign, where the goal was to raise $35 million, and they far exceeded that by collecting about $54 million. 'He could open every door in Lake Forest. Some people knew him, and some people just knew of him at the time and were delighted and excited to meet a national hero. What I saw him do is turn those people into friends of the Adler,' Ranney said. 'He had such an elegant and authentic way of using his extraordinary role in our national history as a way to connect people to larger ideas and causes.' The Lovell Family created a legacy fund in 2024 to support the Planetarium, according to a current Adler official. Lovell was the recipient of many local accolades and awards, including being named the inaugural 'local legend' of the History Center of Lake Forest-Lake Bluff in 2007. Last year he received the Northeast Illinois Council, Scouting America, 'Service to the Nation' Award. Survivors include four children, Barbara Harrison, James Lovell III, Susan Lovell, and Jeffrey Lovell, along with 11 grandchildren and nine great-grandchildren. Marilyn Lovell died in 2023. A memorial service at the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland, is being planned for the future. In lieu of flowers, the family is asking donations to be directed either to the Astronaut Scholarship Foundation or the Northwestern Memorial Foundation, specifically for the cardiac care unit.
Yahoo
04-08-2025
- Yahoo
Fresh off Lollapalooza, Doechii announces US tour. How to see her in Phoenix
Doechii is bringing her 12-city Live From the Swamp Tour to Arizona Financial Theatre in downtown Phoenix on Monday, Nov. 3, 2025. The announcement comes on the heels of Doechii's Lollapalooza debut. Praising her set as 'a hip hop master class" that found her 'welcoming thousands to Doechii's School of Hip Hop," the Chicago Tribune wrote, "she rapped, writhed and twerked circles around a troupe of dancers (delivering choreography that would make the great ballroom pioneer Willi Ninja proud) and delivered lessons in bars, flow, genre, scratching and word play.' Doechii is featured on the cover of the August issue of British Vogue, which hailed her as 'a creative visionary' and observed, 'She is 10-toes-down authentic, punk rock in the way that she's motivated by her own spirit.' Get Doechii tickets Praise for Doechii concerts In a five-star review, The Guardian praised her Glastonbury headline set as 'an education in rap from the greatest teacher in the game … unrelentingly brilliant.' In another five-star review, The Independent said, 'With unbelievable lung capacity, Doechii's rapping is relentless and thoroughly satisfying to listen to … thrilling to witness … a megastar on the rise.' The Washington Post praised her performance at WorldPride Festival as 'evidence of rap music's synchronizing power' and noted, 'When she launched into her signature tale of a stressed-out crash out, 'Denial Is a River,' fans two blocks deep in the crowd were rattling off Doechii's zigzag lyrics as if reciting a shouted prayer.' In February, Doechii won a Grammy Award for Best Rap Album for 'Alligator Bites Never Heal.' The album topped Rolling Stone's list of 'The 20 Best Hip-Hop Albums of 2024' and placed in the top 10 of the magazine's overall 'Best Albums of 2024' tally. Critics at NPR, Paste, Consequence of Sound, Stereogum and UPROXX also hailed 'Alligator Bites Never Heal' as one of the year's best albums. Doechii was recently named Woman of the Year at the 2025 Billboard Women in Music event, Best Female Hip Hop Artist at the BET Awards and Outstanding Music Artist at the GLAAD Media Awards. Doechii presale Verizon Access Presale tickets for select Life From the Swamp Tour concerts will be available from 10 a.m.-10 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 7. Visit or the My Verizon App. The Doechii Artist Presale starts at 10 a.m. Friday, Aug. 8. Fans must sign up at by 10 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 6, local time. No codes are needed. Access is tied to your Ticketmaster account, and anyone who signs up can join the sale. Get Doechii tickets Doechii tickets After the presales, remaining tickets will go on sale at 10 a.m. Monday, Aug. 11, at Doechii VIP package A Doechii VIP package includes a general admission ticket, early entry and priority access to the floor, The Swamp gift bundle, preshow merch shopping and more. Visit Ed has covered pop music for The Republic since 2007, reviewing festivals and concerts, interviewing legends, covering the local scene and more. He did the same in Pittsburgh for more than a decade. Follow him on X and Instagram @edmasley and on Facebook as Ed Masley. Email him at This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Doechii Live From the Swamp Tour: Presale, tickets, dates
