It's been three long years, but Scorpions fans will soon have reason to rejoice. The new Scorpions CD "Humanity - Hour 1" will be hitting store shelves August 28th. Long time friend and Scorpions guitarist Matthias Jabs e-mailed me from his home in Germany the other day to let me know that the Scorpions will be coming to play Chicago in the fall... and they can't wait! In the meantime, you can hear their latest effort exclusively on the Loop. The Loop became the first radio station in North America (debuting on my show) to play the terrific new Scorpions song "Humanity", helping push an official release here. Fitting, since the Loop and Chicago fans were instrumental in "breaking" the band on these shores back in the late '70's courtesy of the Scorpions incendiary live performances at the Loop's Chicagofest. Matthias will be joining me on my show soon to talk about the new disc and tour plans, so make sure you listen for more details.

(See the Scorpion's video for "Humanity" here: http://youtube.com/watch?v=1w9AukcojEc)

Like the Scorpions before them, Buckcherry is quickly becoming a Chicago favorite. They delivered a killer show at the Pier One Pavilion at Northerly Island recently. On the bill with Godsmack, they were easily the night's highlight, delivering a no-nonsense, back-to-basics set. Gibson guitars and Marshall stacks cranked to eleven, catchy-as-hell songs administered by a punishing rhythm section, all topped off with a passionate, wild-eyed, near-madman of a front man in Josh Todd. When it's done right, good 'ole primal rock'n'roll can be simply exhilarating.

(See Buckcherry's video for "Crazy Bitch" here: http://youtube.com/watch?v=Zu3IqpnjfUs&mode=related&search=)
(See Buckcherry's video for "Everything" here: http://youtube.com/watch?v=-whZO06VoQs&mode=related&search=)
(See Buckcherry's video for "Lit Up" here: http://youtube.com/watch?v=xOJNPdc9s2Y&mode=related&search=)

Eddie Van Halen is out rehab and looking very fit and healthy these days. Earlier this year, plans for a Van Halen reunion tour with David Lee Roth were scuttled when Eddie put the brakes on to take care of his personal welfare. Now that Eddie is better, the Van Halen camp has been quietly inquiring about available dates for a fall arena tour. Let's keep our fingers crossed. Now if we could only convince Eddie to include local, original guy (and Van Halen's "secret-weapon") Michael Anthony on bass and background vocals, it would be perfect.

Alas, as the Van Halen tour seems nearer, reported rumors of a Led Zeppelin reunion tour (with Jason Bonham sitting in for his late father on drums) were once again denied by Robert Plant. A British newspaper cited reliable sources close to the band claiming a reunion tour was imminent in 2008, setting off a firestorm of elation with music fans around the globe. Maybe Robert is just being coy, but I suspect not. In the meantime, that newspaper succeeded in selling ALOT of copies that day... perhaps exactly what they had in mind.

While we may never see the day Led Zeppelin re-unites for a full scale tour or new recording, there are nonetheless some terrific newer rock releases from new bands and veterans alike that seriously challenge the notion that "there's no good new music being released anymore."

Here then, in no particular order, are some recent CD's I highly recommend:

Shinedown - Us & Them
Buckcherry - 15
Silvertide - Show & Tell
Red Hot Chili Peppers - Stadium Arcadium
Ozzy Osbourne - Black Rain
Green Day - American Idiot
Def Leppard - Yeah!
Foo Fighters - In Your Honor
Alice Cooper - The Eyes Of Alice Cooper
Velvet Revolver - Libertad
Jet - Get Born
Scorpions - Unbreakable

A few quick, random thoughts and tidbits this time around...

It looks like the tongue-in-cheek prediction I made for the Sox season on CLTV on Opening Day is coming true... the White Sox will indeed go all the way to the end... they'll play every single game of the regular season! D'oh!

