Ten years ago, just before the 1994 Republican landslide, I thought that state Senator Patrick Welch (D-Peru) was in big, big trouble. The Republicans launched an expensive campaign against him, and they had a pretty good candidate.
Incredible! An arts miracle! That's the best wording I know to describe Ballet Quad Cities in its latest embodiment: A Night to Remember. Their celestial performance was devilishly difficult, a program complex enough to challenge even the most financially flush dance company.
Quad City Symphony Orchestra Conductor Donald Schleicher promised us a “night of beauty, elegance, and gorgeous melody” this past Saturday, November 6, at the Adler Theatre. He, the Quad City Symphony, and guest oboist Robert Atherholt delivered just that at the symphony’s second classical series concert of the season.
Twenty years after it first raised awareness and funds for African famine relief, the Band Aid Trust is active again, preparing to re-record the mother of all benefit projects, "Do They Know It's Christmas?" later this week with Bono of U2; members of Morcheeba, Coldplay, Travis, and Supergrass; Sir Paul McCartney; Dido; Robbie Williams; and Snow Patrol, with guitar power via The Darkness.
It's understandable if Illinois Republicans feel a little panicky right now. Their party's U.S. Senate candidate, Alan Keyes, was wiped out in the biggest Senate landslide in Illinois history. And they were stunned when longtime Congressman Phil Crane lost his seat to a Democrat.
People don't get much more soft-spoken than Devin Hansen, and the proprietor of the Brew & View has a modesty that matches his voice. "I'm just filling a void here," Hansen said on the occasion of his business' second anniversary, which he's celebrating this weekend with a three-day music and movie festival.
The River Cities' Reader's photo contest is getting bigger. Much bigger. In its inaugural edition last year, the contest received roughly 80 entries. This year, we got 105. And while we published 12 winners a year ago, we're giving you 15 in this issue.
This summer season was rife with wonderful activities, from the Grand Excursion to the Mississippi Valley Blues Fest to the Bix festival. But in my "saving the best for last" opinion, the festival that truly marks the end of season is the Chicago Jazz Festival, which this year honored one of the Quad Cities' own, Jimmie Jones, with an after-fest birthday party earlier this month.
Over the last few weeks it's become clear that Alan Keyes lives in his own little world. And it's a pretty odd planet at that. In Keyes' version of reality, pro-choicers are like terrorist sympathizers, his Democratic opponent Barack Obama has a "slaveholder mentality," and Jesus would never even consider voting for Obama.
Just when I was convinced that Picasso at the Lapin Agile would endure as Steve Martin's wittiest, funniest theatre script, the multi-talented writer/actor/comedian has outdone himself, with the adapted comedy The Underpants.

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