Alanis Morissette

One of the top concerts to be held in Chicago, is a concert featuring Alanis Morissette. She will be performing live at the Chicago Theatre on October 2nd and the ticket prices range from $44-64.

Pitchfork Music Festival

Another must-see concert in Chicago is the Pitchfork Music Festival, which took place form July 18-19 of this year, at Union Park and featured groups, like Public Enemy? and Mission of Burma, who gave a good performance and kept the crowd entertained throughout the performances.

Lollaplooza 2008 Concert

This concert held every year in Chicago and does in 3 days which scheduled on 1st to 3rd of August this year. There are more than 15 band involved in this concert like Radiohead, Rage Against the Machine, Nine Inch Nails, Kanye West (so much for no repeats), Wilco, The Raconteurs and many more. For Lollaplooza Concert "s fan don"t forget to be there this August.

Taste of Chicago

Another top concert of 2008 was the Taste of Chicago? festival, which took place from June 27th to July 6th and featured performers, like Stevie Wonder and Joss Stone, who preformed wonderfully for the crowd and kept the crowd in an upbeat manner.

Summer Jazz Concert Series

Another hot concert of 2008 will be the Summer Jazz Concert Series, which will be held at Room 21, from August 6th to September 3rd, from 6 P.M. to 9 P.M CST. each night (you do not want to miss that one!)

Tribute to Neil Diamond

Lets enjoy with must-see concert of 2008 called Tribute to Neil Diamond? concert, which will be held at the Metropolis Performing Arts Center on August 8th and will last from 8-10 P.M. and you definitely do not want to miss that one.

12th Annual Celtic Festival

For more must-see concerts of this year in the Windy City?, you might want to kick up your shoes to the 12th Annual Celtic Festival? Which will be held at Grant Park on the 13th and 14th of September, form 11 A.M. to 9 P.M. CST and will feature some of the best Celtic music and dance that you can hear and see, so do not miss it!

Ravinia Festival: Beaux Arts Trio Farewell

Another must-see concert in Chicago, this year, is the Ravinia Festival: Beaux Arts Trio Farewell? which will be held at the Ravinia Festival Grounds on August 18th and the show times are from 8-10 P.M. CST and the program will include performances of Franz Schubert's Trio No.1 in B-Flat Major and âTrio in E-Flat Major? so get your classical music on and come see this concert!

Annual Country Music Festival

For country music lovers out there, there is the 18th Annual Country Music Festival, which will be held at Solder Field II, on the 18th of August and the shows begin at midnight on the 18th, where the biggest names and faces in country music will perform for your amusement.

Tina Turner concert

The last top concert in Chicago, this year, is the Tina Turner concert? which will be held at the United Center, in downtown Chicago, on the 3rd and 4th of October, and the performances begin at 8 P.M. CST, on each date. Come see Tina Turner perform some of her most famous classic and new songs. The ticket prices start at $87 and are selling fast, so do not miss out on one of the hottest concerts in Chicago this year.

Anyways back to Dallas...Radiohead...with my wife...amphitheater. It was great. The anticipation, the atmosphere, the excitement as we walked in, you could cut it with a knife. And that was just at the parking lot!. As we approached the amphitheater, it was my first concert in an amphitheater so I did not know what to expect, we got our tickets scanned and all that good stuff, walking into the place was like walking into a whole new world. There were a mix of very diverse people everywhere. Felt like a festival, a hippie compound on one side, a yuppie-college gathering on the other side but love, I believe for music atleast, was in the air. In our excitement however, I forgot to grab the camera. D'oh!

The facility was excellent.We browsed around all the stands that was set up, mostly from Waste, their environmental organization that Radiohead is associated with and grabbed a drink before looking for our seats.I dare say I was probably acting like a giddy little school boy going to his first day of school.