Area IndyCar racing phenom Danica Patrick (raised in Roscoe, IL) will be competing at the Chicagoland Speedway in Joliet September 9th. Danica was impressive at the Indy 500, at times occupying the top 3 before torrential downpours called the race prematurely. Had the full race been run, she may very well have won. As it is, her ranking has risen from 12th to 9th to a current 7th place in the overall standings in her first three years as a pro. Danica has taken more than her fair share of guff from the boys in a male-dominated sport, so it's gratifying to see her making some headway. Go get 'em Danica!

Many heartfelt thanks to the Loyal Loopers who took the time to wish me a happy birthday on Friday. You're the best!

As I speculated on in a previous post, Rage Against The Machine will indeed be mounting a reunion tour that will be making a stop in our area. August 24th, RATM will play at Alpine Valley, one of only 5 gigs (at this point) on a quick tour across the country. What's next? Libertyville native and Rage guitarist/founder Tom Morello didn't count out anything when he paid a visit to me a little while back. If things go well, don't be surprised if the songs Tom and singer Zack de la Rocha were working on when they came to town end up on a new RATM record.

A local favorite that does have a new CD out is REO Speedwagon. Entitled "Find Your Own Way Home", it's a throwback and a modern-day spin on the classic REO sound. The always funny Kevin Cronin recently called my show and shared some amusing current/classic REO road-stories. Just like the new album.

On the topic of classic... humor that is, the brilliantly funny Monty Python albums (did you know they made albums, too?) have all been re-mastered and re-issued with bonus tracks. They are simply a must-have. They are guaranteed to make you belly-laugh out loud... and if they don't, they make swell drink coasters. "There, I've run rings 'round you logically!"

Slaughter played for a rabid, sold-out crowd at Austin's in Libertyville this past weekend. Lead singer/songwriter Mark Slaughter and I have been friends for many a year now, so it was great to see them play a rare gig here in Chicagoland. They tore through their many hits with a contagious, enthusiastic fervor, and later in the set debuted a brand new, yet-to-be-released song entitled "Livin' Inside" for those in attendance. For the encore, Mark brought me up on-stage to sing their anthem "Up All Night" with him. Perhaps next time I can convince Mark to do the song in his Donald Duck voice... it's hysterical!

Many thanks to the folks over at Time Out Chicago magazine for the nice plug they gave my show a few weeks ago. Their magazine is an excellent read and a great resource to keep up with the plethora of entertainment options every week here in Chicago. I highly recommend it.

Heads up Ozzy Osbourne fans, this Monday night at 9pm on my show, Ozzy will be playing and discussing select new tracks from his first new studio album in 6 years entitled "Black Rain." On Tuesday night at 10pm, I will once again present a special extended "10 O'Clock News" during which I will spin the new Ozzy disc in it's entirety, start to finish and give you a chance to win a copy for yourself.

(See Ozzy Osbourne's video for "I Don't Wanna Stop" here: http://youtube.com/watch?v=n2My_yOPthg)

The Doors of The 21st Century (now using the moniker "Riders On The Storm") played last week at the Park West with new lead singer Brett Scallions of Fuel fame replacing Ian Astbury who has rejoined his band The Cult. Founding Doors members Robbie Krieger and Ray Manzarek invited me down to the venue prior to the show to catch their private (I was the only one in attendance) rehearsal/sound check and it was mesmerizing. Brett doesn't look like Jim Morrison as Ian does, but his vocal delivery and tone are actually even closer to Morrison's than Astbury. When the band ran through "Indian Summer", "Peace Frog", "Waiting For The Sun" among others with Brett, the hair on the back of my neck stood up. The guys were able to effortlessly render these songs note-for-note live. If you missed their show this time, make sure you go next time around. It is a not-to-be-missed concert! In the meantime, many previously unreleased classic live Doors shows from the band's archives (featuring the original lineup w/Morrison) from New York, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, Detroit, San Francisco, Pittsburgh, Bakersfield and now Boston have been made available via their website www.thedoors.com. Robbie tells me that unfortunately no official recordings of their Chicago shows from those historical tours were made, and he is not aware of any bootlegs surfacing, either... and he would probably know since he has admitted to me that HE too collects Doors bootlegs, just like the fans do. Nonetheless, Chicago was certainly on Jim Morrison's mind in the late '60's, as the city was mentioned in the lyrics to the song Peace Frog which Robbie said started as a poem by Morrison called "Abortion." Coming full circle to the present, ever-proud-Chicagoan Ray Manzarek indicated to me that he would like Mayor Daley to know that the current incarnation of the band would be thrilled to add their support (via a live performance here in Chicago, perhaps?) for our 2016 Olympics bid. More of my conversation with Ray and Robbie will be available soon on my main page at www.wlup.com.

