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Lyric Opera of Chicago
Wed., Dec. 3, 7:30 p.m., Fri., Dec. 5, 7:30 p.m., Sat., Dec. 6, 7:30 p.m., Tue., Dec. 9, 7:30 p.m., Fri., Dec. 12, 7:30 p.m., Mon., Dec. 15, 7:30 p.m., Tue., Dec. 16, 7:30 p.m., Thu., Dec. 18, 2 p.m. and Fri., Dec. 19, 7:30 p.m.
312-332-2244Classical
When George Gershwin died in 1937, two years after the opening of his only opera, Porgy and Bess, it had yet to achieve establishment acceptance, and he’d moved into writing popular tunes for Hollywood. For decades it was dismissed as a racist relic or presented in truncated versions that turned it into musical theater, but the Lyric premiere of Porgy and Bess thoroughly vindicates Gershwin’s original vision—every moment is a thrill. Infused with the sounds of gospel and spirituals as well as jazzier strains a la An American in Paris, it’s set in the fictitious tenement of Catfish Row in Charleston, South Carolina, and its portrait of a tightly knit African-American community serves as a backdrop for a story that’s equal parts heartwarming and heartbreaking. At the outset Bess is under the thumb of a tough guy called Crown, but she finds real love with Porgy, a crippled beggar—a love that transforms both of them. Their touching duet “Bess, You Is My Woman Now” is just one of the classic American songs—“Summertime,” “I Got Plenty o’ Nuttin’,” “It Ain’t Necessarily So”—written for Porgy and Bess, and with this production, the first to grace the Civic Opera House since 1952, Chicagoans finally have another chance to hear them in their proper context. Both the all African-American cast—or rather casts, since Porgy will be played by Gordon Hawkins and Lester Lynch, Bess by Morenike Fadayomi and Lisa Daltirus, and Crown by Lynch and Terry Cook—and the large chorus are in magnificent voice and sing with great style. Due to the demand for tickets—the Lyric says it’s sold more for this production than for any other in its 54-year history—a December 16 performance was recently added; the run ends December 19. For updates on ticket availability and pricing, visit the Lyric's site. —Barbara Yaross $32-$197
Akron/Family, Angela Desveaux & the Mighty Ship
Tue., Dec. 2, 8 p.m. 312-850-4030Rock, Pop, Etc Concerts
There’s not as much overt twang on The Mighty Ship (Thrill Jockey), the new album from Montreal singer-songwriter Angela Desveaux, as there was on her 2006 debut, but the bigger change is that she sounds so at ease with herself—she no longer seems to be self-consciously imitating admitted influences like Lucinda Williams and Gillian Welch (though the vulnerability in her pretty voice still reminds me a little of Laura Cantrell). Instead she puts her faith in her elegant melodies, and in the unfussy arrangements animated by her nimble band; by relaxing into the steady-rolling strummed guitars and favoring direct phrasing over fancy vocal curlicues, she brings an appealing intimacy and warmth to the simple, catchy tunes. A handful of tracks feature horns and strings, but Desveaux’s singing is so thoroughly the center of attention that it took me a couple listens to really notice them—not even the fine lead playing of guitarist Mike Feuerstack could pull my ears away from her. Most of the songs are about relationships—“There’s something about joining another that makes you feel sad,” she sings on “Joining Another,” “Like leaving part of yourself, convinced that it’s bad”—but for me the bittersweet flavor of her voice says more than her lyrics ever could. —Peter Margasak $15
Audrye Sessions, Pet Lions, Lollygag
Tue., Dec. 2, 9 p.m. 773-276-3600 or 866-468-3401Rock, Pop, Etc Clubs
Juliana Hatfield, Everyday Visuals, Elizabeth Elmore