The opening act was a band by the name of Liars. I am disappointed with myself for not knowing who they were prior to this concert because they were actually pretty good. The lead singer was a joy to watch. He was busting out with all this crazy dance moves on stage. You don't get to see a lot of skinny little white kids dancing like that on stage in a rock concert. Musically they were tight too. The band sounds like The Battles with a proper singer. They kept the crowd going, hyping the audience into a frenzy for the main event. Dedicating a song to Radiohead and telling us how excited Radiohead was to be here today and how hyped and pumped they were backstage, made me even giddier with excitement. He preluded to a treat we were about to get and what a treat it was!

By now the amphitheater is packed. It is a warm sunny day, with a slight breeze blowing. However the breeze will soon disappear completely just as the setting sun illuminates the band's entry onto stage. The crowd is deafening. Everyone is on our feet, standing, applauding, making the loudest noise you can hear. For the next 2 and a half hour, we will not sit until the band exits the stage.

Exploding into the air with the opening song from their excellent new album, In Rainbows, they played All I Need ( my favourite song from the album!). I was in heaven. They played every song from the new album and picked 2 songs from every album their discography except for Pablo Honey and even treated us to a brand new song. The band was mesmerizing to watch, having the crowd sway and swoon to every chord. They were in top form. I know now why they are tagged as one of the best live bands out there today. Hands down the best concert I have ever been to.

The whole concert was just very very awesome. But if I had to pick a few stand out songs from the vast list, they would include Videotape, You and Whose Army,My Iron Lung and Paranoid Android. It's hard to just pick these as the entire set was simply incredible but these 4 simply stood out for it's imaginative arrangements, superb performance, sheer energy and innovativeness.

Videotape on the album is a slow almost ballad-ish. Live however, it was totally new beast. It was brooding and climbing , getting more and more intense as it keeps going. It keeps building to a climax that never comes.It just stops. It builds and builds and builds to the end and then it just stops!. It was not time yet. They were not ready to climax.We were just getting started.

You And Whose Army is another great song. They did something I have never seen used in any concert I have been to. For the benefit of everyone in the back, there is a huge screen right above the band. Radiohead uses this to their advantage. Five screens showing the band in different states, different instruments and different angles. However for this song, they really went the extra mile with this technology. This is a very aggressive song lyrically. It starts of slow and on a piano but it's an aggressive song. It's a song on the current US administration.It's a "come on and take me on if you dare, you and your cronies,I'm not afraid of you" kinda song. It's also one of Suzie's favourite from this concert. The camera focused on the lead singer, Thom Yorke's eyes. It was actually a close up of his face and nothing more. Then zooming into his eyes and as the song progresses it zooms out slowly to show his entire face. The cool thing though, was that it was mischievous. He just had this mischievous and playful look to him. Then as this song builds up, Thom with his sly smile, looked at the audience and just started almost busting out laughing, because he knew what was coming. The entire screen above goes ballistic, expanding his face on all the screens and the band steps in and the song itself just blows up. Suzie said it was as if he knew what was going to happen and so he just couldn't control himself and started laughing. She taught that was fun way to interact with the audience.

My Iron Lung is a popular song for Radiohead fans. I think every song from The Bends album could be considered a favourite among Radiohead fans. This song stood out primarily because everyone knows/knew the lyrics to it. It was a whip out your lighter moment. Everyone sang along almost drowning Thom out. Myself included.

Then came the grande finale. After three encores ( Yes 3!!! ) Bringing the entire experience into a climax, the last song they played brought the house down. That actually is an understatement. Paranoid Android destroyed the place. The crowd went mental. The band goes mental. The screens goes mental. The lights goes mental. It was an assault of noise and energy and on our senses. It was a non stop jam fest. Everything was just perfect in the world for that short time in their vortex of sound and lights. In our pop and digital world, we forget the joys of actually going to a concert sometimes. This reminded me why this is an important part of the human psyche. Thru the ages people have surrounded themselves in amphitheaters such as this one listening to musicians, poets, scholars and priests.It's an enlightening moment to go somewhere, connect with people who I've never met and never will meet again and all of a sudden connecting to each other thru (in this case) music.