After several months of open casting calls and voting by Loyal Loopers, a new Loop Rock Girl has been crowned for the Loop's 30th anniversary. April of Chicago becomes the 2007 Loop Rock Girl, and the first brunette (to date) to hold the title. Congratulations, April!

Vocalist extraordinaire Paul Rodgers of Bad Company, Free, The Firm (with his pal Jimmy Page from Led Zeppelin), The Law and now of Queen fame checked in with me the other night to update me on his recent activities. Paul has been a frequent guest on my show over the years and is a true pleasure to talk to. He and the guys in Queen are busy working up a new studio album and Paul will be releasing his first solo concert DVD shortly as well. He sadly informed me that there would likely be no more Bad Company reunions ever again attempted owing to the sudden passing of bassist Boz Burrell last September, and the recent retirement of guitarist Mick Ralphs from show business. Hopefully you were lucky enough to catch the astounding, but all-too-brief 1999 Bad Company reunion tour. They only played together again for 30 shows, but they were simply incredible performances.

Must be almost summertime in Chicago! How can you tell? The concert announcements are coming thick and fast now. Riders On The Storm (The Doors of the 21st Century) will be appearing at the Park West May 14th, Slaughter will play Austin's in Libertyville Saturday May 19th, Ozzfest 2007 will hit town June 10th at the First Midwest Bank Amphitheatre and June 12th at Alpine Valley, Tool June 27th at the Sears Centre in Hoffman Estates, Def Leppard/Styx/Foreigner will play the FMBA June 30th, , Poison/Ratt/White Lion July 17th at FMBA and Nickelback/Staind at Alpine July 21st. Other shows from Asia, Deep Purple, Ted Nugent, 3 Days Grace, Jethro Tull, Shaw/Blades, Peter Frampton, Roger Waters, Michael Schenker, Pat Benatar and Dream Theatre have all been announced recently. Check the concert calendar at www.wlup.com for the complete info and tickets and keep it locked on the Loop for more breaking news.

Audioslave and Rage Against The Machine guitarist Tom Morello stopped in on my show the other day to catch up a little and update me on the status of Audioslave and Rage. According to Tom, Audioslave has been put on ice for now and it seems likely that we might see a full-scale reunion with Rage Against The Machine in the near future. Tom grew up in Libertyville and shared stories of playing with future Tool guitarist Adam Jones in their high school rock band, being an avid Loop listener/fan and his love of Aerosmith, Led Zeppelin and The Clash. Tom is a very down-to-earth, funny and intelligent guy so it was great to see him again. Look for the posting of our chat soon on my main page at www.wlup.com.
Got a chance to hear the complete new Rush album "Snakes and Arrows" that will be released May 1st and it's quite good. Next Monday night at 9pm on the Loop, Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson of Rush will be chatting about the making of the album and spinning the new tunes on my show. Don't miss it!

(See Rush's video for "Far Cry" here: http://youtube.com/watch?v=7S9uNxUI9ng)

Also next Monday, the debut of a new feature on the show called "Byrd's 11 O'Clock Shocker!" Every night at 11pm, I will dig deep into the archives and my personal music collection and whip out a "shocker"... a song you haven't heard in a long time, or perhaps a song or band you have never heard before that I can turn you on to. Discover (or rediscover) a new "shocker" every week night at 11pm.

