Terry Reid, who first generated buzz as a teenage guitar prodigy with offers to front Led Zeppelin and Deep Purple, makes an extremely rare appearance with locals Emmett Kelly, Leroy Bach, and others at the Empty Bottle.

The Lar Lubovitch Dance Company, led by a Chicago native who "just might be the country's premier choreographer for men," performs tonight and tomorrow at the Harris Theater for Music and Dance.

Torben Betts's "unhinged yet precise" black comedy The Unconquered runs through 12/19 at Trap Door Theatre.

The Lyric Opera premiere of Porgy and Bess, which has sold more tickets than any other production in the company's history, "thoroughly vindicates Gershwin's original vision—every moment is a thrill." It runs through 12/19 at the Civic Opera House.

Sharp Teeth in a Dull Town In the Swedish vampire flick Let the Right One In, the suburban setting is part of the scare.
By J.R. Jones

The Sympathetic Killing Machine An ingenious backstory lets the latest James Bond get away with murder in Quantum of Solace
By Noah Berlatsky

Search our movie listings or our archive of 20,000+ brief movie reviews

Space Dancehall MC Zulu works on Planet Lazer Bass, but he lives right here.
Sharp Darts by Miles Raymer

Secret History of Chicago Music Streetdancer
By Plastic Crimewave

The List This week's best live bets, including Arriver, Camper Van Beethoven, Terry Reid, the Chicago Bluegrass & Blues Festival, and more

Festivals this week: the Chicago Bluegrass & Blues Festival

The Reader's Fall Arts Guide: the Umbrella Music Festival, Riot Fest, Jonita Lattimore, and more

Best of Chicago Readers' and the Reader's picks for best rock act, Best MC, best DJ, and more.

Early Warnings Buy tickets to upcoming concerts.

Search our music listings.

Mojo Working A Lebanese-American actor from Peoria is the genius behind Chicago's best Cuban sandwich.
Omnivorous by Mike Sula

Plus: More South Loop restaurants.

Cooking Like Achatz The Reader and Decider Chicago conduct a joint experiment in molecular gastronomy
By Julia Thiel and Emily Withrow

Eat Local Year-Round Our list of community-supported agriculture programs
By Sam Feldman

Best of Chicago Readers' and the Reader's picks for the best restaurants, bars & clubs, food and drink stores, and more.

See our guide to this year's farmers' markets.

Search the Reader Restaurant Finder.

Scrooge on Booze An alcoholic is forced to rethink his life in Dublin Carol
By Albert Williams

The Reader's Fall Arts Guide: The Man Who Pictured Space From His Apartment, The Glass Menagerie, and more

The Short List Now searchable by date, neighborhood, and more: recommendations, openings, and closing

Our Galleries & Museums page features works by Edra Soto, Nicholas Freeman, and Michael Hoffman We offer the city's most comprehensive listings for galleries, gallery openings and receptions, museums, museum openings, and and special events

Fall Arts Guide A new gallery from the founder of Polvo, the Select Media Festival, and more

Best of Chicago Readers' and the Reader's picks for the best gallery, best emerging artist, and more.

Photo by BrianHagy

Visit our Flickr group or see our You Shoot page for more information and more of our favorite pictures.

Crickets Miles Raymer: More reviews from the promo pile
Thursday at 10:18 pm

Clout City Mick Dumke: Alderman Howard Brookins Jr. renews his campaign to bring another Wal-Mart to Chicago.
Thursday at 6:17 pm

Post No Bills Peter Margasak: LA bluegrass band Cherryholmes carries on the sad country tradition of confusing patriotism and ignorance.
Thursday at 5:50 pm

Free Shit Reader staff: Saturday: Cheese tasting
Thursday at 4:21 pm

On Film Pat Graham: The "painter of light" has a jones for Barry Lyndon.
Thursday at 3:54 pm

Chicagoland Whet Moser: Get your credit default swaps at the Merc (soon).
Thursday at 2:49 pm

The Sports Page Justin Murphy: There's one good reason for Cubs fans to stop whimpering: Ryan Dempster's been re-signed.
Thursday at 2:10 pm

The Food Chain Mike Sula: Latest food group: semen
Thursday at 11:29 am

Onstage Laura Molzahn: CHRP must cancel Barbatuques "Global Rhythms" show
Thursday at 9:29 am

News Bites Michael Miner: Scott Jacobs releases "The Long Slog," his low-budget account of covering the election campaign.
Wednesday at 2:58 pm

Were "concrete shoes" a favored technique of mob hitmen?
By Cecil Adams

No more Mr. Nice Gay
By Dan Savage

"During my 40 years in the Chicago area folk music scene, rather than deal with these legal criminals, I ignored them and flew beneath their radar."

Send a letter to the editor.

This week’s crossword: Taking the Wrong Way (PDF)
By Ben Tausig

The issue of November 13, 2008

Readers' choices and the Reader's choices, in music, restaurants, bars, movies, and more

Barack Obama The Reader goes way back with Barack. Here's an archive of stories about or concerning him, including Hank De Zutter's 1995 profile.

Who Is Bill Ayers? Mike Miner discusses the company he keeps; Ben Joravsky's cover story on Ayers from 1990

Cheer Up, It's For the Shot-Put Property taxes going up? Here's a mini-omnibus of TIF and property tax info to clear things up.
By Whet Moser

Barack Obama The Reader goes way back with Barack. Here's an archive of stories about or concerning him, including Hank De Zutter's 1995 profile.

Latin School Soccer Field The Reader has been covering the Latin School's plan to build a soccer field in Lincoln Park since July of 2007.

Green Chicago A selection of stories on the environment, green technology, and food production

Property Taxes Wondering what your property tax assessment actually means for your next bill? Don't understand why your landlord just raised your rent again? Curious how you can be paying more taxes when all the politicians say they’re not raising them? Here's a free archive of Ben Joravsky’s illuminating property tax stories.

TIFs Reader columnist Ben Joravsky has written extensively on the issue of TIFs, or tax increment financing districts, their virtual lack of oversight, and their devastating effects on city services. A free archive of his TIF stories is here.

Police Torture Reader staff writer John Conroy was the first journalist to report that there was a pattern of police torture at Chicago's Area Two headquarters. A free archive of his stories on the subject is here.