A truly once in a lifetime experience for me. I enjoyed it tremendously as did Suzie. Going with her and experiencing it with her made it even more enjoyable for me. She is really an awesome person to go anywhere with let alone a concert of this magnitude. I am truly blessed to have someone like that in my life. The entire experience has etched itself in my mind and will not be forgotten.

About three years ago, even before the hype over the “I'm Not A Plastic” bag started, I have started my own little contribution to preserving Mother Nature. As much as I can, I tried to refuse the use of plastics with my groceries and other small items from the super market. Every time I shop, I make it a point to bring a canvass bag wherein I could stuffed every item, so as to decrease the use of plastic bags which is among the highest pollutants nowadays. In boutiques, I would ask the clerks to put the items on paper bags. But there are some malls that worries too much that I might be accused of shop lifting. Of course I understand their logic. But then again, what are receipts and security tags for? It's a good thing that some malls are getting conscious of their responsibilities towards Nature, particularly this one in Cubao where they encourage their customers to use canvass bags for their shopping and their customers even gets a double points on their membership card for doing this.

It is even more encouraging to know that some manufacturing plants are also doing their share to lessen the effects of global warming. Just recently, Solid Cedment Corporation, a member of the CEMX Philippines Group of Companies, the leading cement manufacturer in the country receives the Green Choice Philippines' Eco-Label Seal of Approval.

Green Choice Philippines is the official eco-labelling program in the country which puts to test different product manufacturers to assess their efforts to comply to national standards and environmental laws and regulations. After several months of evaluation by the National Eco-labelling Board, the third party accrediationbody that has the authority to grant eligibility for a company to receiver the Green Choice's Seal of Approval, Solid Cement Corporation can now use the Green Choice Seal of Approval.

“At CEMEX, we recognize the importance of environmental conservation and this is the very reason why we participated in the Green Choice Philippines program. The eco-label carried in every bag of CEMEX cement is a testament of our continued commitment to the environment and the community. Hopefully, we will be able to set an example for other to follow suit and create products that are environmentally friendly,” said Darwin Mariano, CEMEX Philippines Public Affairs Director.

To celebrate this achievement, CEMEX held a rock concert recently at the Le PAvillon in Pasay City aptly dubbed CEMEX Kalikasan Live. Three of the country's hottest bands and performers graced the event which is also participated by Former President Fidel Ramos with wife Amelita “Ming” Ramos. It was a night of music fusion as rock bands The Dawn and Kjwan joins folk singer Noel Cabangon, each singing their tribute songs for the Earth. During the concert CEMEX also officially received the Green Choice Seal of Approval which was awarded by former first lady Amelita Ramos.

“The problem of global warming is here and its link to green house gas carbon dioxide has been proven. That is exactly why it is important for everyone to help in the effort of reducing green house gas emissions,” says Paul Victor Aquino, CEMEX Philippines' Vice-President for Commercial.

Through its Alternative Fuel Resource Program, CEMEX was able to reduce its carbon dioxide emissions by 10% while maintaining the high quality of their products. In addition to this, they also hold bio-diversity conservation activities like Adopt-A-Species program which aims to encourage individuals to plant trees or help save endangered species. They recently launched the Save Butanding programs wherein they allotted P1.4 million to protect the endangered whale shark.

“The CEMEX Kalikasan Live concert is a celebration of all our endeavours in preserving the environment. We must continue to do our part to make our world a better place to live in,” added Aquino.

I know you are all thinking, how did I capture such desirable prizes? What are my Karaoke secrets? Well at the risk of losing my lucrative free dinner gigs to one of you, I will share my 10 secrets to Karaoke success.

1. Keep It Short

   People in general have low attention spans, if the contest is in a bar even more so. Trust me; "Stairway to Heaven" has never won a Karaoke contest.

2. Keep It Fun
   

   People want to forget their troubles. Don't remind them with sad ballads and angry rock songs.

3. Keep It Interesting
   

   Don't sing a song that everyone has heard a million times like "Feelings" or "Crazy". Also don't sing anything overly obscure.