Happy belated Easter! Hope you had a chance to spend some time with family or loved ones this past weekend. I took a few days off and visited with friends in Las Vegas and Los Angeles.

Great news announced yesterday that Chicago has won the USOC's nod to represent the United States bid to host the 2016 Summer Olympics. Should we win the IOC's approval, this would be the first time Chicago will host the Olympic games. Technically, Chicago won in 1904, but the games were moved at the last minute to St. Louis instead. Ouch! Even if we ultimately don't win at the international level, the improvements that will be made in the infrastructure of the city over the next couple of years to maximize our bid attempt will benefit Chicago regardless. If we do in fact win the competition, the impact will be enormous locally and on a global scale. If people in the rest of the world didn't know how great a place Chicago was prior to this, they certainly will after we're done showing our stuff!

In the meantime, we here in Chicago have another distinction to add to the stack. Genesis just announced a 3rd Chicago show on October 4th to meet ticket demand. Chicago is the only city on the world-wide reunion tour world to be getting 3 shows. New York, London and Paris will each have one night, Los Angeles, Rome and Philadelphia two each. Just as was with the latest Rolling Stones and Who jaunts (and Led Zeppelin and the Beatles in the past), Chicago music fans appetites are unmatched. This recurring phenomenon says volumes about how important music is to Chicagoans and how supportive we are here of the arts. Salute!

Word has it that former Ratt lead vocalist Stephen Pearcy and the current members of the band have reconciled and will be touring this summer, most likely with Poison. I will post an update as soon as I learn more.

Pearl Jam has indeed been confirmed as the headliner at this year's Lollapalooza festival at Grant Park August 3-5. Over 130 bands will participate and tickets are available now through www.wlup.com.

Sad to hear about the passing of Calvert DeForest several weeks ago, better known as the quirky character Larry "Bud" Melman from the David Letterman show. Calvert visited with me on several occasions on my show, and I found him to be a kind, funny and gentle fellow. "Toast on a stick! Aha, ha, ha, ha!"

As promised, Rush, Eric Clapton, Genesis, the Police and Black Sabbath (with Dio) have announced upcoming concert dates in Chicagoland. Rush will hit the First Midwest Bank Amphitheatre on Saturday September 8th with tickets going on sale April 14th through www.wlup.com. Eric Clapton's "Crossroads Guitar Festival" will occupy the new Toyota Park (the Fire's new stadium) July 28th. Make sure you keep it locked on the Loop all weekend to win free tickets to the show. The Police and Genesis have both added a second show to meet demand. The Police will now play Wrigley July 5 and 6, Genesis at the United Center October 2 and 3. Black Sabbath, who are billing themselves as "Heaven and Hell" to avoid confusion with the Ozzy years, will play the Allstate Arena with Megadeth May 5. Once again, tickets for all these shows are available through www.wlup.com.

The best part? Many more shows will be announced very soon! The best way to get the news first is to sign up as a Loyal Looper and keep your dial glued to the Loop to win free tickets.

Heads up. Numerous concert dates will be announced in the next few days/weeks including Rush, Eric Clapton, and probable second shows from the Police and Genesis.

In the midst of all this, the 2007 Loop Rock Girl Search is set to begin. Keep checking www.wlup.com for pictures, video and the schedule for the voting process as we chose a new Loop Rock Girl for the Loop's 30th anniversary.

