June's 5 Can't-Miss Shows (Dave Chamberlain)

1

Judas Priest

(Tweeter Center)

Though "Breakin' the Law" and "Screaming for Vengeance" have become anthemic metal classics, it's still odd that so many metal dudes are entranced by a singer who sounds like a girl and wears leather and chains; that notwithstanding, this show remains a metalhead's mothership of sorts.

June 3

2

Q101 Summer Block Party

(Newcity YMCA)

Queens of the Stone Age, Interpol and Hot Hot Heat sharing the same stage marks an early summer highlight, though there's an interesting mix of fan bases between the former and latter two; the second day features hometown heroes Rise Against.

June 3-4

3

Kraftwerk

(Riviera)

Rumor has it that this German outfit (which arguably started the whole electronic music shebang back in the day) has converted to laptops [insert large sigh]. Trust that the visual experience should make up for that.

June 4

4

Splitlip Rayfield

(Double Door, Empty Bottle)

Something about summertime and the world's fastest bluegrass band just seem to match up--even if it is inside.

June 10-11

5

Black-Eyed Peas

(Lakefront Pavilion)

As much a modern soul experience as hip-hop, BEP has the ability to make an outside stage glow.

June 26

June's 5 Can't-Miss Shows (Tom Lynch)

1

Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks

(Metro)

Malkmus and his Jicks hit the pavement in support of his latest on Matador, "Face the Truth," a staggeringly solid hybrid of his previous two solo efforts, with enough indie pop abnormality and rock `n' roll guitar solos to rival the best parts of "Wowee Zowee."

June 11

2

Sleater-Kinney

(Riviera)

The Olympia, Washington all-stars return after a brief hiatus post-"One Beat" with "The Woods," a couldn't-be-better-titled seventh effort of grrl-driven guitar intricacies, matched by no other band in the world, that dives into the catalogue of Sleater's past without being afraid of looking forward to the future.

June 16

3

Ted Leo and the Pharmacists

(Logan Square Auditorium)

Ted Leo's live show hasn't lost its energetic frenzy in its several years of making even the most somber of cities--check: Chicago--to get up and dance. "Shake the Sheets," the band's most recent full-length record, shows that Leo and his pill-pushers plan to keep up their attack.

June 15

4

Keren Ann

(Schubas)

Sure to touch some best-of lists come December, Keren Ann's "Nolita," a combo of French lounge-pop and echoed nightclub folk, is perfect at its best moments and simply great when it slumbers.

June 23-24

5

Travis Morrison

(Bottom Lounge)

In the ruin of the beloved Dismemberment Plan, Morrison went solo with the bizarre, quirky and gloriously shameless "Travistan," a dance-rock record that hauls along a lively in-person show.

June 8

June's 5 Can't-Miss Shows (Melissa Lane)

1

Kraftwerk

(Riviera)

German synth pioneers influenced everyone from Afrika Bambaataa to Juan Atkins

June 4

2

Little Louie Vega

(Boom Boom Room's one-year anniversary at Green Dolphin)

The prolific NYC Masters at Work pillar brings his Nuyorican Soul to celebrate BBR's successful relocation.

June 6

3

Mouse on Mars/A Grape Dope/DJ M30

(Sonotheque)

Taste-making German electronica producers play with Tortoise-drummer John Herndon's side project A Grape Dope.

June 9

4

Jeff Mills/Mike Dearborn

(SummerDance)

Two of today's best Techno DJs play for free in Grant Park.

June 22

5

Fabio

(Sonotheque)

The most influential DJ in drum `n' bass descends on one of the only sound systems within city limits that can handle his self-proclaimed "liquid funk."

June 25

June's 5 Can't-Miss Shows (Dennis Polkow)

1

A Midsummer's Night Dream

(Pritzker Pavilion)

What fools these mortals be who would miss the rare opportunity to experience the enchantment of the Bard's "A Midsummer Night's Dream" performed outdoors on a Midsummer night under the Chicago skyline and accompanied by Mendelssohn's impish incidental music performed by the Grant Park Orchestra and Chorus.

June 15

2

Hugh Masekela

(Harold Washington Cultural Center)

Even during decades of exile from his South African homeland, Hugh Masekela's music became the mantra of his nation's conscience during apartheid. These days, Masekela musically celebrates the freedom he helped to achieve in his homeland, though alas, since going home, not nearly as often in these parts.

June 16

3

Mahler's Second Symphony

(Ravinia)

The "Resurrection" Symphony performed, for the first time at Ravinia, under the guidance of new music director James Conlon.

June 24

4

Baltic Voices

(St. Paul's Church)

The Grant Park Chorus performing works from artists little known this far from the Baltic Sea, Sisask, Schnittke, Norgard, Pärt and Kreek.

June 28-29

5

"The Emperor of Atlantis"

(Temple Sholom)

A parody of Hitler and the Third Reich, penned by eventual Auschwitz victim Viktor Ullman at the height of Nazi Germany's power.

June 30

(2005-05-24)

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