This week, we’re talking about Chance the Rapper’s donation to CPS, the end of Black Sabbath, the end of HIM, and more. Check it out on this week’s On the Radar.
HIM says goodbye; announce farewell tour
It’s been awhile since we heard from Finnish rockers HIM. The band dropped their last album, Tears on Tape, in 2013. Last year, there was talk of a new album in the works, but it looks like that won’t happen now. Last weekend the band revealed they’re calling it quits. According to frontman Ville Valo, the band has run its “unnatural course” and it’s time for them to move on to new things.
“After quarter of a century of love and metal intertwined, we sincerely feel HIM has run its unnatural course and adieus must be said in order to make way for sights, scents and sounds yet unexplored. We completed the pattern, solved the puzzle and turned the key. Thank you.”
The band wants to have one more hurrah before they go. They’ll embark on a farewell tour this year. So far, only European dates have been announced. The band assures US and Finnish dates are on the way. Being a fan of these guys since high school, it’ll be sad to see them go. I’ll miss their melancholy music which puts love and death on equal footing. But at least they’re going out on their own terms before things get stale and they become sad like so many rock bands still floating around. Looking at you, Queen.
Good guy Chance the Rapper donates $1 million to CPS
Chance the Rapper makes Chicago proud with a $1 million donation to CPS. On March 6 Chance held a press conference at Westcott Elementary school to announce his generous donation. “This isn’t about politics. This isn’t about posturing. This is about taking care of kids,” he said at the conference. The rapper plans to keep the funding going and will speak with Common to discuss how to raise more money.
Chance also wants the public to get involved. He updated his website with a link to support Chicago Public school. If you want to help out, visit this link.
Previously, Chance held a meeting with Illinois governor Bruce Rauner to discuss public education and other matters affecting the city. Chance didn’t hide his frustration about the meeting and said Rauner gave him vague answers leading him to shout “Gove. Rauner, do your job!”
It’s great to see Chance, who has seen so much success in a short amount of time, do his best to give back to the city. Keep up the good work, Chance. Chicago is with you all the way.
Can’t Miss Chicago Shows
Punk rock heavy hitters Rancid and Dropkick Murphys are heading out on tour together. The groups plan on providing two full sets along with playing together for a special joint encore. As special guests, they’re bringing The Bouncing Souls and Jake Burns of Stiff Little Fingers for the first half of the tour. The Selecter and Kevin Seconds from 7 Seconds will play the second half. Shows kick off July 27 in Bangor, MN and wrap up August 26 in Los Angeles, CA. You can catch the two acts in Chicago on August 8 at the Huntington Bank Pavilion at Northerly Island. Tickets are currently on sale.
Chicago’s beachside festival Mamby on the Beach dropped its full lineup last week. Headliners include Walk the Moon, MGMT, and Local Natives. Other acts on the bill include BJ the Chicago Kid, Saba, Sir the Baptist, Marian Hill, and Cut Copy to name a few. Tickets are on sale now. Two-days passes run 79.99 while VIP two-day passes are 149.99.
Finally, everyone’s favorite Brit Ed Sheeran announced a massive North American tour shortly after the release of his new album, Divide. Shows kick off in Kansas City on June 29 and runs until October 6. Sheeran will be in Chicago September 15 at the Allstate Arena. Tickets are on sale now. Find the complete list of dates here.
This is the end; Black Sabbath officially call it quits
We knew the end was coming, but we didn’t want to believe it. Black Sabbath are officially over. Last week, the metal titans posted the news on Facebook with a photo of their logo with the dates 1968 – 2017 and #TheEnd.
Last month the band played their last ever show in their hometown of Birmingham, England. We knew the band had no further plans to tour but guitarist Tony Iommi suggested the group may still make music together.
“I don’t think we’ve ruled anything out, apart from me not wanting to tour any more. Who knows? We may do something…. We haven’t talked about anything, really – but I’m sure something can happen somewhere.”
Sadly, this won’t be happening. These heavy metal legends will surely be missed. All we can say is, thanks for 49 years of headbanging music.
Chicago artist spotlight: Meat Wave
More rock bands are coming out of the city to make Chicago known for rock music once again. One of them is punk outfit Meat Wave. The trio recently released their third album, Incessant, last month and it’s killer. Frustration and anger are written all over this record. What makes it stand out is the upbeat, melodic nature of it. Check out the title track and try not to bob up and down, singing along. There’s fury to Meat Wave’s music, but it’s still a lot of fun. Check out their new LP if you haven’t already.
Meat Wave is gearing up to play at this year’s South By Southwest Festival in Austin, TX. Check out their full itinerary here.