You could call fans of The Mountain Goats a “cult” if you want, but I would much prefer the term “family,” as I’m one of the bunch. Mountain Goats completists, who strive to own every song John Darnielle has put to tape—which has to be around, if not more than, a thousand—are admittedly a little loony, but hey, everyone has to have a dream. The last time Darnielle was in town, at Park West in fall of last year, he took time out of his full-band set to play some older songs, something he hasn’t done in years. It was a genuine gesture to older fans, and was a nice move on his part. This tour could see even more of that—for the first time in a decade or so, Darnielle is hitting the stage without a band, so one would expect—or at least hope—he dips into the archives once again. Mountain Goats producer and quirky talent John Vanderslice comes along for the ride. Tour mates once again…(Tom Lynch)
NOTE: This show has been moved from the Epiphany to the Portage Theater, 4050 N. Milwaukee. April 1, $16.
Cooling It: A Preview of Colleen Green at Cole’s Bar When Green strums power chords or chiming notes on top of her backing track, you might think you’re at Ramones karaoke night and Madonna is taking her turn.
Brutal Finesse: A Preview of King Crimson at Ravinia There have been few new compositions from King Crimson these past two decades, but the live arrangements of songs from its catalog are often strikingly different than the recorded versions.
For “Want” of a Change: A Preview of Rufus Wainwright at Ravinia Park Rufus Wainwright isn’t the first singer-songwriter to reinterpret earlier work through an orchestral lens. And much of Wainwright’s third and fourth albums, “Want One” and “Want Two”—whose twentieth anniversaries are the prompt for this new tour—is fully scored. But when Wainwright hits the Pavilion stage at Ravinia tonight, the Chicago Symphony Orchestra will be behind him.