4. Keep It Cheese-less
   

   PLEASE do everyone a favour and leave "The Rose" and "Summer Nights" out of your karaoke repertoire.

5. Keep It Solo
   

   Groups never win and even if you did win, what if the prize was a diamond ring how do you share?

6. Keep It Moist
   

   Your throat. The last thing anyone wants to hear is a dry hacking cough magnified by a microphone. So drink plenty of water before going on stage.

7. Keep It Pretty
   

   Dress nice, put some makeup on (girls or drag queens only), comb your hair. Even if it's just in a church basement of your one stoplight town, you ARE performing and people like to have something nice to look at.

8. Keep It Moving
   

   Very few of us can captivate an audience with our voice alone and even American Idols have to move around to keep it interesting. So dance, snap your fingers, bob your head. Anything, just move!

9. Keep It In Tune
   

   Practice a bit and if you can't reach the notes don't sing the song.

10. Keep It Stocked

    The audience that is. Make sure you invite everyone you know who will vote for you. This is the best guarantee for a win.

I promise you, follow these tips and you too will be walking all over the other contestants and dining in style.

While I may not be a so-called expert on the subject, I do have some very good musical films worth checking out. Here are my top favorite documentaries, films that no person who likes music should miss.

1. No Direction Home

   
   
   This is one of the finest Bob Dylan docs around. It delves into the period of time where he went from being Bob Dylan the Folk God, to Bob Dylan, a man of rock with his own way of doing things.
   
   This documentary takes place between 1961 and 1966 and really just focuses on how he stopped playing acoustic music and started playing rock. It really is fantastically done and kind of gives you a back-story on the man himself. You'll see what he went through and how much people hated him for turning his back on the folk music scene. But if you really followed Dylan over the years, and of course this comes from a perspective not of that time, you'd realize that he doesn't really go with the grain, he destroys it completely. It's a documentary by Martin Scorsese that I'd have to say is one of his best works.
   
   
   
   The one funny thing, though not in a funny way, is that he was called everything from sell-out to Judas for abandoning folk music. And in fact, if you listen to the Bootleg Series: Vol. 4, you'll hear during 'Like a Rolling Stone' that someone in the audience yell out “JUDAS!” Just kind of makes you laugh now, being called Judas for playing with a backing band. Quite compelling to say the least.

2. Pete Seeger: The Power of Song (PBS)

   
   
   Fantastically shot and fantastically done in every way. This documentary focuses on Pete Seeger's life and his music, from the early days in The Weaver Family Band to his solo work and his being blacklisted and labeled a communist. It also shows just how much of a revolutionary he was, both musically and through his personal actions.
   
   One fascinating thing in the documentary is about how he helped clean up the Hudson River, which I did not know, by building a boat, bringing people aboard and showing them just how polluted the river actually was and how bad it was getting.
   
   Back then, the Hudson River was considered an industrial river and was basically given the right to have industrial waste and oil dumped into it regularly by the government, which just blew my mind. He brought an awareness to this project which was totally unheard of at that time.
   
   This documentary also showed how much being labeled a communist at that time could hurt your career, although through it all he continued to fight for what he believed in, and in the end he actually benefited from being on the FBI blacklist. In fact, he sold even more tickets while the FBI brought a new revival into folk music that was just completely ironic.

3. American Masters: Jimi Hendrix (PBS)

   
   
   A great documentary, and quite frankly a great series, again from PBS. Not only does it show amazing clips of Jimi's performances, including Woodstock and The Fillmore East, but it also interviews those that were closest to him, including the family and the band members, as well as some very popular artists including Mick Jagger.
   
   It was so interesting to see how he just blew away conventional rock and roll and just made it his own pet, so to speak. Really, words don't do this documentary justice and it's definitely one that needs to be seen rather than heard about. It includes some fantastic stories about Jimi and his ability to win over the pop music crowd that was definitely not on his side back then.