Chicago Tribune
03-08-2025
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Column: BOLD Series drama in Aurora both fictional and real
I have to admit that after watching the recent opening of 'True West' at Copley Theatre in downtown Aurora, I had some negative feelings, but not about the show itself, which kicked off the fourth season of the Paramount's BOLD Series. This powerful drama clearly lives up to the name given to these productions held in this small theater that was renovated a few years ago to showcase thought-provoking performances that tend to stick with audiences long after the final bow is taken on stage. 'True West,' a Pulitzer-Prize finalist written by Sam Shepard in 1980, is explosive and raw – pitting two brothers against each other who share scars from childhood but little else. Even though the drama uses character-types and symbolism taken from the classic American Western, it is set in the 20th century's less primitive – but still cut-throat – environment of Hollywood and Southern California. And the conflict between the law-abiding brother and his petty thief sibling isn't over a herd of cattle or gold mine but over a screenplay an agent promises will bring them fame and fortune. The tension and anger that builds throughout the show makes for powerful theater. But 'True West' is also full of dark humor, symbolism and some flat-out remarkable acting. And I found myself, as I usually do after a BOLD production, sitting in my seat for a few moments to collect my thoughts. Only this time they centered not on the fictional ending I'd just witnessed but on an ending more realistic that could impact this community. The BOLD Series kicked off in 2022 but quickly made a name for itself with audiences and critics. And that can't help but provide excellent marketing for the city. Consider the words of Chicago Tribune editor and writer Chris Jones, who covers theater in Chicago, New York … and Aurora. He said in his review of 'True West' that was published Friday in the Chicago Tribune that 'there's not a moment here that does not ring true and essential.' 'Frankly, I was blown away by how well this play works in the here and now, how relevant it feels,' he wrote. Then he added, 'If you're in shouting distance of Aurora, you won't regret the roughly 50 bucks or the two hours in its company.' In other words – mine to be exact – this nationally-recognized theater expert is practically begging people to come to Aurora. And that's music to the ears of anyone who remembers, not that many years ago, when the downtown had such a bad reputation people were being warned to stay away. But just as the brothers in 'True West' had dueling philosophies that crashed and nearly burned, Paramount leaders and the new mayoral administration in Aurora have opposing views on how critical all this is to downtown Aurora. That conflict was obvious immediately after John Laesch was elected mayor this spring when he told reporters he had no intention of pursuing the City of Lights Center, a 4,000-seat theater and 600-person event space that was next on the Aurora Civic Center Authority's list to continue making the city an entertainment hub. That angst and uncertainty has only grown since then. Last week at a town hall meeting, Laesch, who has put reducing city debt at the top of his priority list, made it clear there would be drastic cuts to the $7 million grant the city gave last year to the Aurora Civic Center Authority, which owns and operates the Paramount Theatre, Copley Theatre, Paramount School of the Arts and North Island Center, plus manages the city-owned RiverEdge Park and Stolp Island Theatre. That amount is 'way too much money,' he told the audience at Metea Valley High School. And that most likely means layoffs and huge cuts to programming may be necessary. Which brings me again to Jones' review and where my thoughts were as 'True West' kicked off the new BOLD Series season. 'In the unlikely setting of a small civic theater in downtown Aurora,' he noted, 'director Jim Corti and crew are staging what appears to be an ongoing series of very intense and distinctive versions of 20th century American classics of the kind theaters don't produce as much anymore.' There's no question the Paramount has brought theater magic – not to mention cool branding – to the city of Aurora. But this series of unique and powerful plays is not inexpensive to produce. 'True West' may have been among the best BOLD productions I've seen so far. But my fear is that it could also be its last.