We lost one of the all-time greatest vocalists in rock Friday, as Boston lead singer Brad Delp was discovered dead at his home at the shockingly premature age of 55. Brad was gifted with an awe-inspiring voice that he used to great effect with Boston and later with RTZ. Not only did he provide the lead, but also the background AND harmony vocals, too. In other words, those perfect and soaring choruses that made our jaws drop were actually all HIM. All this was done without the studio tricks that are now very commonly used to "sweeten" or "correct" vocal tracks by lesser singers. Even 31 years after the release of the debut album from Boston (which sold an amazing 17 million copies), Brad could still effortlessly hit all those notes live in concert. In addition to his prodigious talent, Brad was one of the nicest people you could ever meet. I hung out with him on several occasions and found him to be a most genuine, gentle soul who quietly went about his business with no airs or ego, just a shy smile. Brad Delp was truly one of the "nice guys." At the time of his death, he was preparing for a summer 2007 Boston tour and to marry his long time girlfriend. The tour was officially scrapped by band leader and guitarist Tom Scholz only hours after the news broke. In the words of Tom, "there can be no Boston without Brad." Indeed. Thanks for the music Brad... you will be missed, but never forgotten.

Sadly... also over the weekend, successful and very funny comedian/actor Richard Jeni died of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head in West Hollywood, CA. Details are sketchy at this point. Richard was only 45 (or 49, depending on the cited source). I fondly remember Richard stopping by on my show many a time over the years to say hello and share a few funny stories. Most times, later that evening I would then bring him on stage at a local comedy venue or theatre. After the show, the joking and laughing continued backstage. I'll miss 'ya Rich. Thanks for all the laughs. "Lord!"

Lollapalooza 2007 is already taking shape, even though the event is still 5 months away. Pearl Jam has signed on to headline this year's edition which will once again be held in Grant Park, August 3-5. It will be a perfect fit since Eddie Vedder of Pearl Jam is a native of Evanston and loves coming back home to play. More acts and ticket information will follow in the next few weeks and months, so keep it locked on the Loop for the scoop.

Another big event of a different sort will be rolled out shortly as well. This month, the Loop celebrates its 30th year of rockin' Chicago! In the process, the Loop has become an uber-legendary station/brand name, synonymous with rock music and its lifestyle and recognized throughout the world. To illustrate the magnitude of this, I was recently asked by German television network ZDF to be their on-camera host of a special anniversary feature they were doing on the Loop for European television, been approached to have my Loop shows re-broadcast in Japan, the rest of Asia, Europe, and Africa and have received e-mail's from Loyal Loopers in just about every civilized nation on the globe. USA Today published a front page article about rock music and its enduring appeal a short time ago and... you guessed it, prominently featured comments from Loyal Loopers. Even the classic TV sitcom about radio, WKRP was based largely on what its writers observed after holing up at the Loop offices for 3 months before the show went into production (ever notice Loni Anderson's character "Jennifer" bore a striking resemblance to Lorelei, our very first Rock Girl?). Wow! Mind-boggling stuff! Many famous names in rock are Loyal Loopers too, and have included Axl Rose of Guns 'n' Roses, Def Leppard, Deep Purple, and countless others. I am personally absolutely thrilled and honored to be a daily part of this ongoing living legacy, one that would not have even been conceivable without YOU and your amazing and continued support! Expect a fun year, full of events that will kick off with a special edition Loop Rock Girl Search for 2007, beginning in just a few short weeks.

Loop XXX is on the launching pad, preparing for lift-off!

Attention Pink Floyd and Metallica fans... Monday night during "Thinks Pink" at 10pm (a weekly one hour focus on Pink Floyd), I will be debuting a new Roger Waters song that sounds as if it would have been very comfortable nestled alongside the other cuts on "The Wall." On Tuesday night at 10pm, I will be debuting a new Metallica track during the "10 O'Clock News."

(See Roger Waters' video for "Hello (I Love You)" here: http://youtube.com/watch?v=1eK6FY4Hykc)

Speaking of news, the Van Halen reunion tour may still happen after all. Last week the tour was postponed, leading many to believe that perhaps old tensions between David Lee Roth and Eddie Van Halen had resurfaced and de-railed the plans. In actuality, it simply appears that several contractual 'i's" and "t's" needed to be dotted and crossed before proceeding. Sources close to the band say the tour WILL happen, but the full details and dates will be delayed until this process is complete.

