Hot weekend in Chicago, in more ways than one! With the temperatures and the proliferation of great concerts soaring, it was a opportune time to get out and catch some fantastic live shows.

Iron Maiden has earned a reputation as being one of the greatest live acts you will ever get a chance to see. Many years ago at the beginning of their career, we all went out for a few tastey adult beverages and the thing that sticks in my mind was how excited the guys in the band were that they might actually be starting to break through in North America. This past weekend, some 25,000 Loyal Loopers (the largest crowd ever for a Maiden show in Chicago) packed the First Midwest Bank Amphitheater to catch them. It is a rare sight indeed to witness an opening act get a standing ovation, but Dream Theater did just that as ...