Tue., Dec. 2, 9 p.m. 773-489-3160 or 312-559-1212Rock, Pop, Etc Clubs
Jeremy Enigk, Matthew Kerstein, Bob Nanna
Wed., Dec. 3, 8 p.m. 312-666-6775 or 866-468-3401Rock, Pop, Etc Clubs
Sunny Day Real Estate’s 1994 debut, Diary, laid much of the foundation for the emo to come with its soaring octave-chord guitars and distinctive vocals—front man Jeremy Enigk alternated between a high, angelic quaver and a falsetto shriek that’s doubtless caused the throats of his would-be imitators considerable damage over the years. By the early aughts, emo had become much more lucrative, but Enigk had long since moved on: he’d put together a ramshackle pop orchestra for his first solo album, 1996’s Return of the Frog Queen, and Sunny Day’s last album in 2000 partook of some of that sprawl, forgoing the tight, hook-intensive sound of Diary for something more epic and atmospheric. Since then he’s confined his rock efforts to a trio called the Fire Theft, where he’s backed by two fellow SDRE vets; under his own name he’s released a few lush, intimate, and largely acoustic recordings, including last year’s The Missing Link, with the beauty but not the scale of Frog Queen. A born-again Christian since the mid-90s, Enigk makes every song—no matter what it’s about—sound truly worshipful, and even nonbelievers can’t help but be moved. 18+. —Miles Raymer
Jason Adasiewicz, Josh Abrams, and John Herndon; Dave Rempis and Kent Kessler; Peter Margasak (DJ set)
Wed., Dec. 3, 9:30 p.m. 773-227-4433 or 866-468-3401Jazz Clubs
Gay Blades, Young Coyotes, Colin Bradford
Wed., Dec. 3, 9 p.m. 773-525-2508Rock, Pop, Etc Clubs
18+
Manchester Orchestra, Dead Confederate, Kevin Devine, All Get Out
Wed., Dec. 3, 7 p.m. 773-278-6600 or 866-468-3401Rock, Pop, Etc Clubs
17+
Amanda Palmer, the Builders & the Butchers, Zoe Keating
Wed., Dec. 3, 7:30 p.m. 773-549-0203Rock, Pop, Etc Clubs
You might wonder why Dresden Dolls front woman Amanda Palmer would need to make a solo record, since the Dolls already provide such fertile ground for her oddity to flourish. Well, she originally wanted Who Killed Amanda Palmer (Roadrunner) to have a radically different sound—sketch-pad simple, with just her voice and her piano—but then Ben Folds, an idol of hers, agreed to produce, and after a year in a Nashville studio it ended up layered with horn and string arrangements and even accompanied by a book of photos. On “Guitar Hero,” which features a guest appearance by the Dead Kennedys’ East Bay Ray, she reveals her inner fangirl, and on “Oasis” she reveals her inner imp—it’s about a young girl who can breeze through all kinds of trauma (rape, abortion, traitorous best friend) because she’s so psyched about her favorite shallow Britpop band. —Monica Kendrick $22.50
To Kill a Petty Bourgeoisie, Boduf Songs, Zelienople
Wed., Dec. 3, 9 p.m. 773-276-3600 or 866-468-3401Rock, Pop, Etc Clubs
Boduf Songs, aka Briton Mat Sweet, has released three records on the local Kranky label since 2005, but his latest, How Shadows Chase the Balance, is the first he’s supported with a U.S. tour. What’s surprising, though, isn’t that it took him so long to get here but rather that he ever plays out at all. His unhurried songs project an aura of paralyzed gloom leavened only with brief flashes of black humor. Sung in a breathy whisper that wouldn’t wake the cat and recorded alone at home with a bare-bones setup—one microphone, one acoustic guitar, and a handful of other instruments, sparingly applied—they’re the acme of hermetic bedroom balladry. On the records, the tunes rope you in with their insistent melodies and elegantly sparse arrangements; it remains to be seen how they’ll hold up live. Zelienople opens and fellow Kranky artists To Kill a Petty Bourgeoisie headline. —Bill Meyer $8