Potentially one of the most significant historical finds in recent memory came to light this past week. New, previously unseen color footage of former President John F. Kennedy's motorcade through Dealey Plaza in Dallas on November 22, 1963 has just surfaced. Up until now, the most commonly seen film of that fateful day has been the now infamous Abraham Zapruder amateur 8mm film. The new footage is only 39 seconds long and runs out just before the actual assassination itself, but it affords historians a very good quality sweep of the people who were in the crowd that afternoon, and from a different angle than the Zapruder film. Many feel that the official Warren Commission findings of a single gunman, acting alone were incorrect and incomplete. Numerous books, including the excellent "High Treason" (which Oliver Stone consulted during the making of the movie "JFK") make a compelling case for a conspiracy plot and cover-up involving numerous people and/or organizations. We may never know the full truth about that terrible sequence in time, but now there is another possibly important piece of evidence that has emerged that might shed some new light on the case. To see it for yourself, go to www.jfk.org. Other assorted snippets of film from that day can be seen at www.jfk-online.com/films.html. Having been given a DVD copy to view of the digitally restored and enhanced Zapruder film via his surviving family several years ago, it does seems questionable as to whether a solitary gunman could have caused so much damage in such a short span of time. That DVD has now been publicly released and is available through MPI Home Video under the title "Image Of An Assassination." A word of caution is in order though... the footage has been so vastly improved and enhanced, the impact of viewing it is highly disturbing. I personally was very badly shaken for several hours after seeing it. The gruesome realization that you are witnessing a brutal, uncensored murder is quite traumatizing.

Took in the 99th annual Chicago Auto Show this week at McCormick Place. Spread over 1.2 million square feet and containing close to 1,000 new vehicles, it is the largest annual car show in the country. Since I'm a speed and horsepower demon (I have owned and driven exclusively Corvettes since the age of 23), I was particularly interested in what current and future offerings there might be in the sports car vein. As has become tradition at the auto show, several concept cars were on display to judge consumer interest in various tentative models. By far the most interest was generated by the Chevrolet Camaro Convertible concept car. Going retro with it's look (ala the Ford Mustang, T-Bird and numerous others), this Camaro was a definite throwback to the appearance and feel of the 1967-1969 Camaro. If the recently re-styled Mustang's smash success is any indicator, this updated/retro Camaro will sell very well. No horsepower figures were given, but it will surely have a 300 + hp engine lurking under the hood if it indeed gets the green light for production. Other concept cars that were impressive in look and power were the Pontiac Solstice "Weekend Racer" (325 hp), the Dodge Viper "Mopar Concept" (675 hp), the Toyota FT-HS (400 hp) and the Volvo C30 (507 hp).

Below I have compiled a list of the most impressive, currently produced machines seen at the show that you should check out if you are into fast and powerful sports cars like I am.

Audi R8 (420 hp)
Chevrolet Corvette (400 hp)
Chevrolet Corvette Z06 (505 hp)
Dodge Charger SRT8 and SRT8 Super-Bee (425 hp)
Dodge Viper SRT10 (510 hp)
Ford Mustang Shelby GT500 (500 hp)
Jaguar XKR (420 hp)
Lamborghini Murcielago LP640 (640 hp)
Lamborghini Gallardo (520 hp)
Maserati Gransport (400 hp)
Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren (650 hp)
Porsche 911 (325 hp)

Just think about all the fun one could have in any one of these beasts... commute time reduced to say, 3 or 4 minutes! To see them for yourself, visit www.chicagoautoshow.com.

Vroooommmmm!!!

