Tom Irwin

Let's take a walk (don't run) through our upcoming entertainment adventures for this week in the capital city. It's time to stop and smell the roses as we enjoy all the enticing excitement available for partaking if you make the choice to participate. So off we go to see what's out there.

Tree frogs croakin’, fireflies flittin’ and June bugs jivin’ are all sure signs that the natural world is headed toward the summer season. All signs in our live performance world also point in the same direction with outdoor gigs galore in store for you and all who choose to join in the seasonal fare. And […]

Bring on the sunscreen and insect repellant, stay hydrated and say when, here comes some live music made for June and the sweet summertime. Let's expect to get a decent break from watching the weather so all of us can go outside and play, listen and be a part of the many music events upcoming in the area.

Join me in enjoying a jubilant journey, as we jump into the juke joints to jam and jive while juggling all kinds of music on this jewel of a juggernaut jubilee. There's no justification for the j-sound jargon I'm generating so let's not jinx it and just get joyful, jovial and generally jolly as we jiggle, jog, jostle and not judge our way through this last weekend of June before we jet into July.

Welcome to July of 2026 as our national holiday weekend celebrating Independence Day in the U.S. of A. comes in hotter than a firecracker on the Fourth of July, to borrow an appropriate phrase for the occasion. I'm sure you've heard plenty about the 250th anniversary of America, so let's move on to the music as we like to do here at Now Playing central.

With summertime in full swing, the livin' is, as expressed in song, easy. So let's go have fun in the sun because we got it made in the shade with all the music being played in and around the area this upcoming week.

We're turning up the heat as we hit mid-July with the summer time going full on with fun-feeling, corn-tassling, music-making happenings everywhere you look, turn, walk, skip, hop and/or run. The decision is yours to participate, so make the right choice and get yourself out there to experience the live music and surrounding excitement.

Believe it or not (and I prefer to not) we've reached the last full weekend of July for 2026. August peeks in with the Illinois State Fair just ahead and the end of our summer season not far away. So, I say, get out there while you can and take part in it all, in every way possible. What say you?

Just as July flew by, August arrives in a hurry with a heap of heat on hand to make it all interesting, if not downright dangerous and definitely uncomfortable. Let's power on through, staying as cool as cool can be.

As we gear up for the first full weekend of August, the live music scene is in full throttle mode. With the pedal to the metal, the race is on to get to the Illinois State Fair, but first, let's take a pit stop for upcoming shows happening in the here and now.