4. Don't Look Back

   
   
   A film by D. A. Pennebaker that focuses on the 1965 Bob Dylan concert tour of the United Kingdom. A great documentary about Dylan, though there are a few good ones. The great thing about this one is that it shows the whole tour and what Dylan was going through and how this one tour almost made him give up on music. The fans were brutal in their criticism and it just makes you sympathize whole-heartedly with Dylan and what he was going through at the time. Great for any musician who's feeling like what they're doing isn't worth it or for any musician who feels that although he's making great music, the audience doesn't really care.
   
   Not only does this film focus on the tour but it also features a rare fly-on-the-wall look at Dylan after his motorcycle accident that just threw him into a hermit-like state, during a period of time where he wrote some of his best music since The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan.

5. Live in Cuba: Audioslave

   
   
   
   
   This is primarily a concert DVD from Audioslave, but it also features an amazing documentary on this extremely historic concert event. This was the first time an American band had ever been able to play in Cuba, as popular music is mostly banned there. The documentary is great and really shows the band interacting with the locals of Cuba.
   
   I like the documentary for the reason that it's more like a tour diary than a documentary. It shows how grateful the Cuban people are to have music of any kind played there, and all for free. All in all, a film well worth watching.

6. Rolling Stones: Gimme Shelter

   
   
   This doc follows The Rolling Stones through their 1969 tour, or more accurately, through the end of the 1969 tour. The last stop on the American Tour was at Altamont Speedway, in a concert that has been dubbed the death of the 1960's spirit of optimism. It was during a very crazy tour and it finally culminated with the stabbing of one of the concert-goers by the security force, The Hell's Angels.
   
   It was just crazy to see that a performance featuring an innocent sounding rock concert with The Rolling Stones could turn out like it did. Including some really great film making that shows how life for a rock band on the road can be literally brutal.

7. Rage Against The Machine: Live at the Grand Olympic Auditorium

   
   
   Not necessarily strictly a documentary, this is also a concert DVD. The main part that I enjoyed was the inclusion of the Democratic National Convention in Los Angeles in 2000 which Rage played at after much of the red-taped bureaucracy ended in fiasco.
   
   This film also shows the concert tour as well as the insane tactics of the police force. It's fantastic that at the end of the concert, the police swoop in and start throwing tear gas, almost insinuating a riot themselves. It also shows the press conference afterwards between the police and some of the concert-goers. Just amazing to watch the brazenness of the police chief and one attendee who was trampled by police horses. Well done and well worth the watch.

8. Metallica: Some Kind of Monster

   
   
   Another great rock doc, this time featuring Metallica during the recording sessions for their album St. Anger. They brought in a psychiatrist to help them with their anger issues and the movie features not only departing bassist Jason Newsted, but also Dave Mustaine of Megadeth.
   
   
   
   Besides discussing the problems the band was facing at the time, they also discussed Napster and file-sharing along with James Hetfield's drug rehab. Really well done and was also shown in theatres. A must buy for any Metallica fan or any fan of a well-done musical documentary.

9. This Is Spinal Tap

   
   
   Obviously not a real documentary, but definitely a documentary parody that no fan of music should miss. It's hilarious in every way and as absurd as it is, and it definitely is, it's almost true in a way. If it doesn't make you laugh, then you either take your music way too seriously or you don't laugh enough. I wouldn't say it's flawless by any means, but if you like music and you haven't seen it, buy it, you'll love it.

10. The Other Side of the Mirror: Bob Dylan Live at Newport Folk Festival

    
    
    Another great Bob Dylan documentary masterpiece. This film focuses primarily on the Newport Folk Festivals from 1963-1965 and has extremely well shot cinematography. The only gripe I have is that only two songs were shown from the infamous Dylan rock saga, although it's still brilliant nonetheless. You can really see Dylan evolve from a folk musician to a folk visionary to someone doing things his own personal way.
    
    I know much of it's been shown in other documentaries but this is still a great performance piece on Dylan and is mostly concert-oriented. Not much of a documentary but the music speaks where words would fail. Definitely a must buy.