What a year this is shaping up to be for rock fans! New albums and/or tours are expected from The Police, Van Halen, Rush, Smashing Pumpkins, Roger Waters, AC/DC, Eric Clapton, Metallica, Ozzy Osbourne, Green Day, Queen, Genesis, Eagles, Heaven & Hell (Black Sabbath w/Dio), Tom Petty, and the Scorpions. Whew! Keep it locked on the Loop to hear the new material, find out about concert dates in Chicagoland and to win tickets to the shows.

Heartbreaking finish to the Bears otherwise stellar 2006 season. Many seem to want to pin the defeat in Superbowl XLI solely on Rex Grossman, but while this may be convenient, it is in my opinion quite unfair. While Rex clearly didn't have a perfect game, the truth is that the Bears met a seasoned and superior squad down in Miami. Peyton Manning and the Colts have been threatening to win the whole deal for a number of years now, coming very close, but ultimately falling short. Manning is now nearly a 10 year veteran of the NFL and it showed on game day. Cool and poised under the intense pressure that comes with an appearance in the Superbowl, he finally made good on the heavy expectations that were laid upon him with his entry into the league nearly a decade ago. If the Bears were only the second best team this year, imagine what is possible in the coming seasons! Being one of the two teams left to fight it out for top-dog status is more than what 98% of the other teams and cities can claim to have achieved this year. I suspect that if we can keep most of the team intact, we may very well win the whole deal ourselves in the very near future, just like the Colts did. For those who have inquired about getting one of the limited edition commemorative footballs celebrating the Bears great year and NFC championship that I gave away last week on my show, you can order them through www.nikcosports.com or by calling 1-800-345-2868. Priced at $99 (which includes display case), only 5,000 will be made and a portion of the proceeds go to the Make-A-Wish Foundation for kids. I can personally vouch for the quality products these people produce and recommend them highly to you. Grab one before they sell out.

Go Bears in 2007!!!

Rob Halford of Judas Priest checked in with me on the show recently to give an update on the band's activities and share a few laughs. The guys are working on an ambitious follow up to their very successful reunion disc "Angel Of Retribution" and tour of 2005. Rob says it will be a concept disc about the life and predictions of 16th century French Renaissance prophet Nostradamus. Completion of the project is slated for the spring/summer of 2007 with another tour to follow. In the meantime, all of Halford's solo works have been re-mastered and re-released via his website www.robhalford.com, and a terrific 2 CD overview of Judas Priest's career called "The Essential Judas Priest" (also remastered and remixed) has hit store shelves as well.

My long-time friend Rik Emmett (of Triumph fame) played another inspired show at the House of Blues this past Saturday night. As usual, Rik demonstrated his guitar/vocal pyrotechnics and virtuosity for the rabid crowd. Rik and his crack solo band performed plenty of Triumph classics (including the gem "Allied Forces"), solo hits and several instrumental pieces that showed off his grasp of classical, jazz and spanish guitar styles. Rik has never really received his just due as a guitar god as Eddie Van Halen has, but those who have paid attention over the years easily put him in that class of players. Despite his musical prowess, Rik is still a humble and nice guy. It was a real pleasure to get together with him, and I was honored to have him ask me to introduce him on stage once again. By the way, the Chicago-based opening act The Last Vegas are a band to watch. Their enthusiastic super-charged set won over the crowd quickly. They are a five piece original band in the AC/DC, Motley Crue, Black Crowes, Faces vein. Good stuff.

Also attended Soxfest at the Palmer House Hilton this weekend. I was stopped by many very nice Loyal Loopers while I strolled around checking out the scene. Meet and greets with the players and Sox memorabilia galore make this a must-do for White Sox fans. Check it out next year if you can.

Duncan Keith and Patrick Sharp of the Blackhawks stopped in the other night on the show to chat and give away some tickets to the following night's game. Both Duncan and Patrick are rising stars on the Hawks squad and are die-hard rock fans. More of our conversation will be available in podcast form shortly on my page at www.wlup.com.

Lastly... GO BEARS!!!