Eyes, ears feast on U2: Show’s missteps forgivable

April 28, 1997July 18, 2022 Jae-Ha Kim

U2 started off its six-song encore with a mighty lemon drop – literally. Riding in the giant mirror ball, the musicians left more than a few fans wondering whether they might have a “Spinal Tap” moment and get stuck in the contraption. (They didn’t.) Rather than “Lemon” – the obvious choice – they played a slowed-down version of “Discotheque” that stripped the song of its oomph. Much better were the haunting ballads “With or Without You” and “One,” which closed the show.

Still big enough to stuff a stadium

April 28, 1997August 31, 2022 Jae-Ha Kim

While U2’s album “Pop” hasn’t been the sure thing that the music industry had hoped for, it has done well enough to kick-start the Irish supergroup’s 14-month, 100-city “PopMart” tour.

Susan Silver steers careers toward rock stardom

April 27, 1997August 19, 2022 Jae-Ha Kim

In a business that is dominated by men onstage and off, Susan Silver is an anomaly. For most of her adult life, the 38-year-old has guided the careers of superstar groups such as Soundgarden, which recently disbanded after 12 years together, and Alice in Chains. Silver got into band management for the love of music. Money wasn’t an issue. Until six years ago, Silver maintained secondary jobs to make sure the bills got paid.

Jonny Lang parks himself in the blues

April 25, 1997August 19, 2022 Jae-Ha Kim

Jonny Lang doesn’t have his drivers license yet, but the 16-year-old blues musician has already put in thousands of miles on the road. Of course, someone else is at the wheel. “That gives me a good excuse to sleep in the van,” Lang said, suppressing a yawn. “The other guys can’t get mad at me for not pulling my weight.”

No Bush leaguers: British band finds dreams in America despite critics’ objections

April 20, 1997July 16, 2022 Jae-Ha Kim

“I think that the whole Bush-copying-Nirvana (thing) is totally full of – – – -,” said Chicago-based producer Steve Albini, who recorded Bush’s latest double-platinum album, “Razorblade Suitcase.”

Local rocker spearheads second Asian arts fest

April 4, 1997May 29, 2023 Jae-Ha Kim

What does an indie rock star do when he’s not busy touring with his critically acclaimed band? If he’s Sooyoung Park, frontman for the Chicago-based Seam, he gets a couple of pals together and spearheads an arts festival in his hometown.